Bible Commentaries
Mark 5

Verse 1

1 Gadarenes (also called Ger-gesenes) was situated near the eastern shore of the Sea of Galilee, and it was there that Jesus went ashore.

Verse 2

2. The tombs were caves in the rocks that were used for the burial of the dead. They were generally open so that persons could enter and leave them as occasion suggested. It was at this kind of place that the Lord met the man with an unclean spirit.

Verse 3

3 No man could bind him. The effect of being possessed with an unclean spirit (devil) was not always the same. Sometimes it produced great prostration, at others it caused insanity, and in the present case it brought abnormal strength together with manifestations of insanity at times.

Verse 4

4 Attempts were made to bind this man but the chains would not hold. No man could tame him means he could not be subdued because of his strength.

Verse 5

5 This shows that he was not only unnaturally strong, but he was vicious and wild and showing the traits of an insane man.

Verse 6

6 However, it was the outward or human part of this creature that was performing the things described and that was because he was possessed of this devil and had to do as the evil spirit directed him. The devil himself was perfectly intelligent, for he caused the man to run and meet Jesus and perform some act of respect that is called worship. (See the note on that subject at Mat 2:2.)

Verse 7

7 What have I to do with thee is the same as asking Jesus what he is about to do. To adjure means to put a person under oath, which would be an unauthorized act on the part of the devil. The demand was that Jesus would not torment him.

Verse 8

8This verse explains the demand of the preceding verse. If the devil is required to leave the man he may have to return to his former place in Hades which would mean the torment that he adjured Jesus not to inflict upon him.

Verse 9

9 The pronouns he and we are not the same in grammatical number. That is because one devil was the spokesman for the others. It is orderly for one or more beings interested in the same thing to let one do the talking. The apostles observed that practice according to Mat 17:4; Act 2:14.

Verse 10

0 Speaking on behalf of the other devils, he requested Jesus not to send them out of the country. That was the main point of interest, not so much the idea of remaining in the man. (See the comments on verse 8.)

Verse 11

1 The swine was one of the unclean beasts under the law of the Jews, but we do not know whether they were interested in them commercially or not.

Verse 12

2 All the devils besought denotes the same thought set forth in verse 9 concerning a spokesman who represented the others.

Verse 13

3 The devils did not gain any advantage by entering the swine, but Jesus granted their request without volunteering any information. Whether they were suffered to enter other human beings or had to return to their former place in Hades we are not told.

Verse 14

4 The feeders saw what the swine did, but the text does not state if they knew what caused it. What happened when the people came out afterward, however, shows that they understood that Jesus had something to do with it.

Verse 15

5 The mentioning of seeing Jesus and the man at the same time indicates the people connected Jesus with the whole event. They were afraid. This man had defied all attempts to subdue him even with a chain, now he was seen sitting quietly and in his right mind. The situation was so, overwhelming that it filled the people with terror and confusion.

Verse 16

6 The feeders explained what was done and what happened to the swine.

Verse 17

7 No harm had been done to the unfortunate man, hence the only conclusion possible is they were afraid some more of them would lose their swine.

Verse 18

8. It was natural for the man to make such a request as this verse states.

Verse 19

9 Jesus had more important things for the man to do, and that was to tell the good news to his friends. He was to relate it in connection with the thought that the Lord had com-passion on him.

Verse 20

0 Decapolis was a district east of the Jordan, and it was in that region that the grateful man spread the news of his recovery which caused the crowd to gather.

Verse 21

1 Jesus returned to the western shore of Galilee, and, as usual, the crowds began to gather about him, doubtless with various motives.

Verse 22

2. Ruler is from ARCHI-SUNAGOGUE, and Thayer's explanation is, "It was his duty to select the readers or teachers in the synagogue, to examine the discourses of the public speakers, and to see that all things were done with decency and in accordance with ancestral usage." Fell at his feet manifested great respect and much anxiety.

Verse 23

3 The simple ceremony of laying his hands on the daughter would not have been necessary had Jesus seen fit to accomplish the cure without it, but the request was the ruler's way of indicating his faith in the great Healer.

Verse 24

4 It was nothing unusual for the crowds to follow Jesus, but the statement is added that they thronged him. That is an introduction to the event that is to follow soon, especially as to certain parts of it.

Verse 25

5. This woman was afflicted with a chronic hemorrhage of 12 years' standing.

Verse 26

6. This verse is one of the passages that are perverted into meaning just the opposite of their real teaching. The woman had grown worse in spite of her being treated by physicians. The fact is used by many "drugless healers" to prove that physicians are useless, even though Jesus said in Matthew 9:12 that the sick need a physician. But the very statement that this woman had not been benefited by the physicians is proof that others had been helped by them.

Verse 27

7 This woman touched the garment of Jesus on the same principle that the ruler wanted him to touch the body of his daughter.

Verse 28

8 For she said means that she said it to herself.

Verse 29

9 The woman obtained the relief she sought and it was straightway. That was the manner of miraculous cures and not a requirement that much time be given as in the case of the fraudulent "faith-cure" workers of today.

Verse 30

0 Virtue is from DUNAMIS and is one of the words for "power." It says that Jesus knew of the virtue going out of him, not that he felt the loss of the power. He knew it because he had divine knowledge of what was being done. His question was for a test of the woman, but the disciples thought it was for information.

Verse 31

1 Thou seest the multitude means that the whole crowd was touching him (see the comment on verse 24), and it seemed strange to them to ask such a question.

Verse 32

2 Jesus was continuing his test of the woman's trust in him.

Verse 33

3 The woman thought she had unintentionally committed some wrong. She came trembling and prostrate before Jesus and told him the truth.

Verse 34

4 The statement Jesus made to the woman denotes that it was not the contact with the garment that, cured her, but the faith that was manifested by the act. Go in peace was said to assure her that she had not done anything wrong.

Verse 35

5 One miracle is no harder to perform than another but these people thought there was a difference. There are some things the Lord cannot do because they are not right, but no miracle is impossible merely because it is too hard.

Verse 36

6 Jesus overheard the word that was brought to the ruler, and he gave him an assurance of favor if he continued to have faith.

Verse 37

7 The group had neared the ruler's house when the message of death was brought. Jesus stopped the crowd at that place and permitted the trio of apostles to accompany him, the same ones specified on other occasions (Mat 17:1; Mat 26:37).

Verse 38

8 When Jesus arrived at the house a tumultuous crowd had gathered and the people were weeping and wailing as was the custom upon a death in a home.

Verse 39

9 Not dead, but sleepeth. This is figurative language, and the reader is cited to the comments on this subject at Mat 9:24.

Verse 40

0 They laughed at Jesus because they did not understand the two kinds of language. No reason is stated for putting the group out of the house, but it was appropriate to treat the people so in view of the hasty and undignified attitude they showed toward Jesus. He then took the parents of the girl, together with the three apostles, and entered the room where the body lay.

Verse 41

1 Jesus took the damsel by the hand because it was his 'plan in this case. However, that fact alone was not the power that was to bring the dead to life, otherwise any man could bring a dead person to life again.

Verse 42

2 The girl was twelve years old and hence was able naturally to walk after her illness was gone. The astonishment was caused by the fact that a dead person had been brought back to life.

Verse 43

3 The Lord permitted Mark to record this case in his Gospel, hence there was nothing wrong in the case being known. But it was the practice of Jesus to be humble and not glory over his miraculous deeds, so he gave instructions frequently that people should not spread the report of what they had received.