Mark 5:36

As soon as Jesus heard the word that was spoken, he saith unto the ruler of the synagogue, Be not afraid, only believe. AS SOON AS JESUS HEARD THE WORD THAT WAS SPOKEN, HE SAITH UNTO THE RULER OF THE SYNAGOGUE, BE NOT AFRAID, ONLY BELIEVE. Jesus knowing how the heart of the agonized father would sink at the tidings, and the reflections at the delay which would be apt to rise in his mind, hastens to reassure him, and in His accustomed style; "Be not afraid, only believe" - words of unchanging preciousness and power! How vividly do such incidents bring out Christ's knowledge of the human heart and tender sympathy! (). AND HE SUFFERED NO MAN TO FOLLOW HIM, SAVE PETER, AND JAMES, AND JOHN THE BROTHER OF JAMES. See the note at ....

Mark 5:36._Fear not, only believe. _The message about her death had induced despair: for he had asked nothing from Christ but relief to the diseased young woman. Christ therefore bids him take care lest, by fear or distrust, he shut out that grace, to which death will be no hindrance. By this expression, _only believe, _he means that he will not want power, provided Jairus will allow him; and, at the same time, exhorts him to enlarge his heart with confidence, because there is no room to fear that his faith will be more extensive than the boundless power of God. And truly this is the case with us all: for God would be much more liberal in his communications to us, if we were not so close; but our own scanty desires hinder him from pouring out his gifts upon us in greater abundance. (528) In general, we are taught by this passage, that we cannot

35-43 We may suppose Jairus hesitating whether he should ask Christ to go on or not, when told that his daughter was dead. But have we not as much occasion for the grace of God, and the comfort of his Spirit, for the prayers of our ministers and Christian friends, when death is in the house, as when sickness is there? Faith is the only remedy against grief and fear at such a time. Believe the resurrection, then fear not. He raised the dead child to life by a word of power. Such is the gospel call to those who are by nature dead in trespasses and sins. It is by the word of Christ that spiritual life is given. All who saw it, and heard of it, admired the miracle, and Him that wrought it. Though we cannot now expect to have our dead children or relatives restored, we may hope to find comfort under our trials....

Verse 36. _JESUS - SAITH_] These words were spoken by our Lord to the afflicted father, immediately on his hearing of the death of his child, to prevent that distress which he otherwise must have felt on finding that the case was now, humanly speaking, hopeless....

See the account of the raising of Jairus’ daughter, and the healing of the woman with an issue of blood, fully explained in the notes at Matthew 9:18. Mark 5:23 LIETH AT THE POINT OF DEATH - Is dying; in the last agonies. Mark 5:26 HAD SUFFERED MANY THINGS - Had resorted to many things painful, by the direction of the physicians, in order to be healed. Mark 5:27 CAME IN THE PRESS BEHIND - In the crowd that pressed upon him. This was done to avoid being noticed. It was an act of faith.

EXPOSITION MARK 5:1 AND THEY CAME TO THE OTHER SIDE OF THE SEA. The other side of the sea would be the south-east side of the sea. INTO THE COUNTRY OF THE GADARENES, or rather, _Gerasenes_,_ _which is now generally admitted to be the true reading, from Gerasa, Gersa, or Kersa. There was another Gerasa, situated at some distance from the sea, on the borders of Arabia Petraea. The ruins of the Gerasa, here referred to, have been recently discovered by Dr. Thomson, ('The Land and the Book'). Immediately over this spot is a lofty mountain, in which are ancient tombs; and from this mountain there is an almost perpendicular declivity, literally (κρημνός) corresponding accurately to what is required by the description in the narrative of the miracle. Dr. Farrar ('Life of Christ') says that in the days of Eusebius and Jer

AS SOON AS JESUS HAD HEARD THE WORD THAT WAS SPOKEN,.... By those that came from the ruler's house; as that his daughter was dead, and it was to no purpose to give him any further trouble, since all hope of recovery was now gone: HE SAITH UNTO THE RULER OF THE SYNAGOGUE; who was overwhelmed with trouble, and quite dispirited, and ready to swoon and die away; BE NOT AFRAID, ONLY BELIEVE: do not be discouraged at these tidings, or distrust my power to help thee, only believe that I am able to raise her, even from the dead; and fear not, but it will be done. If a man can but believe, he has no reason to fear; for what is it that almighty power cannot do? it can raise the dead; there is nothing can stand in its way, or stop its course; and faith in it surmounts difficulties which are insuperable to carnal sense and reason: this was the support and foundation of Abraham's faith; hence he wa...

Mark 5:1. _And they came over unto the other side of the sea, into the country of the Gadarenes. And when he was come out of the ship, immediately there met him out of the tombs a man with an unclean spirit, who had his dwelling among the tombs; and no man could bind him, no, not with chains: because that he had been often bound with fetters and chains, and the chains had been plucked asunder by him, and the fetters broken in pieces: neither could any man tame him. And always, night and day, he was in the mountains, and in the tombs, crying, and cutting himself with stones._ What a pitiful object this poor creature must have been, a terror to the whole region! So far as man was concerned, he was in an utterly hopeless condition; yet there was hope for him, for Jesus had crossed the sea apparently with the special purpose of healing him. Our Saviour had proved his power over the winds an...

AS SOON AS But Jesus, overhearing that word, said to the synagogue-ruler, Fear not, simply have faith. Compare (Luke 7:50)....

MARK 5:36 parakou,saj {B} The ambiguity of parakou,saj (“ignoring” or “overhearing”) led to its replacement in aa A C D K Q P _al_ by the Lukan parallel avkou,saj ( Luke 8:50)....