What does Matthew 9:18 mean?

Matthew, Mark, and Luke all mention the incident recorded in this passage. Matthew's habit is to leave out some details and not necessarily group stories in chronological order. Instead, he often arranges similar stories in blocks, to fit particular topics or themes.

The ruler who knelt before Jesus to beg for his daughter's healing was a man named Jairus, a ruler of the Jewish synagogue (Mark 5:22). Matthew also shows the man telling Jesus that his daughter is already dead. Luke, though, describes the man's only daughter, about 12, as "dying" (Luke 8:42). By the time Jesus gets to Jairus's house, the girl is dead. Most likely, messengers arrived during the exchange to let him know the sad news.

Like the Roman centurion who asked Jesus to heal his paralyzed servant (Matthew 8:5–13), this synagogue ruler also humbles himself and shows faith in Jesus' power to heal. Unlike most of the other Jewish religious leaders we see, Jairus does not want to judge or accuse Jesus. He simply believes in Jesus' power to heal and wants his daughter to live.

There is a stark difference between Jairus and the centurion, however. The centurion understood that Jesus could heal with a word without having to be near the sick person. Jairus, so it seems, is convinced Jesus will need to put His hand on the girl for her to be made well.