Mark 5:43 - Printer Friendly

ESV: And he strictly charged them that no one should know this, and told them to give her something to eat.

NIV: He gave strict orders not to let anyone know about this, and told them to give her something to eat.

NASB: And He gave them strict orders that no one was to know about this, and He told them to have something given her to eat.

CSB: Then he gave them strict orders that no one should know about this and told them to give her something to eat.

NLT: Jesus gave them strict orders not to tell anyone what had happened, and then he told them to give her something to eat.

KJV: And he charged them straitly that no man should know it; and commanded that something should be given her to eat.

NKJV: But He commanded them strictly that no one should know it, and said that something should be given her to eat.

Jesus comes to raise a dead girl, insists to the professional mourners that she is only sleeping, resurrects the girl, and now tells the parents to keep her resurrection a secret. This turns out to be untenable, and soon the entire district knows of His work (Matthew 9:26). His command may have been realistic, as the professional mourners may not have seen the girl. The parents would not have been lying to repeat the statement that she was asleep, as Jesus used the word (Mark 5:39). But people are drawn to the flashy, not the reasonable, and the beneficiaries of Jesus' miracles are not good at holding their peace (Mark 1:44–45).

There are several reasons as to why Jesus may have asked the girl's parents to give her something to eat. They'd had an extremely stressful day, and focusing on the ordinary can go a long way in re-establishing equilibrium in a household. This also puts the parents' focus on the girl and her needs. Outside the door are several professional mourners suddenly out of a job and a good part of the city waiting for news. The girl needs to be cared for, not made a spectacle of. The act of eating, in and of itself, serves as proof that the girl is alive and able to function.

This is not the last time Jesus will use eating as a proof of life. When He appears to the disciples after the resurrection, they are not convinced that He lives by looking at Him, but by watching Him eat fish (Luke 24:36–43).

The implications of these moments don't leave out us, the modern readers. In the end times, God will give Christ-followers glorified bodies and invite us to the marriage supper of the Lamb (Revelation 19:7–10). There we will feast to celebrate our resurrection and new life in the grandest meal in human history. And there will be no need to keep quiet about it.

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.