Mark Chapter Five

Welcome Prayer Song

Another long chapter, 43 verses this time, but we’ll make it. Let’s read it first then go back and work through it together.

The Story of the Gadarenes

MARK CHAPTER FIVE February 28th 2021 Meat Mark 5:1 And they came over unto the other side of the sea, into the country of the Gadarenes. 2 And when he was come out of the ship, immediately there met him out of the tombs a man with an unclean spirit, 3 Who had his dwelling among the tombs; and no man could bind him, no, not with chains: 4 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. 5 And always, night and day, he was in the mountains, and in the tombs, crying, and cutting himself with stones. 6 But when he saw Jesus afar off, he ran and worshipped him, 7 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. 8 For he said unto him, Come out of the man, thou unclean spirit. 9 And he asked him, What is thy name? And he answered, saying, My name is Legion: for we are many. 10 And he besought him much that he would not send them away out of the country. 11 Now there was there nigh unto the mountains a great herd of swine feeding. 12 And all the devils besought him, saying, Send us into the swine, that we may enter into them. 13 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. 14 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. 15 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. 16 And they that saw it told them how it befell to him that was possessed with the devil, and also concerning the swine. 17 And they began to pray him to depart out of their coasts. 18 And when he was come into the ship, he that had been possessed with the devil prayed him that he might be with him. 19 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. 20 And he departed, and began to publish in Decapolis how great things Jesus had done for him: and all men did marvel.

Jairus and the Woman with an Issue of Blood

21 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. 22 And, behold, there cometh one of the rulers of the synagogue, Jairus by name; and when he saw him, he fell at his feet, 23 And besought him greatly, saying, My little daughter lieth at the point of deathSeparation from God—now overcome. Physical death remains, but it no longer separates us from life with God.: I pray thee, come and lay thy hands on her, that she may be healed; and she shall live. 24 And Jesus went with him; and much people followed him, and thronged him. 25 And a certain woman, which had an issue of blood twelve years, 26 And had suffered many things of many physicians, and had spent all that she had, and was nothing bettered, but rather grew worse, 27 When she had heard of Jesus, came in the press behind, and touched his garment. 28 For she said, If I may touch but his clothes, I shall be whole. 29 And straightway the fountain of her blood was dried up; and she felt in her body that she was healed of that plague. 30 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? 31 And his disciples said unto him, Thou seest the multitude thronging thee, and sayest thou, Who touched me? 32 And he looked round about to see her that had done this thing. 33 But the woman fearing and trembling, knowing what was done in her, came and fell down before him, and told him all the truth. 34 And he said unto her, Daughter, thy faith hath made thee

The Healing of Jairus' Daughter

Whole; go in peace, and be whole of thy plague.

35 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? 36 As soon as Jesus heard the word that was spoken, he saith unto the ruler of the synagogue, Be not afraid, only believe. 37 And he suffered no man to follow him, save Peter, and James, and John the brother of James. 38 And he cometh to the house of the ruler of the synagogue, and seeth the tumult, and them that wept and wailed greatly. 39 And when he was come in, he saith unto them, Why make ye this ado, and weep? the damsel is not dead, but sleepeth. 40 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. 41 And he took the damsel by the hand, and said unto her, Talitha cumi; which is, being interpreted, Damsel, I say unto thee, arise. 42 And straightway the damsel arose, and walked; for she was of the age of twelve years. And they were astonished with a great astonishment. 43 And he charged them straitly that no man should know it; and commanded that something should be given her to eat.

Encounter with the Demoniac

Okay back to verse one where Mark writes:

And they came over to the other side of the sea, into the country of the Gadarenes. There are a number of issues surrounding this story and can be summarized down to three – textual problems, location of the event, and the number of demons. I’m not going to try and explain them relative to each of the synoptic Gospel accounts but know this – this was a Gentile area, and not a Jewish one, and it was Jesus beginning to engage with gentile souls as His own nation was rejecting Him.

The Gospel was not preached here, but the miracle was to illustrate to the Roman world that atonement would not come through the sacrifice of pigs but through the one who had control over the swine they sacrificed. Matthew's account speaks more to a Jewish audience by if you want to read some interesting insights on these issues consider reading the Demoniacs of Gadara by one Gordon Franz.

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

PO: Many teachers explain that this man was a Jew. In all probability he was a Gentile and one of the first engagements Yeshua and His apostles had with a non-Israelite.

PO: Those imprisoned who seek freedom are immediately attracted to what can liberate them. CLA: (see Seekers Finding) I find it an interesting parallel the relation between demon possessed souls and their ability to engage and live and Christ possessed souls in the same way. Both types are moved by what's in them, but both types also have the freedom to still act on their own.

The Demoniac's Torment

Verse 3

3 Who had his dwelling among the tombs; and no man could bind him, no, not with chains: 4 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 person tame him. 5 And always, night and day, he was in the mountains, and in the tombs, crying, and cutting himself with stones.

PO: The demon-possessed man can represent a type for all carnality in human beings – to some extent or another. For some, there is a natural-from-birth affinity toward death (the tombs), to wholesale rebellion (where no man can tame her or him) and for a penchant for self-destruction (cutting himself with stones). Living in the natural flesh is a constant confrontation with this side of our carnal nature – in some far more evident than in others.

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

BGT: The term worshipped (proskuneo) does not convey anything more than the respect given to all powerful men in that day through physical prostration.

7 And cried with a loud voice, and said, What have I to do with you, Yeshua, Son of the most high YHWH? I solemnly request you by YHWH, that thou test me not hard.

PO: The demons recognize and distinguish Yeshua as the Son of the Most High YHWH. But we notice that they also, in the name…

The Authority of Yeshua Over Unclean Spirits

of that same most high YHWH, implore Yeshua to resist afflicting them. If the demons saw Yeshua as the most high YHWH, why did they beg him, in the name of YHWH, to treat them kindly? CLA: (see: Yeshua / YHWH) Interestingly, the demon believed that Yeshua had the power to torment it. The term torment in the KJV better means test by vexing.

8For he said to him, Come out of the man, unclean spirit. 9And he asked him, What is your name?

Why the demons, who are described even by the Lord in the singular (see verse 8), responded to the question with a title, Legion, is up to debate with a number of varied opinions.

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 to 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 Yeshua 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.

A great deal of commentary has gone into the swine being lawful or unlawful for that area, but the discussion is really predicated on whether these people were Jews or Gentiles.

The Healing and Faith

14And they that fed the swine fled, and told people in the city, and in the country. And they went out to see what it was that was done. 15And they come to Yeshua, and see him that was possessed with the devil, and had the legion, sitting, and clothed, and in his right mind: Now in contrast to the initial description of the demoniac, this healed man was now sitting, clothed, and in his right mind. The influence of God on human beings is always on the mind.

Verse 15 continues … and they were afraid. 16And they that saw told them how it befell to him that was possessed with the devil, and 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 asked him that he might be with him. 19Howbeit Yeshua refused him, but said to him, Go home to your friends, and tell them how great things the Lord hath done for you, and hath had compassion on you.

Having done nothing to merit such treatment the man was compassionately treated by Yeshua. Note that here among the Gentiles Jesus tells them to go and publish this, but among the Jews he has been telling them to remain quiet.

Compassion and Healing

20And he departed, and began to publish in Decapolis how great things Yeshua had done for him: and all ___ did marvel. 21And when Yeshua was passed over again by boat to the other side, much people gathered to him: and he was near to the sea. 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 passionately sought him, saying, My little daughter lieth at the point of death: come and lay your hands on her, that she may be healed; and she will live.

This is a repeated model we see in the mortal life of Yeshua – someone needs help, healing, saving, they come to Yeshua in faith, and He heals them. More often than not, Yeshua is first approached by one in need of healing and saving, illustrating the two-way street relationship that exists between God and Man. We also see that those who are incapable of coming to Him, He approaches (see John 5:1-9)

24And Yeshua 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 Yeshua, came in the press behind, and touched his garment. 28For she said, If I may touch but his clothes, I will be whole. 29And immediately the fountain of her blood was dried up; and she felt in her body that she was healed of that disease. Another type for every person and their need to reach out and touch Him – even just the

The Power of Faith

30And Yeshua, immediately knowing in himself that virtue had gone out of him, turned him about in the press, and said, Who touched my clothes? Amidst the throng, Jesus even knew when a person of faith merely touched his clothing.

31And his disciples said to him, Thou seest the multitude thronging you, 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 to her, Daughter, your faith hath made you whole; go in peace, and be whole of your disease.

PO: God will somehow validate that He is the source of all things as a means to illustrate His presence. This is an act of His love.

Faith in the Face of Death

35While he spoke, there came from the ruler of the synagogue's which said, Your daughter is dead: why trouble the Master any further?

PO: For the faithless, death is the last frontier; for the faithful, there are no limits to God’s ability to redeem. CLA (see also, Pictures of Death and Dying)

36As soon as Yeshua heard the word that was spoken, he said to the ruler of the synagogue, Be not afraid, only believe. Fear is antithetical to faith. CLA: (see Fear and Faith). Paul said that true Christian love bears, believes, hopes, and endures all things – all things. (1st Cor. 13:7) There is no thing impossible with God – in this life or beyond. Be not afraid, only believe.

37And he allowed no others to follow him, save Peter, and James, and John the brother of James. 38And he came to the house of the ruler of the synagogue, and seeth the tumult, and them that wept and wailed greatly. 39And when he entered in, he said to them, Why make you this show, and weep? the damsel is not dead, but sleeps. 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.

The Miracle of Resurrection

Yeshua removed all who were faithless – no purpose in having them nearby to induce fear and hopelessness.

41And he took the damsel by the hand, and said to her, Talitha cumi; which is, being interpreted, Damsel, I say to you, arise. 42And immediately the damsel arose, and walked; for she was about of twelve years old. And they were astonished with a great astonishment. 43And he charged them directly that no man should know it; and commanded that something should be given her to eat.

And that is chapter five. Comments/Questions? Prayer