Mark 5

(1) Jesus Evicts a Legion of Spirits

Jesus and his apprentices eventually made it to the other side of the sea and landed in the country were the Gerasenes live. When He stepped out of the boat, a guy with an impure spirit who lived in the graveyard came over right away. No one could hold that man back any more—not even with a chain. There were a number of times when he was tied up with shackles and chains but broke them apart and crushed them. No one was strong enough to keep him under control. He would constantly scream in the graveyard and on the mountain day and night while using rocks to cut himself. But when he saw Jesus in the distance, he ran over and bowed to Him, screaming,

“What business do we have with each other, Jesus, Son of the supreme God!? I beg of You by God, please don’t torture me!”

He said that because Jesus had been telling him,

“Come out of that guy, you impure spirit!”

And Jesus also asked him,

“What is your name?”

He answered,

“My name is Legion, because there are lots of us in here!”

Then the man started intensely begging Jesus not to send them out of the country. There was a large herd of pigs feeding nearby on the mountain, so the demons begged Jesus, saying,

“Please! Send us to those pigs so we can enter them!”

Jesus gave them permission, so the impure spirits came out and went into the pigs. Then the herd of about 2,000 pigs rushed down the steep bank and drowned in the sea. 

(14) Everyone is Amazed

Their herdsmen ran away spreading the news all throughout the city and its outskirts. People started showing to see what was going on, and when they got there, they saw the man who used to be demon-possessed just sitting there, wearing clothes and in his right mind—the man who had the legion. When they saw that, they were terrified. The eye-witnesses told them all about what had happened with the demon-possessed man and the pigs. Then everyone started begging Jesus to leave town.

As He was stepping into the boat, the man who had been demon possessed started begging to go with Jesus, but Jesus didn’t let him. Instead He told the man,

“Go home to your friends and family and tell them how much the Ruler has done for you and how He had pity on you.”

So he went home and started telling everyone in Decapolis [an area east of the Jordan] about the incredible things Jesus had done for him. Everyone he told was amazed. 

(21) Girl About to Die

Then Jesus got back in the boat and went back to the other side, where such a large crowd formed around Him that He had to stay by the shore. There was a church leader named Jairus in the crowd who came up to Jesus and fell at His feet, begging Him, saying,

“My little girl is about to die! Please come put Your hands on her so she’ll be rescued and live.”

So Jesus went with the man and the crowd followed Him, pressing in on Him. 

(25) Bleeding Woman Healed

While they were on their way, There was a woman in the crowd who had a bleeding problem for 12 years. She had been through a lot of trouble seeing all kinds of doctors, spending all her money on them without seeing any results—in fact, it had only gotten worse. So when she heard about Jesus, she joined the crowd. She came up behind Jesus and touched His shirt, thinking,

“If I could even just touch His clothes, I’ll be restored.”

Right away, her bleeding problem stopped. Something felt different about her body—she could tell that her problem had been healed. But Jesus instantly realized that power had come out of Him, so He turned around and asked the crowd,

“Who touched My clothes?”

His apprentices replied,

“There’s a giant crowd pressing in all around You. What do you mean?”

Jesus looked around and saw the woman who did it. She was terrified and trembling because she knew what had happened to her. So she came forward, fell down at His feet, and told him the whole story. Jesus told her,

“Daughter, the reason you were healed is because of the way you believed. You don’t have anything to be worried about as you head back home. Be healed of your condition.”

(35) Dead Girl Resurrected

While Jesus was in the middle of saying that, people from the man’s house showed up saying,

“We’re so sorry, but your daughter has passed away. There’s no point in bothering the teacher about it anymore.”

When Jesus heard that, He told the church leader,

“You don’t have anything to be scared about anymore. Just keep on believing.”

Jesus didn’t let anyone go with Him except Peter, James, and John (James’s brother). When they got to to the church leader’s house, there was a lot of commotion with people sobbing and wailing loudly. When they went inside, Jesus told them,

“Why are you guys making such a big commotion and crying? This little girl didn’t die—she’s just sleeping.”

Everyone just laughed at Him, but then He kicked them all out except for the girl’s parents and His own companions. They went into the room where the girl was and He took her by the hand and said,

“Talitha kum!” which translates to, “Little girl, I tell you to get up!”

The 12-year-old girl immediately got up and started walking around. Everyone lost their minds! Then Jesus told them that absolutely no one should know about this. He also noted that the girl should have something to eat.