Mark 5

This chapter belongs to the account of Jesus' Galilean ministry in the first half of the Gospel of Mark. It follows the calming of the storm during the sea crossing at the end of Mark 4 and opens with Jesus' arrival on the other side.

Outline

• Verses 1–5 In the country of the Gerasenes, a demon-possessed man who lived among the tombs and could not be bound even with chains meets Jesus.
• Verses 6–13 He calls Jesus "Son of the most high God" and gives his name as "Legion." When the unclean spirits enter a herd of swine, the herd, about two thousand in number, rushes into the sea and drowns.
• Verses 14–17 The people see the man clothed and in his right mind; they become afraid and beg Jesus to depart from their region.
• Verses 18–20 When the man asks to go with him, Jesus instead tells him to return home and tell what has happened, and he proclaims it throughout the Decapolis.
• Verses 21–24 When Jesus crosses back to the other side, Jairus, a ruler of the synagogue, pleads with him on behalf of his dying daughter.
• Verses 25–34 A woman who had suffered from an issue of blood for twelve years touches Jesus' garment and is healed.
• Verses 35–40 Word comes that the daughter has died, but Jesus says, "Be not afraid, only believe," and takes only Peter, James, and John with him.
• Verses 41–43 Jesus says, "Talitha cumi," and the twelve-year-old girl rises and walks. Jesus instructs them that no one should be told of this and that the girl should be given something to eat.

Key Verses

• Mark 5:19 "Go home to thy friends, and tell them …" — Jesus sends the healed man back to his own people to bear witness.
• Mark 5:34 "Daughter, thy faith hath made thee whole" — alongside bodily healing, the verse speaks of faith and salvation.
• Mark 5:36 "Be not afraid, only believe" — Jesus calls for faith in the face of devastating news.

Characters and Places

• Jesus Christ
• The demon-possessed man: a man who lived among the tombs. The unclean spirit gives its name as "Legion."
• Jairus: one of the rulers of the synagogue. A ruler of the synagogue was the person responsible for the gatherings of the synagogue.
• The woman with the issue of blood: she had suffered for twelve years from a hemorrhage that would not stop. The text does not give her name.
• Peter, James, and John: the three disciples who entered the girl's room with Jesus.
• The Decapolis: a region of "ten cities" shaped by Greek culture, located southeast of the Sea of Galilee.

Points for Reflection

• The same events are recorded in Matthew 8, Matthew 9, and Luke 8. Matthew gives the place name as "Gadara" and reports two demon-possessed men. The spelling of the place name varies among manuscripts.
• The account of the woman is placed within the account of Jairus. The two stories are linked by the number twelve: the woman's "twelve years" of illness and the girl's age of "twelve years." This arrangement, in which one story is inserted into the middle of another, is often cited as a characteristic feature of Mark's Gospel.
• In verse 19 Jesus tells the man to make the event known, while in verse 43 he commands silence. Some interpreters read this contrast in connection with the "commands to silence" found throughout Mark's Gospel.
• The Pentecostal tradition often reads these healing accounts in connection with divine healing today. Other traditions read them chiefly as signs showing that the kingdom of God has come.
• According to later apocryphal tradition, the woman with the issue of blood is said to have been called "Veronica." This name does not appear in the biblical text.

In the Korean Church

The woman's faith and the words "Be not afraid, only believe" are frequently addressed in sermons and Sunday school lessons.