Jairus
“He enlightens (from Hebrew Jair)”
Summary
A ruler of a synagogue near the Sea of Galilee, whose twelve-year-old daughter Jesus raised from the dead, demonstrating Christ's power over death and the importance of persistent faith.
☩The Desperate Father
Jairus was an 'archisynagogus'—a ruler or president of a synagogue—likely in Capernaum or a nearby town on the western shore of the Sea of Galilee. His name is probably the Greek form of the Hebrew 'Jair,' meaning 'he enlightens' or 'whom God enlightens.' As a synagogue ruler, he would have held a respected position, responsible for directing public worship and maintaining order in the assembly. When his only daughter, about twelve years old, lay dying, Jairus set aside any concern for reputation or official dignity and fell at Jesus' feet, earnestly imploring Him to come to his house. Mark notes she was 'at the point of death,' while Matthew's condensed account states she had already died—reflecting either the progression of events or Matthew's characteristic brevity.
☩Faith Tested by Delay
As Jesus went with Jairus, the crowd pressed around Him, and a woman with an issue of blood touched His garment and was healed—an interruption that must have agonized the anxious father. While Jesus still spoke to the healed woman, messengers arrived from Jairus's house with devastating news: 'Thy daughter is dead; why troublest thou the Master any further?' But Jesus immediately encouraged Jairus: 'Be not afraid, only believe.' This testing of faith through apparent delay parallels other instances where Jesus seems to delay for a greater purpose, as with Lazarus. The interruption that allowed the girl to die also allowed Jesus to demonstrate His power not merely to heal but to raise the dead.
☩The Raising of the Daughter
Arriving at Jairus's house, Jesus found the customary mourning already begun—the noise of weeping, wailing, and flute players. When He said 'The maid is not dead, but sleepeth,' the mourners ridiculed Him, knowing she was certainly dead. Jesus put them all out, taking only Peter, James, John, and the child's parents into the room where the girl lay. Taking her hand, He spoke the Aramaic words 'Talitha cumi'—'Little girl, arise'—and immediately she rose and walked. Luke, the physician, notes that 'her spirit came again,' confirming that she had truly died. Jesus commanded that food be given to her and that they tell no one what had happened—perhaps to avoid sensationalism and preserve the family's privacy.
References
- 1.John McClintock and James Strong, "Jairus," in Cyclopedia of Biblical, Theological and Ecclesiastical Literature, vol. IV (Harper & Brothers, 1867–1887).
- 2.F. N. Peloubet & M. A. Peloubet (ed.), "Jairus," in Smith's Bible Dictionary (Porter & Coates, 1884).
- 3.James Hastings (ed.), "Jairus," in Dictionary of Christ and the Gospels, vol. I (T. & T. Clark, 1906–1908).
- 4.George Morrish, "Jairus," in Morrish's Concise Bible Dictionary (George Morrish, 1898).