Commentary in Simple English on the Gospel that Mark wrote

(See Matthew 8:28-34; Luke 8:26-37.)

The boat has completed the journey over the lake (verse 1). [5.1]. It seems from verse 21 that Jesus wanted to come straight back. The disciples made the double crossing of the lake just for the man called 'Legion' (and for the other man that Matthew speaks about). Perhaps the followers of Jesus hoped to meet people who would show Jesus honour and respect on the far side of the lake.

Jesus has made this trip to help this man that no one wants anything to do with. Jesus is the friend of those that everyone else throws out. Here it is a man whose body was not ill. He was sick in mind with a spirit, which was not clean. The 'tombs' were caves in which the Jews probably buried their dead. (Verse 3) 'Legion' lived there because no one would have anything to do with him. The chains (verse 4) may have been made from leather not from metal. No one could keep him quiet. (Verse 5) The unclean spirit did not let him rest.

(Verse 6) The man saw Jesus. He ran to Jesus and kneeled in front of Him. (Verse 8) Jesus tells the spirit to come out of him. Then (Verse 7) the man shouts out. 'Son of the Most High God' was a name that people who were not Jews might use. (Verse 9) Jesus says, 'If that is my name, what is yours?' He replies, 'Legion'.

A Legion was a division in the Roman army, with 6000 men. The Romans may have beaten up the man at some time.

'We are many'. The devil loves to take away our name if he can and to reduce us to a number. When I joined the army I became only a number. Christ promises to honour us with a new name (Revelation 2: 17; 14: 1; 22:4). [5.2].

(Verse 10) The unclean spirit asks Jesus not to send it out and away. (Verse 11) The people who lived east of the Lake were mostly Greeks. There were a few Jews. They would not eat pig meat. The Greeks would, so it was no surprise to find a herd of pigs there. People say that nothing will make pigs run except food, and even then they will not run fast or far. They will run off all ways, not together. (Verse 12) The 'Legion' asked Jesus to let the demons leave the man and go into the pigs. (Verse 13) Then the pigs ran down the slope into the Lake. The pigs drowned in the water. (Remember 4: 38.)

Our Lord had power over demons but we do not understand how he used it. This is the only case like this. Here Mark tells us where Jesus sends the spirits to when he makes them leave the man.

People run hard when the devil drives them. The pigs were wiser than men were: they preferred death to the devil. The devil is an enemy even to the pigs.

This is part of the work of Jesus of course. But we must not forget that while He helps some unhappy people in this way, we are all sinners. We all need Him as our Saviour from sin.

(Verse 14) News spread quickly about what had happened. (Verse 15). People should have been pleased to see what Jesus had done for the man. Instead the people asked Jesus to go away. (Verse 16) All down the years, the world has refused to have Jesus. It would rather have the pigs. (Verse 17) So the people asked Jesus to leave.

The man had seen the pigs run down into the lake. This may have helped him to be sure about what Jesus had done for him. (Verse 18) It was good that he wanted to go with Jesus. It still seems hard (Verse 19) that Jesus sends the man home. He has to go back to the family who had thrown him out. (Verse 20) The people in 'the ten towns' or Decapolis knew how bad the man's state had been. So they know too how much good Jesus had done him.

Notice 'the Lord' in verse 19 and 'Jesus' in verse 20. It is Jesus Who is the Lord!

(See Matthew 9: 18-26 and Luke 8: 41-56.)

The account of the healing of a sick woman in verses 25-34 breaks into the account of the raising from the dead of Jairus's daughter. This breaks off in verse 24 and starts again in verse 35. The help that Jesus gives to one person does not really stop Him from meeting the need of someone else.

So in verse 21 Jesus is back on the west side of the Lake. A crowd gathers. Then in verse 22 a man whose name is Jairus comes. He falls down in front of Jesus. This man is a leader among the Jews. (Verse 23) Jairus has a twelve year old daughter but she is very ill. People think that she will die. Jairus asks Jesus to come and to heal her. So in verse 24 Jesus goes with him and the crowd goes too.

There is one woman in the crowd (verse 25) who had been ill for twelve years. This was just as long as Jairus' daughter had lived. (See verse 42.) The woman's problem with bleeding was one that she could not talk about. She could never talk about it in public or to a man. (See Leviticus 15:25-30.) [5.3] Her bleeding also made her 'unclean'. Jairus was an important man, and his need was very great. Still, Jesus made him wait while He took care of this lonely frightened woman.

(Verse 26) The Jewish doctors in those days had a very bad name. (Verse 27) So the woman came behind Jesus and she just touched His clothes.

(Verse 28) The woman's faith was by no means perfect. She had faith that Jesus had the power to heal her. She did not know how kind and wise He was. If she had known, she would have gone up to Him. She would not have been afraid of people in the crowd. She only touched the edge of Jesus' outer clothes from behind. She had faith and Jesus healed her. (See Matthew 14:36; Luke 6: 19; Acts 5: 15 and 19: 11 and 20.)

However, we want the power of the Holy Spirit. We want the faith to receive God's blessing. It is not wise just to copy what this woman did. (Verse 29) Even when she felt that she had been made well, she was not ready to be open and speak to Jesus.

(Verse 30) Jesus felt the difference between being pushed by the crowd and the touch of faith by this woman. (Verse 31) Perhaps the followers of Jesus wanted him to go on quickly to help Jairus. (Verse 32) Jesus would not let her go away until He had spoken kindly to her. He wanted to make her faith in Him stronger. (Verse 33) So the woman came and fell down in front of Jesus. She told him what had happened. (Verse 34) Jesus wants her to know that it was not the 'touch' but her faith that has made her well. He wants love for Him to grow out of her faith in Him.

We must come back (Verse 35) to Jairus. For a moment he would have felt new hope when Jesus healed the woman. We wonder why he came to Jesus at such a time. Perhaps at first none of his friends would come for him. They still do not want Jesus. The way in which they tell Jairus that his daughter has died seems unkind. They show that they do not understand Jesus! (Verse 36) Jesus will not listen to them. He tells Jairus to have faith. Faith will drive out his fear.

(Verse 37) The crowd has to stay behind now. Jesus and three of his followers go on to the home of Jairus.

All the noise (verse 38) did nothing to wake up the dead girl. (Verse 39) The 'mourners' knew that the girl was dead. So (verse 40) these people who had come to show how sorry they were, laughed instead.

(Verse 41) Two words from Jesus and the touch of His hand were enough to bring the girl back to life. How we prize those two words, 'Talitha cumi'. They are the exact words which Jesus spoke. (See Mark 7: 34 and 15: 34.) Later on Peter went to a woman who was called Dorcas. (See Acts 9: 36-42.) He said almost the same thing when he raised Dorcas from death - 'Tabitha cumi'.

So the girl not only has life. (Verse 42) she has strength too. (Verse 43) Jesus tells her parents to give her some food.

There are many things that we should learn from these verses. Like Jairus, we should be ready to come to Jesus in time of need, even if we come alone (verse 22). Jesus felt power go out from Him when he healed the woman. We may feel 'drained' of strength in God's service. It is faith that receives the blessing (verse 34) and fear is the opposite of faith (verse 36). In verse 33, the woman tells Jesus the whole truth; we must never hide any of our troubles from Him when we pray.

The Jews did not think highly of their doctors. In those days Greek doctors were probably better. The Jewish 'cures' were more like the 'help' that witch doctors and medicine men give. (Verse 26) (You will not find anything like this in Luke's Gospel; we think that Luke was a Greek and a doctor.) However, it is still true that people like this woman have a problem with sin. They seek help from all sorts of people and they only get worse. At last not without fear, they stretch out the hand of faith to touch Jesus.

It is important not to let this verse stop people from going to a doctor for help when they are ill.

Jesus shows not only his power to raise the dead girl (verse 41) but also His care for her. It would be wrong for lots of people to come and ask her questions (verse 43). Her parents might be too excited to give her food.