THE MESSIANIC MYSTERY

After He put them all out, He took the child’s father and mother and the disciples who were with Him, and went in where the child was. He took her by the hand and said to her, ‘Talitha koum!’ (which means “Little girl, I say to you, get up.”).

Immediately the girl stood up and began to walk around (she was twelve years old). At this they were completely astonished. He gave strict orders not to let anyone know about this, and told them to give her something to eat (Mark 5: 40-43).

When we read this story from a western, non-Hebraic perspective, there are details which make no sense. I have already mentioned, in yesterday’s post, the reason for Jesus making a fuss about who touched Him. Apart from His need to reassure the woman with the chronic bleeding that she was indeed a daughter of Abraham and to commend her for her faith which was the vehicle of her healing, there was a practical reason for drawing attention to the presence of an “unclean” woman. He did not want to embarrass or rebuke her, but to alert the crowd that she had touched Him.

He had to gain access to the dead child but, as a rabbi He was forbidden entry into the room of a dead person. If He were already “unclean” as they thought, the mourners would not have stopped Him.

As a Jewish man, Jesus would have had the obligatory tassels (tsitsit) on the bottom of His garment. God had instructed His people to sew tassels on the corners (kanaph) of their outer garment to remind them of who He was and of His instructions (Torah) on how to live. Later on, the tassels were sewn onto the corners of a prayer shawl, called a talith, which was pulled over the head when a Jewish man prayed. The corners of the talith, the kanaph, were also knows as the wings. When the high priest blessed the people with the Aaronic blessing,

The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make His face to shine on you and be gracious to you; the Lord turn His face toward you and give you peace (Num. 6:24-26),

he would wind the tassels around his fingers and  lift up the corners – the kanaph – of his talith as though his talith were wings which he spread out over the people, symbolising God’s protecting “wings” over them.

Malachi prophesied that Messiah would come with healing in His kanaph – in the corners of His talith.

But for you who revere my name, the sun (the word “sun” can be better translated as “servant”) of righteousness will arise with healing in its rays (better – “His wings (kanaph)) (Mal. 4: 2).

Are you beginning to get the picture?

When Jesus stood beside the dead child, His symbolic action would have had meaning for Jairus because he was the synagogue ruler, a man educated in the Old Testament Scriptures. What did Jesus probably do? Is it possible that He wound the tassels of His prayer shawl around His fingers and lifted up the corners, spreading His “wings” over the little girl? He would have been acting out the prophecy of Mal. 4:2 before the eyes of the astonished parents and disciples.

Then He spoke to the child, saying, ‘Talith ha koum.’  The translation of the Aramaic, according to Mark was “Little girl, I say to you, ‘Get up.’” Is it possible that Jesus actually said, “The Messiah is here (implicit in the word talith). Little girl, get up’”? Jesus was doing exactly what Malachi said He would do. He would come with healing in His kanaph. Jairus would have understood the symbolism and what Jesus was implying by His action and so would Jesus’ disciples.

It’s no wonder they were all astonished. The miracle was surprising enough, but even more surprising that it was done by the one promised through the prophetic word centuries before. He was actually there, in the room, talking to them – the long-awaited Messiah!

It was imperative that the witnesses to the raising of the child and the way it was done, did not talk about it. Why? Jesus was adamant that people came to faith in Him through their own conclusions based on the evidence and not on the hearsay of others. Theologians call this “the Messianic secret”. He did not want them advertising Him so that He could win a popularity contest. He wanted them to believe in Him because they were convinced that He was the Messiah.

Did you notice that the woman also touched the tsitsit of His talith? She knew the secret!

Brilliant again!

Scripture taken from THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

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