What do the three encounters report and what should remain unstated?

Atlas of Saints · Chapter summary

The man is delivered and sent home to friends, the woman experiences healing and tells the truth, and Jairus’s daughter rises after the death report and Jesus’ command.

Chapter breakdown

# Mark 5

Across the sea in the Gerasens’ country, Jesus leaves the ship and meets a man with an unclean spirit from the monuments. He lives in tombs, breaks chains and fetters, cannot be tamed, and cries and cuts himself with stones day and night in monuments and mountains. Seeing Jesus he runs and adores, calls him Son of the most high God and begs not to be tormented; Jesus has commanded the spirit out. Asked his name, the answer is Legion because they are many, not a specified or countless number. He begs not to be driven from the country. The spirits ask to enter swine feeding near the mountain. Jesus permits it; they leave the man, enter the herd, and about two thousand are carried violently headlong into the sea and stifled. No cliff or iron construction is supplied.

The feeders flee and report in city and fields. People come and see the man sitting, clothed and well in his wits and are afraid. Witnesses recount what happened to him and the swine. They ask Jesus to leave their coasts. As he boards, the man asks to be with him, but Jesus refuses and sends him home to friends to tell the Lord’s great deeds and mercy. He publishes what Jesus did in Decapolis, and all wonder. Friends are not rewritten as kin, nor publication throughout Decapolis made the exact original instruction.

After another crossing a great multitude assembles by the sea. Jairus, one of the synagogue rulers, falls at Jesus’ feet and repeatedly begs that he lay his hand upon his dying daughter so she may live. Jesus goes with him and the crowd throngs him. A woman has had an issue of blood twelve years, suffered much from many physicians, spent all she had and become worse rather than better. Having heard of Jesus, she approaches behind in the crowd and touches his garment, believing that this will make her whole. No fringe, mantle, specific disease diagnosis, painful remedy detail or intrinsic incurability is added. Her blood’s fountain immediately dries and she feels healed in her body.

Jesus knows virtue proceeded from him and asks who touched his garments. The disciples point out the throng; he looks about for her. Fearing and trembling, knowing what occurred, she falls before him and tells the truth. He calls her Daughter, says her faith made her whole, and sends her in peace and wholeness of disease. Her case is not transformed into a guarantee that every faithful touch causes an immediate cure.

While he speaks, people from Jairus’s house report the daughter dead and ask why trouble the master further. Jesus tells him not to fear but only believe, allowing only Peter, James and John to follow. At the house are tumult and people weeping and wailing. He asks why the ado and says the damsel is not dead but sleeps. They laugh him to scorn. He puts them out, takes her parents and his companions to where she lies, holds her hand and says “Talitha cumi,” interpreted “Damsel (I say to thee) arise.” She immediately rises and walks; she is twelve and the witnesses are greatly astonished. He strictly commands that no one know and that she be given food. The heading describes raising to life; the account retains the death report and his sleeping words without adding professional mourners, a bedchamber, clinical explanation or a motive for secrecy.

The story inside

Delivery and departure precede the crossing; the woman’s encounter interrupts the journey to Jairus’s daughter.

Lessons worth keeping

1
Legion means many, without a specified count of spirits.
2
The woman’s twelve-year issue of blood is not diagnosed as an intrinsically incurable illness.
3
Public testimony is commanded for the man, secrecy for the girl, without an added shared motive.

Test your recall

Gerasens; about two thousand swine; friends; Decapolis; twelve-year issue; Jairus; Talitha cumi; food.

Source edition and notes

Douay–Rheims, revised by Richard Challoner (1749–1752). Project Gutenberg no. 1581. Locators refer to lines in the admitted pg1581.txt edition. Source notes may include Challoner commentary.

Lines 114810–114872
5:1. And they came over the strait of the sea, into the country of the Gerasens. 5:2. And as he went out of the ship, immediately there met him out of the monuments a man with an unclean spirit, 5:3. Who had his dwelling in the tombs, and no man now could bind him, not even with chains. 5:4. For having been often bound with fetters and chains, he had burst the chains, and broken the fetters in pieces, and no one could tame him. 5:5. And he was always day and night in the monuments and in the mountains, crying and cutting himself with stones. 5:6. And seeing Jesus afar off, he ran and adored him. 5:7. And crying with a loud voice, he said: What have I to do with thee, Jesus the Son of the most high God? I adjure thee by God that thou torment me not. 5:8. For he said unto him: Go out of the man, thou unclean spirit. 5:9. And he asked him: What is thy name? And he saith to him: My name is Legion, for we are many. 5:10. And he besought him much, that he would not drive him away out of the country. 5:11. And there was there near the mountain a great herd of swine, feeding. 5:12. And the spirits besought him, saying: Send us into the swine, that we may enter into them. 5:13. And Jesus immediately gave them leave. And the unclean spirits going out, entered into the swine: and the herd with great violence was carried headlong into the sea, being about two thousand, and were stifled in the sea. 5:14. And they that fed them fled, and told it in the city and in the fields. And they went out to see what was done: 5:15. And they came to Jesus, and they see him that was troubled with the devil, sitting, clothed, and well in his wits, and they were afraid. 5:16. And they that had seen it, told them, in what manner he had been dealt with who had the devil; and concerning the swine. 5:17. And they began to pray him that he would depart from their coasts. 5:18. And when he went up into the ship, he that had been troubled with the devil, began to beseech him that he might be with him. 5:19. And he admitted him not, but saith to him: Go into thy house to thy friends, and tell them how great things the Lord hath done for thee, and hath had mercy on thee. 5:20. And he went his way, and began to publish in Decapolis how great things Jesus had done for him: and all men wondered.
Lines 114874–114942
5:21. And when Jesus had passed again in the ship over the strait, a great multitude assembled together unto him, and he was nigh unto the sea. 5:22. And there cometh one of the rulers of the synagogue named Jairus: and seeing him, falleth down at his feet. 5:23. And he besought him much, saying: My daughter is at the point of death, come, lay thy hand upon her, that she may be safe, and may live. 5:24. And he went with him, and a great multitude followed him, and they thronged him. 5:25. And a woman who was under an issue of blood twelve years, 5:26. And had suffered many things from many physicians; and had spent all that she had, and was nothing the better, but rather worse, 5:27. When she had heard of Jesus, came in the crowd behind him, and touched his garment. 5:28. For she said: If I shall touch but his garment, I shall be whole. 5:29. And forthwith the fountain of her blood was dried up, and she felt in her body that she was healed of the evil. 5:30. And immediately Jesus knowing in himself the virtue that had proceeded from him, turning to the multitude, said: Who hath touched my garments? 5:31. And his disciples said to him: Thou seest the multitude thronging thee, and sayest thou who hath touched me? 5:32. And he looked about to see her who had done this. 5:33. But the woman fearing and trembling, knowing what was done in her, came and fell down before him, and told him all the truth. 5:34. And he said to her: Daughter, thy faith hath made thee whole: go in peace, and be thou whole of thy disease. 5:35. While he was yet speaking, some come from the ruler of the synagogue’s house, saying: Thy daughter is dead: why dost thou trouble the master any further? 5:36. But Jesus having heard the word that was spoken, saith to the ruler of the synagogue: Fear not, only believe. 5:37. And he admitted not any man to follow him, but Peter, and James, and John the brother of James. 5:38. And they come to the house of the ruler of the synagogue; and he seeth a tumult, and people weeping and wailing much. 5:39. And going in, he saith to them Why make you this ado, and weep? the damsel is not dead, but sleepeth. 5:40. And they laughed him to scorn. But he having put them all out, taketh the father and the mother of the damsel, and them that were with him, and entereth in where the damsel was lying. 5:41. And taking the damsel by the hand, he saith to her: Talitha cumi, which is, being interpreted: Damsel (I say to thee) arise. 5:42. And immediately the damsel rose up, and walked: and she was twelve years old: and they were astonished with a great astonishment. 5:43. And he charged them strictly that no man should know it: and commanded that something should be given her to eat.