Mark 5:42 - Printer Friendly

ESV: And immediately the girl got up and began walking (for she was twelve years of age), and they were immediately overcome with amazement.

NIV: Immediately the girl stood up and began to walk around (she was twelve years old). At this they were completely astonished.

NASB: And immediately the girl got up and began to walk, for she was twelve years old. And immediately they were completely astonished.

CSB: Immediately the girl got up and began to walk. (She was twelve years old.) At this they were utterly astounded.

NLT: And the girl, who was twelve years old, immediately stood up and walked around! They were overwhelmed and totally amazed.

KJV: And straightway the damsel arose, and walked; for she was of the age of twelve years. And they were astonished with a great astonishment.

NKJV: Immediately the girl arose and walked, for she was twelve years of age. And they were overcome with great amazement.

As with Peter's mother-in-law (Mark 1:30–31), the girl's recovery is full and immediate. The reaction of those who witness this event is exactly what one would expect: amazement, astonishment, and surprise. Given the tragic nature of this particular case, it's also understandable that these people would be "overcome" with emotion.

The girl is first described as Jairus' "little daughter" (Mark 5:23). "Little daughter" is from the Greek root word thugatrion. In Jewish culture, a girl from birth to age eleven is a child, from eleven to twelve is under-age, and from twelve to twelve-and-a-half is a "young daughter." Some time during her twelfth year, she becomes a legal adult.

The healing of Jairus' daughter presents a moral dilemma for the Christian. She is healed as part of God's plan for Jesus' ministry, but from a human viewpoint, she is merely in the right place at the right time. If the people of Decapolis hadn't run Jesus back across the Sea of Galilee, or if He had decided to go to Bethsaida instead of Capernaum, where we assume they were, the girl would have died and no one would have thought anything about it. Without question, there were many other children who died in Israel that year who were not near enough to Jesus to be healed.

The dilemma raised is painful, and challenging. Why does God allow children to die? If life is so precious, why does He let babies die in the womb? Perhaps more troubling, why does He save some and not others?

The day-to-day workings of the world are an opaque mix of human free will and God's divine work put into play for His glory and our salvation. In the modern world, His primary work is done through His followers in the church. In as much as childhood death bothers us, it is our responsibility to study medicine, feed the hungry, and support research of childhood diseases. God's love is not shown in His miraculous works so much as it is in the hands of His followers. Children are proved to have value when we do the work that shows we value them.

Mark 5:35–43 returns to Jesus' encounter with a synagogue leader and his ailing daughter, after pausing to describe Jesus healing a woman who had suffered for years with a debilitating hemorrhage. The scope of Jesus' power and authority has built to this moment. He controlled a fierce storm (Mark 4:35–41), expelled a legion of demons (Mark 5:1–13), and healed a chronically ill woman without even trying (Mark 5:25–34). Now He will raise the dead. This is the first of three times Jesus is recorded as raising the dead (John 11:1–44; Luke 7:11–17). Despite this display, Jesus will soon go to His hometown of Nazareth where He will be rejected by the people who have known Him longest. This account can also be found in Matthew 9:23–26 and Luke 8:49–56.

Jesus arrives on the other side of the Sea of Galilee and heals a man afflicted by a ''legion'' of demons. In the aftermath of this event, Jesus once again crosses the waters within this region, known as the Decapolis. There, He is approached by a synagogue leader, begging Him to come and save a dying girl. In the midst of this trip, Jesus stops the crowd to identify a woman who attempted to covertly touch his robes; her faithful act results in healing. Jesus then continues on to the home of the synagogue leader and resurrects his recently-deceased child.

Mark 4:35—5:43 sees an increase in the scope of Jesus' miracles. He has just calmed a violent storm on the Sea of Galilee. Now, He expels a legion of demons, heals a woman without overtly acting, and brings a girl back to life. All three situations—related to tombs, blood, and death—show Jesus bringing healing to unclean circumstances. In chapter 6, the tone of His ministry will develop. He will be rejected by those who should know Him best, He will send out His followers to do His work, and His direct link to the Old Testament prophets will be explained.

The Gospel of Mark emphasizes both Jesus' servanthood and His role as the promised Messiah: the Son of God. This is done through a concise, action-packed style. Mark provides relatively few details, instead focusing on actions and simple statements. This relates to the Gospel's authorship, which is believed to be based on the memories of the apostle Peter. These include many of Jesus' miracles, in contrast to other Gospels which include many more of Jesus' teachings and parables. Mark also makes frequent mention of Jesus' ministry being misunderstood by others.