Mark5

Jesus casts a legion of unclean spirits from a man into a herd of swine, which then drown in the sea. The healed man is sent to testify of God's mercy to his friends. Later, Jesus heals a woman who touches his garment by faith, and subsequently raises Jairus's daughter from the dead, demonstrating his power over sickness and death.
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Jesus Heals the Gerasene Demoniac

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And they came over unto the other side of the sea, into the country of the Gadarenes. ​
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And when he was come out of the ship, immediately there met him out of the tombs a man with an unclean spirit,
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Who had his dwelling among the tombs; and no man could bind him, no, not with chains:
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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.
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And always, night and day, he was in the mountains, and in the tombs, crying, and cutting himself with stones.
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But when he saw Jesus afar off, he ran and worshipped him,
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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. ​
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For he said unto him, Come out of the man, thou unclean spirit.
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And he asked him, What is thy name? And he answered, saying, My name is Legion: for we are many. ​
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And he besought him much that he would not send them away out of the country.
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Now there was there nigh unto the mountains a great herd of swine feeding. ​
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And all the devils besought him, saying, Send us into the swine, that we may enter into them.
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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. ​
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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.
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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. ​
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And they that saw it told them how it befell to him that was possessed with the devil, and also concerning the swine.
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And they began to pray him to depart out of their coasts. ​
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And when he was come into the ship, he that had been possessed with the devil prayed him that he might be with him.
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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. ​
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And he departed, and began to publish in Decapolis how great things Jesus had done for him: and all men did marvel.

Jesus Returns; Jairus Seeks Help

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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. ​
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And, behold, there cometh one of the rulers of the synagogue, Jairus by name; and when he saw him, he fell at his feet, ​
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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.
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And Jesus went with him; and much people followed him, and thronged him.

Healing the Woman with an Issue of Blood

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And a certain woman, which had an issue of blood twelve years, ​
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And had suffered many things of many physicians, and had spent all that she had, and was nothing bettered, but rather grew worse, ​
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When she had heard of Jesus, came in the press behind, and touched his garment.
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For she said, If I may touch but his clothes, I shall be whole.
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And straightway the fountain of her blood was dried up; and she felt in her body that she was healed of that plague.
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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? ​
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And his disciples said unto him, Thou seest the multitude thronging thee, and sayest thou, Who touched me?
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And he looked round about to see her that had done this thing.
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But the woman fearing and trembling, knowing what was done in her, came and fell down before him, and told him all the truth.
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And he said unto her, Daughter, thy faith hath made thee whole; go in peace, and be whole of thy plague. ​

The Raising of Jairus’s Daughter

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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? ​
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As soon as Jesus heard the word that was spoken, he saith unto the ruler of the synagogue, Be not afraid, only believe. ​
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And he suffered no man to follow him, save Peter, and James, and John the brother of James. ​
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And he cometh to the house of the ruler of the synagogue, and seeth the tumult, and them that wept and wailed greatly.
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And when he was come in, he saith unto them, Why make ye this ado, and weep? the damsel is not dead, but sleepeth. ​
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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.
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And he took the damsel by the hand, and said unto her, Talitha cumi; which is, being interpreted, Damsel, I say unto thee, arise. ​
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And straightway the damsel arose, and walked; for she was of the age of twelve years. And they were astonished with a great astonishment. ​
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And he charged them straitly that no man should know it; and commanded that something should be given her to eat. ​

Study Notes for Mark 5

Verse 1

The country of the Gadarenes (or Gerasenes/Gergesenes in other manuscripts) refers to the Decapolis region, Gentile territory east of the Sea of Galilee, explaining the presence of swine (v. 11).

Verse 7

The demon immediately recognizes Jesus’s divine authority, addressing him as the 'Son of the most high God,' a title used in Jewish and Hellenistic contexts to denote supreme power.

Verse 9

A 'Legion' was a primary unit in the Roman army, consisting of thousands of soldiers. This name signifies the immense number and organized nature of the demonic presence confronting Jesus.

Verse 11

The presence of a large herd of swine (pigs) confirms that this area was populated by Gentiles, as pigs were considered ritually unclean under Mosaic Law (Leviticus 11:7).

Verse 13

The destruction of the herd (about 2,000 animals) demonstrates the sheer power of the unclean spirits and the magnitude of the spiritual deliverance that Jesus accomplished.

Verse 15

The sight of the man restored—clothed, sitting, and rational—is the ultimate proof of the miracle. The resulting fear shows the locals were more concerned with the disruption of their economic order than the man’s deliverance.

Verse 17

The townspeople ask Jesus to leave, prioritizing their economic loss (the swine) over the supernatural display of divine power and compassion.

Verse 19

Unlike previous healings where Jesus commanded secrecy, here he commissions the man to be a witness among his own people in the Gentile Decapolis region, making him the first missionary to the Gentiles.

Verse 21

Jesus returns to the Jewish side of the sea (likely Capernaum). The following two intertwined miracles demonstrate Jesus’s power over ritual uncleanness, chronic disease, and death itself.

Verse 22

Jairus was a respected 'ruler of the synagogue,' a local official responsible for organizing services. His public display of humility before Jesus underscores the desperation of his situation.

Verse 25

The woman’s chronic bleeding rendered her perpetually ritually unclean according to the Law (Leviticus 15:25). This condition isolated her from society, making her untouchable and preventing her from participating in temple worship.

Verse 26

The note about her suffering under physicians and spending all her money emphasizes the severity of her affliction and the hopelessness of her situation before encountering Jesus.

Verse 30

Jesus immediately sensed that divine power (*dynamis* or 'virtue') had been intentionally drawn out of him. This highlights that the healing was not accidental, but a direct consequence of faith.

Verse 34

Jesus affirms that her faith, not the mere physical touch, was the catalyst for her healing. By publicly addressing her as 'Daughter,' he restores her dignity and reintegrates her into the community.

Verse 35

The arrival of the messengers confirms the death of the girl, seemingly nullifying Jairus's plea and heightening the drama of the narrative.

Verse 36

This phrase, 'Be not afraid, only believe,' is a central command in Mark, contrasting human fear with the active faith required to witness divine intervention.

Verse 37

Peter, James, and John form Jesus’s inner circle, frequently selected to witness the most significant events, such as this raising and the later Transfiguration.

Verse 39

By stating the girl 'sleepeth,' Jesus redefines death as a temporary, reversible state that is subject to his divine authority, anticipating his own resurrection.

Verse 41

Mark often preserves the original Aramaic words spoken by Jesus (*Talitha cumi* means 'little girl, arise') to emphasize the authenticity, immediacy, and directness of his powerful command.

Verse 42

The girl’s age of twelve years intentionally parallels the twelve years of the woman’s illness (v. 25), linking the two miracles to show Jesus’s power over all forms of affliction and the ultimate enemy, death.

Verse 43

The command for secrecy (part of the 'Messianic Secret') ensures that the focus remains on Jesus’s identity and teaching, rather than attracting premature political attention. The instruction to feed her emphasizes her complete, physical restoration.

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