Mark 5
Summary. Chapter 5 clearly shows that the Lord Jesus is the God of life. He has authority and power over the unseen and seen world, and He can give faith and strength. 1) Power and authority over the unseen world: the Lord Jesus has authority over the evil spirits controlling the demon-possessed man, and He sets this man free; the Lord Jesus commands the spirit of Jairus’ daughter to return to the body and gives life again to this girl. 2) Power and authority over the seen world: the Lord Jesus knows that a woman in the crowd touched His garment to be healed; He heals and cleanses the woman with the flux of blood. The Lord Jesus came to fulfill the Law. Similarly, in Matthew chapter 8, when He heals the leper, we see that the woman with the issue of blood is also healed. When the unclean touches the pure, the unclean are made clean because, in Him, the Law is complete. 3) The Lord Jesus strengthens by His Word Jairus’ faith and the woman’s faith with the flux of blood: the Lord Jesus says to Jairus when bad news and fear came to him, “Fear not, only believe”; in the same way He says to the woman when she was afraid to come forth: “Daughter, your faith has healed you; go in peace, and be whole of your affliction.”
[1]
And they came to the other side of the sea, into the country of the Gerasenes.
[2]
And He , having come out of the boat, straightaway met Him out of the tombs, a man with an unclean spirit,
[3]
who had the dwelling in the tombs; and no one could any more bind him, not even with a chain;
[4]
because that he had been often bound with shackles and chains, and the chains had been torn apart by him, and the shackles broken in pieces, and no one had strength to tame him.
[5]
And always, all night and day, in the tombs and in the mountains, he was crying out, and cutting himself with stones.
[7]
and crying out with a loud voice, he says, What to me and to Thee , Jesus , Son of God the Most High ? I adjure Thee by God , do not torment me.
[8]
For He said to him, Unclean spirit, come out of the man!
[11]
Now, near the mountain, there was a great herd of swine feeding.
[12]
And they begged Him , saying, Send us into the swine, that we may enter into them.
[13]
And He gave them leave. And having gone out, the unclean spirits entered into the swine, and the herd rushed down the steep bank into the sea, about two thousand; and they were drowned in the sea.
Comments Mark 5:1-13
Event Analysis
Part1: (Mark 5:1). There are two similar healing events in the Gadarenes region (see Comments Matthew 8:28-34). However, the healings in Matthew 8:28-34 and Mark 5:1-20 occur in different towns. The healing case described in Mark 5:1-20 is the same as that in Luke 8:26-40, but different from that in Matthew 8:28-34. Gerasenes here refers to a village name. If you read these passages by yourself, you can tell the differences. Take and read the story in Matthew, and compare verse by verse with the stories in Mark and Luke; then you notice the differences: not the same time, not the same case.
Part 2: (Mark 5:2-4). Here, pay attention to the words: “and no one had strength to tame him.” Now the Bible clearly tells us that humans try to tame the dark side’s power, but how, with man’s power, can humans fight the dark? If humans come and ask for help from the Lord, that is the right way to do; not humans who fight, but the Lord who has conquered the unseen world has already won the fight. Humans should come to the One who has already put the dark side under His feet. The Bible already clearly tells us where the shelter is that can cover us, not just the body but the soul as well. Come under the shadow of the Lord and worship the mighty Lord. You already have the King of all above you; come to your King.
Q: Do we still encounter these cases in our times? A: There is still evil in the world, but it is not the evil that has the power to enter humans. The evil that possesses, that enters the body, they are not allowed to do that anymore; it is over. Nowadays, there is no evil possession anymore, but only make-believe actions and imagination. The possession, in the way described here in Mark, has ended with the Holy Spirit coming down to earth, but people still perform make-believe actions. When the body weakens, people try to go back to the old way of their belief in the dark and call the dark to come down to them; when the faith is weak, it drags the body to be weak as well. Remember, the Bible clearly tells us that the Holy Spirit covers the whole earth. The dark doesn’t come out, but humans disobey and keep calling the dark to come out for them. When the dark comes out, they do harm to humans. These days, there is still a dark influence because humans are seeking, but not evil possession, as described in this passage in Mark. When people do not come out to the Lord, they go to seek human wisdom, but how can that human wisdom help them? They fabricate a make-believe story, this one and that one, and try to solve the problem without the help of the Lord, which will not work. When they cannot help, they declare that the person has disability and needs human help; however, that sickness happens because of their own dark heart. The areas where dark actions happen nowadays, you can see, it is where they reject the Holy God and keep worshiping the dark. And because of that, we keep hearing things, but it is make-believe that destroys their own bodies, not the power of the dark. The power of the dark ended with the Lord Jesus’ crucifixion on the cross; the Holy Spirit came down and covers the whole earth; now, only the dark side of the mind still harms humans.
Part 3: (Mark 5:5). This portion of the Bible tells all humans that the action of the dark side is only to make humans harm themselves and others; the dark can never do good to anyone. Now, here in this verse, we clearly see that the dark only wants to torture this man by making him cut himself with stones, but the Lord never harms anyone’s body. Everywhere in the Bible, the Lord always heals sickness of the body; He never inflicts harm on anyone’s body, but the dark does that. The clear picture of the dark action is here, but humans ignore the torture of what the dark does to the human body.
About Tattooing. For example, when humans tattoo their bodies, it is the work of the dark expression of controlling humans. The Lord created the human body in His image, so why do humans try to find ways to harm their bodies? Come and appreciate the Creator and do not harm His work. When a human is born, go and touch the body of a baby, smooth and gentle, that is the Lord’s passion in humans. The purpose of the dark is to destroy God’s creation, and they will always try to harm humans. When you tattoo yourself, you are not following God’s will for your body. If you disrespect the work of the Lord, you disrespect the One who created humans. The One who created humans did not put tattoos on them; however, humans use their own minds to put them on. Oh, but I did put a Bible verse on the skin, they might say, but the verse does not need to be on the skin, but on the heart. Many who call themselves believers do not respect the One who created them; those are blind, not the eyes, but the heart that is blind. They are not blind with the eyes, but the heart is blind, and they blaspheme the work of the Father Himself. Those who tattoo their bodies have no respect for the Father Himself, and that is blasphemy against the Father. Humans have been tattooing for so long; even though the Holy Spirit has spoken to their hearts, urging them to doubt that practice, they choose to ignore that voice and then commit the great sin of blasphemy against the Father.
Part 4: (Mark 5:6-8). Here, the person is under the dark control; the demon himself is talking; pay attention to the verses. The person himself does not know the Lord; the dark themselves know who is above them, which is why they are coming to worship the Lord. Also, here it is clearly shown that the Lord Jesus is not only the Lord of humans but also the Lord of the unseen world, and this is the place to confirm: they come and worship the Lord.
Part 5: (Mark 5:9-13). Notice that here the Lord Jesus asks for the name; you should think about why the Lord asked for the name. The Lord Jesus is the God of all, and He has seen the unseen world as well. Humans would not notice that more than one spirit has occurred here, but the Lord did. The main thing to notice here is the name, and that the evil answered “we”, so not one spirit that is happening here, but more than one. Why has the Lord sent them to the pigs? Here also, the answer is that some animals are easy for the dark side to enter and use to gain control. There, in the dark world, the dark may have power, but in the human world, all things are in the Lord’s will only. The Lord has a will for all living humans, and here the answer has come. If the dark wants to have power over humans, they have to possess them. But since the Lord Jesus has been crucified, that power no longer exists. The dark cannot possess humans anymore. The Holy Spirit is like a shield covering the whole earth, and only the make-believe mind of humans is the one that can harm themselves.
Event Analysis
Part1: (Mark 5:1). There are two similar healing events in the Gadarenes region (see Comments Matthew 8:28-34). However, the healings in Matthew 8:28-34 and Mark 5:1-20 occur in different towns. The healing case described in Mark 5:1-20 is the same as that in Luke 8:26-40, but different from that in Matthew 8:28-34. Gerasenes here refers to a village name. If you read these passages by yourself, you can tell the differences. Take and read the story in Matthew, and compare verse by verse with the stories in Mark and Luke; then you notice the differences: not the same time, not the same case.
Part 2: (Mark 5:2-4). Here, pay attention to the words: “and no one had strength to tame him.” Now the Bible clearly tells us that humans try to tame the dark side’s power, but how, with man’s power, can humans fight the dark? If humans come and ask for help from the Lord, that is the right way to do; not humans who fight, but the Lord who has conquered the unseen world has already won the fight. Humans should come to the One who has already put the dark side under His feet. The Bible already clearly tells us where the shelter is that can cover us, not just the body but the soul as well. Come under the shadow of the Lord and worship the mighty Lord. You already have the King of all above you; come to your King.
Q: Do we still encounter these cases in our times? A: There is still evil in the world, but it is not the evil that has the power to enter humans. The evil that possesses, that enters the body, they are not allowed to do that anymore; it is over. Nowadays, there is no evil possession anymore, but only make-believe actions and imagination. The possession, in the way described here in Mark, has ended with the Holy Spirit coming down to earth, but people still perform make-believe actions. When the body weakens, people try to go back to the old way of their belief in the dark and call the dark to come down to them; when the faith is weak, it drags the body to be weak as well. Remember, the Bible clearly tells us that the Holy Spirit covers the whole earth. The dark doesn’t come out, but humans disobey and keep calling the dark to come out for them. When the dark comes out, they do harm to humans. These days, there is still a dark influence because humans are seeking, but not evil possession, as described in this passage in Mark. When people do not come out to the Lord, they go to seek human wisdom, but how can that human wisdom help them? They fabricate a make-believe story, this one and that one, and try to solve the problem without the help of the Lord, which will not work. When they cannot help, they declare that the person has disability and needs human help; however, that sickness happens because of their own dark heart. The areas where dark actions happen nowadays, you can see, it is where they reject the Holy God and keep worshiping the dark. And because of that, we keep hearing things, but it is make-believe that destroys their own bodies, not the power of the dark. The power of the dark ended with the Lord Jesus’ crucifixion on the cross; the Holy Spirit came down and covers the whole earth; now, only the dark side of the mind still harms humans.
Part 3: (Mark 5:5). This portion of the Bible tells all humans that the action of the dark side is only to make humans harm themselves and others; the dark can never do good to anyone. Now, here in this verse, we clearly see that the dark only wants to torture this man by making him cut himself with stones, but the Lord never harms anyone’s body. Everywhere in the Bible, the Lord always heals sickness of the body; He never inflicts harm on anyone’s body, but the dark does that. The clear picture of the dark action is here, but humans ignore the torture of what the dark does to the human body.
About Tattooing. For example, when humans tattoo their bodies, it is the work of the dark expression of controlling humans. The Lord created the human body in His image, so why do humans try to find ways to harm their bodies? Come and appreciate the Creator and do not harm His work. When a human is born, go and touch the body of a baby, smooth and gentle, that is the Lord’s passion in humans. The purpose of the dark is to destroy God’s creation, and they will always try to harm humans. When you tattoo yourself, you are not following God’s will for your body. If you disrespect the work of the Lord, you disrespect the One who created humans. The One who created humans did not put tattoos on them; however, humans use their own minds to put them on. Oh, but I did put a Bible verse on the skin, they might say, but the verse does not need to be on the skin, but on the heart. Many who call themselves believers do not respect the One who created them; those are blind, not the eyes, but the heart that is blind. They are not blind with the eyes, but the heart is blind, and they blaspheme the work of the Father Himself. Those who tattoo their bodies have no respect for the Father Himself, and that is blasphemy against the Father. Humans have been tattooing for so long; even though the Holy Spirit has spoken to their hearts, urging them to doubt that practice, they choose to ignore that voice and then commit the great sin of blasphemy against the Father.
Part 4: (Mark 5:6-8). Here, the person is under the dark control; the demon himself is talking; pay attention to the verses. The person himself does not know the Lord; the dark themselves know who is above them, which is why they are coming to worship the Lord. Also, here it is clearly shown that the Lord Jesus is not only the Lord of humans but also the Lord of the unseen world, and this is the place to confirm: they come and worship the Lord.
Part 5: (Mark 5:9-13). Notice that here the Lord Jesus asks for the name; you should think about why the Lord asked for the name. The Lord Jesus is the God of all, and He has seen the unseen world as well. Humans would not notice that more than one spirit has occurred here, but the Lord did. The main thing to notice here is the name, and that the evil answered “we”, so not one spirit that is happening here, but more than one. Why has the Lord sent them to the pigs? Here also, the answer is that some animals are easy for the dark side to enter and use to gain control. There, in the dark world, the dark may have power, but in the human world, all things are in the Lord’s will only. The Lord has a will for all living humans, and here the answer has come. If the dark wants to have power over humans, they have to possess them. But since the Lord Jesus has been crucified, that power no longer exists. The dark cannot possess humans anymore. The Holy Spirit is like a shield covering the whole earth, and only the make-believe mind of humans is the one that can harm themselves.
[14]
And those feeding them fled, and told it in the city, and in the country. And they went out to see what it was that had come to pass.
[15]
And they come to Jesus , and see the one possessed by demons sitting, clothed and in his right mind, the one having had the legion; and they were afraid.
[16]
And those having seen it described to them how it happened to the one being possessed by demons, and concerning the swine.
Comments Mark 5:14-16
In this portion of Scripture, the majority of people have problems: why did the Lord send the evil spirit into the pigs when the pigs belonged to someone else? But no one ever thinks of what is more valuable, the man’s soul or the pigs? People debate on this, but they never think about what is important. Notice the amount of animals, to save one soul; a large amount of animal spirits (or spirit of the living, as only humans can have a soul), yet not worth more than one human soul. Also, notice that the evil cannot just enter the animals; they have no power to enter. The verse clearly states that they asked for permission, and the Lord Jesus granted it.
[17]
And they began to beg Him to depart from their boundary.
Comments Mark 5:17
The fear plays a big role here; the fear makes people do things.
[18]
And He having entered into the boat, the one having been possessed by demons begged Him that he might be with Him .
[19]
And He did not permit him, but says to him, Go to your house, to your friends, and tell them how much the Lord has done for you and had mercy on you.
[20]
And he departed and began to proclaim in Decapolis how much Jesus had done for him; and all were marveling.
Comments Mark 5:18-20
Q: How did this man know the Gospel? A: The man just needs to tell about his healing, as it shows here. Because in those areas people had known the man as a person who had been possessed, but by himself, he goes to show people that the Lord Jesus healed him, and that is the good news for people. He does not need to talk much; he has spread the truth about the Lord Jesus’ authority.
[21]
And Jesus having crossed over in the boat again to the other side, a great multitude was gathered to Him ; and He was by the sea.
[23]
and begs Him much, saying, My little daughter is at the point of death; Thou come, lay hands on her, so that she may be made whole, and live.
[25]
And a woman, being with a flux of blood twelve years,
[26]
and having suffered much under many physicians, and having spent all that she had, and benefiting nothing, but rather growing worse,
[28]
For she said, If I touch even His garments, I will be healed.
[29]
And straightaway the flow of her blood was dried up; and she felt in the body that she was healed from the affliction.
[30]
And straightaway Jesus , perceiving in Himself that the power having gone forth from Him , having turned in the crowd, said, Who touched My garments?
[31]
And His disciples said unto Him , Thou see the multitude thronging Thee , and Thou say, Who touched Me ?
[32]
And He looked around to see the one having done this.
[33]
But the woman fearing and trembling, knowing what had been done to her, came and fell down before Him , and told Him all the truth.
[34]
And He said to her, Daughter, your faith has healed you; go in peace, and be whole of your affliction.
Comments Mark 5:25-34
See also Comments Matthew 9:20-23 and Comments Luke 8:43-48.
The healing of the woman with the discharge of blood is given in these passages in Mark, Matthew, and Luke. All three Gospels have one thing in common: the faith of the woman, which you can call blind faith. For things that happened to her for a long time, she has seen many doctors, but by hearing about the Lord Jesus, her heart has come to faith in the Lord Jesus. People nowadays should take her as an example: faith by hearing; hearing the Word of God and believing completely, as this woman also had faith by hearing. Note that the healing of this woman is very brief in Matthew, but Mark and Luke provide more details. But also remember that all three Gospels share one common thing: by the Lord Jesus’ word alone, this woman has received mercy, though the details may differ. The Holy Spirit dictated the Word of God, but the purpose of each Gospel is used at different levels of faith: brief in Matthew, more detailed in another Gospel, yet all give the same meaning.
Comparison Analysis Part 1: (Mark 5:25-26, Matthew 9:20, Luke 8:43). All three Gospels show that this woman had a “flux of blood for twelve years,” and she spent all that she had with physicians but grew worse. In this part, it is clear that the person has been sick for a long time and has lost all hope of being healed; the verses clearly describe her situation. By the Old Testament law, if you are unclean, you have to publicly declare that you are unclean and people can avoid you (see Leviticus 15:25-26); if you do not tell, you can be punished because you will make someone else unclean.
Part 2: (Mark 5:27-28, Matthew 9:20-21, Luke 8:44). In this part, the Gospels tell us that this woman heard reports about the Lord Jesus, came behind Him in the crowd, and touched His garment. Here, all the Gospels clearly tell us that, by hearing the news about the Lord Jesus, her heart has been moved, and that, by hearing, she has faith. This is the first step for all humans; it should be the same: by hearing about the Lord Jesus, have faith. Nowadays, everyone has heard from the Bible what the Lord Jesus has done. So, by hearing, no one has an argument for “I don’t believe,” since your ear has heard the good news, but you did not open your heart to take the words in. This woman will be the one who accuses you in the end; by hearing, she had faith; she heard only people talk. But nowadays we have the Holy Word, and you don’t believe; the Holy Word will be the judgment of people nowadays.
Part 3: (Mark 5:29, Luke 8:44b). In this part, it shows that the woman was instantly healed by touching the Lord’s garments.
Part 4: (Mark 5:30-32, Luke 8:45-46). In this part, the key points are that the Lord Jesus knew that someone had touched Him for the purpose of being healed, and that power had gone out of Him. Q: What does it mean when the verse says, “perceiving in Himself that the power having gone forth from Him”? A: This power here is a special case. The Lord knows that healing power goes out from Him, only for those who believe; the power of healing is given only to those who believe. This is the place to confirm that those who have faith and believe will receive mercy.
Part 5: (Mark 5:33-34, Matthew 9:22, Luke 8:47-48). Q: Why didn’t this woman go straight to the Lord Jesus and tell Him from the beginning about her sickness? A: In this question, consider human shame; many people surrounded the Lord, and fear controlled her. If she had to be in front of them, everybody would hear what sickness she had; shame had blinded her. In that time, if people knew she was unclean, she would be kicked out among the people; that is why she came quietly behind.
Here, the woman is healed, with no fear left; she just has to follow the law and complete all the requirements to be clean. There were many, many laws referring to when a person is unclean. In the eyes of humans, she needs to follow the ceremonial laws, but spiritually, she needs to learn that the Lord Jesus is the Law. She needs to learn that by the Lord Jesus, those laws are complete in Him. If the Lord Jesus has said that she is clean, she is clean, and people around have to learn that she is clean by His Word. Here is the confirmation that the Lord Jesus can cleanse by His Word and that He is completing the Law for humans; in Him alone, the Law is complete.
The healing of the woman with the discharge of blood is given in these passages in Mark, Matthew, and Luke. All three Gospels have one thing in common: the faith of the woman, which you can call blind faith. For things that happened to her for a long time, she has seen many doctors, but by hearing about the Lord Jesus, her heart has come to faith in the Lord Jesus. People nowadays should take her as an example: faith by hearing; hearing the Word of God and believing completely, as this woman also had faith by hearing. Note that the healing of this woman is very brief in Matthew, but Mark and Luke provide more details. But also remember that all three Gospels share one common thing: by the Lord Jesus’ word alone, this woman has received mercy, though the details may differ. The Holy Spirit dictated the Word of God, but the purpose of each Gospel is used at different levels of faith: brief in Matthew, more detailed in another Gospel, yet all give the same meaning.
Comparison Analysis Part 1: (Mark 5:25-26, Matthew 9:20, Luke 8:43). All three Gospels show that this woman had a “flux of blood for twelve years,” and she spent all that she had with physicians but grew worse. In this part, it is clear that the person has been sick for a long time and has lost all hope of being healed; the verses clearly describe her situation. By the Old Testament law, if you are unclean, you have to publicly declare that you are unclean and people can avoid you (see Leviticus 15:25-26); if you do not tell, you can be punished because you will make someone else unclean.
Part 2: (Mark 5:27-28, Matthew 9:20-21, Luke 8:44). In this part, the Gospels tell us that this woman heard reports about the Lord Jesus, came behind Him in the crowd, and touched His garment. Here, all the Gospels clearly tell us that, by hearing the news about the Lord Jesus, her heart has been moved, and that, by hearing, she has faith. This is the first step for all humans; it should be the same: by hearing about the Lord Jesus, have faith. Nowadays, everyone has heard from the Bible what the Lord Jesus has done. So, by hearing, no one has an argument for “I don’t believe,” since your ear has heard the good news, but you did not open your heart to take the words in. This woman will be the one who accuses you in the end; by hearing, she had faith; she heard only people talk. But nowadays we have the Holy Word, and you don’t believe; the Holy Word will be the judgment of people nowadays.
Part 3: (Mark 5:29, Luke 8:44b). In this part, it shows that the woman was instantly healed by touching the Lord’s garments.
Part 4: (Mark 5:30-32, Luke 8:45-46). In this part, the key points are that the Lord Jesus knew that someone had touched Him for the purpose of being healed, and that power had gone out of Him. Q: What does it mean when the verse says, “perceiving in Himself that the power having gone forth from Him”? A: This power here is a special case. The Lord knows that healing power goes out from Him, only for those who believe; the power of healing is given only to those who believe. This is the place to confirm that those who have faith and believe will receive mercy.
Part 5: (Mark 5:33-34, Matthew 9:22, Luke 8:47-48). Q: Why didn’t this woman go straight to the Lord Jesus and tell Him from the beginning about her sickness? A: In this question, consider human shame; many people surrounded the Lord, and fear controlled her. If she had to be in front of them, everybody would hear what sickness she had; shame had blinded her. In that time, if people knew she was unclean, she would be kicked out among the people; that is why she came quietly behind.
Here, the woman is healed, with no fear left; she just has to follow the law and complete all the requirements to be clean. There were many, many laws referring to when a person is unclean. In the eyes of humans, she needs to follow the ceremonial laws, but spiritually, she needs to learn that the Lord Jesus is the Law. She needs to learn that by the Lord Jesus, those laws are complete in Him. If the Lord Jesus has said that she is clean, she is clean, and people around have to learn that she is clean by His Word. Here is the confirmation that the Lord Jesus can cleanse by His Word and that He is completing the Law for humans; in Him alone, the Law is complete.
[35]
While He yet is speaking, they come from the ruler of the synagogue’s house saying, Your daughter is dead; why do you still trouble the Teacher ?
[36]
But Jesus , having overheard the word spoken, says to the ruler of the synagogue, Fear not, only believe.
[37]
And He allowed no one to follow with Him , except Peter, and James, and John the brother of James.
[38]
And they come to the house of the ruler of the synagogue; and He beholds a multitude, and many weeping and wailing.
[39]
And having entered, He says to them, Why do you make a commotion, and weep? The child is not dead, but sleeps.
[40]
And they laughed Him to scorn. But He , having put out all, takes the father of the child and the mother and those with Him , and enters in where the child was.
[41]
And taking the child by the hand, He says to her, Talitha koum! Which is, being interpreted, Little girl, I say to you, Arise!
[42]
And straightaway the little girl arose and began walking; for she was twelve years. And they were amazed at once with great amazement.
[43]
And He instructed them much that no one should know this; and He commanded that something should be given her to eat.
Comments Mark 5:21-43
See also Comments Matthew 9:18-26 and Comments Luke 8:40-56.
The healing events described in Mark 5:21-43, Matthew 9:18-26, and Luke 8:41-56 are the same events happening by the Sea of Galilee.
Comparison Analysis: Mark 5:21-24 and Mark 5:35-43
Part 1: (Mark 5:21-22, Matthew 9:18, Luke 8:40-41). This part tells us that the Lord Jesus returned again to the Galilean side of the sea. The Lord Jesus has made this trip back and forth many times; otherwise, it will not use the term again. This person (Jairus) has completely believed in the Lord Jesus; his own daughter is sick, but he believes, comes, and seeks the Lord’s help. As parents think of him, the Lord has mercy on him because his heart truly seeks the Lord.
Part 2: (Mark 5:22-24, Matthew 9:18-19, Luke 8:41-42). In just a short period of time, both have happened: Jairus comes to the Lord Jesus saying, “my little daughter is at the point of death” (Mark 5:23 and Luke 8:42), and then he comes back with the statement, “my daughter just now has died” (Matthew 9:18). However, he still asks the Lord to go there and heal her; that is the faith he has. The events leading to the healing of Jairus’ daughter, as well as the conversations between the Lord Jesus and Jairus and between the Lord Jesus and the woman healed of her bleeding, are not presented in chronological order in the Gospel of Matthew. There is a gap of time between Mark 5:23-24 and Matthew 9:18-19. Matthew, Mark, and Luke sometimes overlap with each other; then one Gospel will pick from the point of nonoverlap, another Gospel might pick from the point of overlap, and sometimes you will find events that crossover from one Gospel to another. However, in the Gospels, even though the events overlap or crossover, they will never be in conflict. These three Gospels present events in different ways only; each has a point of view that is connected but from different angles of looking, but all have the same main point together. That is why all the Gospels have been given through the Holy Spirit; three Gospels tell the events from different angles but come and meet with the main point as one; by His mercy and authority, the Lord has done all this.
Part 3: (Mark 5:35, Matthew 9:18, Luke 8:49). This portion of Scripture clearly shows the picture of things happening. The father has come, the people have come; now the crossing point is to connect with what is happening. Really, Matthew 9:18 (“While He was speaking these things to them, behold, a certain ruler came, kneeling down to Him, saying, My daughter just now has died”) is happing at the same time with Mark 5:35 (“While He yet is speaking, they come from the ruler of the synagogue’s house saying, Your daughter is dead; why do you still trouble the Teacher?”). And Matthew 9:18 (“but come, lay Thy hand upon her, and she will live”) is happening at the same time as Mark 5:23 (“Thou come, lay hands on her, so that she may be made whole, and live”). This request, Jairus said, was made once only at his first coming to the Lord Jesus when he told Him in Mark 5:23 that his daughter was at the point of death. So here we have a crossover (the events switch from one Gospel to another) in the middle of a verse (Matthew 9:18). The invitation was spoken only once, but Jairus came and knelt two times. First, Jairus said, “My little daughter is at the point of death,” and he made the invitation to the Lord Jesus. But the people who came after said that the child had died, and then Jairus repeated to the Lord again, as given in Matthew 9:18 that his daughter had just died, and he was afraid. When he first spoke to the Lord Jesus, before people told him about the death of his daughter, he used different words.
Part 4: (Mark 5:36, Luke 8:50). After Jairus received word from the people that his daughter had died, the Lord Jesus’ response to Jairus is recorded only in the Gospels of Mark and Luke. This part links with the comment from Part 3, where it is shown that Jairus asks the Lord once to come and lay His hands on the girl so that she may be made whole and live. Now, at this point, the Lord Jesus is strengthening Jairus’ faith, because Jairus is hearing many things in his head. By the word the Lord says, “fear not, only believe,” it solves the problem Jairus had. Now in his heart, he has developed peace; because of hearing the word the Lord Jesus has spoken, the peace has come into Jairus’ heart. The term “fear not,” which the Lord has used, has given him peace.
Part 5: (Mark 5:37-40, Matthew 9:23-24, Luke 8:51-52). The main point in this part of all three Gospels is that the Lord sends the mourners away and says, “The child is not dead, but sleeps.” This fact, stated by the Lord Jesus, is the key to this event: the girl is not dead but sleeping. All the people have seen her, and all have one thing in common: she is dead. However, the Lord wants to make sure that they will see the result of what the Lord will do for the girl. All of them will see only the result, and that is why He sent all of them out; only three of His disciples were with Him, and the parents. The Lord Jesus does not need their witness for His actions; they will see the result coming. This girl was in a coma, and that is why the Lord says she is not dead but sleeping.
Q: Why were only Peter, James, and John permitted to witness the healing of this girl? A: These three disciples needed to witness this activity because they would face challenges as they carried out the work after the Lord departed.
Part 6: (Mark 5:40, Matthew 9:24, Luke 8:53). TThe key point of this part is that the people “laughed Him to scorn” because He said, “The child is not dead, but sleeps.” In this place, we clearly see that humans do not believe unless a miracle has been performed in front of them. However, the parents of the child have faith and believe in the Lord, and the miracle is performed for them to have stronger faith inside of them. People around us are an obstacle to faith even nowadays. Miracles are not performed nowadays because the same actions keep happening; people are losing faith because someone has made fun of the way they believe, making their hearts not firm in faith. The Son of God has come to help all humans. But He has received the treatment that normal humans cannot handle. As He goes by, people point Him out, and many times He has been a laughingstock to them; that is what humans have done to the Son of God. But the Lord has not given up on humans; He is still calling all to come and rise up in faith, as the verse says: just believe. People involved in this event are the disciples, the parents, the crowd following the Lord Jesus, and the people at the house.
Part 7: (Mark 5:41-43, Matthew 9: 25-26, Luke 8:54-56). In this part, it shows how the Lord Jesus healed this girl by commanding her by His word to “arise”. The word “arise” itself has two meanings: arise in the human body and arise in the spiritual. The spirit of the girl has returned to the body, as shown in Luke 8:55, and received the order “arise” in both the body and the soul to be alive again. The reason the Lord Jesus said that the girl was sleeping and not dead but in a coma was because the soul did not leave the body yet, only the spirit (see Comments Matthew 9:25). And when the Lord commanded to the girl to arise, her spirit returned and joined the body and the soul as shown in Luke 8:55 (“And her spirit returned, and she arose immediately”).
The Lord Jesus’ words in Luke 8:54 are given as “Child arise” and in Mark 5:41 as “Talitha koum” (meaning “Little girl, I say to you, Arise”). In Mark, the Lord said “Talitha koum” as a command, not just a statement; He used this command here, not just for the human body alone, but for the soul as well; they both have to join and rise up. Luke gives the translation of the command straight from the Lord, and Mark receives the command and the translation.
Q: What does it mean when the verse says, “He instructed them much that no one should know this”? A: Here, the Lord Jesus instructed the parents not to tell anybody what really had happened; what exactly the Lord Jesus did will not be revealed beyond as it is written in the Bible.
The healing events described in Mark 5:21-43, Matthew 9:18-26, and Luke 8:41-56 are the same events happening by the Sea of Galilee.
Comparison Analysis: Mark 5:21-24 and Mark 5:35-43
Part 1: (Mark 5:21-22, Matthew 9:18, Luke 8:40-41). This part tells us that the Lord Jesus returned again to the Galilean side of the sea. The Lord Jesus has made this trip back and forth many times; otherwise, it will not use the term again. This person (Jairus) has completely believed in the Lord Jesus; his own daughter is sick, but he believes, comes, and seeks the Lord’s help. As parents think of him, the Lord has mercy on him because his heart truly seeks the Lord.
Part 2: (Mark 5:22-24, Matthew 9:18-19, Luke 8:41-42). In just a short period of time, both have happened: Jairus comes to the Lord Jesus saying, “my little daughter is at the point of death” (Mark 5:23 and Luke 8:42), and then he comes back with the statement, “my daughter just now has died” (Matthew 9:18). However, he still asks the Lord to go there and heal her; that is the faith he has. The events leading to the healing of Jairus’ daughter, as well as the conversations between the Lord Jesus and Jairus and between the Lord Jesus and the woman healed of her bleeding, are not presented in chronological order in the Gospel of Matthew. There is a gap of time between Mark 5:23-24 and Matthew 9:18-19. Matthew, Mark, and Luke sometimes overlap with each other; then one Gospel will pick from the point of nonoverlap, another Gospel might pick from the point of overlap, and sometimes you will find events that crossover from one Gospel to another. However, in the Gospels, even though the events overlap or crossover, they will never be in conflict. These three Gospels present events in different ways only; each has a point of view that is connected but from different angles of looking, but all have the same main point together. That is why all the Gospels have been given through the Holy Spirit; three Gospels tell the events from different angles but come and meet with the main point as one; by His mercy and authority, the Lord has done all this.
Part 3: (Mark 5:35, Matthew 9:18, Luke 8:49). This portion of Scripture clearly shows the picture of things happening. The father has come, the people have come; now the crossing point is to connect with what is happening. Really, Matthew 9:18 (“While He was speaking these things to them, behold, a certain ruler came, kneeling down to Him, saying, My daughter just now has died”) is happing at the same time with Mark 5:35 (“While He yet is speaking, they come from the ruler of the synagogue’s house saying, Your daughter is dead; why do you still trouble the Teacher?”). And Matthew 9:18 (“but come, lay Thy hand upon her, and she will live”) is happening at the same time as Mark 5:23 (“Thou come, lay hands on her, so that she may be made whole, and live”). This request, Jairus said, was made once only at his first coming to the Lord Jesus when he told Him in Mark 5:23 that his daughter was at the point of death. So here we have a crossover (the events switch from one Gospel to another) in the middle of a verse (Matthew 9:18). The invitation was spoken only once, but Jairus came and knelt two times. First, Jairus said, “My little daughter is at the point of death,” and he made the invitation to the Lord Jesus. But the people who came after said that the child had died, and then Jairus repeated to the Lord again, as given in Matthew 9:18 that his daughter had just died, and he was afraid. When he first spoke to the Lord Jesus, before people told him about the death of his daughter, he used different words.
Part 4: (Mark 5:36, Luke 8:50). After Jairus received word from the people that his daughter had died, the Lord Jesus’ response to Jairus is recorded only in the Gospels of Mark and Luke. This part links with the comment from Part 3, where it is shown that Jairus asks the Lord once to come and lay His hands on the girl so that she may be made whole and live. Now, at this point, the Lord Jesus is strengthening Jairus’ faith, because Jairus is hearing many things in his head. By the word the Lord says, “fear not, only believe,” it solves the problem Jairus had. Now in his heart, he has developed peace; because of hearing the word the Lord Jesus has spoken, the peace has come into Jairus’ heart. The term “fear not,” which the Lord has used, has given him peace.
Part 5: (Mark 5:37-40, Matthew 9:23-24, Luke 8:51-52). The main point in this part of all three Gospels is that the Lord sends the mourners away and says, “The child is not dead, but sleeps.” This fact, stated by the Lord Jesus, is the key to this event: the girl is not dead but sleeping. All the people have seen her, and all have one thing in common: she is dead. However, the Lord wants to make sure that they will see the result of what the Lord will do for the girl. All of them will see only the result, and that is why He sent all of them out; only three of His disciples were with Him, and the parents. The Lord Jesus does not need their witness for His actions; they will see the result coming. This girl was in a coma, and that is why the Lord says she is not dead but sleeping.
Q: Why were only Peter, James, and John permitted to witness the healing of this girl? A: These three disciples needed to witness this activity because they would face challenges as they carried out the work after the Lord departed.
Part 6: (Mark 5:40, Matthew 9:24, Luke 8:53). TThe key point of this part is that the people “laughed Him to scorn” because He said, “The child is not dead, but sleeps.” In this place, we clearly see that humans do not believe unless a miracle has been performed in front of them. However, the parents of the child have faith and believe in the Lord, and the miracle is performed for them to have stronger faith inside of them. People around us are an obstacle to faith even nowadays. Miracles are not performed nowadays because the same actions keep happening; people are losing faith because someone has made fun of the way they believe, making their hearts not firm in faith. The Son of God has come to help all humans. But He has received the treatment that normal humans cannot handle. As He goes by, people point Him out, and many times He has been a laughingstock to them; that is what humans have done to the Son of God. But the Lord has not given up on humans; He is still calling all to come and rise up in faith, as the verse says: just believe. People involved in this event are the disciples, the parents, the crowd following the Lord Jesus, and the people at the house.
Part 7: (Mark 5:41-43, Matthew 9: 25-26, Luke 8:54-56). In this part, it shows how the Lord Jesus healed this girl by commanding her by His word to “arise”. The word “arise” itself has two meanings: arise in the human body and arise in the spiritual. The spirit of the girl has returned to the body, as shown in Luke 8:55, and received the order “arise” in both the body and the soul to be alive again. The reason the Lord Jesus said that the girl was sleeping and not dead but in a coma was because the soul did not leave the body yet, only the spirit (see Comments Matthew 9:25). And when the Lord commanded to the girl to arise, her spirit returned and joined the body and the soul as shown in Luke 8:55 (“And her spirit returned, and she arose immediately”).
The Lord Jesus’ words in Luke 8:54 are given as “Child arise” and in Mark 5:41 as “Talitha koum” (meaning “Little girl, I say to you, Arise”). In Mark, the Lord said “Talitha koum” as a command, not just a statement; He used this command here, not just for the human body alone, but for the soul as well; they both have to join and rise up. Luke gives the translation of the command straight from the Lord, and Mark receives the command and the translation.
Q: What does it mean when the verse says, “He instructed them much that no one should know this”? A: Here, the Lord Jesus instructed the parents not to tell anybody what really had happened; what exactly the Lord Jesus did will not be revealed beyond as it is written in the Bible.
Life and Faith Applications. 1) The woman in this chapter believed in the Lord Jesus by hearing about Him. In the same way, we should be encouraged to read the Bible when we hear about the Lord Jesus and believe; furthermore, we should develop strong faith by meditating on the Living Word of God. 2) People around you might be an obstacle to faith; do not listen to people, but keep your eyes on the Lord Jesus, who is our Lord of life. 3) Tell others what the Lord Jesus did for you, because when we tell people about the Lord, we strengthen ourselves and the person who hears. 4) As it shows in this chapter, the Lord has come for all; do not look down on anyone.