Mark 5

¹And they came over unto the other side of the sea, into the country of the Gadarenes.

²And when he was come out of the ship, immediately there met him out of the tombs a man with an unclean spirit,

³Who had his dwelling among the tombs; and no man could bind him, no, not with chains:

⁴Because 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.

⁵And always, night and day, he was in the mountains, and in the tombs, crying, and cutting himself with stones.

⁶But when he saw Jesus afar off, he ran and worshipped him,

⁷And 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.

⁸For he said unto him, Come out of the man, thou unclean spirit.

⁹And he asked him, What is thy name? And he answered, saying, My name is Legion: for we are many.

¹⁰And he besought him much that he would not send them away out of the country.

¹¹Now there was there nigh unto the mountains a great herd of swine feeding.

¹²And all the devils besought him, saying, Send us into the swine, that we may enter into them.

¹³And 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.

¹⁴And 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.

¹⁵And 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.

¹⁶And they that saw it told them how it befell to him that was possessed with the devil, and also concerning the swine.

¹⁷And they began to pray him to depart out of their coasts.

¹⁸And when he was come into the ship, he that had been possessed with the devil prayed him that he might be with him.

¹⁹Howbeit 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.

²⁰And he departed, and began to publish in Decapolis how great things Jesus had done for him: and all men did marvel.

See this account of the demoniacs fully explained in Barnes Notes on Mt 8:28-34.

⁶But when he saw Jesus afar off, he ran and worshipped him,

Worshipped him. Bowed down before him; rendered him homage. This was an acknowledgment of his power, and of his control over fallen spirits.

¹⁵And 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.

Sitting, and clothed, and in his right mind. There could be no doubt of the reality of this miracle. The man had been well known. He had long dwelt among the tombs, an object of terror and alarm. To see him all at once peaceful, and calm, and rational, was proof that it was the power of God only that had done it.

They were afraid. They were awed, as in the presence of God. The word does not mean here that they feared that any evil would happen to them, but that they were affected with awe; they felt that God was there; they were struck with astonishment at what Jesus had done.

¹⁹Howbeit 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.

Jesus suffered him not. Various reasons have been conjectured why Jesus did not suffer this malt to go with him. It might be, that he wished to leave him among the people, as a conclusive evidence of his power to work miracles. It might be that the man feared that if Jesus left him the devils would return, and that Jesus told him to remain to show to him that the cure was complete and that he had power over the devils when absent, as well as when present. But the probable reason is, that he desired to restore him to his family and friends. He was probably a man of influence, and Jesus was unwilling to delay the joy of his friends, and prolong their anxiety, by suffering him to remain away from them.

²⁰And he departed, and began to publish in Decapolis how great things Jesus had done for him: and all men did marvel.

In Decapolis. Mt 4:25.

How great things, etc. This was the natural expression of right feeling at being cured of such a calamity. So the desire of sinners freed from sin is to honour Jesus; to ascribe all to his power; and to invite the world to participate in the same salvation, and to join them in doing honour to the Son of God. Compare Ps 66:16.

²²And, behold, there cometh one of the rulers of the synagogue, Jairus by name; and when he saw him, he fell at his feet,

²³And 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.

²⁴And Jesus went with him; and much people followed him, and thronged him.

²⁵And a certain woman, which had an issue of blood twelve years,

²⁶And had suffered many things of many physicians, and had spent all that she had, and was nothing bettered, but rather grew worse,

²⁷When she had heard of Jesus, came in the press behind, and touched his garment.

²⁸For she said, If I may touch but his clothes, I shall be whole.

²⁹And straightway the fountain of her blood was dried up; and she felt in her body that she was healed of that plague.

³⁰And Jesus, immediately knowing in himself that virtue had gone out of him, turned him about in the press, and said, Who touched my clothes?

³¹And his disciples said unto him, Thou seest the multitude thronging thee, and sayest thou, Who touched me?

³²And he looked round about to see her that had done this thing.

³³But the woman fearing and trembling, knowing what was done in her, came and fell down before him, and told him all the truth.

³⁴And he said unto her, Daughter, thy faith hath made thee whole; go in peace, and be whole of thy plague.

³⁵While 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?

³⁶As soon as Jesus heard the word that was spoken, he saith unto the ruler of the synagogue, Be not afraid, only believe.

³⁷And he suffered no man to follow him, save Peter, and James, and John the brother of James.

³⁸And he cometh to the house of the ruler of the synagogue, and seeth the tumult, and them that wept and wailed greatly.

³⁹And when he was come in, he saith unto them, Why make ye this ado, and weep? the damsel is not dead, but sleepeth.

⁴⁰And 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.

⁴¹And he took the damsel by the hand, and said unto her, Talitha cumi; which is, being interpreted, Damsel, I say unto thee, arise.

⁴²And straightway the damsel arose, and walked; for she was of the age of twelve years. And they were astonished with a great astonishment.

⁴³And he charged them straitly that no man should know it; and commanded that something should be given her to eat.

See the account of the raising of Jairus’ daughter, and the healing of the woman with an issue of blood, fully explained Mt 9:18 and Mt 9:19-26.

²³And 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.

Lieth at the point of death. Is dying; in the last agonies.

²⁶And had suffered many things of many physicians, and had spent all that she had, and was nothing bettered, but rather grew worse,

Had suffered many things. Had resorted to many things painful, by the direction of the physicians, in order to be healed.

²⁷When she had heard of Jesus, came in the press behind, and touched his garment.

Came in the press behind. In the crowd that pressed upon him. This was done to avoid being noticed. It was an act of faith. She was full of confidence that Jesus was able to heal: but she trembled on account of her conscious unworthiness, thus illustrating the humility and confidence of a sinner coming ta God for pardon and life.

³⁰And Jesus, immediately knowing in himself that virtue had gone out of him, turned him about in the press, and said, Who touched my clothes?

Virtue had gone out of him Power to heal. The word in the original means power.

Who touched my clothes? This he said, not to obtain information, for he had healed her, and must have known on whom the blessing was conferred; but he did it, that the woman might herself make a confession of the whole matter, by which the power of her faith and the greatness of the miracle might be manifested, to the praise of God.

³⁴And he said unto her, Daughter, thy faith hath made thee whole; go in peace, and be whole of thy plague.

Daughter. A word of kindness, tending to inspire confidence, and to dissipate her fears.

Be whole. That is, continue to be whole; for she was already cured.

Of thy plague. Thy disease; literally, thy scourge. So a word from Jesus heals the moral malady of the sinner.

³⁵While 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?

³⁶As soon as Jesus heard the word that was spoken, he saith unto the ruler of the synagogue, Be not afraid, only believe.

Why troublest thou, etc. It seems that the people had not yet confidence that Jesus could raise the dead. He had not yet done it; and as the child was now dead, and as they supposed that his power over her was at an end, they wished no farther to trouble him. Jesus kindly set the fears of the ruler at rest, and assured him that he had equal power over the dead as the living, and could as easily raise those who had expired as those who were expiring.

³⁸And he cometh to the house of the ruler of the synagogue, and seeth the tumult, and them that wept and wailed greatly.

The tumult. The confusion and weeping of the assembled people.

Wailed. Making inarticulate, mournful sounds, howling for the dead.

³⁹And when he was come in, he saith unto them, Why make ye this ado, and weep? the damsel is not dead, but sleepeth.

This ado. This tumult, this bustle, or confusion.

And weep. Weep in this inordinate and improper manner.

But sleepeth. See Mt 9:24.

⁴¹And he took the damsel by the hand, and said unto her, Talitha cumi; which is, being interpreted, Damsel, I say unto thee, arise.

Talitha cumi. This is the language which our Saviour commonly spoke. It is a mixture of Syriac and Chaldee, called Syro-Chaldaic. The proper translation is given by the evangelist--- “Damsel, arise.”

⁴³And he charged them straitly that no man should know it; and commanded that something should be given her to eat.

Something should be given her to eat. “He had raised her by extraordinary power, but he willed that she should be sustained by ordinary means.” He also in this gave full evidence that she was really restored to life and health. The changes were great, sudden, and certain. There could be no illusion. So when the Saviour had risen, he gave evidence of his own resurrection, by eating with his disciples, Jn 21:1-13.