Mark 5
Encyclopedia
Mark 5 is the fifth chapter of the Gospel of Mark
in the New Testament
of the Christian
Bible
. It relates the story of three miracles of Jesus
; an exorcism
, a healing
, and a possible resurrection
.
Jesus and his disciples
travel to the country of the Gerasenes (some manuscripts have "Gadarenes" to harmonize with Matthew 8:28 ) across the lake by boat, a region that is in modern Jordan
. A possessed
man comes to meet them. Mark relates that the man had lived in nearby tombs, and had fought off all attempts to chain him up. He roamed the tombs and hills screaming.
The man falls at Jesus's feet and begs Jesus not to harm him. Jesus asks him what his name is and he replies "My name is Legion
,...for we are many". Legion might be a reference to the Roman army
. (Miller 24)
They see some nearby pigs
and the demons ask if they can be put in the pigs, which Jesus does. The pigs then rush into the lake and drown.
The people tending the pigs run off to town telling everyone what happened and some townspeople come to see for themselves. When they arrive the man is sitting dressed and sane
. They are disturbed and ask Jesus to leave the area and he complies. The man asks Jesus to let him follow him, but Jesus tells him to go home to his family and tell them what God
has done for him. The man then travels over the Decapolis
telling people the story.
This story occurs in Matthew
8:28-34, where there are two possessed men, and Luke
8:26-39.
Ruler (a rich patron of the local house of worship (Miller 24), who begs Jesus to heal his sick, twelve year old girl. Jesus takes only Peter
, James
, and John
. This story does not occur in the Gospel of John
. On the way there, a woman who suffers from chronic "bleeding", perhaps menorrhagia
or bleeding from fibroids
. (Brown et al. 608) She sneaks up to Jesus and touches his garment, according to and (see also , Mark 6#Healing of the sick of Gennesaret) the "fringe of his cloak"
(NRSV), by which she is healed. He turns to see who and she fearfully confesses. He says "Daughter, your faith has healed you. Go in peace and be freed from your suffering."
Men arrive and tell Jairus that his daughter is dead. Jesus brushes them off and says "Don't be afraid; just believe." They arrive at the house and everyone is crying loudly. Jesus assures everyone she is just asleep, goes inside and tells her to get up and she does. Unlike the demon possessed man he tells them not to tell people of these events.
This is also in Matthew 9:18-26 and Luke 8:40-56. Luke keeps the stories of the possessed man and the two women together but Matthew inserts the story of the paralyzed man, calling of Matthew, and the parable of the wineskins found in Mark 2
between these two stories.
Gospel of Mark
The Gospel According to Mark , commonly shortened to the Gospel of Mark or simply Mark, is the second book of the New Testament. This canonical account of the life of Jesus of Nazareth is one of the three synoptic gospels. It was thought to be an epitome, which accounts for its place as the second...
in the New Testament
New Testament
The New Testament is the second major division of the Christian biblical canon, the first such division being the much longer Old Testament....
of the Christian
Christian
A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...
Bible
Bible
The Bible refers to any one of the collections of the primary religious texts of Judaism and Christianity. There is no common version of the Bible, as the individual books , their contents and their order vary among denominations...
. It relates the story of three miracles of Jesus
Miracles of Jesus
The miracles of Jesus are the supernatural deeds of Jesus, as recorded in Gospels, in the course of his ministry. According to the Gospel of John, only some of these were recorded. states that "Jesus did many other things as well...
; an exorcism
Exorcism
Exorcism is the religious practice of evicting demons or other spiritual entities from a person or place which they are believed to have possessed...
, a healing
Healing
Physiological healing is the restoration of damaged living tissue, organs and biological system to normal function. It is the process by which the cells in the body regenerate and repair to reduce the size of a damaged or necrotic area....
, and a possible resurrection
Resurrection
Resurrection refers to the literal coming back to life of the biologically dead. It is used both with respect to particular individuals or the belief in a General Resurrection of the dead at the end of the world. The General Resurrection is featured prominently in Jewish, Christian, and Muslim...
.
Healing of the Gerasene Demoniac
Jesus and his disciples
Disciple (Christianity)
In Christianity, the disciples were the students of Jesus during his ministry. While Jesus attracted a large following, the term disciple is commonly used to refer specifically to "the Twelve", an inner circle of men whose number perhaps represented the twelve tribes of Israel...
travel to the country of the Gerasenes (some manuscripts have "Gadarenes" to harmonize with Matthew 8:28 ) across the lake by boat, a region that is in modern Jordan
Jordan
Jordan , officially the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan , Al-Mamlaka al-Urduniyya al-Hashemiyya) is a kingdom on the East Bank of the River Jordan. The country borders Saudi Arabia to the east and south-east, Iraq to the north-east, Syria to the north and the West Bank and Israel to the west, sharing...
. A possessed
Demonic possession
Demonic possession is held by many belief systems to be the control of an individual by a malevolent supernatural being. Descriptions of demonic possessions often include erased memories or personalities, convulsions, “fits” and fainting as if one were dying...
man comes to meet them. Mark relates that the man had lived in nearby tombs, and had fought off all attempts to chain him up. He roamed the tombs and hills screaming.
The man falls at Jesus's feet and begs Jesus not to harm him. Jesus asks him what his name is and he replies "My name is Legion
Legion (demon)
Legion is a group of demons referred to in the Christian Bible. The New Testament outlines an encounter where Jesus healed a man from Gadarenes possessed by demons while traveling, known as Exorcising the Gerasenes demonic.- In the Bible :...
,...for we are many". Legion might be a reference to the Roman army
Military history of ancient Rome
From its origin as a city-state in Italy in the 8th century BC, to its rise as an empire covering much of Southern Europe, Western Europe, Near East and North Africa and fall in the 5th century AD, the political history of Ancient Rome was typically closely entwined with its military history...
. (Miller 24)
They see some nearby pigs
PIGS
PIGS is a four letter acronym that can stand for:* PIGS , Phosphatidylinositol glycan anchor biosynthesis, class S, a human gene* PIGS , the economies of Portugal, Italy , Greece and Spain...
and the demons ask if they can be put in the pigs, which Jesus does. The pigs then rush into the lake and drown.
The people tending the pigs run off to town telling everyone what happened and some townspeople come to see for themselves. When they arrive the man is sitting dressed and sane
Sanity
Sanity refers to the soundness, rationality and healthiness of the human mind, as opposed to insanity. A person is sane if they are rational...
. They are disturbed and ask Jesus to leave the area and he complies. The man asks Jesus to let him follow him, but Jesus tells him to go home to his family and tell them what God
God
God is the English name given to a singular being in theistic and deistic religions who is either the sole deity in monotheism, or a single deity in polytheism....
has done for him. The man then travels over the Decapolis
Decapolis
The Decapolis was a group of ten cities on the eastern frontier of the Roman Empire in Judea and Syria. The ten cities were not an official league or political unit, but they were grouped together because of their language, culture, location, and political status...
telling people the story.
This story occurs in Matthew
Gospel of Matthew
The Gospel According to Matthew is one of the four canonical gospels, one of the three synoptic gospels, and the first book of the New Testament. It tells of the life, ministry, death, and resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth...
8:28-34, where there are two possessed men, and Luke
Gospel of Luke
The Gospel According to Luke , commonly shortened to the Gospel of Luke or simply Luke, is the third and longest of the four canonical Gospels. This synoptic gospel is an account of the life and ministry of Jesus of Nazareth. It details his story from the events of his birth to his Ascension.The...
8:26-39.
Jairus' daughter and the woman who touched Jesus' garment
On the other side of the lake Jesus is met by a man named Jairus, a SynagogueSynagogue
A synagogue is a Jewish house of prayer. This use of the Greek term synagogue originates in the Septuagint where it sometimes translates the Hebrew word for assembly, kahal...
Ruler (a rich patron of the local house of worship (Miller 24), who begs Jesus to heal his sick, twelve year old girl. Jesus takes only Peter
Saint Peter
Saint Peter or Simon Peter was an early Christian leader, who is featured prominently in the New Testament Gospels and the Acts of the Apostles. The son of John or of Jonah and from the village of Bethsaida in the province of Galilee, his brother Andrew was also an apostle...
, James
Saint James the Great
James, son of Zebedee was one of the Twelve Apostles of Jesus. He was a son of Zebedee and Salome, and brother of John the Apostle...
, and John
John the Apostle
John the Apostle, John the Apostle, John the Apostle, (Aramaic Yoħanna, (c. 6 - c. 100) was one of the Twelve Apostles of Jesus. He was the son of Zebedee and Salome, and brother of James, another of the Twelve Apostles...
. This story does not occur in the Gospel of John
Gospel of John
The Gospel According to John , commonly referred to as the Gospel of John or simply John, and often referred to in New Testament scholarship as the Fourth Gospel, is an account of the public ministry of Jesus...
. On the way there, a woman who suffers from chronic "bleeding", perhaps menorrhagia
Menorrhagia
Menorrhagia is an abnormally heavy and prolonged menstrual period at regular intervals. Causes may be due to abnormal blood clotting, disruption of normal hormonal regulation of periods or disorders of the endometrial lining of the uterus...
or bleeding from fibroids
Uterine fibroids
A uterine fibroid is a benign tumor that originates from the smooth muscle layer and the accompanying connective tissue of the uterus.Fibroids are the most common benign tumors in...
. (Brown et al. 608) She sneaks up to Jesus and touches his garment, according to and (see also , Mark 6#Healing of the sick of Gennesaret) the "fringe of his cloak"
Tzitzit
The Hebrew noun tzitzit is the name for specially knotted ritual fringes worn by observant Jews. Tzitzit are attached to the four corners of the tallit and tallit katan.-Etymology:The word may derive from the semitic root N-TZ-H...
(NRSV), by which she is healed. He turns to see who and she fearfully confesses. He says "Daughter, your faith has healed you. Go in peace and be freed from your suffering."
Men arrive and tell Jairus that his daughter is dead. Jesus brushes them off and says "Don't be afraid; just believe." They arrive at the house and everyone is crying loudly. Jesus assures everyone she is just asleep, goes inside and tells her to get up and she does. Unlike the demon possessed man he tells them not to tell people of these events.
This is also in Matthew 9:18-26 and Luke 8:40-56. Luke keeps the stories of the possessed man and the two women together but Matthew inserts the story of the paralyzed man, calling of Matthew, and the parable of the wineskins found in Mark 2
Mark 2
Mark 2 is the second chapter of the Gospel of Mark in the New Testament of the Christian Bible. It has the first argument in Mark between Jesus and other Jewish religious teachers...
between these two stories.