Introduction

Mark 5 showcases Jesus' absolute authority over the three great enemies of humanity: demonic forces, chronic disease, and death itself. A man tormented by a legion of demons is set free. A woman hemorrhaging for twelve years is healed by touching Jesus' garment. A twelve-year-old girl is raised from the dead. Nothing is beyond Jesus' power—not the most extreme possession, the longest illness, or death itself.

The Gerasene Demoniac (Verses 1-20)

[1-20] Jesus confronts the most extreme case of demonic possession in the Gospels.

• Across the Sea: [1] They come to the other side of the sea, to the country of the Gerasenes—Gentile territory.
• The Man Among the Tombs: [2-5] Immediately a man with an unclean spirit meets Jesus from the tombs. He lives among the dead, cannot be bound even with chains, and constantly cries out and cuts himself with stones. He is a picture of total bondage and self-destruction.
• Falling Before Jesus: [6-7] Seeing Jesus from afar, he runs and falls down before Him, crying out: "What have you to do with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I adjure you by God, do not torment me." Demons recognize Jesus and fear His judgment.
• "Come Out": [8] Jesus had been saying: "Come out of the man, you unclean spirit!"
• "Legion": [9-10] Jesus asks his name. "My name is Legion, for we are many." A Roman legion was 6,000 soldiers. The demons beg Him not to send them out of the country.
• Into the Pigs: [11-13] A great herd of pigs is feeding on the hillside. The demons beg to be sent into the pigs. Jesus permits them. The unclean spirits enter the pigs, and the herd—about two thousand—rushes down the steep bank into the sea and drowns. The destruction reveals the demons' true nature.
• The Herdsmen Report: [14-15] The herdsmen flee and tell the story. People come and see the man who had been demon-possessed, sitting there clothed and in his right mind. They are afraid.
• Asking Jesus to Leave: [16-17] Those who saw it describe what happened. The people beg Jesus to depart from their region. They prefer their pigs to the presence of Jesus. Some people fear deliverance more than bondage.
• "Go Home and Tell": [18-20] The healed man begs to go with Jesus, but Jesus refuses: "Go home to your friends and tell them how much the Lord has done for you." He goes and proclaims throughout the Decapolis what Jesus did. Everyone marvels. The first Gentile missionary.

Jairus's Plea (Verses 21-24)

[21-24] A synagogue ruler falls at Jesus' feet with a desperate request.

• Back Across the Sea: [21] Jesus crosses back, and a great crowd gathers at the seaside.
• Jairus Falls Down: [22-23] Jairus, a ruler of the synagogue, falls at Jesus' feet and implores Him: "My little daughter is at the point of death. Come and lay your hands on her, so that she may be made well and live." Position and prestige dissolve in desperation.
• Jesus Goes: [24] Jesus goes with him, and a great crowd follows, pressing around Him.

The Woman with the Hemorrhage (Verses 25-34)

[25-34] An interruption becomes an opportunity for healing and faith.

• Twelve Years of Suffering: [25-26] A woman has had a discharge of blood for twelve years. She has suffered much under many physicians, spent all she had, and grown worse. Medicine has failed her.
• "If I Touch His Garments": [27-28] Hearing about Jesus, she comes up behind Him in the crowd and touches His garment. She says to herself: "If I touch even his garments, I will be made well."
• Immediately Healed: [29] Immediately the flow of blood dries up, and she feels in her body that she is healed of her disease. Power flows from Jesus.
• Jesus Perceives: [30] Jesus perceives that power has gone out from Him. He turns in the crowd: "Who touched my garments?"
• Disciples' Response: [31] The disciples are confused: "You see the crowd pressing around you, and yet you say, 'Who touched me?'" But there is a difference between pressing and touching with faith.
• Looking for Her: [32] Jesus looks around to see who has done this.
• She Comes Forward: [33] The woman, fearing and trembling, knowing what has happened to her, falls down before Him and tells the whole truth.
• "Your Faith Has Made You Well": [34] Jesus says: "Daughter, your faith has made you well; go in peace, and be healed of your disease." He calls her "daughter"—affirming her place in God's family. Faith was the channel; Jesus was the source.

Raising Jairus's Daughter (Verses 35-43)

[35-43] The interruption seemed to cost precious time, but Jesus is Lord over death.

• "Your Daughter Is Dead": [35] While Jesus is still speaking, messengers come from Jairus's house: "Your daughter is dead. Why trouble the Teacher any further?" Hope seems lost.
• "Do Not Fear, Only Believe": [36] Overhearing this, Jesus says to Jairus: "Do not fear, only believe." Fear and faith cannot coexist. Jesus calls for trust beyond circumstances.
• Taking Peter, James, and John: [37] Jesus allows only Peter, James, and John to follow—the same three who will witness the Transfiguration and Gethsemane.
• The Commotion: [38] At Jairus's house, there is commotion—weeping and loud wailing. Professional mourners have already begun.
• "Not Dead but Sleeping": [39] Jesus asks why they make a commotion: "The child is not dead but sleeping." To Jesus, death is temporary—a sleep from which He can wake her.
• They Laughed at Him: [40] They laugh at Him. They know death when they see it. But Jesus puts them all outside, takes the child's father and mother and His companions, and enters where the child is.
• "Talitha Cumi": [41] Taking her by the hand, Jesus says: "Talitha cumi"—"Little girl, I say to you, arise." Mark preserves the Aramaic, the intimate language of home.
• She Rises: [42] Immediately the girl gets up and begins walking (she was twelve years old). They are immediately overcome with amazement.
• Silence and Food: [43] Jesus strictly charges them that no one should know this (though it would be hard to hide) and tells them to give her something to eat. A practical touch—she needs food. She is truly alive.

Key Takeaways

• No Bondage Is Too Severe: A legion of demons could not resist Jesus' command. He delivers the most hopeless cases.
• Faith Touches Jesus: The woman's faith distinguished her touch from the crowd's pressing. Faith receives what mere proximity cannot.
• Jesus Is Lord Over Death: Death is merely sleep to Him. He speaks, and the dead rise.
• "Do Not Fear, Only Believe": This is the word for every impossible situation. Fear and faith cannot coexist.

Reflection Questions

• What "legion" of problems makes you feel beyond help? How does this chapter speak to that?
• Are you merely in the crowd pressing around Jesus, or are you touching Him with faith?
• Where do you need to hear Jesus say, "Do not fear, only believe"?