23 Raising Jairus' Daughter

This section of Scripture has a “sandwiched” or parenthetical story of a woman who had a hemorrhaging issue which is told in between a story of a synagogue ruler who was grief stricken at the serious illness of his daughter. It was done for emphasis and to highlight a segment of a story. Further indication that this story is of great importance is its appearance in the other Synoptic Gospels (Matthew 9:18-26; Luke 8:40-56). Here it indicates a lapse of time, heightens the tension, and draws attention to the story of the synagogue ruler. Jesus and His disciples left the Gadarenes after the swine owners urged Him to go away and leave them alone. They again went by ship west across the Lake of Galilee to the other side. Since Capernaum was His home base this is probably where they landed and received a better reception. The synagogue was a local center of worship and learning. Since the Galilean region was quite far from the Temple in Jerusalem it served also the purpose of schooling the young boys and men especially on the Sabbath. Itinerant teachers would be invited by the synagogues ruler and bring needed professional Scriptural interpretation to the members. Jairus was one of the lay leaders of the Synagogue, which was a very visible position with high esteem in the community.