Matthew 9:26Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

We may suppose that He proceeded slowly, and spake longer to the woman whom He had healed, that He might suffer the maid to die, and thus an evident miracle of restoring to life might be wrought. In the case of Lazarus also He waited till the third day. And when he saw the minstrels and the people making a noise; this was a proof of her death.

They that had mocked the Reviver were not worthy to behold the mystery of the revival; and therefore it follows, And when the multitude was put forth, he entered, and took her by the hand, and the maid arose.

For by the ancient custom minstrels were engaged to make lamentation for the dead.

Mystically; The Lord enters the ruler’s house, that is, the synagogue, throughout which there resounded in the songs of the Law a strain of wailing.

Through the scornful jeers of the crowd that derided the Lord, who proclaimed, "The virgin is not dead, but sleepeth," we identify the leaders of the synagogue and the multitude of the Jews. Upon hearing that the Son of God had extended the promise of eternal life to the Gentiles, they mocked and dismissed the Lord's profound mercy. The Lord’s directive for them to leave was intentional, illustrating that He, the Creator of life and Sovereign of heaven's kingdom, fully excludes all unbelievers from the promise of eternal life and the realm of God.

The multitude are put forth that the damsel may be raised; for unless the multitude of worldly cares is first banished from the secrets of the heart, the soul which is laid dead within, cannot rise again.

As though He had said, To you she is dead, but to God who has power to give life, she sleeps only both in soul and body.

The maiden is raised in the house with few to witness, the young man without the gate, and Lazarus in the presence of many; for a public scandal requires a public expiation; a less notorious, a lesser remedy; and secret sins may be done away by penitence.

Following the miraculous event of multiplying the loaves, the crowd sought to seize Him and declare Him King by force; a similar desire may exist today. Nonetheless, despite the restraint, THE MESSAGE OF THESE WORDS RESOUNDED THROUGHOUT THE LAND, and the miracle gained recognition across Galilee and all of Palestine. This marked the initial demonstration of Christ the Saviour's divine authority over death, representing the first resurrection of a deceased individual. After recounting the Gospel narrative of Jairus' daughter being raised, St. John Chrysostom addresses parents mourning the loss of their children: ‘Your child sleeps and is not dead; rests and is not dead.... He shall rise again and receive eternal life, immortality, and the inheritance of angels.

Upon the conclusion of the Lord's words, news reached Jairus that his daughter had passed away. Yet Jesus reassured him, urging him not to fear but to trust in His power to resurrect her. Upon arriving at the home, He found it engulfed in chaos, a sight that could have undermined faith. The Lord proclaimed that the girl was not dead but merely sleeping, which prompted laughter from the onlookers. Dismissing them, He remained with the parents and a few disciples, took the girl’s hand, and called out, “The maiden arise.” Miraculously, she was restored to life, and the astonished parents were instructed to maintain silence. This directive stemmed from the threat posed by the Pharisees and the potential tumult of the crowd.

When Jesus arrived at Jairus' home, He told those mourning for the deceased, “The maiden is not dead, but asleep,” reflecting both a prophecy of resurrection and a reminder that death does not equate to the complete end of life. Though the body may perish, the spirit continues to exist and possesses the power to restore life (cf. Jn. 11:11). The Evangelists clearly affirm that Jairus' daughter experienced a genuine resurrection rather than merely awakening from a state of sleep, a notion particularly emphasized by Luke. In his account, those present in the house laughed at Jesus, convinced of the girl's death. However, Luke makes it clear that upon the command, “Maiden, arise!” her spirit returned, suggesting it had been separated from her body for a time.

In Galilee, Jesus performed numerous miraculous deeds that strengthened the apostles’ faith in Him as the Son of God. The revelation of all His works could not help but draw the attention of His fierce adversaries prematurely, as well as the throngs of people who were dissatisfied with Roman rule and longed for the arrival of the promised Redeemer, the King of Israel. For this reason, Christ instructed others not to speak of the miracle He performed in raising Jairus’ daughter. Nevertheless, even if those who witnessed the event chose to remain silent, the news of it spread throughout the region.

If He regularly instructed them to remain silent about the events they had witnessed, it was clearly not to keep the occurrence itself hidden, which would have been utterly impossible given the numerous witnesses to the entire incident. Instead, it was because those who had experienced profound blessings from God would prefer to cherish these moments in solemn gratitude, treating them as a cherished secret within their hearts.

This remarkable miracle left the parents and the disciples in awe; however, the Lord instructed them not to share details about it, similar to His previous admonitions (Matthew 8:4). His humility led Him to guard the mission of God against public speculation and rumors, and He aimed to avoid inflaming the hostility of His adversaries or stirring unfounded hopes among the people concerning the Messiah's kingdom. Despite His strict command to remain silent about the event, news of the miracle rapidly spread throughout the region.