But Jesus, ignoring this word that was said, said to the ruler of the synagogue, “Do not be afraid; just believe.
5:36 — But Jesus, after hearing what was said, said to the ruler of the synagogue: Do not be afraid, only believe — The words of the messengers from the house of Jairus brought him sadness. But Jesus ignores them and responds with words of comfort. God is love (1Jn 4:8). Instead of “after he heard”, several good versions go something like this: “ignoring” what they said (ASV, VHA, LAC, etc.). God is not lacking in power, not even over death! The news of those half-believers, implying that now nothing could be done, presented no problem for the one who is Life itself (Joh 14:6; 1Jn 1:1-2). Jairus had witnessed the miracle that Jesus performed for the woman with the issue of blood (verses 22-34). He just heard the news about the death of his daughter. Now that he is commanded only to believe, this implies that he believes that Jesus has power even over death. God’s miraculous power is not limited to physical problems in this life. Why “only believe”? Jairo had not seen cases of raising the dead; he did not know how Jesus could help him in this case, since his daughter had just died. But he has to have faith in Jesus. Since he cannot do anything else, nor is anything else necessary for him, he is commanded to “only believe.” Our faith in God must not be limited by death. Many so-called evangelicals (or Protestants) use this verse to try to prove their false doctrine of “salvation by faith alone” for sinners today. They ignore the simple fact that when these words of Jesus were spoken, the Great Commission to the whole world, with its terms of forgiveness, based on Jesus’ death on the cross, was not yet in force, nor could it be. The only passage in the New Testament, of universal application under the gospel of Christ, that speaks of “faith alone” says: not “by faith alone” (Jas 2:24)! Jesus promised Jairus that his daughter would be healed as long as he would believe (Luke 8:50). Jairus’ faith was not passive (faith alone), but active. He had left his sick daughter to search for Jesus. She found him and fell at her feet to worship him. He begged a lot that Jesus would come and heal his daughter. But he could do no more, except now just keep believing (says the Greek text), and he did! LAC says, “he just keeps believing”. Jairus was not commanded to do something on his own, but to just keep doing what he was already doing! Note that faith is something that is done — Acts 16:30-31).
Source: Commentary on the New Testament by Partain
believe only. Tue 5:34; Tue 9:23; 2Ch 20:20; Matt 9:28, Matt 9:29; Matt 17:20; Luke 8:50; Joh 4:48-50; Joh 11:40; Romans 4:18-24.
Source: The Treasury of Biblical Knowledge
ONLY BELIEVE. The daughter of the ruler of the synagogue had died (v. Tue 5:35). Christ responded with words of encouragement to stimulate the faith of that man plunged into a situation in which there seemed to be no hope. Throughout redemptive history there have been believers who have put their trust in God when it seemed all was lost. On such occasions, God gave the necessary faith and delivered his people according to his divine will and eternal purpose (cf. Ps 22:4; Isaiah 26:3-4; Isaiah 43:2). So it was with AbrahamGen 22:2; Jas 2:21-22), Moses (Exo 14:10-22; Exo 32:10-14), David (1Sa 17:44-47), Jehoshaphat (2Ch 20:1-2; 2Ch 20:12) and Jairus (vv. Mark 5:21-23; Mar 5:35-42).
Source: Full Life Study Bible
believe only. The verb is an imperative to the present, a continuous action that urged Jairus to maintain the faith that he had initially demonstrated by coming to Jesus. The Lord knew that there was no other possible answer to Jairus’s desperate situation, and He was sure of the result of faith (cf. Luke 8:50).
Source: MacArthur Study Bible
5:36 — But Jesus, after hearing what was said, said to the ruler of the synagogue: Do not be afraid, only believe — The words of the messengers from the house of Jairus brought sadness to him. But Jesus ignores them and responds with words of comfort. God is love (1Jn 4:8).
Instead of “after he heard”, several good versions go something like this: “ignoring” what they said (ASV, VHA, LAC, etc.). God is not lacking in power, not even over death! The news of those half believers, implying that now nothing could be done, presented no problem for the one who is Life itself (Joh 14:6; 1Jn 1:1-2).
Jairus had witnessed the miracle that Jesus performed for the woman with the issue of blood (verses 22-34). He just heard the news about the death of his daughter. Now that he is commanded only to believe, this implies that he believes that Jesus has power even over death. God’s miraculous power is not limited to physical problems in this life.
Why “only believe”? Jairo had not seen cases of raising the dead; he did not know how Jesus could help him in this case, since his daughter had just died. But he has to have faith in Jesus. Since he cannot do anything else, nor is anything else necessary for him, he is commanded to “only believe.” Our faith in God must not be limited by death.
Many so-called evangelicals (or Protestants) use this verse to try to prove their false doctrine of “salvation by faith alone” for sinners today. They ignore the simple fact that when these words of Jesus were spoken, the Great Commission to the whole world, with its terms of forgiveness, based on Jesus’ death on the cross, was not yet in force, nor could it be. The only passage in the New Testament, of universal application under the gospel of Christ, that speaks of “faith alone” says: not “by faith alone” (Jas 2:24)!
Jesus promised Jairus that his daughter would be healed as long as he would believe (Luke 8:50).
Jairus’ faith was not passive (faith alone), but active. He had left his sick daughter to search for Jesus. She found him and fell at her feet to worship him. She begged him a lot that Jesus would come and heal his daughter. But he could do no more, except now just keep believing (says the Greek text), and he did! LAC says, “he just keeps believing”. Jairus was not commanded to do something on his own, but to just keep doing what he was already doing!
Note that faith is something that is done– Ac 16:30-31).
Source: Reeves-Partain Notes
After he heard what was said: This translation of the word parakousas it is only one possible version. Other versions, perhaps more appropriate, include: “ignoring”, “not paying attention”. See NIV, “ignoring the news.”
believe only: To believe here is to trust that Jesus can still do something for the girl. It does not mean believing in Jesus as the Son of God. At best, it can mean believing in God’s power to heal and trusting that Jesus can channel that power. Therefore, it is better to translate “trust”, as TLA does: “Only trust”. It can also be translated “keep trusting”, which confers well the force of the verb in the imperative.
Source: Commentary for Exegesis and Translation
CROSS-REFERENCES
m 226 2Ch 20:20; Luke 8:50; Joh 11:40
Source: New World Translation
36 (1) U, heard inadvertently, without paying attention. Some mss. They say: heard.
Source: New Testament Commentary Recovery Version
believe only. Lit., just keep believing! There are no limits, Jesus comes to say, to what faith in the power of God can do.
Source: Ryrie Annotated Study Bible
hear… M↓ record hearing from Luke 8:50.
Source: Textual Bible IV Edition
TGr87 The first part of this verse should be translated: Jesus overheard the word that was said (although the accusative is used).
T75 Here the imperatives that mean are interesting: stop being afraid, but continue having faith (perhaps corrected in Lk 8:50 with πίστευσον: start having faith). In Mark, he is commanded to continue to have as much faith as before; in Luke he is commanded to begin to have faith, or to have a better faith than he had before the girl died. Perhaps Lucas felt the subtle difference.
Source: Grammar Help for the Study of the Greek New Testament
Oh keep believing
Source: The Bible of the Americas
I register hearing of g Luke 8:50.
Source: The Textual Bible III Edition
† “In me”: Implied.