Biblical Understatement

Continuing my meditation on Mark 5, I was just rereading the final few verses of the chapter and thought it was funny how understated the translation sometimes is, compared to the reality of the situation, and even compared to the original Greek. Here are the last three verses:

Mark 5:41-43 NIV
He took her by the hand and said to her, “Talitha koum!” (which means “Little girl, I say to you, get up!”). [42] Immediately the girl stood up and began to walk around (she was twelve years old). At this they were completely astonished. [43] He gave strict orders not to let anyone know about this, and told them to give her something to eat.

I was focused specifically on the end of verse 42 - "at this they were completely astonished". Maybe its just me, but I think those words just do not convey what was going on in the room. I think of astonishment as mild to significant surprise, kind of like you got an awesome birthday gift. Its pretty good, even awesome, but still probably not life changing.

The Greek words describing this scene are "Ekstasis megas". It doesn't even take a knowledge of Greek to figure out the meaning, but I will include here a couple of the translations:

Ekstasis:

A throwing of the mind out of its normal state, alienation of mind, whether such as makes a lunatic or that of a man who by some sudden emotion is transported as it were out of himself, so that in this rapt condition, although he is awake, his mind is drawn off from all surrounding objects and wholly fixed on things divine that he sees nothing but the forms and images lying within, and thinks that he perceives with his bodily eyes and ears realities shown him by God.

Megas:

Used of intensity and its degrees: with great effort, of the affections and emotions of the mind, of natural events powerfully affecting the senses: violent, mighty, strong.

So, applying the translation - the people in the room, upon seeing their dead daughter stand up and walk around were filled with great, violent, and strong ecstasy. So great was there amazement that they were like people who had lost their minds, celebrating and weeping and just overwhelmed in amazement.

Now that sounds more like what I would do if my son or daughter, who was dead for hours, stood up and walked around. His daughter had been dead long enough that the professional mourners, and friends and family had already gathered. She had been dead long enough, that the man's servants had left his home to tell him she was died, and the man was still a ways off and walking toward them with Jesus. She was dead, not breathing, not moving, probably even starting to stiffen by the time they arrived. Yet when Jesus took her hand and spoke two words to her, she sat up, got out of bed and started walking around. I think it was complete bedlam in that room, screaming, crying , hugging, weeping, laughing, yelling, more hugging, more screaming, falling on their faces before Jesus, jumping up to hug their daughter again, on and on! It was carrying on so long, finally Jesus had to break in and tell them to get her something to eat! Now that sounds like Ekstasis Megas!

Lord, that's what I want to see! I want to see You do things through Your church that causes all heaven to break loose in the room! I want to see people seem to lose their minds out of complete amazement and joy! Lord, I don't want the calm, understated experiences, that sometimes are our experience of church and the decorum we think we need to maintain. I want to see You release, in our midst, such awesomeness that we can't contain our emotions, and everyone rejoices violently (in a good way)!!!