The Gerasene demoniac
1 ① They arrived on the other side of the lake in the region of the Gerasenes. 2No sooner did Jesus leave the boat than he was met by a man with evil spirits who had come from the tombs. 3He lived among the tombs and no one could restrain him, even with a chain. 4He had often been bound with fetters and chains but he would pull the chains apart and smash the fetters, and no one had the strength to control him. 5Night and day he stayed among the tombs on the hillsides, and was continually screaming and beating himself with stones.
6When he saw Jesus from afar, he ran and fell at his feet 7and cried with a loud voice, “What do you want with me, Jesus, son of the Most High God? For God’s sake I beg you, do not torment me.” 8He said this because Jesus had commanded, “Come out of the man, evil spirit.” 9And when Jesus asked him, “What is your name?” he replied, “Legion is my name, for we are many.” 10And all of them kept begging Jesus not to send them out of that region.
11Now, a great herd of pigs was feeding on the hillside, 12and the evil spirits begged him, “Send us to the pigs and let us go into them.” 13So Jesus let them go. The evil spirits came out of the man and went into the pigs, and immediately the herd rushed down the cliff and all were drowned in the lake. 14The herdsmen fled and reported this in the town and in the countryside, so all the people came to see what had happened.
15They came to Jesus and saw the man freed of the evil spirits sitting there, clothed and in his right mind, the same man who had been possessed by the legion. They were afraid. 16And when those who had seen it told what had happened to the man and to the pigs, 17the people begged Jesus to leave their neighborhood.
18When Jesus was getting into the boat, the man who had been possessed begged to stay with him. 19Jesus would not let him and said, “Go home to your people and tell them how much the Lord has done for you and how he has had mercy on you.” 20So he went throughout the country of Decapolis telling every one how much Jesus had done for him. And all the people were astonished.
Jesus raises the daughter of Jairus
21 ② Jesus then crossed to the other side of the lake and while he was still on the shore, a large crowd gathered around him. 22Jairus, an official of the synagogue, came up and seeing Jesus, threw himself at his feet 23and asked him earnestly, “My little daughter is at the point of death. Come and lay your hands on her so that she may get well and live.”
24Jesus went with him and many people followed, pressing from every side. 25Among the crowd was a woman who had suffered from bleeding for twelve years. 26She had suffered a lot at the hands of many doctors and had spent everything she had, but instead of getting better, she was worse. 27Since she had heard about Jesus, this woman came up behind him and touched his cloak 28thinking, “If I just touch his clothing, I shall get well.” 29Her flow of blood dried up at once, and she felt in her body that she was healed of her complaint.
30But Jesus was conscious that healing power had gone out from him, so he turned around in the crowd and asked, “Who touched my clothes?” 31His disciples answered, “You see how the people are crowding around you. Why do you ask who touched you?” 32But he kept looking around to see who had done it. 33Then the woman, aware of what had happened, came forward trembling and afraid. She knelt before him and told him the whole truth.
34 ③ Then Jesus said to her, “Daughter, your faith has saved you; go in peace and be free of this illness.”
35While Jesus was still speaking, some people arrived from the official’s house to inform him, “Your daughter is dead. Why trouble the Master any further?” 36But Jesus ignored what they said and told the official, “Do not fear, just believe.” 37And he allowed no one to follow him except Peter, James and John, the brother of James.
38 ④ When they arrived at the house, Jesus saw a great commotion with people weeping and wailing loudly. 39Jesus entered and said to them, “Why all this commotion and weeping? The child is not dead but asleep.”
40They laughed at him. But Jesus sent them outside and went with the child’s father and mother and his companions into the room where the child lay. 41Taking her by the hand, he said to her, “Talitha kumi!” which means: “Little girl, get up!”
42The girl got up at once and began to walk around. (She was twelve years old.) The parents were astonished, greatly astonished. 43Jesus strictly ordered them not to let anyone know about it, and told them to give her something to eat.
- Mk 5,1 Jesus overcame the raging sea and disembarking on the pagan shore of the lake he confronts the demon. The text says three times that the possessed lived among the tombs, and mentions also three times the chains with which people had in vain tried to bind him. For a Jew to repeat something three times is to use the superlative: it is to say that the possessed has partnership with death and with impurity to which it is attached (Num 19:11); but no one, absolutely no one is able to master him. Finally the possessed, like the servants of idols (1 K 18:28) slashed himself with stones till blood flowed. This adversary, however, bows low recognizing the superiority of Jesus, Son of God the Most High, who forces him to reveal his name. Here again the name is a symbol: legion which means that this man is possessed by a regiment of demons. Jesus will free this possessed man: the demon, author of every impurity is sent to his own kingdom. Pigs are in fact, in Jewish tradition, a type of impure animal, and the sea into which they cast themselves is the symbol of the empire of evil (see the calmed tempest). The herds rushed down (v. 13) (see Mt 8:32 and Lk 8:33). The actual text of Mark says, two thousand pigs rushed. This is an incredible number, for such large herds of pigs were never seen. In Hebrew, the word for herds is only distinguished from the word for 2,000 by an accent mark. Probably a mistake was made when Mark's Gospel was written in Greek. Jesus would not let him (v. 19). It is he who chooses those who will be with him (Mk 3:13). That does not mean that the others, all those who met Jesus and recognized him as Son of God, have nothing to do: they will witness in the midst of those they know how he had compassion on them. In this way Jesus reminds us of the diversity of vocations. Mk 5,21 This woman was considered by the Jews as unclean because of her illness (Lev 15:19). She would also make unclean anyone who touched her. Because of this, she was prohibited by the Law from mingling with others but dared enter into the crowd, and touch Jesus' cloak. Faith drove her to break the Law of purification, and to risk scandal. This woman did not know who Jesus was, but had faith that God would cure her through him. The religiosity of this woman is akin to what we call today popular Catholicism. As seen in this woman, popular Catholicism is ill-instructed, yet shows a strong religious sense and trust in God. It is superficial and naive, expecting great results from touching images and religious things - Christ's garment in this case. Like Jesus, we should respect the religious expressions of popular Catholicism while at the same time trying, like him, to help people discover deeper dimensions of their faith. Mk 5,34 FAITH AND MIRACLES Who is responsible for a miracle? Does it come from the faith of the one who asks or from Christ who works the miracle? If the miracle depends solely on the faith of a person, then what is the difference between the faithful one who asks God for a cure and the one who goes to any faith healer? In the latter, it would be enough to convince oneself; the one actually doing the healing would matter little. These people coming to Jesus were, of course, very far from recognizing him as the Son of God, but they were convinced that God would give them some blessing through this prophet and holy man. This faith prepared them to receive healing in both body and spirit. How can God heal those who refuse to hope? What stands out on this page is the power of Christ: Jesus was conscious that healing power had gone forth from him. Your faith has saved you. This can also be translated: Your faith has made you well. In fact, both meanings fit (like in 10:52). For this woman risked all and finally saw how much God loved her. Mk 5,38 Here Jesus is confronted with the death of a girl who is called to live. Jairus was an official of the synagogue (v. 22), that is to say, one of those holding responsibility in the local Jewish community. We too ask God to be healed, but we dare not ask for resurrection of the dead because we consider death as something absolutely irreversible. Jesus wishes to show us that no law of destiny or nature can be an obstacle to God's love. People wailing loudly. During Jesus' time it was customary to hire professional mourners and musicians at a funeral. Today, at funerals, we also have long discourses and ceremonies to mask death, because it shakes and discomforts us and shatters our apparent peace. Jesus does not allow himself to be taken in by our illusions. The child is not dead, but asleep. Of course she is dead, and that is why the people mock him; but Jesus sends the noisy crowd outside, and takes with him the child's father and mother. They are capable of understanding for they have come to him in a spirit of faith (v. 22). Get up! (v. 41). From the first hour, the disciples of Jesus have used this vocabulary sleep, rise in speaking of death and resurrection. They believed that Jesus, Son of God, had, with his own resurrection, definitively defeated death (1 Cor 15). Polls reveal that today a great number of Christians no longer believe in the resurrection. One may ask if it is not the result of a religious education that has been based on moral considerations rather than on listening to the Word of God.
- Mk 5,1 Jesus overcame the raging sea and disembarking on the pagan shore of the lake he confronts the demon. The text says three times that the possessed lived among the tombs, and mentions also three times the chains with which people had in vain tried to bind him. For a Jew to repeat something three times is to use the superlative: it is to say that the possessed has partnership with death and with impurity to which it is attached (Num 19:11); but no one, absolutely no one is able to master him. Finally the possessed, like the servants of idols (1 K 18:28) slashed himself with stones till blood flowed. This adversary, however, bows low recognizing the superiority of Jesus, Son of God the Most High, who forces him to reveal his name. Here again the name is a symbol: legion which means that this man is possessed by a regiment of demons. Jesus will free this possessed man: the demon, author of every impurity is sent to his own kingdom. Pigs are in fact, in Jewish tradition, a type of impure animal, and the sea into which they cast themselves is the symbol of the empire of evil (see the calmed tempest). The herds rushed down (v. 13) (see Mt 8:32 and Lk 8:33). The actual text of Mark says, two thousand pigs rushed. This is an incredible number, for such large herds of pigs were never seen. In Hebrew, the word for herds is only distinguished from the word for 2,000 by an accent mark. Probably a mistake was made when Mark's Gospel was written in Greek. Jesus would not let him (v. 19). It is he who chooses those who will be with him (Mk 3:13). That does not mean that the others, all those who met Jesus and recognized him as Son of God, have nothing to do: they will witness in the midst of those they know how he had compassion on them. In this way Jesus reminds us of the diversity of vocations. Mk 5,21 This woman was considered by the Jews as unclean because of her illness (Lev 15:19). She would also make unclean anyone who touched her. Because of this, she was prohibited by the Law from mingling with others but dared enter into the crowd, and touch Jesus' cloak. Faith drove her to break the Law of purification, and to risk scandal. This woman did not know who Jesus was, but had faith that God would cure her through him. The religiosity of this woman is akin to what we call today popular Catholicism. As seen in this woman, popular Catholicism is ill-instructed, yet shows a strong religious sense and trust in God. It is superficial and naive, expecting great results from touching images and religious things - Christ's garment in this case. Like Jesus, we should respect the religious expressions of popular Catholicism while at the same time trying, like him, to help people discover deeper dimensions of their faith. Mk 5,34 FAITH AND MIRACLES Who is responsible for a miracle? Does it come from the faith of the one who asks or from Christ who works the miracle? If the miracle depends solely on the faith of a person, then what is the difference between the faithful one who asks God for a cure and the one who goes to any faith healer? In the latter, it would be enough to convince oneself; the one actually doing the healing would matter little. These people coming to Jesus were, of course, very far from recognizing him as the Son of God, but they were convinced that God would give them some blessing through this prophet and holy man. This faith prepared them to receive healing in both body and spirit. How can God heal those who refuse to hope? What stands out on this page is the power of Christ: Jesus was conscious that healing power had gone forth from him. Your faith has saved you. This can also be translated: Your faith has made you well. In fact, both meanings fit (like in 10:52). For this woman risked all and finally saw how much God loved her. Mk 5,38 Here Jesus is confronted with the death of a girl who is called to live. Jairus was an official of the synagogue (v. 22), that is to say, one of those holding responsibility in the local Jewish community. We too ask God to be healed, but we dare not ask for resurrection of the dead because we consider death as something absolutely irreversible. Jesus wishes to show us that no law of destiny or nature can be an obstacle to God's love. People wailing loudly. During Jesus' time it was customary to hire professional mourners and musicians at a funeral. Today, at funerals, we also have long discourses and ceremonies to mask death, because it shakes and discomforts us and shatters our apparent peace. Jesus does not allow himself to be taken in by our illusions. The child is not dead, but asleep. Of course she is dead, and that is why the people mock him; but Jesus sends the noisy crowd outside, and takes with him the child's father and mother. They are capable of understanding for they have come to him in a spirit of faith (v. 22). Get up! (v. 41). From the first hour, the disciples of Jesus have used this vocabulary sleep, rise in speaking of death and resurrection. They believed that Jesus, Son of God, had, with his own resurrection, definitively defeated death (1 Cor 15). Polls reveal that today a great number of Christians no longer believe in the resurrection. One may ask if it is not the result of a religious education that has been based on moral considerations rather than on listening to the Word of God.
- Mk 5,1 Jesus overcame the raging sea and disembarking on the pagan shore of the lake he confronts the demon. The text says three times that the possessed lived among the tombs, and mentions also three times the chains with which people had in vain tried to bind him. For a Jew to repeat something three times is to use the superlative: it is to say that the possessed has partnership with death and with impurity to which it is attached (Num 19:11); but no one, absolutely no one is able to master him. Finally the possessed, like the servants of idols (1 K 18:28) slashed himself with stones till blood flowed. This adversary, however, bows low recognizing the superiority of Jesus, Son of God the Most High, who forces him to reveal his name. Here again the name is a symbol: legion which means that this man is possessed by a regiment of demons. Jesus will free this possessed man: the demon, author of every impurity is sent to his own kingdom. Pigs are in fact, in Jewish tradition, a type of impure animal, and the sea into which they cast themselves is the symbol of the empire of evil (see the calmed tempest). The herds rushed down (v. 13) (see Mt 8:32 and Lk 8:33). The actual text of Mark says, two thousand pigs rushed. This is an incredible number, for such large herds of pigs were never seen. In Hebrew, the word for herds is only distinguished from the word for 2,000 by an accent mark. Probably a mistake was made when Mark's Gospel was written in Greek. Jesus would not let him (v. 19). It is he who chooses those who will be with him (Mk 3:13). That does not mean that the others, all those who met Jesus and recognized him as Son of God, have nothing to do: they will witness in the midst of those they know how he had compassion on them. In this way Jesus reminds us of the diversity of vocations. Mk 5,21 This woman was considered by the Jews as unclean because of her illness (Lev 15:19). She would also make unclean anyone who touched her. Because of this, she was prohibited by the Law from mingling with others but dared enter into the crowd, and touch Jesus' cloak. Faith drove her to break the Law of purification, and to risk scandal. This woman did not know who Jesus was, but had faith that God would cure her through him. The religiosity of this woman is akin to what we call today popular Catholicism. As seen in this woman, popular Catholicism is ill-instructed, yet shows a strong religious sense and trust in God. It is superficial and naive, expecting great results from touching images and religious things - Christ's garment in this case. Like Jesus, we should respect the religious expressions of popular Catholicism while at the same time trying, like him, to help people discover deeper dimensions of their faith. Mk 5,34 FAITH AND MIRACLES Who is responsible for a miracle? Does it come from the faith of the one who asks or from Christ who works the miracle? If the miracle depends solely on the faith of a person, then what is the difference between the faithful one who asks God for a cure and the one who goes to any faith healer? In the latter, it would be enough to convince oneself; the one actually doing the healing would matter little. These people coming to Jesus were, of course, very far from recognizing him as the Son of God, but they were convinced that God would give them some blessing through this prophet and holy man. This faith prepared them to receive healing in both body and spirit. How can God heal those who refuse to hope? What stands out on this page is the power of Christ: Jesus was conscious that healing power had gone forth from him. Your faith has saved you. This can also be translated: Your faith has made you well. In fact, both meanings fit (like in 10:52). For this woman risked all and finally saw how much God loved her. Mk 5,38 Here Jesus is confronted with the death of a girl who is called to live. Jairus was an official of the synagogue (v. 22), that is to say, one of those holding responsibility in the local Jewish community. We too ask God to be healed, but we dare not ask for resurrection of the dead because we consider death as something absolutely irreversible. Jesus wishes to show us that no law of destiny or nature can be an obstacle to God's love. People wailing loudly. During Jesus' time it was customary to hire professional mourners and musicians at a funeral. Today, at funerals, we also have long discourses and ceremonies to mask death, because it shakes and discomforts us and shatters our apparent peace. Jesus does not allow himself to be taken in by our illusions. The child is not dead, but asleep. Of course she is dead, and that is why the people mock him; but Jesus sends the noisy crowd outside, and takes with him the child's father and mother. They are capable of understanding for they have come to him in a spirit of faith (v. 22). Get up! (v. 41). From the first hour, the disciples of Jesus have used this vocabulary sleep, rise in speaking of death and resurrection. They believed that Jesus, Son of God, had, with his own resurrection, definitively defeated death (1 Cor 15). Polls reveal that today a great number of Christians no longer believe in the resurrection. One may ask if it is not the result of a religious education that has been based on moral considerations rather than on listening to the Word of God.
- Mk 5,1 Jesus overcame the raging sea and disembarking on the pagan shore of the lake he confronts the demon. The text says three times that the possessed lived among the tombs, and mentions also three times the chains with which people had in vain tried to bind him. For a Jew to repeat something three times is to use the superlative: it is to say that the possessed has partnership with death and with impurity to which it is attached (Num 19:11); but no one, absolutely no one is able to master him. Finally the possessed, like the servants of idols (1 K 18:28) slashed himself with stones till blood flowed. This adversary, however, bows low recognizing the superiority of Jesus, Son of God the Most High, who forces him to reveal his name. Here again the name is a symbol: legion which means that this man is possessed by a regiment of demons. Jesus will free this possessed man: the demon, author of every impurity is sent to his own kingdom. Pigs are in fact, in Jewish tradition, a type of impure animal, and the sea into which they cast themselves is the symbol of the empire of evil (see the calmed tempest). The herds rushed down (v. 13) (see Mt 8:32 and Lk 8:33). The actual text of Mark says, two thousand pigs rushed. This is an incredible number, for such large herds of pigs were never seen. In Hebrew, the word for herds is only distinguished from the word for 2,000 by an accent mark. Probably a mistake was made when Mark's Gospel was written in Greek. Jesus would not let him (v. 19). It is he who chooses those who will be with him (Mk 3:13). That does not mean that the others, all those who met Jesus and recognized him as Son of God, have nothing to do: they will witness in the midst of those they know how he had compassion on them. In this way Jesus reminds us of the diversity of vocations. Mk 5,21 This woman was considered by the Jews as unclean because of her illness (Lev 15:19). She would also make unclean anyone who touched her. Because of this, she was prohibited by the Law from mingling with others but dared enter into the crowd, and touch Jesus' cloak. Faith drove her to break the Law of purification, and to risk scandal. This woman did not know who Jesus was, but had faith that God would cure her through him. The religiosity of this woman is akin to what we call today popular Catholicism. As seen in this woman, popular Catholicism is ill-instructed, yet shows a strong religious sense and trust in God. It is superficial and naive, expecting great results from touching images and religious things - Christ's garment in this case. Like Jesus, we should respect the religious expressions of popular Catholicism while at the same time trying, like him, to help people discover deeper dimensions of their faith. Mk 5,34 FAITH AND MIRACLES Who is responsible for a miracle? Does it come from the faith of the one who asks or from Christ who works the miracle? If the miracle depends solely on the faith of a person, then what is the difference between the faithful one who asks God for a cure and the one who goes to any faith healer? In the latter, it would be enough to convince oneself; the one actually doing the healing would matter little. These people coming to Jesus were, of course, very far from recognizing him as the Son of God, but they were convinced that God would give them some blessing through this prophet and holy man. This faith prepared them to receive healing in both body and spirit. How can God heal those who refuse to hope? What stands out on this page is the power of Christ: Jesus was conscious that healing power had gone forth from him. Your faith has saved you. This can also be translated: Your faith has made you well. In fact, both meanings fit (like in 10:52). For this woman risked all and finally saw how much God loved her. Mk 5,38 Here Jesus is confronted with the death of a girl who is called to live. Jairus was an official of the synagogue (v. 22), that is to say, one of those holding responsibility in the local Jewish community. We too ask God to be healed, but we dare not ask for resurrection of the dead because we consider death as something absolutely irreversible. Jesus wishes to show us that no law of destiny or nature can be an obstacle to God's love. People wailing loudly. During Jesus' time it was customary to hire professional mourners and musicians at a funeral. Today, at funerals, we also have long discourses and ceremonies to mask death, because it shakes and discomforts us and shatters our apparent peace. Jesus does not allow himself to be taken in by our illusions. The child is not dead, but asleep. Of course she is dead, and that is why the people mock him; but Jesus sends the noisy crowd outside, and takes with him the child's father and mother. They are capable of understanding for they have come to him in a spirit of faith (v. 22). Get up! (v. 41). From the first hour, the disciples of Jesus have used this vocabulary sleep, rise in speaking of death and resurrection. They believed that Jesus, Son of God, had, with his own resurrection, definitively defeated death (1 Cor 15). Polls reveal that today a great number of Christians no longer believe in the resurrection. One may ask if it is not the result of a religious education that has been based on moral considerations rather than on listening to the Word of God.
