Mark 5:35 While He was still speaking, they *came from the house of the synagogue official, saying, “Your daughter has died; why trouble the Teacher anymore?”
Mark 5:36 But Jesus, overhearing what was being spoken, *said to the synagogue official, “Do not be afraid any longer, only believe.”
The exact wording of Jesus to Jairus in verse 36 is, “Stop being afraid; just continually believe, entertaining only faith, and faith alone.”
Earlier in this chapter a synagogue official named Jairus came to Jesus, telling Him that his daughter was at the point of death, but if Jesus would come and lay hands on her he knew she would be healed. Jesus left with him to go and heal his daughter, but on the way the woman with the issue of blood pushed her way through the crowd, touched His hem, and was healed. Jesus stopped and briefly conversed with her, and while doing so people from Jairus’s house came up and told Jairus there was no need to come, for his daughter was already dead. This is when Jesus turned and spoke the words of verse 36 to Him.
You see Jairus started off with Jesus, toward his house, in faith. I’m sure there were tempting thoughts of fear, and subtle feelings of anxiety that they wouldn’t get there in time to save his little girl. Then, unexpectedly, there is an interruption by this woman with the issue of blood, and I imagined this is when Jairus gave into the fear. Jairus probably thought, “Doesn’t He know that timing is imperative. Doesn’t He care this pause could be disastrous.”
Have you ever been where Jairus was? Have you ever started off in faith with a promise from God, and it seems it’s taking too long, or maybe it seems it’s too late. Here those words of Jesus, “Stop being afraid, keep believing only; just like you did at the beginning.” You might think, “I’m afraid it’s too late; it’s dead.” Remember, Jesus isn’t threatened by things that seem dead.