(Tap footnote to read it. Old Testament quotations are underlined. "Love" with a caret ("^love") is agapé.1"agapé" The Greek words ἀγάπη (agapé, noun), and ἀγαπάω (agapaó; verb) are typically translated "love". However, unlike our English word "love" – which primarily speaks of affection and feelings – agapé centers on choice and behavior. It’s the "love" based on will, choice, behavior, and action; not feelings. (Feelings-based love is the Greek word φιλέω (phileó), which properly means "brotherly love/affection".) Thus, you could hate someone passionately and still treat him with "agapé". Agapé "love" is best understood as the pursuit of what is most beneficial to someone or something, regardless of the cost to yourself or the type of response received from the person or thing. It can also indicate a preference for someone or something over other things. )
Casting out Legion
- And they came to the other side of the sea, into the land of the Gerasenes.
- And Him having gone out of the boat, a man with an unclean spirit immediately went out of the tombs and met Him,
- a man who had his dwelling in the tombs. And no one was able to bind him any longer, not even with a chain,
- because he often was *bound with shackles and chains and the chains were *broken by him, and the shackles were *shattered, and no one was strong enough to subdue him.
- And all through the night and day in the tombs and in the mountains, he was crying out and cutting himself with stones.
- And having seen Jesus from far away, he ran and bowed down before Him.
- And having cried out in a loud voice, he says: “What’s between you and me Jesus; Son of the Most High God? I adjure you by God not to torment me.”
- For He was saying to him: “Unclean spirit, come out of the man.”
- And Jesus was asking him: “What’s your name?” And he says to Him: “My name is Legion, because we are many.”
- And he was begging Him many times so He might not send them out of the region.
- Now, a large herd of pigs was there, feeding near the mountain.
- And they begged Him saying: “Send us into the pigs so we might enter into them.”
- And He allowed them. And having come out, the unclean spirits entered into the pigs, and rushed the herd down the steep bank into the sea, and about 2000 were drowning in the sea.
- And the men feeding them fled and reported this in the city, and in the country, and they went out to see what’s *happened.
- And they come to Jesus and see the demon-possessed man sitting *clothed and sober-minded (the man who *had the Legion) and they were frightened.
- And the men who saw it described to them how it happened with the demon-possessed man, and about the pigs.
- And they began to beg Him to depart from their region.
- And with Him entering into the boat, the man who was demon possessed was begging Him that he might be with Him.
- And He didn’t permit him, but tells him: “Go to your home, to your own people, and report to them how much the Lord has done for you, and how He had mercy on you.
- And the man departed and began to proclaim in the Decapolis how much Jesus did for him, and all were marveling.
Jairus’ Daughter, and healing a bloody flow
- And Jesus having crossed over to the other side of the sea in the boat again, a great crowd was gathered to Him, and He was beside the sea.
- And one of the synagogue rulers named Jairus comes to Him. And having seen Him, falls at His feet.
- And he begs Him repeatedly saying: “My little daughter is holding herself at the point of death. So having come, would you lay hands on her so she might be healed and live?”
- And He departed with him, and a numerous crowd was following Him and pressing in on Him.
- And there’s a woman living with a bloody flow1“bloody flow” is literal, almost certainly a reference to constant menstrual bleeding. This made her ceremonially unclean; see Leviticus 15:19-24. Additionally, what to do about menstrual bleeding that went on for an extended time was covered in Leviticus 15:25-30. for twelve years,
- and having suffered much under many physicians, and having spent all of her money, and yet she benefitted nothing; but rather she became2“became” is literally “became into” worse.
- Having heard about Jesus, and having come up behind Him in the crowd, she touched His cloak.
- For she was saying, “If I only touch His clothes, I will be healed.”3quotation/allusion to Malachi 4:2, which says that “the sun of righteousness will rise with healing in his wings.” The Hebrew word translated “wings” in that verse is “כָּנָף” (kanaph). It means any extremity, including wings and also the edge of a garment. It could be accurately translated “healing in the edge of His clothes”. This woman likely knew this verse, and that’s probably why she specifically touched the edge of His cloak in Matthew’s account. The Jews believed Malachi 4:2 was a prophecy about the Messiah, so by touching His cloak, she was almost certainly expressing her faith that Jesus was the Messiah. This is quite possibly why Jesus said her faith healed her.
- And immediately the flow of her blood was dried up, and she realized that her body has been healed of the scourge.
- And immediately having known in Himself that power went out of Him, and having turned in the crowd, Jesus was saying: “Who touched My clothes?”
- And His disciples were saying to Him: “You see the crowd pressing in on you, and you say ‘Who touched Me’?”
- And He was looking around to see the woman who did this.
- Now, having been frightened and trembling, *knowing what has happened to her, the woman came and fell down before Him and told Him the whole truth.
- And He told her: “Daughter, your faith has healed you. Go in peace and be healthy from your scourge.”
- While He’s still speaking, messengers come from the synagogue ruler’s house saying: “Your daughter died; why still trouble the teacher?”
- Now, having heard this word spoken, Jesus says to the synagogue ruler: “Don’t fear, only believe.”
- And He didn’t allow anyone to follow with Him except Peter, and James, and John (the brother of James).
- And they come to the synagogue ruler’s house, and He sees a commotion, and weeping, and much wailing.
- And having entered into the house, He says to them: “Why do you make a commotion and weep? The child didn’t die, but is sleeping.”
- And they were derisively laughing at Him. Now, having thrown all of them out, He takes the father and mother of the child with Him, and the men with Him, and enters into where the child was.
- And having taken the child’s hand, He tells her: “Talitha koum.” Which is translated: “Little girl, I tell you: rise.”
- And immediately the little girl rose and was walking (for she was twelve years old). And they were immediately overwhelmed with great amazement.
- And He instructed them often so no one might know this, and He commanded her to be given food to eat.
Next: Mark chapter 6
Previous: Mark chapter 4
Up: The Book of Mark
Up: BOS Bible Index
Note: If you think a word, phrase, or passage could be better translated - or is wrong - then Please Say Something. This is an open source Bible that's accountable to all Christians. See this link for details.
Legal Use: Please feel free to quote the BOS Bible, but follow the guidelines on the Legal Use page when doing so. They are easy and mostly common sense.