Mark 5 - In Depth Bible Commentaries

705 706 707falls at the feet of his. 5.23 And he begs him over and over, saying that "The little701(...continued)synagogues throughout Galilee, corner-stones have been found with lengthy inscriptionsdetailing the work and importance of synagogue-rulers.702The phrase íüìáôé ÉÜúñïò, onomati Iairos, “by name, Jairos,” is changed to read w`|ov,noma Ia,iroj, ho onoma Iairos, “to whom a name, Jairos,” by W, Theta, Minuscules 565and 700.The phrase is omitted by Bezae and a majority of the Old Latin witnesses.We see no reason for the omission of the phrase, and consider it simply a mistakeon the part of Bezae and the Old Latin witnesses (who may have followed Bezae). Theother variant does not change the meaning of Mark at all, but is simply a different way ofsaying the same thing. France thinks that the omission in Bezae, etc., “is more likely to beaccidental (or perhaps influenced by the absence of the name in Matthew) than a reflectionof an original text omitting the name.” (P. 233)703This name ÉÜúñïò, Iairos, is an attempt to place a Hebrew name in Greek letters. TheHebrew name is probably ryaiÛy", Ya)iyr, "He (God) will enlighten," or ry[iªy", Ya(iyr, "He (God)will arouse."704Here again Mark uses the present tense, thereby placing the reader in the midst of thehistorical scene as a witness. Interestingly, the present tense is used predominantly withreference to the ruler of the synagogue and his daughter, while verbs in the past tense areused predominantly with reference to the woman who touched his robe in verses 24-34.705Swete comments that "The prostration [at the feet of Jesus] is the more remarkable asthat of a dignitary in the presence of a crowd. His dignity was forgotten in the presence of agreat sorrow; he recognized his inferiority to the Prophet who had the power to heal." (P. 101)Luccock notes that "Here was a new teacher, reputed to be a healer; perhaps he couldhelp. His mind was not closed, and he made the venture. Think how many obstacles stood inthe way of his coming and kneeling and making his unreserved venture. He was a ruler of thesynagogue, a little world in which tradition, not experiment, ruled. He had to cast aside hisrank, his prestige, in falling at the feet of an unauthorized, itinerant teacher. But he could openhis mind to the new, to the possibility that a divine power was at work in an unexpected andeven unlikely person. Seeing Jesus, he made the venture of faith." (P. 718)How many other prominent people there are who have experienced this same thing.Proud, egotistical, sensing no need of help, they make their own way through life, asking fornothing from anyone, cynical of weaklings who cry out for help from a higher power. But thenwhen their precious child--a daughter or a son--falls victim to a sickness, or accident, or(continued...)436