Mark 5:35-43

Authority in the Afterlife

Devotional 27 of 50 · Mark chapter 5

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After the Sabbath, at dawn on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to see the tomb. Suddenly there was a great earthquake, for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven, rolled away the stone, and sat on it. His appearance was like lightning, and his clothes were white as snow. The guards trembled in fear of him and became like dead men. But the angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. He is not here; He has risen, just as He said! Come, see the place where He lay. Then go quickly and tell His disciples, ‘He has risen from the dead and is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see Him.’ See, I have told you.” So they hurried away from the tomb in fear and great joy, and ran to tell His disciples. Suddenly Jesus met them and said, “Greetings!” They came to Him, grasped His feet, and worshiped Him. “Do not be afraid,” said Jesus. “Go and tell My brothers to go to Galilee. There they will see Me.” While the women were on their way, some of the guards went into the city and reported to the chief priests all that had happened. And after the chief priests had met with the

Mark 5:35-43 · BSB

³⁵While He was still speaking, messengers from the house of Jairus arrived and said, “Your daughter is dead; why bother the Teacher anymore?” ³⁶But Jesus overheard their conversation and said to Jairus, “Do not be afraid; just believe.” ³⁷And He did not allow anyone to accompany Him except Peter, James, and John the brother of James. ³⁸When they arrived at the house of the synagogue leader, Jesus saw the commotion and the people weeping and wailing loudly. ³⁹He went inside and asked, “Why all this commotion and weeping? The child is not dead, but asleep.” ⁴⁰And they laughed at Him. After He had put them all outside, He took the child’s father and mother and His own companions, and went in to see the child. ⁴¹Taking her by the hand, Jesus said, “Talitha koum!” which means, “Little girl, I say to you, get up!” ⁴²Immediately the girl got up and began to walk around (she was twelve years old). And at once they were utterly astounded. ⁴³Then Jesus gave strict orders that no one should know about this, and He told them to give her something to eat.

Jesus

Jairus just heard the worst words any parent could hear: “Your daughter is dead.” A parent will do anything to save the life of their child, and Jairus, in desperation, runs across town to get Jesus as a last-ditch effort to rescue his perishing child. The piercing cries of the mourners must have shaken him to his core, each wail echoing his worst fears. He must have started replaying what he could have done differently. Maybe if he had left earlier to get Jesus, He would have come in time. Or what if that woman hadn’t interrupted Jesus to get healing?

Before these thoughts could begin to spiral, Jesus speaks louder than Jairus’ anxiety and says, “Do not be afraid, just believe.” Jesus can say this with confidence because He knows about death and the afterlife. Humanity is crippled by the unknowns of what's on the other side of this life and what eternity looks like. Yet Christ is not only aware of the other side, He is the author of it. Jesus also has the power and authority over the dead and can call them back to life.

Jesus speaks beyond the realm of the living, and His voice carries power into the afterlife. At once, this little girl responded to the voice of Christ, and she began to walk around. The voice of Christ carries authority over storms, demons, and even in the afterlife.

His Desires

Jesus doesn’t want Jairus to fall into a panic. Even though Jairus may have only felt anxiety and panic for a few minutes until his daughter was resurrected, He did not want Jairus to feel unnecessary pain, panic, and fear. The opposite of fear is trust, and that is what Christ prescribes: “Just believe.” Jesus desires that we don’t fall into fear and anxiety unnecessarily, but that we believe in Him, His goodness, His resurrection power, and His authority in this life and the life to come.

Follow Through

Do not be afraid; just believe in the power of Jesus in this life and the next.
Go to Jesus in your hour of need.
Bring Jesus to your family members for eternal transformation.

Testimonies

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Devotional 27 of 50

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