What does Luke 8:49 mean?
Luke 8:19–56 presents several different reactions to Jesus. Some, likely including His mother and brothers, think He's "out of his mind" (Mark 3:21; Luke 8:19–21). When He calms a storm with a quick rebuke, His disciples become afraid (Luke 8:22–25). In the same way, when people discover He has rescued a man who was possessed by a legion of demons, they are so frightened they beg Jesus to leave. Meanwhile, the man is so grateful he begs to accompany Jesus (Luke 8:37–38). The woman with a discharge of blood approaches Jesus with faith in His power to heal her but fear about what He would think of her for doing so (Luke 8:43–48).Jairus had faith that Jesus could heal his sick daughter (Mark 5:22–23) and his faith stays strong when she dies (Matthew 9:18). Even though Jairus is desperate and anxious, he keeps his faith that Jesus has the power and the desire to raise his daughter.
The timing of Jairus's request (Luke 8:41–42), the arrival of the messenger from the house, and Matthew's account which says Jairus asked Jesus after his daughter has died is quite confusing. Matthew condenses the interaction, combining two interactions into one description. He wrote to Jews to prove Jesus is the Jewish Messiah; by condensing the story, he shows a Jewish religious leader's faith in Jesus. Luke's extended story keeps the focus on the girl as his theme is Jesus' compassion for outcasts like Gentiles, women, children, and sinners. It's quite possible that Jairus first talks to Jesus when his daughter is near death, the messenger comes and tells Jairus his daughter has died, Jesus builds his faith (Luke 8:50), and Jairus repeats his request (Matthew 9:18). Any other differences are merely literary choices.
