Mark 5:39
And when he had entered, he said to them, “Why are you making a commotion and weeping? The child is not dead but sleeping.”
English Standard Version (ESV)
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Jesus' words "The child is not dead but sleeping" were not a denial of her death, but a profound redefinition of it, setting up the expectation of a resurrection rather than a mere revival from a swoon. This was meant to silence the noisy grief and highlight that for Him, death is merely a temporary sleep.
Jesus arrives at the home of Jairus, a synagogue leader whose young daughter is dying, only to be met with the sounds of professional mourners wailing and making a commotion. Messengers have just arrived with the devastating news that the girl has indeed died, but Jesus dismisses the crowd's grief and declares the child is merely sleeping.
The scene is chaotic – wailing, commotion, and a profound sense of finality. Why does Jesus immediately dismiss this intense grief?
When Jesus arrives, he's met with a 'tumult' and 'weeping.' This wasn't just quiet sadness; it was a public display of mourning, complete with hired mourners and music, as seen in other Gospel accounts. Jesus' question, 'Why make ye this ado and weep?' cuts through the noise. He isn't dismissing their sorrow but challenging the way they are expressing it and their understanding of what has happened. Their commotion reflects a belief that death is an end. Jesus aims to shift their perspective from finality to hope, from a scene of despair to one of imminent life.
Jesus says the child isn't dead, but sleeping. Is this just a figure of speech, or something more profound?
Jesus uses the metaphor of 'sleep' to describe death. This isn't to deny the reality of the girl's physical demise; the commentators note she was genuinely dead in the ordinary sense. Instead, Jesus' choice of words is a powerful theological statement. Sleep implies a temporary state, a period of rest from which one can awaken. By calling it sleep, Jesus signals that death, for him, is not an insurmountable barrier but a condition he can easily reverse. It's a promise of resurrection, a foreshadowing of his own awakening from the ultimate sleep of death. The mourners' ridicule highlights their inability to grasp this divine perspective.
Understand the original words
katheudei · Greek Verb
A common biblical metaphor for death, implying that for the one who has faith in the Resurrection and the power of God, death is not an irreversible finality but a state from which God can awaken the person.
The cultural backdrop of elaborate mourning rituals in ancient Judaism highlights the radical nature of Jesus' intervention. His declaration that the child is merely 'sleeping' directly challenges the mourners' grief and their understanding of death, setting the stage for a dramatic demonstration of divine power.
Early 1st century AD
Roman Rule in Galilee
Judea, including Galilee where this event takes place, is under Roman occupation. This political reality shapes daily life and perceptions of authority.
Early 1st century AD
Jewish Synagogue System
Jairus is a ruler of a synagogue, a central institution for Jewish community life, religious practice, and education in towns and villages.
Early 1st century AD
Customs of Mourning
Elaborate public mourning rituals, including wailing and professional musicians, are common in Jewish society upon a death.
Early 1st century AD
Jesus' Ministry Flourishes
Jesus is actively teaching, healing, and performing miracles throughout Galilee, drawing large crowds and gaining a reputation.
Jesus uses the same phrasing, 'sleepeth,' when speaking about Lazarus's death, highlighting the idea that death for believers is a temporary state before resurrection.
Matthew 9:24This passage describes Jesus's reaction to the professional mourners when raising the girl from Jairus's house, mirroring His words and actions here.
1 Thessalonians 4:13Paul addresses the grief of believers over deceased loved ones, but reassures them with the hope that death is like sleep, and believers will be raised.
Psalm 30:5This psalm speaks of God turning weeping into gladness and mourning into dancing, reflecting the immediate shift from grief to amazement that occurred after Jesus's intervention.
pooleMark 5:39: "And when he was come in, he saith unto them, Why make ye this ado, and weep? the damsel is not dead, but sleepeth."
See Poole on "Mark 5:35"
barnesMark 5:39: "And when he was come in, he saith unto them, Why make ye this ado, and weep? the damsel is not dead, but sleepeth."
This ado - This tumult, this bustle or confusion. And weep - Weep in this inordinate and improper manner. See the notes at Matthew 9:23. But sleepeth - See the notes at Matthew 9:24.
Jesus' words "The child is not dead but sleeping" were not a denial of her death, but a profound redefinition of it, setting up the expectation of a resurrection rather than a mere revival from a swoon. This was meant to silence the noisy grief and highlight that for Him, death is merely a temporary sleep.
Jesus arrives at the home of Jairus, a synagogue leader whose young daughter is dying, only to be met with the sounds of professional mourners wailing and making a commotion. Messengers have just arrived with the devastating news that the girl has indeed died, but Jesus dismisses the crowd's grief and declares the child is merely sleeping.
Jesus arrives at the home of Jairus, a synagogue leader whose young daughter is dying, only to be met with the sounds of professional mourners wailing and making a commotion. Messengers have just arrived with the devastating news that the girl has indeed died, but Jesus dismisses the crowd's grief and declares the child is merely sleeping.
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Early 1st century AD
Daughter of Jairus is Dying
Jairus, a synagogue ruler, approaches Jesus in desperation because his young daughter is critically ill, at the 'point of death'.
Early 1st century AD
Daughter of Jairus Dies
While Jesus is on his way to Jairus's house, messengers arrive with the devastating news that the girl has died.
Early 1st century AD— this verse
Jesus Reassures and Enters House
Jesus tells Jairus not to fear, but to believe, and proceeds to the house where he encounters the commotion of mourners. He asks why they are making such a fuss, stating the child is not dead but sleeping.
"And when he had entered, he said to them, “Why are you making a commotion and weeping? The child is not dead but sleeping.”" — Jesus' words "The child is not dead but sleeping" were not a denial of her death, but a profound redefinition of it, setting up the expectation of a resurrection rather than a mere revival from a swo…
