Add parallel Print Page Options

Jesus Cures a Demon-Possessed Man(A)

They arrived in the territory of the Gerasenes on the other side of the Sea of Galilee. As Yeshua stepped out of the boat, a man came out of the tombs and met him. The man was controlled by an evil spirit and lived among the tombs. No one could restrain him any longer, not even with a chain. He had often been chained hand and foot. However, he snapped the chains off his hands and broke the chains from his feet. No one could control him. Night and day he was among the tombs and on the mountainsides screaming and cutting himself with stones.

The man saw Yeshua at a distance. So he ran to Yeshua, bowed down in front of him, and shouted, “Why are you bothering me now, Yeshua, Son of the Most High God? Swear to God that you won’t torture me.” He shouted this because Yeshua said, “You evil spirit, come out of the man.”

Yeshua asked him, “What is your name?”

He told Yeshua, “My name is Legion [Six Thousand], because there are many of us.” 10 He begged Yeshua not to send them out of the territory.

11 A large herd of pigs was feeding on a mountainside nearby. 12 The demons begged him, “Send us into the pigs! Let us enter them!”

13 Yeshua let them do this. The evil spirits came out of the man and went into the pigs. The herd of about two thousand pigs rushed down the cliff into the sea and drowned.

14 Those who took care of the pigs ran away. In the city and countryside they reported everything that had happened. So the people came to see what had happened. 15 They came to Yeshua and saw the man who had been possessed by the legion of demons. The man was sitting there dressed and in his right mind. The people were frightened. 16 Those who saw this told what had happened to the demon-possessed man and the pigs. 17 Then the people began to beg Yeshua to leave their territory.

18 As Yeshua stepped into the boat, the man who had been demon-possessed begged him, “Let me stay with you.” 19 But Yeshua would not allow it. Instead, he told the man, “Go home to your family, and tell them how much the Lord has done for you and how merciful he has been to you.”

20 So the man left. He began to tell how much Yeshua had done for him in the Ten Cities.[a] Everyone was amazed.

Jairus’ Daughter and a Woman with Chronic Bleeding(B)

21 Yeshua again crossed to the other side of the Sea of Galilee in a boat. A large crowd gathered around him by the seashore.

22 A synagogue leader named Jairus also arrived. When he saw Yeshua, he quickly bowed down in front of him. 23 He begged Yeshua, “My little daughter is dying. Come, lay your hands on her so that she may get well and live.”

24 Yeshua went with the man. A huge crowd followed Yeshua and pressed him on every side.

25 In the crowd was a woman who had been suffering from chronic bleeding for twelve years. 26 Although she had been under the care of many doctors and had spent all her money, she had not been helped at all. Actually, she had become worse. 27 Since she had heard about Yeshua, she came from behind in the crowd and touched his clothes. 28 She said, “If I can just touch his clothes, I’ll get well.” 29 Her bleeding stopped immediately. She felt cured from her illness.

30 At that moment Yeshua felt power had gone out of him. He turned around in the crowd and asked, “Who touched my clothes?”

31 His disciples said to him, “How can you ask, ‘Who touched me,’ when you see the crowd pressing you on all sides?”

32 But he kept looking around to see the woman who had done this. 33 The woman trembled with fear. She knew what had happened to her. So she quickly bowed in front of him and told him the whole truth.

34 Yeshua told her, “Daughter, your faith has made you well. Go in peace! Be cured from your illness.”

35 While Yeshua was still speaking to her, some people came from the synagogue leader’s home. They told the synagogue leader, “Your daughter has died. Why bother the teacher anymore?”

36 When Yeshua overheard what they said, he told the synagogue leader, “Don’t be afraid! Just believe.”

37 Yeshua allowed no one to go with him except Peter and the two brothers James and John. 38 When they came to the home of the synagogue leader, Yeshua saw a noisy crowd there. People were crying and sobbing loudly. 39 When he came into the house, he asked them, “Why are you making so much noise and crying? The child isn’t dead. She’s just sleeping.”

40 They laughed at him. So he made all of them go outside. Then he took the child’s father, mother, and his three disciples and went to the child. 41 Yeshua took the child’s hand and said to her, “Talitha, koum!” which means, “Little girl, I’m telling you to get up!”

42 The girl got up at once and started to walk. (She was twelve years old.) They were astonished.

43 Yeshua ordered them not to let anyone know about this. He also told them to give the little girl something to eat.

Footnotes

  1. Mark 5:20 A federation of ten Greek city states east and west of the Jordan River.

Chapter 5

Jesus Heals the Gerasene Demoniac.[a] They reached the region of the Gerasenes[b] on the other side of the lake. No sooner had he stepped out of the boat than a man with an unclean spirit came up to him from the tombs.[c] The man had been living in the tombs, and no one could restrain him any longer, not even with chains. For he had frequently been bound with shackles and chains, but he had snapped the chains and smashed the shackles to pieces, and no one had sufficient strength to subdue him. Day and night among the tombs and on the mountains, he would howl and gash himself with stones.

When the man caught sight of Jesus from a distance, he ran up and prostrated himself before him, as he shouted at the top of his voice, “What do you want with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I implore you in God’s name: do not torment me!” For Jesus had said to him, “Unclean spirit, come out of the man!” Then he asked him, “What is your name?” He replied, “My name is Legion, for there are many of us.”[d] 10 And he begged him earnestly not to send them out of the country.

11 Now on the mountainside a great herd of pigs was feeding. 12 And they pleaded with him, “Send us into the pigs. Let us enter them.” 13 He allowed this. With that, the unclean spirits came out and entered the pigs, and the herd, numbering about two thousand, charged down the steep bank into the lake and were drowned in the waters.

14 Those tending the pigs ran off and reported the incident in the town and throughout the countryside. As a result, people came out to see what had happened. 15 When they came near Jesus, they saw the man who had been possessed by Legion sitting there fully clothed and in his right mind, and they were frightened. 16 Those who had been eyewitnesses to the incident confirmed what had happened to the demoniac and what had happened to the pigs. 17 Then they began to implore Jesus to leave their region.

18 As Jesus was getting into the boat, the man who had been possessed with demons pleaded to be allowed to go with him. 19 However, Jesus would not permit him to do so, and instead told him, “Go home to your own people and tell them what the Lord has done for you, and how he has had mercy on you.” 20 The man then departed and began to make known throughout the Decapolis what Jesus had done for him. And everyone was amazed.[e]

21 Jesus Heals a Woman and Raises a Child.[f] When Jesus had crossed again in the boat to the other side, a large crowd gathered around him, and he stayed by the lake. 22 Then one of the leaders of the synagogue,[g] named Jairus, came forward, and when he saw Jesus he threw himself down at his feet 23 and pleaded with him, saying, “My little daughter is at the point of death. I beg you to come and lay your hands on her so that she may recover and live.” 24 Jesus went with him, and a large number accompanied him and crowded around him.

25 There was a woman who had suffered from bleeding for twelve years. 26 In spite of long and painful treatment at the hands of many doctors, her condition not only had failed to improve but had actually become worse, and she had spent everything she had. 27 Having heard about Jesus, she came up behind him in the crowd and touched his cloak, 28 for she thought, “If I simply touch his clothing, I shall be made well.” 29 And immediately her bleeding dried up, and she felt in her body that she was healed of her affliction.

30 Instantly aware that power had gone forth from him, Jesus turned around in the crowd and asked, “Who touched my clothing?” 31 His disciples said in reply, “You see this vast throng pressing upon you. How can you ask, ‘Who touched me?’ ” 32 However, he continued to look around to determine who had done it. 33 Then the woman, knowing what had happened to her, approached in fear and trembling. She knelt before him and revealed to him the whole truth. 34 He said to her, “Daughter, your faith has healed you. Go in peace and be freed from your affliction.”

35 While he was still speaking, some people from the house of the synagogue leader arrived and said, “Your daughter has died. Why bother the Teacher any further?” 36 Jesus heard the message they had delivered, but he said to the leader of the synagogue, “Do not be afraid. Just have faith.” 37 He allowed no one to accompany him except Peter, James, and John,[h] the brother of James.

38 When they arrived at the house of the synagogue leader, he observed a great deal of commotion, with people weeping and wailing loudly. 39 When he entered, he said to them, “Why this commotion and weeping? The child is not dead; she is asleep.” 40 In response, they laughed at him.

After sending them all outside, he took with him the child’s father and mother and his own companions and entered the room where the child was. 41 He took the child by the hand and said to her, “Talitha koum!” which means: “Little girl, I say to you, arise!” 42 And immediately the girl, a child of twelve, got up and began to walk around.

On witnessing this, they were all overcome with amazement, 43 but he gave them strict instructions that no one should be told anything about this. Then he told them to give her something to eat.

Footnotes

  1. Mark 5:1 The scene shifts to the Decapolis, a group of ten more or less autonomous cities east of the Jordan; it is as if in a pagan land the forces of evil could enslave and destroy human beings. The demons are condemned to take refuge in the pigs, impure animals par excellence in Jewish eyes. See also note on Mt 8:28-34.
  2. Mark 5:1 The region of the Gerasenes: the area was southeast of Lake Tiberias.
  3. Mark 5:2 Caves were used for tombs.
  4. Mark 5:9 My name is Legion . . . there are many of us: a Roman legion was made up of 6000 men. The word “legion” gives the idea that the man was possessed by many demons and also provides an inkling of the numerous powers opposed to Jesus, who incorporates the divine power.
  5. Mark 5:20 See note on Mt 4:25.
  6. Mark 5:21 A woman, who according to the ideas of the time was unclean and would contaminate by her touch, touches Jesus in a hidden gesture of hope; he frees her from her disease with kind words.
    When Jesus restores the girl to life, he does it privately, because he does not want the Messiah to be thought of as a magician; only three witnesses are there, those present at the transfiguration (Mk 9:2) and the agony (Mk 14:33). These men would bear witness to the mystery of Jesus who dies and rises in order to save humanity from evil and death, and thus to Jesus as the authentic Messiah. See note on Mt 9:18-26.
  7. Mark 5:22 Leaders of the synagogue: laymen who held administrative responsibilities such as taking care of the building and supervising the worship. Most synagogues had only one ruler, but there were exceptions (see Acts 13:15). There were also cases of honorary leaders.
  8. Mark 5:37 Peter, James, and John: while Matthew focuses his attention mainly on Peter, Mark stresses this privileged group of three disciples. They will be witnesses of the raising of Jairus’s daughter (Mk 5:37-43), the transfiguration of Jesus (Mk 9:2-13), and the agony in the garden (Mk 14:32-42). Obviously Mark depends on the preaching of Peter, yet Peter rarely emphasized his privilege.