Verses 1-20: Mercy Over the Unclean and Power Over the Demonic

¹ They came to the other side of the sea, into the country of the Gadarenes. ² When he had come out of the boat, immediately a man with an unclean spirit met him out of the tombs. ³ He lived in the tombs. Nobody could bind him any more, not even with chains, ⁴ because he had been often bound with fetters and chains, and the chains had been torn apart by him, and the fetters broken in pieces. Nobody had the strength to tame him. ⁵ Always, night and day, in the tombs and in the mountains, he was crying out, and cutting himself with stones. ⁶ When he saw Jesus from afar, he ran and bowed down to him, ⁷ and crying out with a loud voice, he said, “What have I to do with you, Jesus, you Son of the Most High God? I adjure you by God, don’t torment me.” ⁸ For he said to him, “Come out of the man, you unclean spirit!” ⁹ He asked him, “What is your name?” He said to him, “My name is Legion, for we are many.” ¹⁰ He begged him much that he would not send them away out of the country. ¹¹ Now on the mountainside there was a great herd of pigs feeding. ¹² All the demons begged him, saying, “Send us into the pigs, that we may enter into them.” ¹³ At once Jesus gave them permission. The unclean spirits came out and entered into the pigs. The herd of about two thousand rushed down the steep bank into the sea, and they were drowned in the sea. ¹⁴ Those who fed them fled, and told it in the city and in the country. The people came to see what it was that had happened. ¹⁵ They came to Jesus, and saw him who had been possessed by demons sitting, clothed, and in his right mind, even him who had the legion; and they were afraid. ¹⁶ Those who saw it declared to them what happened to him who was possessed by demons, and about the pigs. ¹⁷ They began to beg him to depart from their region. ¹⁸ As he was entering into the boat, he who had been possessed by demons begged him that he might be with him. ¹⁹ He didn’t allow him, but said to him, “Go to your house, to your friends, and tell them what great things the Lord has done for you, and how he had mercy on you.” ²⁰ He went his way, and began to proclaim in Decapolis how Jesus had done great things for him, and everyone marveled.

• Jesus’ authority reaches the most hopeless places:

  The man’s condition is portrayed as humanly untamable—“Nobody had the strength to tame him”—and his life among tombs depicts misery, uncleanness, and isolation. Yet the narrative turns on the simple reality that Jesus arrives, confronts the unclean spirit, and commands it to leave. The theological point is that Christ’s saving authority is not limited by spiritual bondage, social exclusion, or long-established patterns of destruction; his presence initiates deliverance where human strength fails.

• Evil is real, personal, and destructive—but not equal to Christ:

  The unclean spirits speak, beg, and seek permission, showing that the demonic is not merely metaphorical but an active personal force that harms (“cutting himself with stones”) and multiplies (“for we are many”). Yet even in their hostility, they recognize Jesus’ identity (“Jesus, you Son of the Most High God”) and submit to his command and limits. The passage teaches sober realism about spiritual evil while emphasizing the decisive supremacy of Jesus over it.

• Deliverance is mercy that restores dignity and wholeness:

  After the deliverance, the man is seen “sitting, clothed, and in his right mind,” highlighting that God’s saving work is not only removal of oppression but restoration of personhood. This signals a holistic mercy—spiritual, mental, social—where grace does not merely interrupt harm but reorders a life toward peace and stability.

• People may fear Jesus’ power and prefer distance over transformation:

  Those who witness the change “were afraid,” and the region’s people “beg him to depart from their region.” Theologically, the episode exposes how the presence of divine holiness and power can provoke resistance, especially when it disrupts familiar patterns or perceived interests. It warns that amazement is not the same as faith, and that fear can lead to asking Jesus to leave rather than welcoming him to reign.

• Grace creates witnesses, but Jesus directs the shape of discipleship:

  The delivered man desires to remain with Jesus, yet Jesus “didn’t allow him” and commissions him: “Go to your house, to your friends, and tell them what great things the Lord has done for you, and how he had mercy on you.” This holds together two truths: salvation is a gift of mercy from the Lord, and those who receive mercy are called into mission. At the same time, discipleship is not self-directed; Jesus assigns vocations that serve others and magnify God’s mercy in concrete relationships and places.

Verses 21-34: Faith Reaching for Jesus in Hidden Suffering

²¹ When Jesus had crossed back over in the boat to the other side, a great multitude was gathered to him; and he was by the sea. ²² Behold, one of the rulers of the synagogue, Jairus by name, came; and seeing him, he fell at his feet, ²³ and begged him much, saying, “My little daughter is at the point of death. Please come and lay your hands on her, that she may be made healthy, and live.” ²⁴ He went with him, and a great multitude followed him, and they pressed upon him on all sides. ²⁵ A certain woman, who had a discharge of blood for twelve years, ²⁶ and had suffered many things by many physicians, and had spent all that she had, and was no better, but rather grew worse, ²⁷ having heard the things concerning Jesus, came up behind him in the crowd, and touched his clothes. ²⁸ For she said, “If I just touch his clothes, I will be made well.” ²⁹ Immediately the flow of her blood was dried up, and she felt in her body that she was healed of her affliction. ³⁰ Immediately Jesus, perceiving in himself that the power had gone out from him, turned around in the crowd, and asked, “Who touched my clothes?” ³¹ His disciples said to him, “You see the multitude pressing against you, and you say, ‘Who touched me?’ ” ³² He looked around to see her who had done this thing. ³³ But the woman, fearing and trembling, knowing what had been done to her, came and fell down before him, and told him all the truth. ³⁴ He said to her, “Daughter, your faith has made you well. Go in peace, and be cured of your disease.”

• Need brings both the prominent and the overlooked to Jesus:

  Jairus is publicly identifiable (“one of the rulers of the synagogue”), while the woman is unnamed and suffering privately for “twelve years.” Mark places these side by side to show that Jesus is accessible to every social position and kind of need. Theologically, Christ’s compassion is not partial; the same Lord receives desperate pleas from public leaders and quiet, trembling sufferers.

• Faith is active trust that reaches toward Christ, not a mere idea:

  The woman acts on what she has “heard” about Jesus and moves toward him with a specific hope: “If I just touch his clothes, I will be made well.” Her faith is not portrayed as earning power, but as a real personal trust that turns to Jesus as the true source of healing. The passage commends a faith that does more than admire Jesus from the crowd—it entrusts itself to him.

• Jesus draws hidden believers into truthful communion and peace:

  Jesus’ question “Who touched my clothes?” brings the woman from anonymity into confession: she “told him all the truth.” This shows that Jesus’ saving work is relational and personal—he does not treat her as a mere case, but calls her “Daughter,” restoring belonging and dignity. Theological healing here includes peace with God’s messenger and peace within the conscience: “Go in peace, and be cured of your disease.”

• God’s power is personal, and Christ remains undiminished in giving:

  Jesus “perceiving in himself that the power had gone out from him” highlights that healing is not impersonal magic but the living power of God at work through Jesus’ person. At the same time, the narrative implies no scarcity in Jesus; he can stop for one suffering woman without abandoning Jairus’ urgent need. Divine generosity is not reduced by being shared.

Verses 35-43: Only Believe—Life Where Death Is Announced

³⁵ While he was still speaking, people came from the synagogue ruler’s house saying, “Your daughter is dead. Why bother the Teacher any more?” ³⁶ But Jesus, when he heard the message spoken, immediately said to the ruler of the synagogue, “Don’t be afraid, only believe.” ³⁷ He allowed no one to follow him, except Peter, James, and John the brother of James. ³⁸ He came to the synagogue ruler’s house, and he saw an uproar, weeping, and great wailing. ³⁹ When he had entered in, he said to them, “Why do you make an uproar and weep? The child is not dead, but is asleep.” ⁴⁰ They ridiculed him. But he, having put them all out, took the father of the child, her mother, and those who were with him, and went in where the child was lying. ⁴¹ Taking the child by the hand, he said to her, “Talitha cumi!” which means, being interpreted, “Girl, I tell you, get up!” ⁴² Immediately the girl rose up and walked, for she was twelve years old. They were amazed with great amazement. ⁴³ He strictly ordered them that no one should know this, and commanded that something should be given to her to eat.

• Faith is commanded precisely where fear seems most reasonable:

  The messengers’ conclusion—“Your daughter is dead. Why bother the Teacher any more?”—frames death as the end of hope. Jesus answers with a direct pastoral imperative: “Don’t be afraid, only believe.” Theologically, this presents faith as trust in Jesus’ sufficiency even when circumstances declare finality, and it shows Jesus addressing not only the situation but the human heart that is tempted toward despair.

• Unbelief can ridicule, but it cannot cancel Christ’s life-giving word:

  The mourners “ridiculed him,” contrasting public scorn with Jesus’ quiet authority. Jesus proceeds by putting them out and acting decisively. The passage teaches that mockery and unbelief are not neutral—they oppose hope—but they are also not ultimate. Christ’s word and action, not the crowd’s assessment, determine what will be.

• Jesus exercises intimate, restoring power over death:

  Jesus takes the child “by the hand” and speaks: “Girl, I tell you, get up!” The immediacy of the result—“Immediately the girl rose up and walked”—shows that life responds to his command. Theologically, this points to Jesus as Lord over death, whose authority is not abstract but tender and personal, restoring a child to her family in a way that evokes wonder and worship.

• God’s works invite awe, but are handled with wisdom and care:

  Jesus “strictly ordered them that no one should know this” and also commands practical care: “that something should be given to her to eat.” This pairing teaches that true divine power is neither sensationalistic nor detached from ordinary needs. Jesus both governs the spread of the news according to his purpose and attends to embodied, daily life—showing a wisdom that is spiritual and practical at once.

Conclusion: Mark 5 reveals Jesus as the merciful Lord whose authority over demons, disease, and death is exercised for restoration and peace. The chapter calls believers to bring desperate needs to Christ, to respond to his word with trust rather than fear, and to live as witnesses who “tell them what great things the Lord has done for you, and how he had mercy on you,” so that communities may marvel at the grace of God made visible in Jesus.