Mark 5
Healing a Demon-Possessed Man (Mark 5:1-20)
Jesus and his disciples landed in the region of Gerasenes on the eastern shore of the Sea of Galilee. The text varies (here in Mark and the parallel accounts in Matthew 8:28 and Luke 8:26), with some calling the region Gadarenes, some Gerasenes, and some Gergesenes.
Matthew’s account mentions that two demon-possessed men confronted Jesus and the disciples, while Mark and Luke’s accounts only mention one man. However, we should note that neither Mark nor Luke stated there was only one man. They focused on the man who was the leader and who interacted with Jesus the most, but their accounts don’t rule out that others might also be present.
These men lived in a graveyard and caused a lot of trouble for the area's people. People had attempted to chain up at least one of the men, but he managed to pull the chains apart and broke the shackles binding his legs. No one was able to calm him, so he wandered the graveyard and mountains, yelling and cutting himself with stones.
Seeing Jesus, the man ran up and fell down in worship before him. The demons within him cried out, “What business do we have with each other, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I implore You by God, do not torment me!” (Mark 5:7). Interestingly, these demons had been torturing this man for years. Still, when confronted by the Son of God, they feared that Jesus came to torture them. We should also note that the man approached Jesus and not the other way around. This possibly shows that the man could do some things contrary to what the demons wanted.
Jesus told the demons to leave the man but then asked them for their name, and they replied, “Legion,” because there were many. This little fact tells us several things. Demons are beings who have identifying names. It also tells us that a person can be possessed by multiple demons simultaneously (see also Matthew 12:45; Mark 16:9).
The demons pleaded with Jesus not to be sent into the abyss (Matthew 25:41; II Peter 2:4; Jude 6). Instead, they asked to be sent into a nearby herd of swine. Jesus permitted it. However, on entering the swine, the entire herd ran off a cliff and drowned. Mark mentions that there were about two thousand pigs in this herd. J. W. McGarvey points out that there is only one place in that region where the mountains come close to the edge of the Sea of Galilee, about one mile south of Khersa, thus pinpointing the location of this event.
These swine were not a wild herd. One or more individuals owned them. Thus, the destruction of the herd raises the question of why these animals were destroyed. First, we need to note that Jesus permitted the demons to enter the swine, but none of the accounts state what caused the herd to run off the cliff. It would not do to speculate that Jesus caused it. In fact, given the destructive nature of demons, it is more likely that they did it to themselves. Entering the swine probably drove the pigs mad, and they ran in the direction they happened to be facing – right off the cliff. If such was the case, it gives the event a sort of ironic justice. The demons were trying to stay in this world and managed to take themselves out of it anyway.
The second point is that swine are unclean animals. Though this is a Gentile region of the country, we still must wonder why such a large herd of unclean animals was being kept. Perhaps the questionable nature of their business caused the people to act as they did.
Those hired to care for the swine ran off to town, likely to report to the owners what happened to their herd. Word of what happened quickly spread through the town and the surrounding region. The people came out to see for themselves, and they found the man who was once demon-possessed, clothed, in his right mind, sitting with Jesus and his disciples.
Their reaction is a bit puzzling. Mark tells us that they were afraid, not in awe of the power shown but fearful of Jesus remaining in their area. One possibility is that they feared that Jesus’ presence might damage other questionable business ventures in the area. These people wanted nothing more to do with Jesus.
Jesus did not force himself upon the people. He got into the boat to leave. The recently healed man wanted to go with the Lord, but Jesus told him he had other work for him to do. Jesus asked the man to go to his family and friends and tell them what God had done for him. Thus, he became the first preacher of the Good News. This man wandered throughout the region of Decapolis, telling people about the Lord. His work greatly changes Jesus’ reception the next time he comes to Decapolis.
The Request for Aid (Mark 5:21-23)
Jesus once again returns to Capernaum, though the town's name is not given. There, he is met by a crowd of people. One of the synagogue officials, named Jairus, approached Jesus and begged him to come and see his young daughter, who was dying. He knew she would be healed if Jesus would only lay his hands on her.
The office of a synagogue ruler is roughly comparable to an elder in the church. One of his roles was to select who would read from the Scriptures during the service.
Jesus agreed to go and followed him through the crowds.
The Woman with Hemorrhage (Mark 5:24-34)
As they pushed through the crowds, a woman who had been hemorrhaging for twelve years managed to work her way to Jesus. She had decided that if she could touch the hem of his garment, she would be made well. Perhaps because her blood flow made her unclean, she thought to quietly approach Jesus and then quietly depart. She had spent all that she had on doctors and suffered greatly at their hands but was never healed of her disease; instead, she had grown worse over the years.
She managed to do so and was instantly healed, but Jesus instantly knew what had happened. He turned around and demanded to know who touched him. The disciples were confused. They were pushing through a crowd, and Jesus wanted to know who touched him. Lots of people must have touched him.
The woman fearfully admitted that she was the one who touched him. It is not that Jesus did not know. After all, he knew that she had been made well. Nor is Jesus claiming that his power was stolen from him. He was allowing her to admit what she had done. It would have remained hidden without public acknowledgment, and the healing would have served no furtherance of God’s Will.
His greeting calms her fears. “Be of good cheer,” Jesus said. He then told her it wasn’t the touch but her faith that made her well. She had faith that had led to action. He then bids her to be whole or continue to be whole. Though she was healed, Jesus ensures that those around them know that it was through Jesus that she was made well.
The Raising of Jairus’ Daughter (Mark 5:35-43)
As they approached Jairus’ house, men came out to tell him he was too late. His daughter had already died, so there was no need to trouble the Teacher further. But Jesus overheard the news and told Jairus not to fear but to believe. He had just received proof concerning the power of faith during their walk, and Jesus asked him to demonstrate the same faith.
Jesus would only permit five people to enter with him: Peter, James, John, Jairus, and his wife. The house was full of mourners crying over the girl’s death. He scolded them for the commotion they were making. Jesus told them that she wasn’t dead but sleeping – that is, her death was only temporary and that she would soon be alive again. The mourners, however, thought Jesus was crazy because they knew the girl had died.
He put all the mourners out of the house, went to the girl, took her by the hand, and told her to arise. Her spirit immediately returned to her body, and the twelve-year-old girl got up and walked. Jesus told her astonished parents to get her something to eat, but he also told them not to tell anyone what happened.
