Get Up!

eDevotion

Encouragement for your daily walk with God 

One of my favorite miracles of Jesus is when He raised Jarius’ daughter from the dead [Mark 5.21-43]. We really don’t know much about the characters in the story. The daughter was young, only twelve years old. Was she an only child? Was she one of many children? Was she the baby of the family? The firstborn? Had she been sick a long time, or had she recently become sick without warning? 

We know that Jarius was the was a ruler in the synagogue, but how did he know Jesus. Had he met Him before? Had he merely heard stories about the healing power of Jesus? Was this the last ditch effort to save his daughter? The details surrounding this story remain a mystery to this day.

All we really know from the text is that Jarius went to Jesus, and Jesus agreed to go to his house. On the way, they encountered another sick person, a woman who was nearly bled out. As Jesus dealt with her, I wonder if Jarius poked his Rolex thinking, “Tick-Tock, time is wasting!” 

It doesn't matter, though, because while Jesus dealt with the sick woman, messengers came with the news that Jarius’ daughter had died. Jesus went to the home anyway, quieted the house, and went to the little girl and said just one thing, “Get up!” 

And she did!

To tell you the truth, I’m rather glad that we don’t know that much about the characters in this story. Why? It highlights who our Savior is, the One who brings life from death.

And speaking of mysteries, we don’t know what happened next. Did the family become passionate Christ followers? Did the relatives and neighbors put their trust in Jesus? We just don’t know, but that’s OK too. Nothing could change what happened that day. She was dead. Jesus gave her life.

By way of application, that’s our story too. We were dead in our trespass and sin. No hope, only the wages of sin - death - but Jesus gave us life. We are everything we are because of that moment when Jesus said to us, “Get up!”

One more thing. There is no sin beyond the death-defying power of Jesus. There is no brokenness beyond His restoring touch. Just obey Him when He says, “Get up!”

He took her by the hand and said to her, “Talitha koum!” [which means “Little girl, I say to you, get up!”]. Mark 5.41