Mark 5:21-24

²¹ Now when Jesus had crossed over again by boat to the other side, a great multitude gathered to Him; and He was by the sea.

²² And behold, one of the rulers of the synagogue came, Jairus by name. And when he saw Him, he fell at His feet

²³ and begged Him earnestly, saying, “My little daughter lies at the point of death. Come and lay Your hands on her, that she may be healed, and she will live.”

²⁴ So Jesus went with him, and a great multitude followed Him and thronged Him.

Also found in Matthew 9:18-19 and Luke 8:40-42.

The Greek has, not “unto Him” but “after Him.” He was the great center of attraction. “Was gathered” is passive voice in the Greek text. These people did not gather of themselves, but were controlled by the irresistible longing to see Jesus and avail themselves of His help. — Wuest, page 108.

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Mark … passes over a certain brief period with the words “He was by the sea.” But in fact Jesus was reasoning with the Pharisees, and with the disciples of John, who had assailed Him and His followers, when one of their natural leaders threw himself at His feet. … The contrast should also be observed between those harsh and hostile critics who hated Him in the interests of dogma and of ceremonial, and Jairus, whose views were theirs, but whose heart was softened by trouble. The danger of his child was what drove him, perhaps reluctantly enough, to beseech Jesus much. — Chadwick, pages 152-153.

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Acts 13:14-15 makes it clear that a single synagogue had a number of rulers. Their duties were to select the readers or teachers in the synagogue, to examine the discourses of the public speakers, and to see that all things were done with decency and in accordance with ancestral usage. “Jairus” is a Hebrew name which means “whom Jehovah enlightens.” It is pronounced Ja-i-rus, the voice being stressed on the letter “i.” — Wuest, page 108.

at the point of death (v.23) = in the last gasp

healed (v.23) — not the usual word for heal, but one that means “save” — in a physical, not spiritual, sense. “Save her from dying.”

Jesus went with him (v.24) — The Greek says “went off with him promptly”

followed (v.24) — Greek is “kept on following”

thronged (v.24) = pressed together, pressed on all sides, so as to almost suffocate.