Talitha Cumi

"Taking her by the hand he said to her, “Talitha cumi,” which means, “Little girl, I say to you, arise.” Mark 5.41

This is one of my favourite miracles. Maybe it's because i love the words Jesus uses. The gentleness that overflows from them. Just the phrase "Talitha cumi" seems beautiful to me and brings a sparkle to my eyes. He doesn't speak it in front of crowds, he goes to her bedroom with just her parents and 3 disciples; it is intimate. The girl has died. At least it seems that way, though Jesus says she is simply sleeping. It is a sleep that He alone can wake her from though, with those beautiful words that call into her depths, calling her to arise. I'm not going to over analyse this. The hows and whys don't matter. I just love what He did. And the fact that when she got up He told them to give her something to eat. He knew what was best for her, He knew what she needed. Though He had performed a miracle, He didn't then ignore her daily needs. 

Maybe i love this too because i imagine it's relevant to us all. I imagine that even daily, in ways we may not even see, He speaks into our hearts and calls us to rise up in His strength, calls us to wake up from the sleepiness we so easily fall into, calls us to step out in faith. Maybe He does it in much bigger ways too, like when He first calls us out of death into life, or through a tangible healing. And i guess too it will one day be relevant again when we awake in His presence. There is a song i have been listening to recently and it has a beautiful line in it which says "wake me when it's spring time in heaven, when the tears are all wiped from my face, wake me when it's spring time in heaven, and i'm strong enough to walk in that place."