Mark 5:21-43
Notice the way that Jesus penetrates into the heart of hopelessness in the story of Jarius’ daughter. At first, Jarius comes to Jesus and asks for help because his daughter is dying, and Jesus agrees to go, v.24. When they draw near to the house, they find out Jarius’ daughter has died (v.35). They have come closer to the epicenter and the despair is increasing. Then they press on further into darkness, actually entering into the house of death (v.38). We are overwhelmed by mourning and lamentation and wailing (v.38b)—a threshold has been crossed.
Finally, they pass into the chamber of Death itself where lies the lifeless body of Jarius’ daughter. This is the climax of the chapter, bringing Christ face to face with death. It is as though Mark has brought together the opposing ends of two magnets: Life and Death, Hope and Hopelessness, The Holy, the Unclean. But there is a fourth movement here—which is the climax of the climactic third movement—and that is when Christ (Life Himself) reaches out and takes hold of the dead girl’s hand.
Life grasps Death in His hand; Hope descends to and embraces Hopelessness. This moment is, I would suggest, an anticipation of the cross. This is what Christ will do on Calvary, and He does it here only because it is what He has done from the foundation of the earth. He takes up the death of His handiwork, holding our death in the embrace of His life, and causes it to live.
“Little girl, I say to you, rise.”
Immediately she is raised up to life…immediately the shadowed heart of hopelessness is transfigured into radiant joy, the inner sanctum of death becomes a wellspring of life, the wilderness flows with water, the desert blossoms, and the unclean room of death becomes a holy place wherein the Holy One sanctifies His own. This is the transformative mercy of Christ, a mercy enabled by and expressive of that supreme mercy of the Gospel, of the dying and rising Lord. Hallowed be His name.
