TALITHA KOUM: Little Girl, Arise! by Pam Hatheway
I have sensed the Holy Spirit whispering to me “Talitha Koum”. I was familiar with the story in the book of Luke, where the young girl lay dead and Jesus raised her up. I sensed the message was for me personally, Talitha Koum, “Little girl, Arise,” it is time to move on to a life of maturity, you can not die in spiritual infancy.
“Talitha Koum,” the Holy Spirit would whisper.
“Yes Lord, I know, I heard you last time,” I would respond.
After weeks, or maybe even months of this dialogue going on, it dawned on me that my revelation was incomplete, perhaps I should look up the story. When I read the passage, I realized that this was not a message just for me, but a prophetic directive for the church in this season.
Multitudes Waiting for His Appearing
“So it was when Jesus returned, that the multitude welcomed Him, for they were all waiting for Him.” Luke 8:40
There is a feeling among many that we are at a crucial place in our spiritual history. The majority of the church is waiting for Christ. Some are looking to a literal physical return, others, are anticipating a spiritual inhabitance, where He can be observed in manifested fullness in His body, the church. Either way we recognize that the church at large is waiting with anticipation for Him to make an appearance in this generation.
“And behold there was a certain man named Jairus, he was the ruler of the synagogue. And he fell down at Jesus feet and begged him to come to his house for he had an only daughter at twelve years of age, and she was dying.” Luke 8:41-42
The name, Jairus means, “he will enlighten”, his name implies a prophetic vision and insight. The text says that this man Jairus was the ruler of the synagogue; he was one of the ones who spiritually sat at the gate. Jairus was waiting for the appearance of Jesus because he had a need; his twelve-year-old daughter was dying.
I want us to take a step back from the literal story in this text and look at the things hidden just under the surface. First and I know I am oversimplifying, but the woman, in scripture usually represents the church as bride.
Secondly, note that the number twelve plays a huge part in this portion of text, we need to look at it symbolically to hear what the Holy Spirit is saying in this day. The number twelve represents divine governmental authority, apostolic order and fullness. In this passage, Jairus represents the father’s heart in prophetic- intercession. He is passionately concerned with a sick and dying, or dead apostolic ministry in his house (or sphere of influence). At twelve years old, this girl had not yet reached her place of maturity. Her fruitfulness had not yet had a chance to evidence. At one time, she was probably healthy, rosy-cheeked, vital and full of destiny and promise, but unless the Lord intervened, those purposes would be unrealized.
Invite Him Home
Jairus fell at Jesus feet and begged Him to come to his house. Understand that when we invite the King to our house, and submit our “houses” to His sovereignty He will deal with all adversaries. It was important for Jairus to invite Jesus into his home, for it was the location of his greatest battle and greatest victory.
Many of us live compartmentalized lives. We allow Jesus to be King for an hour or two on Sunday morning, we give him ten minutes of our day as we “do” our devotionals. We allow Him to be King on our terms in the areas of our lives that we have chosen to turn over to Him. To recognize His sovereignty in the face of our enemies or in the midst of our frustrations and weaknesses is another matter. To be an “overcomer”, we must turn, throw our crown at his feet and invite the King into our domain. Jesus will fight our battles, as long as we allow Him to be commander and chief and He will fight it His way not our way; He will not sign on as private to take our direction.
The heart cry of prophetic-intercessors in this season, is to see Kingdom authority come into fullness in earth as it is in heaven. There is an immature apostolic ministry in the church that has not come into her purpose. She has not yet produced fruit, she has never had the opportunity to move into maturity and adulthood, and she lay dying before her time.
Jesus responded to Jairus. He joined this man, and walked with him toward his home and his sickly daughter. The scripture says, “But as he went, the multitudes pressed against him.” The multitudes that had been waiting for Him had their own needs. They assumed they knew what Jesus would do when He showed up. In the face of their own personal needs and agendas, Jesus’ choice to travel miles away to raise up a young girl, not highly valued in the society of the day, may have been confusing, even frustrating to them. The scriptures tell us they pressed against Him as He went.
Woman with An Issue
It was on the road to Jairus’ house that we read about another woman, the woman with the issue of blood. She had been haemorrhaging for twelve years. (Notice the connection?) To recap, twelve means divine kingdom government and apostolic authority. We see a woman mature in age and experience, perhaps in her earlier years she had borne children, but for the last twelve years she had been dealing with an issue that kept her barren, and deemed unclean by the rest of the (Christian) community. Because of her “issue”, she was labeled, isolated, secluded from society, hidden in obscurity. To many, she may have appeared weak, anaemic and maybe depressed, because nameless woman was identified wholly with her “issue”. She had fallen into a pattern of self-absorption and introspection that had caused her to be ineffective in other areas of her life.
This woman had spent all that she had, exhausting her resources, unsuccessfully trying to deal with her issue. The doctors of the day were unsuccessful. No amount of policy setting or ecumenical discourse has the power to heal these issues that separate.
When she saw Jesus in the midst of the crowd she knew, not only did He have the answer, He was the answer. She turned her eyes away from her need and onto the source. The issue that had kept her isolated for so many years was no longer there. She “had seen Him as He was”, and instantly, in the twinkling of an eye, virtue was transferred as the dunamus power of Jesus Christ, permeated her very being transforming her to wholeness.
“and when the woman saw that she was no longer hid.” Luke 8:47
She knew she could no longer be hidden. In this day King Jesus is about to deal with the issues and instantly release the hidden leaders from their caves, and prisons. The “Hidden ones” are about to become the “Revealed ones” as they turn their focus to Him, and take hold of his mantle.
Little Girl, Arise
Jesus continued on his way to the home of Jarius. In the natural, it looked to be too late. The mourners were already gathered, the declaration had already been made. She is dead. Apostolic authority is a thing of the past. Not so, King Jesus made a proclamation, “she is only sleeping.” He moved into the inner chamber of the home of Jarius, “Talitha Koum”, “Little girl, Arise” into maturity and fruitfulness. “Little girl, Arise” into your manifested destiny. “Little girl, Arise” to the high calling of Jesus Christ.
“And her spirit returned, and she rose immediately; and He gave her orders for something to be given for her to eat. And her parents were amazed; but he instructed them to tell no one what had happened.” Luke 8:55-56
To the parents he advised, “give her something to eat, and do not tell anyone about this.” The Apostolic ministry of the church needs to be fed (eat the Lamb, eat the Book), equipped and built up for the purpose of releasing and sending her forth. As with the woman with the issue, this girl needs not to be announced for she will be revealed as she begins to function.
Put it Together
Together these two females represent an integrated picture of the apostolic ministry in this day. The first suffers sickness and death within the organized structure of the church, threatening never coming to her maturity. The second, resides on the fringes of the church, just outside the camp, separated from the mainstream by her issue. With the appearance of Christ, both are restored to health and vitality and a promise of fruitfulness… Both have been properly aligned that they might be sent.
“And he called the twelve together, and gave them power and authority over all demons, and to heal diseases. And He sent them to proclaim the kingdom of God and perform healing.” Luke 9:1-2
This scripture follows on the heels of the stories described earlier. Again we see the number twelve connecting the incidences into one progressive revelation. After He raised up the twelve-year-old girl, and He restored the woman with the issue, He gathered His own twelve together for the purpose of imparting to them the Kingdom authority and power needed that He might send them to fulfill His mandate.
Conclusion
I believe that this story is not a series of incidences in the human experience of Jesus Christ, but is a pattern for what is taking place in this season.
For the past twenty years, in particular, God has been calling spiritual Jairus’s, the prophetic-intercessors motivated with the Father’s heart to see an Apostolic ministry in the church raised up into maturity and fruitfulness. At the same time, there is an Apostolic ministry that has been relegated to function on the fringes of the church world, identified not by their anointing but their doctrinal issues. Their issues are about to become a thing of the past. They will be known as the recipients of impartation. There is something else happening, Jesus is gathering or networking His Apostolic contingent not for political agenda, but to deposit His authority and power that they might be sent as an extension of His earthly ministry.