Worshipped - Mark 5:6
The Greek word translated
bowed down is most often translated
worshipped. Of course the demon was not giving Jesus true worship, but this word does present the entire event as a spiritual battle.
What do I have to do with you? - Mark 5:7
The question
What do I have to do with you? is almost identical to that found in 1:24. It translates a Greek idiom which in this context probably has the sense of
Why are you interfering with me? The phrase
Most High God is found more often in the Old Testament than in the New Testament. More specifically, it was used by non-Israelite polytheists. Coming from the mouth of the demon possessed Gentile it probably has magical connotations. It was an effort to use Jesus' name to gain control over him. The clause
I beg you by God himself can also be translated
I adjure you by God. The demon is confronting Jesus in spiritual warfare.
Legion - Mark 5:9
The word
Legion was drawn from the Roman military. A legion had around 6,000 men. If it was the name of the group of demons, the group was probably very large. It may not, however, have been a name at all. Instead it may have been an effort to avoid giving his name so it could not be used against him in magical spiritual warfare.
Herd of pigs - Mark 5:13
Jesus needed no magical spells. He
allowed the demons to go into the herd of pigs. Jesus was in control and did not allow the demons to continue destroying the man. Instead they
drowned the 2000 pigs. By doing so Jesus allowed them to show their true nature. It is the nature of the demonic to destroy. (The large herd of pigs fits the fact that this was a Gentile area.) Jesus had not let them destroy the man. Jesus reversed the bestializing of a human being.
Jesus was a person to be feared. - Mark 5:14-17
The people of the town begged Jesus to
leave the area. They had feared the demon controlled man for years. Now they feared Jesus. Jesus had done what no one else could do. He controlled the uncontrollable man. They thought he had sent the pigs to their death. In their eyes this Jesus was a person to be feared.
Tell others the good news - Mark 5:19
Jesus instructed the healed man to
tell others the good news of God's great work in his life. This is the opposite of what Jesus regularly said when he was in Jewish areas. In the Gentile region of the Geresenes Jesus was not worried that unchained messianic enthusiasm would complicate his ministry.
Decapolis - Mark 5:20
The reaction of the crowds in the Decapolis was the same as in Galilee. The people were amazed. The Decapolis was a region east of the Jordan River (and Galilee). It had a degree of political and commercial autonomy under Rome as long as its ten cities continued to acknowledge Rome's supremacy.
Jairus - Mark 5:22
Jairus was one of the
leaders of the synagogue. He was a prominent elected layman in the community. He was responsible for making sure that everything involved with the liturgy and the property of the synagogue was in order. On that day because of his daughter's sickness, he laid aside whatever questions he may have had about Jesus, his pride, and his sense of self-sufficiency.
Laying on of hands associated with healing - Mark 5:23
When Mark reported that Jairus
begged Jesus, he used a different word than the one he used to describe the demoniac's challenge. Jairus was genuinely searching for help. He wanted Jesus to lay hands on his daughter to heal her. This is the first of several times in Mark's gospel that the laying on of hands is associated with healing. See 6:5; 7:32; 8:23, 25. See also Acts 9:12; 28:8.
Related Resources
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0
International License.
