Mark 5:1-43

Christ in the Bible: Mark’s Gospel

Keith Simons

This commentary has been through Advanced Checking.

Chapter 5

Jesus in Gerasa

Verses 1-20

This man seemed strong and well. But his mind was very ill. He wore no clothes. He never seemed to sleep. He screamed often. He hurt himself. And he wanted to be with the bones of dead people.

Other people were afraid of him. They could not help him. They had tried often. But they always failed.

The man’s problem was that bad *spirits had power over him. Those *spirits came from *Satan. The man could only do what the *spirits wanted him to do.

Then Jesus came. Immediately, the man knew who Jesus was. Jesus said that the bad *spirits had to leave the man. Those bad spirits were very cruel. They left the man, but they killed the pigs.

Immediately, the man was well again. His mind was well. He wanted Jesus to teach him. He quietly listened to Jesus.

But the other people were not happy. They were afraid. So they asked Jesus to go away. Jesus went away, but the man stayed in that country. Jesus told him to tell everyone about God. The man would tell them how kind God is.

Jairus’s daughter and the ill woman

Verses 21-43

Jairus was an important man. He came to Jesus because he needed help. Jairus’s daughter was very ill. He thought that she would die.

Jesus started to go to Jairus’s house. But a large crowd went with Jesus. And those people had their own problems. They pushed against Jesus because they too wanted his help.

An ill woman was in that crowd. Her body had bled for 12 years. The doctors could not help her. Their bills were expensive. The woman became poor. And she was still ill.

So she came to Jesus. She believed that God had sent Jesus. So she believed that Jesus would make her well. But she thought that she had to go to him. She thought that she must touch his coat.

God helps people who believe him. And he helped that woman. She touched Jesus’ coat. And immediately, she was well again.

Jesus knew that something had happened. And the woman knew too. She was afraid, but she came to Jesus. Jesus told her not to be afraid. Because she believed, God had made her well.

While this was happening, Jairus’s daughter died. People came to tell Jairus. But Jesus told Jairus that he should not be afraid. Like the woman, Jairus too should believe God.

The people at Jairus’s house were very sad. They screamed and they cried. Jesus told them that everything was well. But they did not believe him.

Jesus went inside. And he asked the girl to get up. Immediately, the girl got up. She was alive again. She was well. And she was hungry.

But Jesus did not want anyone to know about this event. He knew that people would have wrong ideas about it. They would know that God had sent him. But they would not know why God had sent him. And those wrong ideas might cause trouble. Many people wanted to fight against the government. And they might think that God had sent Jesus to be their leader.

This book is in EasyEnglish Level A (1200 words).

Gospel ~ a book that tells about the things that Jesus did. And it includes some things that he taught. There are 4 Gospels in the Bible. They are the books by Matthew, Mark, Luke and John.
spirit ~ the part of a person that is alive, but which we cannot see. There are also bad spirits and good spirits. The Holy Spirit is God’s Spirit.
holy ~ special for God.
Satan ~ the bad angel whom God sent away from heaven a long time ago.
angel ~ one of God’s special servants in heaven. Angels bring messages from God.
heaven ~ God’s home.

Mark’s Good News

Mark’s Gospel

Hilda Bright

Chapter 5

The man from Gerasa who had evil *spirits 5:1-20

v1 Jesus and the *disciples came to the other side of the Sea of Galilee. They came to the territory of the people from Gerasa. v2 As soon as Jesus came out of the boat, a man with an ‘*unclean’ *spirit met him from among the graves. v3 The man lived among the graves. Nobody could tie him up any longer, even with a chain. v4 People had often bound him with chains on his hands and feet. But he tore the chains apart and he broke the chains on his feet into pieces. He was too strong for anyone to control him. v5 All day and all night he wandered among the graves and through the hills. He was always screaming and cutting himself with stones.

v6 As soon as he saw Jesus in the distance, he ran to meet him. He went on his knees in front of Jesus. v7 He screamed, ‘What do you want with me, Jesus, Son of the most high God? In the name of God, do not make me suffer!’ v8 This was because Jesus had said, ‘Evil *spirit, come out of this man!’

v9 Then Jesus asked the man, ‘What is your name?’ The man answered, ‘My name is *Legion, because there are so many of us.’ v10 Then he asked Jesus again and again not to send the evil *spirits out of that region.

v11 There was a large number of pigs there. They were feeding themselves on the side of the hill. v12 The evil *spirits urged Jesus, ‘Send us to the pigs and let us go into them.’ v13 So Jesus allowed them to go. The evil *spirits came out of the man and they went into the pigs. All the pigs, about two thousand of them, rushed down the steep hill into the lake, and they drowned. v14 The men who had looked after the pigs ran off. They spread the report of what had happened, in the town and the country. Then the people came out to see what had happened. v15 They came to Jesus. Then they saw the man whom evil *spirits had controlled. He was sitting there with clothes on. He was completely normal. He was the same man who used to have the *legion of evil *spirits in him. The people were very frightened. v16 Those who had seen the incident told the people about the man and about the pigs. v17 Then the people began to urge Jesus to leave their neighbourhood.

v18 As Jesus was getting into the boat, the man kept on asking to go with Jesus. v19 But Jesus would not let him. He said to the man, ‘Go home to your family and friends. Tell them how much the *Lord has done for you. Tell them how he has had pity on you.’ v20 So the man went away. He began to tell all through the Decapolis how much Jesus had done for him. All the people who heard were astonished.

Verse 1 Jesus went to the east side of the lake. Some copies of Mark’s book have ‘Gergesenes’ as a name for these people from Gerasa. And some copies have ‘Gadarenes’.

Verse 2 The graves were caves among the rocks. People thought that evil *spirits lived among graves.

Verses 2-3 The details about the chains show how strong the mad man was. Mark perhaps wants to show that the power of Jesus to cure the man was much stronger. Perhaps that is why he includes these details.

Verse 5 The man could never stop to rest and he was a great danger to himself.

Verses 6-8 The man called Jesus ‘the Son of the most high God’. He perhaps meant, ‘You are the *Messiah.’ The ‘*unclean’ *spirits were afraid that Jesus was going to punish them. They recognised his power.

Verse 9 In those days (and even in some countries today), to know a person’s name is to have some power over him. People also thought that nobody could send an evil *spirit out of a person unless they knew the evil *spirit’s name. Perhaps Jesus asked the man’s name to show that he wanted to help him. A ‘*legion’ was a section of the *Roman army, of about 6000 soldiers. The man believed that many evil *spirits had gone into him. It is possible that *Roman soldiers had frightened the man in the past. This may have caused his very disturbed mental state.

Verses 10-13 Some people do not believe that evil *spirits exist. They think that the man’s screams probably frightened the pigs. The men should have guarded the pigs. But the men were watching Jesus instead. So they could not stop the pigs from rushing down the hill into the lake.

Luke (8:31) says that the evil *spirits did not want Jesus to send them into the place for punishment. This is the place where God will put evil *spirits on the day of judgement. The evil *spirits were afraid that Jesus would punish them now. *Jews would not keep pigs. The law said that they must not eat pigs (Leviticus 11:7). The owners of the pigs would therefore have been *Gentiles. Some people blame Jesus because he allowed the death of 2000 pigs. They say that the owners had lost their way to earn money. But the healthy mind of a person is more important than money. The death of the pigs convinced the man that he was now free from control by evil *spirits.

Verse 15 The man was sitting as a *disciple would sit. He was waiting for Jesus to teach him.

Verse 17 The man was no longer a dangerous public nuisance. The people should have been happy for the man’s return to health. But, instead, they were frightened. They did not want Jesus to disturb their lives any more. His power might affect them too much.

Verses 18-20 Jesus did not usually tell a person to speak about his healing. But Jesus was in ‘Decapolis’. ‘Decapolis’ is a *Greek word that means ‘Ten Towns’. They were cities east and south of the River Jordan, where Greek people had lived for about three hundred years. So Jesus was in *Gentile territory to which he would not return. Therefore there was no danger that crowds of *Jews would want to make Jesus king. Jesus sent the man to tell other people the good news. He would be a witness among *Gentiles to the saving power of Jesus. To explain the *miracle to other people would also make the man’s own *faith stronger.

The daughter of Jairus, Part 1 5:21-24

v21 When Jesus had crossed again in the boat to the other side, a great crowd gathered round him. Jesus was at the side of the sea. v22 Then one of the leaders of the *Jewish meeting place, whose name was Jairus, came to see Jesus. He fell at Jesus’ feet. v23 He asked Jesus to cure his little daughter. He said, ‘She will die very soon. You can make her live. Please come and lay your hands on her.’ v24 Jesus went with him. A large number of people followed Jesus. They crowded round him.

Verse 22 Jairus was an important official. He was responsible to arrange all that happened in the meeting place. He would know about the *miracles that Jesus had performed in Capernaum. He would also know that many officials opposed Jesus. He therefore needed courage to approach Jesus in public. He had to forget his own importance. He was humble enough to go down at Jesus’ feet. He loved his daughter. And that caused him to have the *faith to ask Jesus for help. Luke records that she was his only child. She was 12 years old (Luke 8:42).

The woman who was bleeding 5:25-34

v25 There was a woman in the crowd who had suffered for 12 years from an illness. The illness made her bleed. v26 She had suffered much from many doctors. She had spent all her money to pay them. She was no better. Instead, her illness became worse. v27 She had heard what people said about Jesus. She came up behind him in the crowd and she touched the edge of his clothing. v28 She did this because she thought, ‘If I just touch his clothing, I shall get better.’ v29 Immediately, she stopped bleeding. She could feel that she was well again. v30 Jesus knew at once that power had gone out from him. He turned round in the crowd and he asked, ‘Who touched my clothing?’ v31 His *disciples said, ‘You can see that everyone is crowding round you. And you still ask, “Who touched me?” ’ v32 But Jesus kept looking round to see who had touched him. v33 Then the woman came and she fell at Jesus’ feet. She knew what had happened to her. She was trembling with fear. But she told Jesus what she had done. v34 Jesus said to her, ‘Daughter, your *faith has made you well. Go in peace. You are free from your illness.’

Verses 25-26 Because her illness made her bleed, the woman was ‘*unclean’ (Leviticus 15:25-27). This meant that she could not take part in *worship in the *Jewish meeting place. People would avoid her, so she would be lonely. She had tried to get help from doctors. But they had not been able to cure her. All her money had gone and her illness was worse.

Verses 27-28 It would have been difficult for her to ask Jesus for help in public. She did not want to touch Jesus himself. Her illness made her *unclean. And anyone whom she touched would also become *unclean. So she touched the edge of his clothing.

Verse 30 Jesus knew that someone had touched him in a special way. When he cured people, Jesus felt some power go from him to them.

Verses 31-32 Jesus insisted on finding out who had touched him. The person might feel guilty about a secret touch that would make Jesus ‘*unclean’. The illness might not have ended completely.

Verse 33 Perhaps the woman was afraid that Jesus would be angry with her. She believed that Jesus was able to cure people. But she did not know his love. To speak about what had happened to her would be difficult in front of so many people.

Verse 34 Jesus called her ‘daughter’. This was a kind word. It meant that she was no longer *unclean. She belonged with all the other people who believed in Jesus, and in God as their Father.

He said that her *faith had made her well. It was not some kind of magic in the edge of his clothing. Jesus told her to ‘go in peace’. Then, the woman knew that her illness had gone completely. Other people could accept her again. She had told Jesus everything. So she could also go and not feel guilty.

The daughter of Jairus, Part 2 5:35-43

v35 While Jesus was still speaking, some people came from the house of Jairus. ‘Your daughter is dead’, they said. ‘There is no need to bother the teacher any more.’ v36 But Jesus did not take any notice of them. He told Jairus, the ruler of the *Jewish meeting place, ‘Do not be afraid. Just believe.’ v37 Jesus let only Peter, James, and John the brother of James, follow him. v38 They came to the home of the ruler of the meeting place. There, Jesus saw a lot of confusion. People were making loud crying and weeping noises. v39 When Jesus had gone inside, he said, ‘You should not be making all this confusion and you should not weep. The child is not dead. She is only sleeping.’ v40 They all laughed at him. But Jesus made them all go outside. He took only the child’s father and mother and the *disciples who were with him. He went to where the child was. v41 He took her by the hand. Then he said to her, ‘Talitha cumi!’ This means, ‘Little girl, get up!’ v42 Immediately, the girl got up and she walked about. She was 12 years old. They were completely astonished. v43 Jesus gave them strict orders. They must not tell anyone what had happened. And he told the parents to give her something to eat.

Verses 35-36 The news from Jairus’s home might have made him stop hoping. But Jesus told him to believe that all would be well.

Verse 37 This was the first time that Jesus gave Peter, James and John a special place in his work.

Verse 38 It was usual for people to cry in a very noisy way after someone had died. There were people whom the family paid to weep over the body. The family would not have respected the dead person if they did not pay people to weep.

Verse 39 Some people think that the girl was only unconscious. But Jesus spoke about death as ‘sleep’. He did so, when Lazarus had died (John 11:11-13). *New Testament letters also describe the death of Christians as sleep (1 Corinthians 15:16; 1 Corinthians 15:18; 1 Thessalonians 4:13-14). Christians later called the place where they had their graves a ‘cemetery’. This name comes from a *Greek word that means ‘place to sleep’.

Verse 40 They laughed at Jesus. This also helps to show that the girl was dead. Jesus sent away all those people who would disturb and frighten the girl.

Verse 41 Jesus called the girl as her mother might have done to wake her in the morning. The words, ‘Talitha cumi’ are *Aramaic. Peter, who was there, remembered the actual words of Jesus. Mark recorded them and then he explained them in *Greek. Peter used similar words and actions in Acts 9:40. Then, a dead woman came back to life by the power of Jesus, which was working by Peter.

Verse 43 Jesus’ command was practical. Something to eat would give the girl strength after her illness. The parents needed something to do in order to bring life back to normal for themselves and their daughter. He ordered them not to tell anyone. They must now give all their attention to their daughter. This would also protect her from too much attention from crowds that might have gathered near the house.

Jesus had therefore shown his authority over nature (4:35-41), over evil *spirits (5:1-20), over illness (5:25-34) and over death (5:21-24, 35-43). In all four incidents, he removed fear and, with only a brief order, he gave peace immediately.

spirit ~ the part of a person who is alive that we cannot see. There are good spirits, like God’s Spirit and his angels. And there are bad spirits, like Satan and his angels.
angel ~ God’s special messenger.
Satan ~ the chief evil spirit.
messenger ~ a person who gives a message.
disciples ~ people who follow someone in order to learn from him.
unclean ~ dirty or not holy.
legion ~ a section of the Roman army, about 6000 soldiers.
Roman ~ Rome was the capital city of the rulers at that time. That which belonged to Rome was Roman.
legion ~ a section of the Roman army, about 6000 soldiers.
Roman ~ Rome was the capital city of the rulers at that time. That which belonged to Rome was Roman.
Lord ~ master; a name that we call God or Jesus; we call God or Jesus Lord when we obey them.
Messiah ~ the Jews' word for the king who would come and rescue them.
Jew ~ a person who is from the family of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob; a person who believes what Jews believe.
Roman ~ Rome was the capital city of the rulers at that time. That which belonged to Rome was Roman.
Jew ~ a person who is from the family of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob; a person who believes what Jews believe.
Gentiles ~ people who are not Jews.
Jew ~ a person who is from the family of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob; a person who believes what Jews believe.
Greek ~ the language in which the authors wrote the New Testament.

New Testament ~ the last part of the Bible, which the writers wrote after the life of Jesus. It is about Jesus’ works and the things that he taught and about the first Christians.
miracle ~ a wonderful work that someone does by God’s power.
faith ~ belief in someone or something, or things that Christians believe about Jesus.
Jewish ~ a word that describes a Jew or anything about Jews.
Jew ~ a person who is from the family of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob; a person who believes what Jews believe.
worship ~ show honour to God, usually with other people.'New Testament ~ the last part of the Bible, which the writers wrote after the life of Jesus. It is about Jesus’ works and the things that he taught and about the first Christians.
Aramaic ~ the language that the Jews spoke when Jesus was on earth.
Jew ~ a person who is from the family of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob; a person who believes what Jews believe.