Luke 8:49–56

Read the passage.

While Jesus stopped to speak with the woman who had been healed, Jairus gets the bad news that his daughter had died while he was away. However, Jesus tells him she will be well anyway. When they reach Jairus’s house, the family has called in the professional mourners, as was customary. Because there were so many people around, Jesus only allows His closest disciples and the girl’s parents to go into the house with Him.

Inside, Jesus takes the girl’s hand and tells her to get up. Miraculously, she does, and Jesus tells them to let her eat something. He also says not to tell anyone what happened. That seems like an impossible task at this point, though. Matthew’s and Mark’s account both emphasize the crowd that had gathered to mourn Jairus’s daughter. They knew she was dead, though Jesus told them she was only sleeping. It would be hard to not talk about the fact that she was walking around the next day as normal.

I have sometimes been tempted to think that Jesus used reverse psychology in instances like this, like He was trying to trick people into talking about Him. But that doesn’t accord with God’s nature and character, so that can’t be what’s going on. This may just have to go on the list of “Things to Learn in Heaven” when we can get all the answers.

We trust in You because You are sovereign and good, orchestrating all of history to fulfill Your perfect plan.