1 And they came to the other side of the sea, to the country of the Gadarenes.
2 And immediately on his going out of the ship there met him out of the tombs a man possessed by an unclean spirit,
3 who had his dwelling in the tombs; and no one was able to bind him, not even with chains;
4 because he had been often bound with fetters and chains, and the chains had been torn asunder by him, and the fetters were shattered; and no one was able to subdue him.
5 And continually night and day, in the tombs and in the mountains, he was crying and cutting himself with stones.
6 But seeing Jesus from afar off, he ran and did him homage,
7 and crying with a loud voice he says, What have I to do with thee, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I adjure thee by God, torment me not.
8 For he said to him, Come forth, unclean spirit, out of the man.
9 And he asked him, What is thy name? And he says to him, Legion is my name, because we are many.
10 And he besought him much that he would not send them away out of the country.
11 Now there was there just at the mountain a great herd of swine feeding;
12 and they besought him, saying, Send us into the swine that we may enter into them.
13 And Jesus [immediately] allowed them. And the unclean spirits going out entered into the swine, and the herd rushed down the steep slope, into the sea (about two thousand), and were choked in the sea.
14 And those that were feeding them fled and reported it in the city and in the country. And they went out to see what it was that had taken place.
15 And they come to Jesus, and they see the possessed of demons sitting [and] clothed and sensible, [him] that had had the legion: and they were afraid.
16 And they that had seen [it] related to them how it had happened to the [man] possessed by demons, and concerning the swine.
17 And they began to beg him to depart from their coasts.
18 And as he went on board ship, the man that had been possessed by demons besought him that he might be with him.
19 And he suffered him not, but says to him, Go to thine home to thine own people, and tell them how great things the Lord has done for thee, and has had mercy on thee.
20 And he went away and began to proclaim in the Decapolis how great things Jesus had done for him; and all wondered.
Worthy.Bible » Commentaries » Matthew Henry Commentary » Commentary on Mark 5
Commentary on Mark 5 Matthew Henry Commentary
Chapter 5
In this chapter, we have,
These three miracles we had the story of before (Mt. 8:28, etc. and Mt. 9:18, etc.) but more fully related here.
Mar 5:1-20
We have here an instance of Christ's dispossessing the strong man armed, and disposing of him as he pleased, to make it appear that he was stronger than he. This he did when he was come to the other side, whither he went through a storm; his business there was to rescue this poor creature out of the hands of Satan, and when he had done that, he returned. Thus he came from heaven to earth, and returned, in a storm, to redeem a remnant of mankind out of the hands of the devil, though but a little remnant, and did not think his pains ill bestowed.
In Matthew, they were said to be two possessed with devils; here it is said to be a man possessed with an unclean spirit. If there were two, there was one, and Mark doth not say that there was but one; so that this difference cannot give us any just offence; it is probable that one of them was much more remarkable than the other, and said what was said. Now observe here,
Mar 5:21-34
The Gadarenes having desired Christ to leave their country, he did not stay to trouble them long, but presently went by water, as he came, back to the other side (v. 21), and there much people gathered to him. Note, If there be some that reject Christ, yet there are others that receive him, and bid him welcome. A despised gospel will cross the water, and go where it will have better entertainment. Now among the many that applied themselves to him,
Mar 5:35-43
Diseases and deaths came into the world by the sin and disobedience of the first Adam; but by the grace of the second Adam both are conquered. Christ, having healed an incurable disease, here goes on to triumph over death, as in the beginning of the chapter he had triumphed over an outrageous devil.