The Raising from the Dead of Jairus' Daughter

In this part of the sermon: This section details the arrival of messengers from Jairus' house, conveying the news that his daughter has died and suggesting Jesus should not be troubled further. Jesus…

The word 'trouble' is explained by its literal meaning 'to flay someone' and its metaphorical use to describe the arduous labor of Jesus making his way through the suffocating crowd, emphasizing the difficulty he faced.

And now in the midst of that growing groundswell of expectation, his friends whose faces he no doubt recognized, and in all likelihood whose faces bore on their very image the sad news that was to come from their lips, he hears the words he was expecting he would not hear, your daughter has died. And with that bit of sad information, they then convey a very strong suggestion, why trouble the teacher any further? And the word for trouble is a very strong word, and though in its metaphorical use something of the strength and vigor, found in its literal use, which means literally to flay someone,...

10:20 - 11:48 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: Upon arriving at Jairus' house, Jesus encounters a tumultuous scene of professional mourners weeping, wailing, and playing flutes. He declares that the child is not dead but…

The tumultuous scene at Jairus' house is contrasted with the subdued atmosphere of modern funeral homes to highlight the cultural differences in expressing grief and the intensity of the wailing and commotion.

Well, when chapter 20 begins, the word tumult is used to describe that riot. Here was a situation that appeared to anyone observing it impassionately or dispassionately and with some measure of objectivity, nothing short of a tumultuous situation. Unlike the climate usually maintained in our funeral homes, which is generally subdued and reserved, not so in Palestinian culture. According to the text, there was loud weeping and wailing.

18:56 - 19:33 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: Upon arriving at Jairus' house, Jesus encounters a tumultuous scene of professional mourners weeping, wailing, and playing flutes. He declares that the child is not dead but…

A commentator's description of professional wailing women and flute players is used to vividly portray the artificial and theatrical nature of the mourning at Jairus' house, emphasizing its intensity and the family's prominence.

One commentator succinctly describes it this way. The wailing women and flute players were paid professionals. And we may be sure that they staged their best performance for this prominent family and because of the loss of an only daughter. With hair streaming wildly, beating their breasts violently, these women uttered loud, heart-rending wails and bursts of sobs.

20:25 - 20:53 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: Jesus expels the mocking crowd, entering the death chamber with Jairus, his wife, Peter, James, and John. He takes the girl's hand and commands her, 'Talitha cumi' (little lamb…

The difference between a teacher dismissing a class and expelling a student is used to illustrate the forceful and authoritative manner in which Jesus 'expelled' the mocking mourners, implying holy anger.

demons, the thrusting out of laborers. So Jesus did not just politely dismiss them, he expelled them. You kids know the difference, don't you? The end of the day comes and the teacher says, all right, class is over, you're all excused. But now you've got a smart aleck in the class, some kid that's really fresh, and the teacher says, Johnny, you're expelled for three days. That means you're thrown out. You see the difference between excusing, dismissing, and expelling? Class dismissed, school's over, everyone is excused, school's over, the word used is expelled. There was something of the holy ...

30:40 - 31:27 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: Jesus expels the mocking crowd, entering the death chamber with Jairus, his wife, Peter, James, and John. He takes the girl's hand and commands her, 'Talitha cumi' (little lamb…

The suggestion that 'Talitha cumi' might have been the mother's daily wake-up call for her daughter illustrates Jesus' profound tenderness, making the resurrection feel like a familiar, gentle awakening.

of them also had to learn other languages. They had to learn other languages if they were in certain forms of commerce. But here we have the quote of the very words that Jesus spoke. And that little word, Talitha, is a word whose root meaning is little lamb. And the little boy was called a Tali, and the little girl a Talitha. And so the Lord Jesus uses an unusually intimate, tender word, and says, little lamb, little girl, little sweet one, cumi. That is, arise out of sleep and get up. And some of the commentators, more than one of them, says it could well be that every morning when Mama went ...

33:42 - 34:44 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: This section explores the fusion of Jesus' awesome power and profound tenderness. Martin illustrates this through Jesus' control over the crowd, his strengthening of Jairus'…

The image of men trembling before a burning, quaking mountain is used to illustrate that if Jesus only displayed raw power, people would fear him, not draw near, highlighting the need for his tenderness.

Men did not come. And I say, what a marvelous display of power. Let's hug the mountain. It says they trembled and they feared.

47:12 - 47:23 Read in full sermon

The point: Remember that God's delays in answering prayers, even when they bring despairing news, are often calculated to strengthen faith and lead to greater blessings.

The experience of delays and disappointments in the construction of the church building is used as a practical, corporate example of God's delays leading to greater blessings than initially requested, reinforcing the lesson of faith.

Believe on, pray on, wait on, hold on. Oh, may God teach us that lesson of faith. For some of you who are visitors amongst us, that's been the lesson of faith of this very building you see erected around us. Delays, disappointments, and yet in every area we can see that the delay resulted in something far better than we were asking God for.

57:02 - 57:29 Read in full sermon

The point: Recognize that unbelief, skepticism, and cynicism will always exclude you from seeing and experiencing the power and grace of Christ.

Martin recounts hearing a Scottish preacher on this text, whose sermon on 'The Excluding Power of Unbelief' profoundly impacted his understanding of how unbelief shuts people out from Christ's glory.

And dear people, may God write upon our hearts what to me is a frightening thing in this record of unbelief. I heard a Scottish preacher preach on this text a few months ago. And it was hard for me to come to the passage and not see anything but this. Because he preached with such unction and clarity.

57:46 - 58:07 Read in full sermon

The point: Understand that unbelief is a horrible thing that can cause you to miss marvelous things happening around you, even in a worship service.

Martin describes his experience as a pastor seeing varied responses to the same sermon – some deeply moved, others indifferent – to illustrate how unbelief can exclude individuals from experiencing Christ's grace even in the same circumstances.

That's one of the most amazing things as a pastor. To preach in a service like this and have some go out who've had such a sight of Christ in their own hearts and feelings with God that they hardly know whether they're in the body or out of it. And others it's just been another ho-hum service. Why?

59:35 - 59:55 Read in full sermon