Little girl, get up! · Jesus is never too late
A Bible story to tell as a family · Mark 5:21–43 · ages 5–12 · 10 min
The story
Jesus had just crossed the lake by boat, and a huge crowd was already waiting for him by the water. In the middle of all those people, a man pushed his way through in a hurry. It was Jairus, one of the leaders of the synagogue, the place where people gathered to read the Scriptures and pray. An important man in town. But that day, he fell at Jesus’ feet.
Jairus pleaded: “My little daughter is near death.” She was twelve years old and very sick. He asked Jesus to come to his house and place his hands on her, so she would be healed and live. And Jesus went with him. Imagine Jairus walking fast, looking back, clearing a way through the people: come on, come on!
But the crowd was pressing in from all sides, and on the way there was a stop. A woman who had been sick for twelve years, and who had spent everything she had on doctors, touched Jesus’ clothes from behind and was healed. Jesus stopped and asked who had touched him. The woman came trembling and told him the whole truth, and Jesus said to her tenderly: “Daughter,” and then: “your faith has healed you.” How wonderful for her! But... what about Jairus?
While Jesus was still speaking, people came from Jairus’s house with the saddest news a father can hear: the girl had died. And they said: why bother the Teacher anymore? Stop for a moment and feel the silence of that moment. But Jesus heard it and immediately said to Jairus: “Do not be afraid; just believe.”
Jesus left the crowd behind and took only Peter, James and John. When they reached the house, it was full of people weeping loudly. Jesus said: “The child is not dead, but asleep.” And do you know what they did? They laughed at him. For those people, death was the end. For Jesus, it was like sleep, from which he could wake someone up.
Jesus had everyone go outside. Only the father, the mother and the three disciples stayed. He went into the room where the girl was lying, took her by the hand and said, in Aramaic, the language spoken in those homes: “Talitha koum!” Which means: “Little girl, I say to you, get up!”
And at once the girl got up and began to walk! Her father and mother were open-mouthed, completely amazed. And Jesus, with great care, remembered something very simple: he told them to give her something to eat. The Lord of life also cares about a twelve-year-old girl’s hunger.
21When Jesus had again crossed by boat to the other side, a large crowd gathered around Him beside the sea. 22A synagogue leader named Jairus arrived, and seeing Jesus, he fell at His feet 23and pleaded with Him urgently, “My little daughter is near death. Please come and place Your hands on her, so that she will be healed and live.” 24So Jesus went with him, and a large crowd followed and pressed around Him. 25And a woman was there who had suffered from bleeding for twelve years. 26She had borne much agony under the care of many physicians and had spent all she had, but to no avail. Instead, her condition had only grown worse. 27When the woman heard about Jesus, she came up through the crowd behind Him and touched His cloak. 28For she kept saying, “If only I touch His garments, I will be healed.” 29Immediately her bleeding stopped, and she sensed in her body that she was healed of her affliction. 30At once Jesus was aware that power had gone out from Him. Turning to the crowd, He asked, “Who touched My garments?” 31His disciples answered, “You can see the crowd pressing in on You, and yet You ask, ‘Who touched Me?’” 32But He kept looking around to see who had done this. 33Then the woman, knowing what had happened to her, came and fell down before Him trembling in fear, and she told Him the whole truth. 34“Daughter,” said Jesus, “your faith has healed you. Go in peace and be free of your affliction.” 35While He was still speaking, messengers from the house of Jairus arrived and said, “Your daughter is dead; why bother the Teacher anymore?” 36But Jesus overheard their conversation and said to Jairus, “Do not be afraid; just believe.” 37And He did not allow anyone to accompany Him except Peter, James, and John the brother of James. 38When they arrived at the house of the synagogue leader, Jesus saw the commotion and the people weeping and wailing loudly. 39He went inside and asked, “Why all this commotion and weeping? The child is not dead, but asleep.” 40And they laughed at Him. After He had put them all outside, He took the child’s father and mother and His own companions, and went in to see the child. 41Taking her by the hand, Jesus said, “Talitha koum!” which means, “Little girl, I say to you, get up!” 42Immediately the girl got up and began to walk around. She was twelve years old, and at once they were utterly astounded. 43Then Jesus gave strict orders that no one should know about this, and He told them to give her something to eat.
What the Bible says
- v. 23: Jairus begs Jesus to place his hands on his little daughter, who was near death.
- v. 36: at the news of her death, Jesus says to Jairus: “Do not be afraid; just believe.”
- v. 41: Jesus takes the girl by the hand and says: “Talitha koum!”, which means: little girl, get up.
What we learn
Jesus is never too late: neither the delay on the way nor the news of death stopped him from acting. He has power over death and treats the girl with tenderness: he holds her hand and asks them to give her food. This doesn’t mean every sick person we love will be healed now. Jairus saw a sign of what Jesus will do at the end, when he raises those who belong to him. That is why, even in loss, we can hear: do not be afraid; just believe.
Questions to talk about
For little ones
- What did Jesus hold when he spoke to the girl?
- What did Jesus tell them to give the girl after she got up?
For kids
- The people laughed at Jesus. Why did they think there was no hope left?
- Jesus said: do not be afraid; just believe. When you feel afraid, what can you remember about Jesus?
For teens
- Jesus stopped to care for someone else while the girl was getting worse. How do you deal with the feeling that God is taking too long?
For adults
- If your family has lost someone, how can you tell the children this story honestly, without promising healings God has not promised, but with the hope of the resurrection?
Activity
Get up!: everyone lies on the floor very still, eyes closed, as if asleep. An adult goes around, takes each person’s hand and says: little girl (or little boy), I say to you, get up! The person jumps up and walks once around the room. At the end, just as Jesus said, serve everyone a little snack and talk about how Jesus cared even about the girl’s hunger.
To memorize: Mark 5:36
Prayer
Lord Jesus, you have power over sickness and death, and still you hold a child’s hand with tenderness. When we are afraid, help us believe in you. Comfort those who have lost someone they love. In Jesus’ name, amen.