Mark 5

Possessed man worships Jesus 1
Demons cast out and enter hogs 8
The healed man wants to go with Jesus but is sent to tell his family  18
Jairus asks Jesus to heal his daughter and a woman who touched Him on the way  21
The woman is healed and encouraged  30
The girl dies but Jesus continues; He said the girl was sleeping  35
Jesus calls the girl to life; illustration  41

Text	Comments
The demoniacs of Gadara. Also Luke 8:26-39; Matt. 8:28 to 9:1.
.1 ¶ And they came over unto the other side of the sea, into the country of the Gadarenes.  2  And when he was come out of the ship, immediately there met him out of the tombs a man with an unclean spirit,  3  Who had his dwelling among the tombs; and no man could bind him, no, not with chains:  4  Because that he had been often bound with fetters and chains, and the chains had been plucked asunder by him, and the fetters broken in pieces: neither could any man tame him.  5  And always, night and day, he was in the mountains, and in the tombs, crying, and cutting himself with stones.  6  But when he saw Jesus afar off, he ran and worshipped him,  7  And cried with a loud voice, and said, What have I to do with thee, Jesus, thou Son of the most high God? I adjure thee by God, that thou torment me not.	1 - Gadarenes From the word, we would identify these people with a city of Gadara. Such a city southeast of the Sea of Galilee existed. It was too far to be the home of the insane men but had been the capital city of the area and the people could have identified with that. The gospel accounts use slightly different city names so we cannot be sure. Scholars tend to favor the name "Gerascenes." Compare the Palestine and the Galilee maps.   5 - Cutting himself with stones As influenced by the demons. Neither Matthew nor Luke mention this. It was done by pagan worshippers 1ki1828, je1606.   6 - When he saw Jesus Although bound by Satan, the man sensed that Jesus could help him. The words from his mouth were not his own. See lu0826ff for other insights.
.8  For he said unto him, Come out of the man, thou unclean spirit.  9  And he asked him, What is thy name? And he answered, saying, My name is Legion: for we are many.  10  And he besought him much that he would not send them away out of the country.  11  Now there was there nigh unto the mountains a great herd of swine feeding.  12  And all the devils besought him, saying, Send us into the swine, that we may enter into them.  13  And forthwith Jesus gave them leave. And the unclean spirits went out, and entered into the swine: and the herd ran violently down a steep place into the sea, (they were about two thousand;) and were choked in the sea.  14  And they that fed the swine fled, and told it in the city, and in the country. And they went out to see what it was that was done.  15  And they come to Jesus, and see him that was possessed with the devil, and had the legion, sitting, and clothed, and in his right mind: and they were afraid.  16  And they that saw it told them how it befell to him that was possessed with the devil, and also concerning the swine.  17  And they began to pray him to depart out of their coasts.	8 - Come out ... What is thy name? Is it wise for us to dialogue with the devils? Jesus spoke of casting them out mt1008. Notice verse 10. They knew that Jesus was in authority. Although now clothed with humanity, He was still commander of the heavenly host and of them who had been a part of it re1207. It is He who sets the bounds of Satan's power. See note for v8.   13 - Jesus gave them leave This was an economic loss to the owners, but helped them evaluate their objectives in the light of heaven. Also the pigs had already been cursed as human food. See le1107 and note at the bottom of that page.   15 - Clothed He had been naked lu0827. Did Jesus provide clothing by a miracle? Perhaps, or maybe He gave the men garments of His own which He had brought for the occasion.
.18  And when he was come into the ship, he that had been possessed with the devil prayed him that he might be with him.  19  Howbeit Jesus suffered him not, but saith unto him, Go home to thy friends, and tell them how great things the Lord hath done for thee, and hath had compassion on thee. .20  And he departed, and began to publish in Decapolis how great things Jesus had done for him: and all men did marvel. For "Decapolis" see note below.   18 - You might stop and think what these three verses mean for us.   21 - The story of the afflicted woman and the sick daughter also begins as in the bar.
The invalid woman and the daughter of Jarius. Mark 5:21-43; Luke 8:40-56; Matt. 9:18-26.
.21 ¶ And when Jesus was passed over again by ship unto the other side, much people gathered unto him: and he was nigh unto the sea.	21 - Passed over again From the vicinity of Gergesa where Jesus had cast demons out of two wild men v1.
22  And, behold, there cometh one of the rulers of the synagogue, Jairus by name; and when he saw him, he fell at his feet, .23  And besought him greatly, saying, My little daughter lieth at the point of death: I pray thee, come and lay thy hands on her, that she may be healed; and she shall live.  24  And Jesus went with him; and much people followed him, and thronged him. .25  And a certain woman, which had an issue of blood twelve years,  26  And had suffered many things of many physicians, and had spent all that she had, and was nothing bettered, but rather grew worse, .27  When she had heard of Jesus, came in the press behind, and touched his garment.  28  For she said, If I may touch but his clothes, I shall be whole.  29  And straightway the fountain of her blood was dried up; and she felt in her body that she was healed of that plague.	22 - Fell at his feet Compare es0302, mt0211, mt0802.   23 - She shall live From this certainty, as the resurrection of Lazarus and especially of Jesus Himself, we know that we, too, will live again, physically restored after death jb1414, 1co1552.   25 - Issue of blood She was ceremonially unclean as well as physically dying.   27 - Touched his garment The border lu0844.   28 - If I may touch This is the kind of trust we need mt1720. This took physical effort and courage.   29 - Felt Literally "knew."   29 - Plague Often considered to be punishment for sin mr0140, jn0902.
.30  And Jesus, immediately knowing in himself that virtue had gone out of him, turned him about in the press, and said, Who touched my clothes?  31  And his disciples said unto him, Thou seest the multitude thronging thee, and sayest thou, Who touched me?  32  And he looked round about to see her that had done this thing.  33  But the woman fearing and trembling, knowing what was done in her, came and fell down before him, and told him all the truth.  34  And he said unto her, Daughter, thy faith hath made thee whole; go in peace, and be whole of thy plague.	30 - Immediately knowing Although Christ worked in the power of the Father and, no doubt, with the assistance of angels, we assume He knew in advance all of what would happen jn0530. His question, "who touched my clothes?" reveals that His knowledge was not from the physical contact. The lady's testimony would be a blessing to those who heard it — and for us.   30 - Virtue Literally "power."   32 - He looked Literally "He kept looking." Thus He blessed her by His personal attention and helped her and readers of this story know that the "touch" had not healed her.   34 - Faith She was made whole by faith. The two events of being made whole in this verse represent spiritual and physical healing.
.35 ¶ While he yet spake, there came from the ruler of the synagogue's house certain which said, Thy daughter is dead: why troublest thou the Master any further? 36  As soon as Jesus heard the word that was spoken, he saith unto the ruler of the synagogue, Be not afraid, only believe.  37  And he suffered no man to follow him, save Peter, and James, and John the brother of James.  38  And he cometh to the house of the ruler of the synagogue, and seeth the tumult, and them that wept and wailed greatly. .39  And when he was come in, he saith unto them, Why make ye this ado, and weep? the damsel is not dead, but sleepeth.  40  And they laughed him to scorn. But when he had put them all out, he taketh the father and the mother of the damsel, and them that were with him, and entereth in where the damsel was lying. .41  And he took the damsel by the hand, and said unto her, Talitha cumi; which is, being interpreted, Damsel, I say unto thee, arise.  42  And straightway the damsel arose, and walked; for she was of the age of twelve years. And they were astonished with a great astonishment.  43  And he charged them straitly that no man should know it; and commanded that something should be given her to eat.   36 - Only believe Jairus must have loved his girl more than his job to ask Jesus to come. Now she is dead and Jesus invites him to even stronger faith. He does this for us too as we follow Him.    39 - Sleepeth Death had been called a sleep in the Scriptures of that time but pagan ideas had confused a clear understanding of what happens in death. See on lu1619. Jesus also said Lazarus was sleeping jn1111.   43 - Something ... to eat This shows how Jesus cares about our physical comfort but, more than this, we see that the girl was fully restored.

Note on Decapolis verse 10
   First the name is from Greek Dekapolis and means “ten cities.” They were in the area now southern Syria and northern Jordan (except fo Scythopolis which is near the Sea of Galillee. The area functioned under the name Decapolis in Hellenistic and Early Roman periods. “Ancient literary sources identify as many as 18 or 19 cities in the group, including Damascus, Philadelphia, Raphana, Scythopolis, Gadara, Hippos, Dion, … Pella, Galasa … and Canatha…. Also included are Heliopolis, Abila … Ina, Abila of Lysanias, Capitolias … In the NT [New Testament] and the Decapolis is identified, but no individual cities are named (Matt. 4:25; Mark 5:20; 7:31). A number of the cities continued into the Byzantine period and Islamic times (e.g. Damascus, Abila/Quailbah, Pella, Philadelphia…. Some claimed Alexander the Great as founder … but evidence indicates that, as Decapolis cities, they were established in the 3rd century B.C. [or “B.C.E.”] during the early Ptolemaic dynasty… Still others were established as Decapolis cities during the Seleucid hegemony … after the battle of Panias in 198…. Coins of a number of the Decapolis cities often are stamped with the terms autonomos “independent living after one’s own law.”… The Decapolis cities may have been bonded by strong commercial [and religious] relationships fostered by well-established road systems, as well as similar Greek and Roman political affinity (the polis).”  BC means “Before Christ” and BCE means “before common era.” Equivalent dates such as the 198 above could be either BC or BCE. The latter is preferred by secular scholars.  (Quoting from Eerdmans Bible Dictionary, © 2000).