Mark 5
1 They came to the other side of the sea, into the country of the Gerasenes.
2 When he had come out of the boat, immediately a man with an unclean spirit met him out of the tombs.
3 He lived in the tombs. Nobody could bind him any more, not even with chains,
4 because he had often been bound with fetters and chains, and the chains had been torn apart by him, and the fetters broken in pieces. Nobody had the strength to tame him.
5 Always, night and day, in the tombs and in the mountains, he was crying out and cutting himself with stones.
6 When he saw Jesus from afar, he ran and bowed down to him,
7 and crying out with a loud voice, he said, “What have I to do with you, Jesus, you Son of the Most High God? I adjure you by God, don’t torment me.”
8 For he said to him, “Come out of the man, you unclean spirit!”
9 He asked him, “What is your name?” He said to him, “My name is Legion, for we are many.”
10 He begged him much that he would not send them away out of the country.
11 Now there was on the mountainside a great herd of pigs feeding.
12 All the demons begged him, saying, “Send us into the pigs, that we may enter into them.”
13 At once Jesus gave them permission. The unclean spirits came out and entered into the pigs. The herd of about two thousand rushed down the steep bank into the sea, and were drowned in the sea.
14 Those who fed them fled, and told it in the city and in the country. People came to see what it was that had happened.
15 They came to Jesus, and saw him who was possessed by demons sitting, clothed, and in his right mind, even him who had the legion; and they were afraid.
16 Those who saw it declared to them how it happened to him who was possessed by demons, and about the pigs.
17 They began to beg him to depart from their region.
18 As he was entering into the boat, he who had been possessed by demons begged him that he might be with him.
19 He didn’t allow him, but said to him, “Go to your house, to your friends, and tell them what great things the Lord has done for you, and how he had mercy on you.”
20 He went his way, and began to proclaim in Decapolis how Jesus had done great things for him, and everyone marveled.
21 When Jesus had crossed back over in the boat to the other side, a great multitude was gathered to him; and he was by the sea.
22 Behold, one of the rulers of the synagogue, Jairus by name, came, and seeing him, he fell at his feet,
23 and begged him much, saying, “My little daughter is at the point of death. Please come and lay your hands on her, that she may be made healthy, and live.”
24 He went with him, and a great multitude followed him, and they pressed upon him on all sides.
25 A certain woman, who had an issue of blood for twelve years,
26 and had suffered many things by many physicians, and had spent all that she had, and was no better, but rather grew worse,
27 having heard the things concerning Jesus, came up behind him in the crowd, and touched his clothes.
28 For she said, “If I just touch his clothes, I will be made well.”
29 Immediately the flow of her blood was dried up, and she felt in her body that she was healed of her affliction.
30 Immediately Jesus, perceiving in himself that the power had gone out from him, turned around in the crowd and asked, “Who touched my clothes?”
31 His disciples said to him, “You see the multitude pressing against you, and you say, ‘Who touched me?’”
32 He looked around to see her who had done this thing.
33 But the woman, fearing and trembling, knowing what had been done to her, came and fell down before him, and told him all the truth.
34 He said to her, “Daughter, your faith has made you well. Go in peace, and be cured of your disease.”
35 While he was still speaking, people came from the synagogue ruler’s house saying, “Your daughter is dead. Why bother the Teacher any more?”
36 But Jesus, when he heard the message spoken, immediately said to the ruler of the synagogue, “Don’t be afraid, only believe.”
37 He allowed no one to follow him, except Peter, James, and John the brother of James.
38 He came to the synagogue ruler’s house, and he saw an uproar, weeping, and great wailing.
39 When he had entered in, he said to them, “Why do you make an uproar and weep? The child is not dead, but asleep.”
40 They laughed him to scorn. But he, having put them all out, took the father of the child, her mother, and those who were with him, and went in where the child was lying.
41 Taking the child by the hand, he said to her, “Talitha cumi!” which means, “Little girl, I tell you, get up!”
42 Immediately the little girl rose up and walked, for she was twelve years old. They were amazed with great amazement.
43 He strictly ordered them that no one should know this, and commanded that something should be given to her to eat.
Mark 5 Commentary
Chapter Overview
Mark 5 continues the crossing begun at the end of Mark 4. After commanding the storm, Jesus steps into Gentile territory and confronts a man dominated by many demons. He then returns across the lake, where two desperate people seek His help.
The chapter presents three forms of human helplessness. The Gerasene man cannot be restrained or restored by society. The woman has exhausted her money and endured worsening illness. Jairus has influence in the synagogue, yet his position cannot keep his daughter from dying. Every story moves beyond ordinary human ability.
Uncleanness connects the scenes. The first man lives among tombs and near pigs, the woman’s bleeding makes her ceremonially unclean under Leviticus 15, and touching a corpse ordinarily brings defilement. Jesus enters each situation without being overcome by impurity. His holiness moves outward, bringing freedom, cleansing, and life.
Mark also emphasizes fear and faith. The townspeople fear the restored man and ask Jesus to leave. The healed woman approaches trembling but tells the truth. Jairus hears that his daughter has died, yet Jesus commands him, “Don’t be afraid, only believe.” Faith here is not confidence in circumstances; it is reliance on Jesus when every visible reason for hope has disappeared.
Key Themes
The Gerasene man’s condition shows the destructive purpose of evil. He is separated from community, lives among the dead, cries continually, injures himself, and possesses strength that no chain can master. Evil degrades the person it occupies and drives life toward isolation, violence, and death.
Jesus is not intimidated by the man’s appearance or by the number of spirits within him. The demons recognize “Jesus, Son of the Most High God” and plead rather than command. Their knowledge does not equal saving faith; they identify His authority while remaining opposed to Him. Recognition without surrender is not discipleship.
The name “Legion” communicates multitude and organized power. A Roman legion was a large military formation, so the word would suggest an overwhelming occupying force. Mark’s main point, however, is not to construct a political code. It is to show that even a host of demons cannot resist one command from Jesus.
Jesus asks the spirit’s name, not because He lacks information or needs a magical formula, but because the answer exposes the scale of the man’s oppression. What no human being could bind or tame is completely subjected to Christ.
The demons’ entrance into the pigs and the herd’s destruction visibly demonstrate that they have left the man. The event also reveals their deadly nature. Scripture does not explain every reason Jesus permitted it, so speculation should remain cautious. The narrative’s clear contrast is between a destroyed herd and a human life restored to dignity.
The townspeople find the former demoniac “sitting, clothed, and in his right mind.” These details reverse his earlier condition. He is peaceful instead of violent, covered instead of exposed, rational instead of tormented, and able to remain near others instead of wandering among tombs. Salvation restores personhood as well as removing oppression.
The crowd’s response is sobering. Confronted with undeniable restoration, they ask Jesus to leave. Fear, loss, and disrupted control may all contribute. Their choice shows that people may prefer a familiar disorder to the unsettling authority of Christ.
The restored man asks to accompany Jesus, echoing the call to be “with him” given to the Twelve in Mark 3. Jesus instead sends him home as a witness. Discipleship sometimes means leaving familiar surroundings to follow; here it means returning to familiar people and telling how the Lord has shown mercy.
Jesus had often silenced publicity in Jewish settings, but He tells this man to proclaim God’s mercy in the Decapolis. The difference reflects distinct circumstances. In this largely Gentile region, the man’s testimony prepares people rather than intensifying mistaken expectations about a political Messiah. His changed life becomes a sermon to his neighbors.
Jairus and the bleeding woman are deliberately contrasted and joined. He is named, respected, and able to approach publicly; she remains unnamed, impoverished, and hidden in the crowd. His daughter has lived twelve years, while the woman has suffered for twelve years. Both finally fall at Jesus’ feet, and both depend entirely on His compassion.
The woman’s condition involved more than physical pain. According to the purity regulations, continual bleeding restricted ordinary religious and social contact. She has also suffered under unsuccessful treatments and spent everything she possessed. Mark gives no blanket condemnation of medicine; he stresses that every available remedy has failed and her condition has worsened.
Her touch should not be interpreted as a technique that forces power from Jesus. Many people press against Him, but her touch expresses focused trust. Jesus’ question draws her from secrecy into a personal encounter. The healing is not left as an anonymous transaction between a desperate hand and a powerful garment.
When the woman tells “all the truth,” Jesus calls her “Daughter,” confirms her faith, and sends her in peace. Public acknowledgment restores what illness had taken socially as well as physically. She is not merely cured; she is welcomed. Her faith receives rather than earns Christ’s mercy.
The interruption tests Jairus. Jesus appears to delay while his child’s condition becomes fatal. The woman’s twelve-year suffering matters to Him even when an urgent household waits. Divine compassion is not governed by social rank or by the pressure of the crowd, and apparent delay does not mean that Jesus has lost control of the larger need.
News of the girl’s death seems to close the case: “Why bother the Teacher any more?” Jesus answers with a command that carries Jairus beyond the limit of what he originally requested. He had asked for healing before death; now he must trust Jesus in the presence of death itself.
Jesus describes the child as sleeping. The mourners know she has died, and their laughter confirms that He is not correcting a mistaken diagnosis. “Sleep” presents death as temporary before His authority. The same biblical image later expresses Christian hope because Christ can awaken those whom death appears to hold.
By taking the girl’s hand, Jesus crosses another boundary associated with ceremonial uncleanness, described in Numbers 19. Yet death does not contaminate or overpower Him. At “Talitha cumi,” a tender command preserved in Aramaic, life returns immediately. His authority is personal, gentle, and absolute.
The instruction to give the girl food grounds the miracle in ordinary care. She is not a vision or a symbol; she has been bodily restored and needs a meal. Jesus’ command joins extraordinary power with practical compassion. The family must care for the life He returned.
Important Verses
Verses 8–9 expose the unequal conflict between Jesus and Legion. The many spirits speak loudly and plead intensely, but Jesus determines the outcome. Their number magnifies His authority rather than their importance. No accumulation of hostile power makes Christ uncertain or forces Him into negotiation between equals.
Verses 15–20 describe the fruit of deliverance. The man is restored inwardly, reintroduced socially, and commissioned spiritually. Jesus does not permit him to remain merely as a grateful observer. Mercy becomes testimony: “Tell them what great things the Lord has done for you.”
Verses 27–34 distinguish contact from faith. The crowd touches Jesus physically, yet the woman reaches for Him in dependence and then responds honestly when called forward. Her healing becomes complete through personal recognition, peace, and restored belonging rather than remaining a secret physical improvement.
Verse 36 gives the chapter’s central command: “Don’t be afraid, only believe.” Jesus does not ask Jairus to deny death or manufacture optimism. He redirects attention from the message of the messengers to His own presence and authority. Biblical faith can acknowledge devastating facts while refusing to treat them as greater than Christ.
Verses 41–42 climax the chapter. Jesus speaks to the dead child as naturally as a parent waking her, and she rises immediately. This sign anticipates the fuller victory over death promised through Christ, the One who frees people held by its fear as Hebrews 2 explains.
Practical Applications
Do not define people solely by the disorder, sin, illness, or history that has dominated them. The community knew the Gerasene man as untamable, but Jesus saw a person to be restored. Christian care should protect others wisely while still refusing to treat brokenness as someone’s final identity.
Bring overwhelming bondage to Christ without pretending that human strength is sufficient. Chains restrained the man temporarily but could not heal him. Practical safeguards, medicine, counseling, and community support can be valuable, yet Mark 5 reminds believers that lasting wholeness ultimately depends on the Lord who addresses evil at its deepest level.
Tell what God has done with accuracy and humility. The restored man was sent to speak about mercy, not to present himself as impressive. A useful testimony centers on the Lord’s action, acknowledges the seriousness of former need, and invites listeners to marvel at grace rather than at the storyteller.
Resist the temptation to judge whose need deserves immediate attention. Jesus receives a respected father and an excluded woman without treating either as an interruption to the other. Followers of Christ should learn to recognize hidden suffering even when louder, more visible needs press upon them.
When God’s timing feels like delay, continue to listen to Christ rather than allowing fear to interpret everything. Jairus watches Jesus stop while his daughter is dying, and then hears the worst possible news. The chapter does not promise that every crisis will end as this one did, but it directs faith toward Jesus’ character when outcomes remain unknown.
Come out of hiding when healing requires truth. The woman would have preferred to disappear into the crowd, but Jesus called her into an honest encounter. Shame thrives in secrecy. Wise confession to God and trustworthy believers can become part of receiving peace, restored fellowship, and freedom from an identity built around suffering.
Let Christ’s compassion shape both extraordinary hopes and ordinary responsibilities. Jesus raises the girl and then tells the family to feed her. Prayer for God’s intervention should not replace practical care, and practical care should not eliminate prayer. Faith serves faithfully while depending on power that belongs to God alone.