Mark 5
No One Is Beyond His Reach
Jesus meets a man held captive by evil spirits, a woman worn down by years of sickness, and a family facing a child's death. In each place, His power comes with care for people whom others cannot help.
Walking Through Mark 5
Power That Breaks the Chains (Mark 5:1-13)
1 So they came to the other side of the lake, to the region of the Gerasenes. 2 Just as Jesus was getting out of the boat, a man with an unclean spirit came from the tombs and met him. 3 He lived among the tombs, and no one could bind him anymore, not even with a chain. 4 For his hands and feet had often been bound with chains and shackles, but he had torn the chains apart and broken the shackles in pieces. No one was strong enough to subdue him. 5 Each night and every day among the tombs and in the mountains, he would cry out and cut himself with stones. 6 When he saw Jesus from a distance, he ran and bowed down before him. 7 Then he cried out with a loud voice, “Leave me alone, Jesus, Son of the Most High God! I implore you by God—do not torment me!” 8 (For Jesus had said to him, “Come out of that man, you unclean spirit!”) 9 Jesus asked him, “What is your name?” And he said, “My name is Legion, for we are many.” 10 He begged Jesus repeatedly not to send them out of the region. 11 There on the hillside, a great herd of pigs was feeding. 12 And the demonic spirits begged him, “Send us into the pigs. Let us enter them.” 13 Jesus gave them permission. So the unclean spirits came out and went into the pigs. Then the herd rushed down the steep slope into the lake, and about 2,000 were drowned in the lake.Mark 5:1-13 · NET Bible
A man living among the tombs meets Jesus. Evil spirits have made his life full of pain and danger. People have tried to chain him, but no one can control him. He cries out and cuts himself with stones. Mark wants us to see both his great suffering and the limits of human strength.
The spirits know who Jesus is and recognize His power over them. The name Legion, taken from a large Roman army unit, points to the many spirits holding this man captive. They beg to enter a herd of pigs, and Jesus allows it. The herd then rushes into the sea and drowns. The scene shows the destructive nature of evil and the greater power of Jesus. We should not treat every illness as demon possession. Here, Mark clearly describes evil spirits, and Jesus is fully able to drive them out.
A Changed Man with a Message (Mark 5:14-20)
14 Now the herdsmen ran off and spread the news in the town and countryside, and the people went out to see what had happened. 15 They came to Jesus and saw the demon-possessed man sitting there, clothed, and in his right mind—the one who had the “Legion”—and they were afraid. 16 Those who had seen what had happened to the demon-possessed man reported it, and they also told about the pigs. 17 Then they began to beg Jesus to leave their region. 18 As he was getting into the boat the man who had been demon-possessed asked if he could go with him. 19 But Jesus did not permit him to do so. Instead, he said to him, “Go to your home and to your people and tell them what the Lord has done for you, that he had mercy on you.” 20 So he went away and began to proclaim in the Decapolis what Jesus had done for him, and all were amazed.Mark 5:14-20 · NET Bible
The people caring for the pigs spread the news. When others arrive, they find the man sitting, clothed, and thinking clearly. The change is plain, but their response is fear. They ask Jesus to leave. Mark does not tell us every reason behind their request, so we should not pretend to know all their motives.
The healed man wants to go with Jesus. Instead, Jesus sends him home to tell his own people what the Lord has done and how He has shown mercy. The man goes through the Decapolis, a region known for its ten cities, telling what Jesus has done. People are amazed. I find hope in this: the man once known for his suffering now has good news to share. Following Jesus does not always mean going somewhere far away. Sometimes it begins among the people who already know us.
A Father Comes for Help (Mark 5:21-24)
21 When Jesus had crossed again in a boat to the other side, a large crowd gathered around him, and he was by the sea. 22 Then one of the synagogue leaders, named Jairus, came up, and when he saw Jesus, he fell at his feet. 23 He asked him urgently, “My little daughter is near death. Come and lay your hands on her so that she may be healed and live.” 24 Jesus went with him, and a large crowd followed and pressed around him.Mark 5:21-24 · NET Bible
Jesus crosses the lake again, and a large crowd gathers. Jairus, a synagogue leader, comes and falls at His feet. A synagogue was a local gathering place for worship and learning the Scriptures. Jairus has a respected role, but his position cannot save his dying daughter.
He urgently asks Jesus to come and lay His hands on her so she may recover and live. Jesus goes with him. There is no long speech and no demand that this father prove his worth. Jesus responds to his need. I do not want us to miss that simple act of care. The crowd presses around Him, but one family's pain matters. As the story continues, this father's urgent need will meet an unexpected delay.
More Than a Face in the Crowd (Mark 5:25-34)
25 Now a woman was there who had been suffering from a hemorrhage for 12 years. 26 She had endured a great deal under the care of many doctors and had spent all that she had. Yet instead of getting better, she grew worse. 27 When she heard about Jesus, she came up behind him in the crowd and touched his cloak, 28 for she kept saying, “If only I touch his clothes, I will be healed.” 29 At once the bleeding stopped, and she felt in her body that she was healed of her disease. 30 Jesus knew at once that power had gone out from him. He turned around in the crowd and said, “Who touched my clothes?” 31 His disciples said to him, “You see the crowd pressing against you and you say, ‘Who touched me?’” 32 But he looked around to see who had done it. 33 Then the woman, with fear and trembling, knowing what had happened to her, came and fell down before him and told him the whole truth. 34 He said to her, “Daughter, your faith has made you well. Go in peace, and be healed of your disease.”Mark 5:25-34 · NET Bible
A woman has suffered from bleeding for twelve years. Medical care has cost her everything, yet she has grown worse. Under Israel's law, her ongoing bleeding also made her ceremonially unclean, affecting worship and contact with others. This was not a statement that she was less valuable to God.
Having heard about Jesus, she touches His clothing and is healed at once. Jesus stops and asks who touched Him. His disciples see only the crowd, but Jesus knows that power has gone out from Him. The woman comes forward in fear and tells the truth.
Jesus responds with tenderness. He calls her daughter, points to her faith, and sends her away in peace. His clothing is not a magic object. She has trusted the One who can help her. Nor is this a promise that enough faith will cure every illness today. It shows His power and His personal care.
When Death Does Not Have the Last Word (Mark 5:35-43)
35 While he was still speaking, people came from the synagogue leader’s house saying, “Your daughter has died. Why trouble the teacher any longer?” 36 But Jesus, paying no attention to what was said, told the synagogue leader, “Do not be afraid; just believe.” 37 He did not let anyone follow him except Peter, James, and John, the brother of James. 38 They came to the house of the synagogue leader where he saw noisy confusion and people weeping and wailing loudly. 39 When he entered he said to them, “Why are you distressed and weeping? The child is not dead but asleep!” 40 And they began making fun of him. But he forced them all outside, and he took the child’s father and mother and his own companions and went into the room where the child was. 41 Then, gently taking the child by the hand, he said to her, “Talitha koum,” which means, “Little girl, I say to you, get up.” 42 The girl got up at once and began to walk around (she was twelve years old). They were completely astonished at this. 43 He strictly ordered that no one should know about this, and told them to give her something to eat.Mark 5:35-43 · NET Bible
While Jesus is still speaking, messengers report that Jairus's daughter has died. They see no reason to trouble Him further. Jesus calls Jairus away from fear and toward trust. He continues to the house with Peter, James, and John.
People are weeping loudly. When Jesus describes the child's death as sleep, they laugh. He is not saying that she never died. He is showing that death will not keep her beyond His reach. With her parents and His three disciples present, Jesus takes her hand and tells her to rise. Mark gives the Aramaic words and then explains them for his readers.
The twelve-year-old girl gets up and walks. Jesus tells them to give her food and not spread the news. His great power does not crowd out ordinary care. This miracle points ahead to His victory over death, though it does not promise that every loss will be reversed now.
- Mercy — care that moves toward someone in pain and brings help.
- Faith — trusting Jesus because of who He is, not because we can control the outcome.
Who might you see differently if you looked beyond their struggle and noticed their worth?
Lord Jesus, thank You that Your power is joined with mercy. Help us trust You in fear, delay, and grief. Teach us to notice hurting people and treat them with Your care. Amen.