# Mark 05 📖: Power Over Demons and Death [[📚 Explore the Bible Books]] [[-Mark Overview]] | [[Mark 04]] | [[Mark 06]] > [!info] Table of Contents > [[#📜 Scripture Text (NET)]] > [[#📖 Verse-by-Verse Commentary]] > [[#🤔 Interesting Facts / Historical and Cultural Insights]] > [[#🧠 Chapter Summary]] > [[#✝️ Christ in This Chapter]] > [[#🔎 Key Observations / 🛟 Life Application]] > [[#💬 Discussion Questions]] > [[#✍️ Key Verses to Remember]] > [[#🔗 Related Passages]] > [[#🙏 Devotional Reflection]] > [[#📂 Internal Notes]] ## 📜 Scripture Text (NET) (The NET Bible: New English Translation. Biblical Studies Press, 2005) #### Healing of a Demoniac **Principle**: Not everyone will see Jesus and His work as a miracle. [[#Verse 01.]] So they came to the other side of the lake, to the region of the Gerasenes.  [[#Verse 02.]] Just as Jesus was getting out of the boat, a man with an unclean spirit came from the tombs and met him.  [[#Verse 03.]] He lived among the tombs, and no one could bind him anymore, not even with a chain.  [[#Verse 04.]] For his hands and feet had often been bound with chains and shackles, but he had torn the chains apart and broken the shackles in pieces. No one was strong enough to subdue him.  [[#Verse 05.]] Each night and every day among the tombs and in the mountains, he would cry out and cut himself with stones. [[#Verse 06.]] When he saw Jesus from a distance, he ran and bowed down before him.  [[#Verse 07.]] Then he cried out with a loud voice, “Leave me alone, Jesus, Son of the Most High God! I implore you by God—do not torment me!”  [[#Verse 08.]] (For Jesus had said to him, “Come out of that man, you unclean spirit!”)  [[#Verse 09.]] Jesus asked him, “What is your name?” And he said, “My name is Legion, for we are many.”  [[#Verse 10.]] He begged Jesus repeatedly not to send them out of the region.  [[#Verse 11.]] There on the hillside, a great herd of pigs was feeding.  [[#Verse 12.]] And the demonic spirits begged him, “Send us into the pigs. Let us enter them.”  [[#Verse 13.]] Jesus gave them permission. So the unclean spirits came out and went into the pigs. Then the herd rushed down the steep slope into the lake, and about 2,000 were drowned in the lake. [[#Verse 14.]] Now the herdsmen ran off and spread the news in the town and countryside, and the people went out to see what had happened.  [[#Verse 15.]] They came to Jesus and saw the demon-possessed man sitting there, clothed and in his right mind—the one who had the “Legion”—and they were afraid.  [[#Verse 16.]] Those who had seen what had happened to the demon-possessed man reported it, and they also told about the pigs.  [[#Verse 17.]] Then they began to beg Jesus to leave their region.  [[#Verse 18.]] As he was getting into the boat the man who had been demon-possessed asked if he could go with him.  [[#Verse 19.]] But Jesus did not permit him to do so. Instead, he said to him, “Go to your home and to your people and tell them what the Lord has done for you, that he had mercy on you.”  [[#Verse 20.]] So he went away and began to proclaim in the Decapolis what Jesus had done for him, and all were amazed. #### Restoration and Healing **Principle**: Jesus is the Master of death. [[#Verse 21.]] When Jesus had crossed again in a boat to the other side, a large crowd gathered around him, and he was by the sea.  [[#Verse 22.]] Then one of the synagogue leaders, named Jairus, came up, and when he saw Jesus, he fell at his feet.  [[#Verse 23.]] He asked him urgently, “My little daughter is near death. Come and lay your hands on her so that she may be healed and live.” [[#Verse 24.]] Jesus went with him, and a large crowd followed and pressed around him. [[#Verse 25.]] Now a woman was there who had been suffering from a hemorrhage for twelve years. [[#Verse 26.]] She had endured a great deal under the care of many doctors and had spent all that she had. Yet instead of getting better, she grew worse.  [[#Verse 27.]] When she heard about Jesus, she came up behind him in the crowd and touched his cloak,  [[#Verse 28.]] for she kept saying, “If only I touch his clothes, I will be healed.”  [[#Verse 29.]] At once the bleeding stopped, and she felt in her body that she was healed of her disease.  [[#Verse 30.]] Jesus knew at once that power had gone out from him. He turned around in the crowd and said, “Who touched my clothes?”  [[#Verse 31.]] His disciples said to him, “You see the crowd pressing against you and you say, ‘Who touched me?’”  [[#Verse 32.]] But he looked around to see who had done it.  [[#Verse 33.]] Then the woman, with fear and trembling, knowing what had happened to her, came and fell down before him and told him the whole truth.  [[#Verse 34.]] He said to her, “Daughter, your faith has made you well. Go in peace, and be healed of your disease.” [[#Verse 35.]] While he was still speaking, people came from the synagogue leader’s house saying, “Your daughter has died. Why trouble the teacher any longer?”  [[#Verse 36.]] But Jesus, paying no attention to what was said, told the synagogue leader, “Do not be afraid; just believe.” [[#Verse 37.]] He did not let anyone follow him except Peter, James, and John, the brother of James.  [[#Verse 38.]] They came to the house of the synagogue leader where he saw noisy confusion and people weeping and wailing loudly. [[#Verse 39.]] When he entered he said to them, “Why are you distressed and weeping? The child is not dead but asleep!”  [[#Verse 40.]] And they began making fun of him. But he forced them all outside, and he took the child’s father and mother and his own companions and went into the room where the child was.  [[#Verse 41.]] Then, gently taking the child by the hand, he said to her, “_Talitha koum_,” which means, “Little girl, I say to you, get up.”  [[#Verse 42.]] The girl got up at once and began to walk around (she was twelve years old). They were completely astonished at this.  [[#Verse 43.]] He strictly ordered that no one should know about this, and told them to give her something to eat. ## 📖 Verse-by-Verse Commentary ###### Overall. ###### Verse 01. - Gerasenes- Gentile territory. ###### Verse 02. ###### Verse 03. ###### Verse 04. ###### Verse 05. ###### Verse 06. ###### Verse 07. ###### Verse 08. ###### Verse 09. ###### Verse 10. - Legion- thousands. - Legion- MSG- mob. ###### Verse 11. ###### Verse 12. ###### Verse 13. ###### Verse 14. ###### Verse 15. ###### Verse 16. ###### Verse 17. ###### Verse 18. ###### Verse 19. ###### Verse 20. ###### Verse 21. - [[Leviticus 15]] - She was considered unclean. ###### Verse 22. ###### Verse 23. ###### Verse 24. ###### Verse 25. ###### Verse 26. ###### Verse 27. ###### Verse 28. ###### Verse 29. ###### Verse 30. ###### Verse 31. ###### Verse 32. ###### Verse 33. ###### Verse 34. ###### Verse 35. ###### Verse 36. ###### Verse 37. ###### Verse 38. ###### Verse 39. ###### Verse 40. ###### Verse 41. ###### Verse 42. ###### Verse 43. ## 🤔 Interesting Facts / Historical and Cultural Insights **1. The “Legion” of Demons** - In the Roman military, a **legion** was a unit of around 5,000–6,000 soldiers. - Using this term may have evoked the image of overwhelming, organized force—something that would terrify the local population under Roman occupation. - The man’s possession by a “legion” also symbolically parallels the oppressive Roman presence in Israel. **2. The Decapolis Setting** - Jesus goes to the **Decapolis** (v. 20), a region of ten largely Gentile cities east of the Sea of Galilee. - This shows Jesus intentionally ministered outside Jewish areas, crossing cultural and religious boundaries. - For Jews, going into a Gentile territory meant facing ritual impurity concerns. **3. Pigs and Economic Loss** - The herd of pigs (about 2,000) was a massive economic investment. - Pigs were unclean animals for Jews (Lev. 11:7), but in Gentile regions they were raised for meat. - The loss of this herd might explain why the townspeople begged Jesus to leave—His miracle cost them financially. **4. Jairus’s Role as Synagogue Leader** - A synagogue leader (v. 22) was responsible for maintaining the building, organizing services, and safeguarding the scrolls. - For such a respected religious figure to publicly seek Jesus’ help was socially risky—especially amid Pharisaic opposition to Jesus. **5. The Woman with the Bleeding Issue** - Her condition (likely chronic menstrual bleeding) made her ceremonially unclean for **12 years** according to Leviticus 15:25–27. - She would have been excluded from temple worship, socially isolated, and financially drained after spending all she had on physicians. - In touching Jesus, she technically broke purity laws—yet instead of making Him unclean, His holiness made her whole. **6. Public Mourning Customs** - When Jairus’s daughter dies, professional mourners, musicians, and wailers arrive quickly (v. 38). - Loud wailing and flute playing were common Jewish mourning practices, often starting within hours of death. - Jesus’ statement that the girl was “only sleeping” was a direct challenge to their understanding of death. 1. Ancient manuscripts differ on the place name in 5:1, reading Gerasenes, Gadarenes, or Gergesenes. Matthew 8:28 uses Gadarenes. 2. Tombs in the region were often caves cut into hillsides, which could shelter outcasts like this man (5:3). 3. The demon calls Jesus "Son of the Most High God" (5:7), a title often used by Gentiles for the God of Israel. 4. The answer "Legion" (5:9) revealed how many spirits held the man, not a secret that gave Jesus power. He already had all authority over them. 5. Mark wraps the healing of the woman (5:25-34) inside the story of Jairus's daughter (5:21-24, 35-43), one of his signature "sandwich" stories. 6. The woman had been ill for twelve years, and Jairus's daughter was twelve years old (5:25, 42). 7. Mark says the woman had suffered under many doctors and only grew worse (5:26). Luke, a physician, simply says no one could heal her (Luke 8:43). 8. "Talitha koum" (5:41) is Aramaic, the everyday language Jesus spoke. Mark translates it for his Gentile readers. 9. Jesus took only Peter, James, and John into the room (5:37), the same three who would witness the Transfiguration and be near Him in Gethsemane. 10. Jesus told the family to give the girl something to eat (5:43), showing she was fully restored to life. ## 🧠 Chapter Summary Mark 5 records three powerful demonstrations of Jesus’ authority over the forces that enslave humanity—spiritual, physical, and even death itself. - First, in the region of the Gerasenes, Jesus frees a demon-possessed man who had been tormented by a “legion” of evil spirits. The man is restored to sanity and sent as a witness to the Gentile cities of the Decapolis. - Second, back in Galilee, Jesus heals a woman who had suffered from a bleeding condition for twelve years, an illness that left her ritually unclean and socially isolated. Her quiet act of faith—touching His garment—results in immediate healing. - Finally, Jesus raises Jairus’s twelve-year-old daughter from the dead, showing His ultimate power over death. This chapter paints a portrait of a Savior who meets people in their desperation, regardless of their social status, gender, ethnicity, or condition, and restores them completely. ## ✝️ Christ in This Chapter Christ is the Lord over demons, disease, and death. The unclean are made whole by His power (5:29), and the dead rise at His word (5:41-42), a preview of the day the dead will hear His voice and live (John 5:25). ## 🔎 Key Observations / 🛟 Life Application > [!note] 🌱 Still growing. This section is on its way. ## 💬 Discussion Questions 1. The healed man wanted to go with Jesus, but Jesus sent him home to tell what the Lord had done (5:19). Who in your life needs to hear your story? 2. The woman pushed through the crowd believing that one touch would heal her (5:27-28). What keeps you from pressing in to Jesus? 3. When word came that his daughter had died, Jesus told Jairus not to fear but to believe (5:36). How do you hold on to faith when the news gets worse? ## ✍️ Key Verses to Remember - 📖 verse 19: Jesus sends the man home to tell how much the Lord has done for him and how He has shown mercy. - 📖 verse 34: Jesus calls the woman "daughter" and tells her that her faith has made her well. - 📖 verse 36: Jesus tells Jairus, "Do not be afraid; just believe." ## 🔗 Related Passages - 🔗 [[James 02#Verse 19.|James 2:19]] - The demons believe and tremble. - 🔗 [[Ephesians 06#Verse 12.|Ephesians 6:12]] - Our struggle is against spiritual forces of evil. - 🔗 [[Psalm 66#Verse 16.|Psalm 66:16]] - Come and hear what He has done for me. - 🔗 [[Leviticus 15#Verse 25.|Leviticus 15:25-27]] - The law concerning prolonged bleeding. - 🔗 [[Malachi 04#Verse 02.|Malachi 4:2]] - Healing in His wings. - 🔗 [[John 11#Verse 11.|John 11:11-14]] - Jesus speaks of death as sleep. - 🔗 [[1 Kings 17#Verse 17.|1 Kings 17:17-24]] - Elijah raises a widow's son. ## 🙏 Devotional Reflection 📝 SOAP: [[Mark 05- SOAP|Do Not Fear]] ## 📂 Internal Notes [[Series_TheWay_Part2-We_See_People]] - 8.10.25- woman with issue of blood story used.