As soon as Jesus heard the word that was spoken, he saith unto the ruler of the synagogue, Be not afraid, only believe.
Parallel translations
- WEB But Jesus, when he heard the message spoken, immediately said to the ruler of the synagogue, “Don’t be afraid, only believe.”
- BSB But Jesus overheard their conversation and said to Jairus, “Do not be afraid; just believe.”
- NKJV As soon as Jesus heard the word that was spoken, He said to the ruler of the synagogue, “Do not be afraid; only believe.”
- NASB But Jesus, overhearing what was being spoken, *said to the synagogue official, “Do not be afraid, only believe.”
- NLT But Jesus overheard them and said to Jairus, “Don’t be afraid. Just have faith.”
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
Jesus tells Jairus not to fear, but only to believe.
Overview
In the face of death's apparent finality, Jesus calls Jairus to continued faith. His words counter the despair of the messengers with the assurance that more is possible. This summons to believe points to Jesus as the One who holds authority over death itself.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 9
- Luke 8:50But when Jesus heard it, he answered him, saying, Fear not: believe only, and she shall be made whole.
- Matt 9:28–29And when he was come into the house, the blind men came to him: and Jesus saith unto them, Believe ye that I am able to do this? They said unto him, Yea, Lord.
- John 11:40Jesus saith unto her, Said I not unto thee, that, if thou wouldest believe, thou shouldest see the glory of God?
- Mark 9:23Jesus said unto him, If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth.
- Rom 4:18–24Who against hope believed in hope, that he might become the father of many nations, according to that which was spoken, So shall thy seed be.
- Mark 5:34And he said unto her, Daughter, thy faith hath made thee whole; go in peace, and be whole of thy plague.
- John 4:48–50Then said Jesus unto him, Except ye see signs and wonders, ye will not believe.
- Matt 17:20And Jesus said unto them, Because of your unbelief: for verily I say unto you, If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you.
- 2 Chr 20:20And they rose early in the morning, and went forth into the wilderness of Tekoa: and as they went forth, Jehoshaphat stood and said, Hear me, O Judah, and ye inhabitants of Jerusalem; Believe in the LORD your God, so shall ye be established; believe his prophets, so shall ye prosper.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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Christ at the center
Mark drives urgently to the cross, showing Jesus the Son of God as the suffering Servant who 'came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.'
How Mark 5:36 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Greek word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.