Mark 5:1-6. And they came over unto the other side of the sea, into the country of the Gadarenes. And when he was come out of the ship, immediately there met him out of the tombs a man with an unclean spirit, who had his dwelling among the tombs; and no man could bind him, no, not with chains: because that he had been often bound with fetters and chains, and the chains had been plucked asunder by him, and the fetters broken in pieces: neither could any man tame him. And always, night and day, he was in the mountains, and in the tombs, crying, and cutting himself with stones.
What a pitiful object this poor creature must have been, a terror to the whole region! So far as man was concerned, he was in an utterly hopeless condition; yet there was hope for him, for Jesus had crossed the sea apparently with the special purpose of healing him. Our Saviour had proved his power over the winds and waves, and he was about to show that demons were equally subject to his control.
Mark 5:6-7. But when he saw Jesus afar off, he ran and worshipped him, and cried with a loud voice and said, What have I to do with thee, Jesus, thou Son of the of most high God? I adjure thee by God, that thou torment me not.
The voice was the voice of the man, but the devil so completely dominated the whole of him, being that he could only speak as the unclean spirit directed him.
Mark 5:8. For he said unto him, Come out of the man, thou unclean spirit.
So that the demon's adjuration was an answer to the Lord's command, «Come out of the man, thou unclean spirit.»
Mark 5:9-13. And he asked him, What is thy name? And he answered, saying, My name is Legion: for we are many. And he besought him much that he would not send them away out of the country. Now there was there nigh unto the mountains a great herd of swine feeding. And all the devils besought him, saying, Send us into the swine, that we may enter into them. And forthwith Jesus gave them leave. And the unclean spirits went out, and entered into the swine: and the herd ran violently down a steep place into the sea, (they were about two thousand;) and were choked in the sea.
It is clear from this narrative that the demons knew that Jesus was the Son of the most high God, and that he had absolute power to do with them whatever he pleased. It is else clear that they believed in prayer, and that they were all agreed in their supplication to him; and it is significant that Jesus granted their request: «Send us into the swine, that we may enter into them.» There was a certain congruity in the unclean spirit entering into the unclean animals, so «forthwith Jesus gave them leave.»
Mark 5:14 ; Mark 5:16. And they that fed the swine fled, and told it in the city, and in the country. And they went out to see what it was that was done. And they come to Jesus, and see him that was possessed with the devil, and had the legion, sitting, and clothed, and in his right mind: and they were afraid.
What a wonderful sight that was for them to see! Yet they need not have been afraid, they ought rather to have rejoiced to see the poor demoniac «sitting, and clothed, and in his right mind.»
Mark 5:16-17. And they that saw it told them how it befell to him that was possessed with the devil, and also concerning the swine. And they began to pray him to depart out of their coasts.
Here is a second prayer in which many united, a very foolish and wicked prayer, yet the Saviour did as these people wished. He would not force his company upon those who wanted him to go, so he at once turned his face to the ship that he might «depart out of their coasts.»
Mark 5:18-19. And when he was come into the ship, he that had been possessed with the devil prayed him that he might be with him. 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.
This is the third prayer in this chapter; not like the two previous ones, the petition of many who were not Christ's followers, it was the earnest supplication of one who was so grateful for what Jesus had done for him that he longed to be always with him. Yet it was not granted, because Jesus saw that the man could serve him better by bearing testimony among those who knew him to the great things the Lord had done for him.
Mark 5:20. And he departed, and began to publish in Decapolis how great things Jesus had done for him: and all men did marvel.
His testimony not only made men marvel, but it helped to prepare the people to welcome the Saviour when he returned to that region.
Mark 5:21. And when Jesus was passed over again by ship unto the other side, much people gathered unto him: and he was nigh unto the sea.
How many missionary voyages Jesus made, sometimes to one side of the sea, sometimes to the other side! What an example of holy diligence he is to us! So long as he lived here below, he never ceased to labour for he never ceased to love.
Mark 5:22. And, behold, there cometh one of the rulers of the synagogue, Jairus by name; and when he saw him, he fell at his feet,
It was an unusual thing for a ruler of the synagogue to be at the feet of Jesus, yet that is the best place for us all. If God has placed any of you m an eminent position, it will well become you to fall at the feet of Jesus as Jairus did. There is no place more suitable, no place more honourable, no place more profitable, than at the feet of Jesus. What brought Jairus there? It was his great necessity; and that is what will bring us there, a sense of our great need.
Mark 5:23. And besought him greatly, saying, My little daughter lieth at the point of death: I pray thee, come and lay thy hands on her, that she may be healed; and she shall live.
This was great faith, yet it was also little faith, for he limits Christ's power to his bodily presence, and he stipulates about the way in which the cure is to be wrought: «I pray thee, come and lay thy hands on her, that she may be healed.» Yet we never like to criticize faith, there is so little of it, and it is so precious a thing that we are glad to see it anywhere, and especially in a ruler of the synagogue. Oh, that we all prayed thus for our little daughters and our little sons: «Lord, come and lay thy hands on them! There is sin in them, and sin means spiritual death, come and lay thy hands on them, that they may be healed, and live for ever.»
Mark 5:24. And Jesus went with him;
He will always regard true prayer; if we can believe, Jesus will come.
Mark 5:24-25. And much people followed him, and thronged him. And a certain woman,
There were many in the throng around Jesus who did not touch him, and there were many who touched him, but not as she did; so she is singled out from the crowd: «A certain woman,»
Mark 5:25-28. Which had an issue of blood twelve years, and had suffered many things of many physicians, and had spent all that she had, and was nothing bettered, but rather grew worse, when she had heard of Jesus, came in the press behind, and touched his garment. For she said, If I may touch but his clothes, I shall be whole.
Was this woman sent, do you think, to encourage the faith of Jarius? It has been well said that the child of Jairus had been twelve years living, but this woman had been twelve years dying, so, if Christ could heal the woman who had been twelve years dying, he could raise the child who had been twelve years living. It is significant that there should have been this equalization of the number of years in the two cases. Although Jairus seemed strong in faith, he was not really so. He put the best side of his faith forward; while this woman, who was strong in faith, yet coming behind Christ, and touching him as it were by stealth, put the worst side of her faith forward. We have known this to be the case in others, some who seem to be strong in faith are none too strong, and some who seem to be very weak in faith are much stronger than they seem.
Mark 5:29-31. And straightway the fountain of her blood was dried up; and she felt in her body that she was healed of that plague. And Jesus, immediately knowing in himself that virtue had gone out of him, turned him about in the press, and said, Who touched my clothes? And his disciple said unto him, Thou seest the multitude thronging thee, and sayest thou, Who touched me?
They spoke too fast, as we also sometimes do, it would have been well if they had said nothing which looked like questioning their Master's word.
Mark 5:32-33. And he looked round about to see her that had done this thing. But the woman fearing and trembling, knowing what was done in her, came and fell down before him, and told him all the truth.
The miracle had been wrought in her, yet she was fearing and trembling because she perceived the imperfection of her way of approaching the Saviour. Probably, after we are saved, we see more of our mistakes than we did before; and when the blessing really comes to us, we begin to be anxious lest we should lose Christ because of some misapprehension in our way of finding him. The woman «fell down before him, and told him all the truth.»
Mark 5:34. And he said unto her, Daughter,
This was a very unusual way for Christ to speak to a woman, so careful was he in his speech, but then she was a very exceptional woman:
«Daughter,»
Mark 5:34-35. Thy faith hath made thee whole; go in peace, and be whole of thy plague. While he yet spake, there came from the ruler of the synagogue's house certain which said, Thy daughter is dead: why troublest thou the Master any further?
This ruler of the synagogue was on the brink of getting the blessing he sought, and then the very worst news comes to him. It may be that just now some of you have seemed to receive the sentence of death to all your hopes, yet you are on the very verge of getting the blessing. It is often so; just when the devil knows that the blessing is near, he struggles the hardest with the soul that is seeking it. Do not be cast down if that sentence of death comes to you, but still believe.
Mark 5:36-39. As soon as Jesus heard the word that was spoken, he saith unto the ruler of the synagogue, Be not afraid, only believe. And he suffered no man to follow him, save Peter, and James, and John the brother of James. And he cometh to the house of the ruler of the synagogue, and seeth the tumult, and them that wept and wailed greatly. And when he was come in, he saith unto them, Why make ye this ado, and weep? the damsel is not dead, but sleepeth.
Jesus knew what he was about to do, and, speaking with the knowledge of the miracle he was about to perform, he said, «The damsel is not dead but sleepeth.» A charlatan, who wanted to make himself famous, and in order to increase the clat of the miracle, would have said, «The damsel is really dead,» but the Saviour, in his infinite modesty of heart, puts it thus, « The damsel is not dead, but sleepeth.»
Mark 5:40. And they laughed him to scorn.
Can you picture the scene? These people, who had been hired to weep and wail, had not much of the spirit of mourning in them, for they laughed directly and derisively; they turned upon the mighty Master of life and death, and «laughed him to scorn.»
Mark 5:40. But when he had put them all out,
That was the best way to answer the scorners. It is no good arguing with people who can cry or laugh to order: «when he had put them all out,»
Mark 5:40-42. He taketh the father and the mother of the damsel, and them that were with him, and entereth in where the damsel was lying. And he took the damsel by the hand, and said unto her, Talitha cumi; which is, being interpreted, Damsel, I say unto thee, arise. And straightway
Notice how this word «straightway» comes in again. It is the characteristic word in reference to Christ's miracles; they are usually wrought at once. We read, in the 29 th verse, «Straightway the fountain of her blood was dried up.» Now we read, «Straightway»
Mark 5:42. The damsel arose, and walked;
Oh, that the Lord Jesus Christ would work some «straightway» miracles in our midst just now! He can do it if he pleases; before this service ends, there may be some who shall have passed from death unto life, out of the darkness of sin into the marvelous light of grace. Blessed be God for this; who will it be?
Mark 5:42-43. For she was of the age of twelve years. And they were astonished with a great astonishment. And he charged them straitly that no man should know it;
He did not want to blaze abroad the story of these wondrous deeds of his. The crowd was already inconveniently large, so that «he charged them straitly that no man should know it;»
Mark 5:43. And commanded that something should be given her to eat.
She might have continued to live by a miracle as she had been miraculously raised from the dead; but it was needless, and Christ never wrought an unnecessary miracle. Do not look for miracles when ordinary means will suffice. «He commanded that something should be given her to eat.» When life is given or restored, the next thing needed is nourishment; when you are made spiritually to live, be sure to attend a soul-feeding ministry; and diligently read the Word, that you may get all needful nourishment for your soul out of it.