The story of Jesus saying “Do not fear; only believe” is found in Mark chapter 5 verses 21-43. Here’s a quick summary:
Jesus had just returned from the region of the Gerasenes where He had cast out demons from a man into a herd of pigs (Mark 5:1-20). A large crowd gathered around Jesus when He arrived back on the other side of the Sea of Galilee. One of the synagogue rulers named Jairus came and fell at Jesus’ feet, pleading for Him to come heal his sick 12-year-old daughter who was near death (vv. 22-23). Jesus went with him, followed by a large crowd (v. 24).
On the way, a woman who had suffered from bleeding for 12 years touched Jesus’ garment and was healed (vv. 25-34). While Jesus was still speaking to the woman, men from Jairus’ house arrived with the sad news that the girl had died. But Jesus told Jairus, “Do not fear, only believe” (v. 36).
When Jesus arrived at Jairus’ house, He took Peter, James, and John and went to where the girl lay. He took her hand and simply said, “Little girl, I say to you, arise.” Immediately she got up and walked around, completely healed and alive (vv. 37-42). All who saw it were overcome with amazement (v. 42).
So in summary, Jesus spoke these words to encourage Jairus’ faith and assure him that his daughter could still be healed, even though she had already died. By saying “Do not fear, only believe”, Jesus was directing Jairus to place his trust and confidence in Him, even in the face of the seemingly impossible circumstance of his daughter’s death.
1. Jesus wanted Jairus to keep believing in His healing power
The first reason Jesus likely said “Do not fear, only believe” to Jairus was to encourage him to keep believing in Jesus’ power to heal, even though his daughter had died. When Jairus first approached Jesus, his faith was that Jesus could come lay hands on her and heal her sickness (Mark 5:23). But then after getting word that she had already died, Jairus may have been tempted to lose hope and despair. Jesus knew that and wanted to keep Jairus’ faith and confidence steady in His healing power, even over death.
Jesus had demonstrated His divine authority over sickness many times before, but this was a chance to show His power over death itself. He wanted Jairus to keep trusting that nothing was impossible for Him. Jesus was essentially telling him, “I know this seems hopeless, but don’t stop believing. Have faith in Me and you will see my power, even over death.” He knew that Jairus’ continued faith would be vital for the miracle He was about to perform.
2. Jesus wanted to direct Jairus’ focus to Himself rather than the circumstance
Secondly, Jesus likely said “Do not fear, only believe” because He wanted Jairus to focus his attention on Jesus Himself rather than being overwhelmed by the seemingly hopeless circumstance. Getting the devastating news that his daughter had just died could have caused Jairus to take his eyes off Jesus and instead be paralyzed by grief, despair, and fear.
So Jesus compassionately but firmly guided Jairus to regain his focus, telling him essentially, “Do not let fear dominate you. Only believe in Me.” Jesus knew Jairus needed to fix his eyes back on Him as the Son of God, the Messiah, the Lord over life and death. He wanted Jairus’ faith anchored in Him, not circumstantial emotions. Jesus was redirecting him from fear to faith, from death to life.
3. Jesus wanted to grow Jairus’ faith
Thirdly, Jesus likely intended this miracle to take Jairus’ faith to a whole new level. Jairus began with a seedling of faith that Jesus could heal his sick daughter. But Jesus wanted to transform that into a rock-solid, mature faith in Himself as the resurrection and the life (John 11:25). He wanted Jairus to fully trust in His divine identity and power.
So even though Jairus’ daughter had died, Jesus told him to keep believing because He knew He was going to raise her back to life. He wanted to use this urgent, impossible situation to profoundly deepen Jairus’ faith, trust, and spiritual maturity far beyond what it was previously. Jesus worked not just to heal the girl physically but to resurrect Jairus’ faith in who He is.
4. Jesus wanted to build Jairus’ faith for further trials
Fourthly, Jesus may have specifically encouraged Jairus’ faith in this moment so that he would have strong faith for future trials. Having his daughter resurrected from the dead was going to be incredibly faith-building for Jairus. But it was also preparing and equipping him for further tests and trials in life, which require robust faith in Christ.
All believers go through trials that God uses to refine their faith into maturity (1 Peter 1:6-7). So here Jesus was taking Jairus’ faith to a whole new level so that it would be able to withstand storms, tests, and trials down the road. The faith to receive this unbelievable miracle would bolster Jairus’ faith for whatever else he had to face in life.
5. Jesus wanted others’ faith to be strengthened
Lastly, Jesus likely said “Do not fear, only believe” knowing that Jairus’ faith would impact and strengthen the faith of others. Scripture mentions there was a crowd following Jesus and Jairus on the way to Jairus’ home (Mark 5:24). So when they all witnessed this astonishing miracle, it would boost their own faith in who Jesus was.
Also notably, Jesus intentionally took Peter, James, and John – His three closest disciples – with Him into Jairus’ house (v. 37). Jesus wanted them to see this resurrection miracle firsthand so that it would deepen their faith and understanding of His power and authority over death itself.
So in summary, Jesus encouraged Jairus’ faith, even in the face of his daughter’s death, because He had purposes not just for Jairus’ faith but for growing the faith of many others through this experience.
Further Teaching and Relevance of This Event
This miracle of resurrecting Jairus’ daughter has some important implications and relevance for believers today:
- It demonstrates Jesus’ divine power over sickness, disease, and even death itself.
- It shows Jesus’ compassion to respond to our needs and cries for help.
- It displays God’s ability to turn even our most dire situations into testimonies of His miraculous power.
- It reminds us that nothing is too difficult for the Lord when we trust in Him.
- It encourages us to never stop believing in Him, no matter how bleak things may seem.
- It urges us to fix our eyes on Christ rather than being overwhelmed by circumstances.
- It grows our faith when we see how He is able to do “far more abundantly than all we ask or think” (Ephesians 3:20).
When we walk through trials and impossible situations in our own lives, we can remember Jairus’ story. His daughter’s resurrection reminds us that we serve the same powerful, faithfully loving Christ. He wants to speak to us as He did to Jairus, saying “Do not fear, only believe.” Therefore we can place our trust in Him to be faithful and bring life even out of death, just as He did then and continues to do today for those who put their faith in Him.
Summary
In summary, when Jesus said “Do not fear, only believe” to Jairus after his daughter had died, He likely had several key purposes in mind:
- To encourage Jairus to keep believing in Christ’s healing power, even over death.
- To direct Jairus’ focus onto Jesus Himself rather than the bleak circumstance.
- To transform Jairus’ seedling of faith into a stronger, deeper faith in Christ.
- To equip Jairus’ faith to withstand future storms and trials.
- To use this miracle to increase the faith of many other witnesses.
This astonishing resurrection miracle displays Christ’s supreme authority and power, even over death. It reminds us that He is able to do far beyond what we can ask or imagine, and that we can trust Him fully no matter how hopeless things seem. Therefore, following Jesus’ words to Jairus, we too can choose faith over fear, believing Christ for the impossible, just as Jairus did.