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Mark 5

Chapter Text

The Healing of a Demon-Possessed Man

Jairus's Daughter and a Sick Woman

Summary

Jesus crosses to the country of the Gadarenes and encounters a man possessed by a legion of demons, living among the tombs. Jesus delivers him, sending the demons into a herd of swine that rush into the sea. The people of the region beg Jesus to leave.

Returning across the sea, Jesus is met by Jairus, a ruler of the synagogue, whose daughter is dying. On the way, a woman with an issue of blood for twelve years touches His garment and is healed. Jesus arrives at Jairus' house and raises the girl from the dead with the words Talitha cumi.

Meaning

The Gadarene demoniac represents the most extreme case of human bondage and degradation. No chains could bind him, but the word of Jesus set him free instantly. His transformation, sitting, clothed, and in his right mind, is a powerful picture of what Christ's deliverance accomplishes.

The interweaving of Jairus' story with the woman's healing creates a narrative of escalating faith. The woman's secret touch and Jairus' public desperation both lead to the same place: the healing power of Christ. Even death cannot resist His command.

Background

The country of the Gadarenes was Gentile territory on the eastern shore of the Sea of Galilee. The presence of a large herd of swine confirms the Gentile setting, as pigs were unclean animals under Jewish law.

A legion was a Roman military unit of approximately six thousand soldiers. The name suggests the man was possessed by an exceptionally large number of demons. Talitha cumi is Aramaic, preserved by Mark as an eyewitness detail likely from Peter.

Chapter Outline

  1. vv. 1-13The Gadarene demoniac delivered
  2. vv. 14-20The healed man sent to Decapolis
  3. vv. 21-24Jairus pleads for his daughter
  4. vv. 25-34The woman with the issue of blood
  5. vv. 35-40News of death and Christ's response
  6. vv. 41-43Talitha cumi: the damsel raised

Key Verses

“Howbeit Jesus suffered him not, but saith unto him, Go home to thy friends, and tell them how great things the Lord hath done for thee, and hath had compassion on thee.”— 5:19

Jesus commissions the delivered demoniac as the first Gentile missionary, framing personal testimony as the proper response to divine mercy. The verse establishes a pattern for evangelism rooted in gratitude rather than coercion.

“And he said unto her, Daughter, thy faith hath made thee whole; go in peace, and be whole of thy plague.”— 5:34

Christ's tender address 'Daughter' and his declaration that faith—not the touch itself—brings healing is a cornerstone text on saving faith. It is among the most quoted verses on the relationship between belief and wholeness.

“As soon as Jesus heard the word that was spoken, he saith unto the ruler of the synagogue, Be not afraid, only believe.”— 5:36

This terse command has comforted believers facing impossible circumstances for two millennia. It distills the gospel posture of trust in the face of death itself.

“And he took the damsel by the hand, and said unto her, Talitha cumi; which is, being interpreted, Damsel, I say unto thee, arise.”— 5:41

Mark preserves the original Aramaic words of Jesus, offering a vivid earwitness detail and demonstrating Christ's authority over death itself. The verse foreshadows resurrection power exercised in his own rising.

People & Places

People

  • Jesus — The Son of God who delivers, heals, and raises the dead in three successive miracles.
  • The Gadarene demoniac — A man tormented by a legion of unclean spirits, delivered by Christ and sent to testify in Decapolis.
  • Legion — The collective name given by the unclean spirits inhabiting the demoniac, signifying their multitude.
  • Jairus — A ruler of the synagogue who falls at Jesus' feet pleading for his dying daughter.
  • Jairus' daughter — A twelve-year-old girl raised from death by Christ's command 'Talitha cumi.'
  • The woman with the issue of blood — A woman afflicted twelve years who is healed by touching the hem of Jesus' garment in faith.
  • Peter, James, and John — The inner circle of disciples permitted to witness the raising of Jairus' daughter.

Places

  • Sea of Galilee — The freshwater lake Jesus crosses by ship between miracles on its eastern and western shores.
  • Country of the Gadarenes — Gentile region on the southeast shore of Galilee where the demoniac dwells among the tombs.
  • Decapolis — A league of ten Hellenistic cities east of the Jordan where the delivered man proclaims Christ's mercy.

Prophecy & Fulfillment

The raising of Jairus' daughter prefigures Christ's own resurrection and anticipates the eschatological promise that the dead in Christ shall rise (1 Thessalonians 4:16). Jesus' euphemism in verse 39—'the damsel is not dead, but sleepeth'—introduces the New Testament vocabulary by which death becomes sleep for those touched by his power. The deliverance at Gadara also fulfills Isaiah's vision of Messiah binding the strong man and freeing the captives (Isaiah 49:24-25), extending salvation beyond Israel into Gentile territory.

Devotional

Mark gathers three desperate cases—a man no chains could hold, a woman no physician could heal, a child no parent could save—and shows that Christ meets each one personally. No condition is too violent, too chronic, or too final for him.

Notice how faith looks different in each story: a shriek of recognition, a trembling touch, a father's stubborn hope. Christ honors them all. Whatever frays your strength today, bring it as it is. He is not embarrassed by tombs, crowds, or grief—and his word still says, 'Be not afraid, only believe.'

Literary Style

Narrative gospel prose in Mark's characteristic breathless style, marked by the adverb 'straightway' and vivid sensory detail. The chapter employs a Markan sandwich (intercalation), nesting the hemorrhaging woman's healing within the Jairus account, and preserves an Aramaic ipsissima verba ('Talitha cumi').