CHAPTER 5
Mark 5:1-20. Parallel. Matt. 8, 28-34; Luke 8:26-39.
Here we find the most marvelous of all the healings of demon-possessed people performed by Jesus. St. Mark's very detailed account, in a way, reenacts this momentous incident before our eyes, where the messianic and divine character of the Savior is so clearly manifested. The distinctive traits of our Evangelist appear in almost every verse. Let us limit ourselves to pointing out the principal ones. v. 4: "no one could subdue him"; v. 5: "among the tombs and on the mountains, crying out and bruising himself"; v. 6: "When he saw Jesus from a distance, he ran up"; v. 7: "with a loud cry, 'I adjure you by God'"; v. 10: "he earnestly begged him not to drive them out of the country"; v. 13: "There were about two thousand of them"; v. 20: "he... began to preach in the Decapolis.".
Mc5.1 Having crossed the sea, they arrived in the land of the Gerasenes. — On the other side of the sea : on the eastern shore; or better still, according to common opinion, in the region located southeast of the lake. In the land of the Gerasenes. In our commentary on Matthew 8:28, we presented the various readings of the Greek text, the versions, and the Church Fathers concerning this proper name (Γαδαρηνῶν, Γερααηνῶν, Γεργεσηνῶν). Our choice then fell upon Gadara. Several commentators return to Origen's opinion; one of them having discovered, near the Wadi Semak, opposite the plain of Tiberias, the ruins of a city which his Arab guide named Kersa or Ghersa, and which he does not hesitate to identify with the ancient Gergesa where, according to the great Alexandrian interpreter, Jesus healed the demoniac. The city is situated a few meters from the shore, and immediately above it rises an enormous mountain containing ancient tombs… The lake is so close to the base of the mountain that pigs, rushing down in a panic, would have been unable to stop; they would inevitably have fallen into the lake and drowned. We readily admit that this discovery seems to support Origen's opinion, and that the described site would correspond better than the territory of Gadara with the Gospel narrative. However, the sacred text by no means requires that the city be located entirely on the shores of the lake, and Arab guides have so frequently given false information about the ancient settlements of Palestine that it is wise not to be too hasty in accepting them.
Mc5.2 And as Jesus was getting out of the boat, suddenly a man with an unclean spirit came to him from among the tombs. — As he got out of the boat This was therefore a few moments after the landing of Jesus and the Apostles. A man possessed by an unclean spirit. Cf. Mark 1:23 and the explanation. A man in the power of the demon, the unclean spirit par excellence. St. Matthew mentions two possessed men (see the commentary on Matthew 8:28); St. Mark and St. Luke present only one throughout the scene that follows: this was probably the more famous one. "Let us understand that one of the two was a more famous and renowned person, whose misfortune the country greatly mourned."Saint Augustine of Hippo, De Consensu Evangelistarum, 2, 24.].
Mc5.3 He had his dwelling in the tombs and no one could keep him bound anymore, not even with a chain. 4 For he had often been bound with shackles and chains, and he had broken the chains and shattered his bonds, so that no one could control him. 5 Constantly, day and night, he wandered among the tombs and on the mountains, screaming and bruising himself with stones. These three verses contain a vivid description of the wild and ferocious character of our demonic figure. His life was a perpetual paroxysm of furious madness, which made him an object of dread and horror throughout the region. In the tombs. See verse 5. The vast burial chambers carved into the rock near Gadara were his usual dwelling place; proof that he had completely abandoned human society. The unclean spirit that dominated him made him haunt the tombs. No one could bind him anymore, not even with chains.…The following details indeed show the reason why the practice of chaining the demonic had now ceased. Repeated experiments had proven it unnecessary. Because he had often been wearing irons on his feet…«In the much-vaunted civilization of antiquity there were neither hospitals, nor penitentiaries, nor asylums; and the unfortunate souls of this kind, too dangerous to be tolerated in society, were simply expelled from among their fellow human beings: to prevent them from doing harm, measures that were both insufficient and cruel were employed against them. It was necessary to Christianity, and especially Catholicism, to create refuges for these unfortunate beings. — The irons refers to restraints placed around the feet and legs, the chains Bonds or chains that tied the hands and arms, perhaps also the body. He had broken the chains…Made even more furious by this treatment, the possessed man, whose muscular strength was multiplied a hundredfold by the demon, tore chains and shackles to pieces. Thus, as the Evangelist adds, «no one had succeeded in subduing him.» On the mountains. When he wasn't hidden in the tombs, he could be seen running like a madman through the mountains bordering the eastern shores of the Sea of Galilee. Then he would utter loud cries, and even more, he would tear at his body by striking himself with stones. A dreadful sight, which proves to what extent this unfortunate man was in the power of the demon. An apocryphal Gospel, alluding to this lamentable story of the possessed of Gadara, notes another characteristic trait: "he ate his own limbs" [Cf. Johann Karl Thilo, Codex apocryphus Novi Testamenti, vol. 1, p. 808].
Mc5.6 Having seen Jesus from afar, he ran up and knelt before him, 7 And, having cried out, he said in a loud voice, «What do you have to do with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I adjure you in the name of God, do not torment me.» — But now the Liberator appears, and the demonic one, momentarily calmed by his influence which is felt from afar (having therefore seen Jesus from afar), rushes to meet him and prostrates himself at his feet. What do you have to do with me? See Mark 1:24. What do we have in common? Why don't you leave me in peace? Clearly, it is the demon regaining his dominion and speaking through the mouth of the possessed man. Jesus, Son of the Most High God. This is the first time God receives this name in the writings of the New Testament; but he had frequently borne it under the Old Law. Melchizedek was already presented to us in Genesis 14:18 as a priest of the Most High God. The prophets and sacred poets have since constantly repeated that the Lord is El-Elyon [cf. Deuteronomy 32:8; Isaiah 14:14; Lamentations 3, 35; Daniel 4, 17, 24, 32, 34; 7, 18, 22, 25; Psalms 7, 17; 9, 2; 8, 13; 44, 4, etc.]. The author of Ecclesiasticus alone repeated this title at least forty times. Demons also know it and attribute it to God. Cf. Luke 8:28; Acts 16:17. Here, the unclean spirit even dares to use it to address a solemn adjuration to Jesus. Don't torment me. It is always Satan who speaks; he knows that Jesus is going to expel him (v. 8), and, through a humiliating supplication, he tries to escape this fate that frightens him. According to a beautiful thought of St. Jerome, demons, like runaway slaves, think only of the punishments that await them when they see their Master. They, who torment men so cruelly, fear being tormented in turn.
Mc5.8 For Jesus had been saying to him, «Unclean spirit, come out of this man!» — The reason for this urgent adjuration from the demon. At that very moment, Jesus was ordering him to withdraw. Usually, when the Savior gave such an order, it was immediately obeyed; in this instance, he granted his enemy a certain delay, in order to better accomplish his merciful purposes.
Mc5.9 And he asked him, "What is your name?" And he said to him, "My name is Legion, for we are many."« — What is your name? It was certainly not for himself, but for those present, that Our Lord addressed this question to the foul mind: he intended by this to highlight the greatness of the miracle he was about to perform. My name is Legion. A superb name, which the devil is now using to defy Jesus. The Roman legion consisted of about 6,000 men: the Jews had all seen its dense and formidable ranks. Therefore, they readily used the word לגיון (leghion, modeled on the Latin word "legio") to express a considerable number. Satan uses it similarly to show that the possessed man through whose organ he spoke was in the power of a multitude of lesser demons. Because there are many of us. Exegesis of the name the evil spirit had just given itself. The poor demoniac had thus been transformed into a satanic camp where demons were, so to speak, garrisoned. God likes to call himself the Lord of Hosts; the devil here bravadofully appropriates a similar title; but the infernal legion will not frighten Jesus. — The Gospels offer us other examples of multiple possessions in the same individual: cf. Mark 16:9; Luke 8:2; Matthew 12:45.
Mc5.10 And he earnestly begged him not to send them out of that country. — And he earnestly begged him. The demon now reiterates his plea. Here, as in verse 9, there is a change of number, which, strange in appearance, is nevertheless very well explained by the circumstance indicated above. The demons are a legion: hence the plural "we are"; it is the chief among them who has spoken on behalf of all; hence the singular "he begged him." Drive them out of the country. «They were pleased in this semi-pagan region, where they could better exercise their power,» Fr. Luc. In the third Gospel, Luke 8:31, the demons «begged him not to command them to go into the abyss.» These are two different expressions to convey one and the same idea.
Mc5.11 Now, there was a large herd of pigs grazing there along the mountain. — A large herd of pigs. On the presence of pigs in Palestine, see the Gospel according to St. Matthew, 8:30. Here we have an interesting example of the independence of the three Synoptic Gospels, despite the great similarity of their accounts. St. Luke, to designate the place where the pigs grazed, simply uses the vague adverb "there"; St. Matthew says it was "not far from them," at a considerable distance from the group formed by Jesus, his disciples, the demoniac, and the other witnesses of the miracle; St. Mark reconciles the other two Evangelists by showing us the herd there, near the mountain : note entirely graphical.
Mc5.12 And the demons begged Jesus, saying, «Send us into those pigs, so that we may go in.» — The demons were begging. For the third time, the demon humbles himself and implores Jesus. Cf. vv. 7 and 10. “Do not torment me,” he had first asked. Then, clarifying his request, he had begged the Savior to let him remain in the country. Now he says to him: Send us into those pigs…He desires to possess the pigs, just as he had previously possessed the demon-possessed man, whom he felt compelled to renounce. On the motive for this peculiar request, see the commentary on Matthew 8:31.
Mc5.13 He allowed them to do so at once, and the unclean spirits, coming out of the possessed man, entered the pigs, and the herd, which was about two thousand strong, rushed down the steep slopes into the sea and drowned. — He allowed them to. «Go,» Jesus replied, according to St. Matthew, with a majestic laconicism. — The demons immediately take advantage of the permission granted to them. Emerging from the possessed man's chamber... entered: They abandon man, created in the image of God, and they overrun the flock of irrational beasts. And the herd (…) rushed forward…This strange scene is very well described by the three Evangelists, who, moreover, use almost the same expressions. The animals, having become furious like the demoniac of old (vv. 3-5), rush at full speed down the mountainside where they were grazing. In the blink of an eye, they tumble into the lake: a huge whirlpool is created, and soon the abyss closes in on its prey. There were about two thousand of them. The region that served as the scene of this event has always been famous for its large herds. The oak woods it contains made it particularly suitable for raising pigs.
Mc5.14 Those guarding them fled and spread the news throughout the town and countryside. People went to see what had happened, 15 They came to Jesus and saw the demon-possessed man, the one who had had the legion, sitting there, clothed and sane, and they were terrified. 16 And those who had witnessed it told them what had happened to the possessed man and the pigs, 17 They began to pray to Jesus to leave their borders. — The news of this dazzling miracle, but also of this considerable loss, was immediately spread to the neighboring town and throughout the region by the terrified shepherds. The inhabitants then went out to see the Wonderworker. The striking contrast that met their eyes as soon as they approached Jesus is vividly depicted by St. Mark. Seated, dressed, and back to his senses. Formerly, the possessed man was seen running like a madman throughout the land; now he sits at Jesus' feet and remains as peaceful as a small child. Formerly, says St. Luke 8:27, "he wore no clothes," now he wears the clothes that Jesus and the Apostles gave him. Formerly he acted under the influence of the demon; now he has regained full possession of his faculties. Those who had seen… told them. As more curious onlookers arrived, the witnesses to the miracle described its various aspects, speaking of the demonic and of pigs. This latter expression, in the intention of the sacred writer, forms a clear gradation. The pigs, their pigs. At first simply astonished, the Gadarenes now grieve over the loss they have suffered and fear further losses. Therefore, they implore Jesus to leave their territory. They have richly deserved, by this unworthy conduct, to have their name used to stigmatize anyone who refuses to heed sound doctrine [Cf. Erasmus, Adagia, p. 313].
Mc5.18 As Jesus got into the boat, the man who had been possessed asked permission to follow him. — As Jesus got into the boat. As Jesus was about to embark for the return journey to the western shore of the lake, a touching scene unfolded. The man who had been the recipient of the miracle also offered a prayer to the divine Master. But how different his request was from that of the Gadarenes! «They began to beg Jesus to leave their region,» we read in the preceding verse; here, on the contrary, the man «began to ask him to stay with him.» He was thus imploring the favor of being Jesus’s regular companion, that is, his disciple in the strictest sense of the term. For if he had not wanted to follow Christ as a disciple, but like the crowd, he could have done so without Jesus’s command, as many others did. No one could be his disciple without his approval and acceptance. By this offer, he expressed his profound gratitude to his liberator. Theophylact, Euthymius, Grotius, etc., suppose without sufficient reasons that he feared the return of the demons, and that for this reason he desired to always remain with the Thaumaturge.
Mc5.19 Jesus did not allow him to do so, but said to him, «Go home to your family and tell them all that the Lord has done for you, and how he has had mercy on you.» — But Jesus did not allow him. Jesus outwardly refuses, but in fact he grants the supplicant a more meritorious and useful role. Tell them everything…To others, Our Lord enjoined silence; to this one, he prescribes publicity. For in Perea, Jesus had neither the same drawbacks nor the same prejudices to fear as in Judea or Galilee. In this distant province, he had few enemies, and messianic enthusiasm was hardly a threat. — Thus, the former host of the devil was made Apostle and missionary of the Christianity in that district. It was a great mercy from Jesus not only for him, but for the whole region. "Rejected by the Gerasenes, the Lord, at least for the moment, abandoned them as they deserved. And since they could not yet guarantee their salvation, he left them to his apostles," Fr. Luc.
Mc5.20 He went away and began to proclaim in the Decapolis all that Jesus had done for him: and all were amazed. — He went away and began to proclaim…With what zeal he must have fulfilled this noble function. He traveled throughout the territory of the Decapolis, recounting the wonders that had been performed in his life. Everything Jesus had done for him. In the preceding verse, as Euthymius rightly observed, Jesus had said, «Tell them all that the Lord has done for you,» thus modestly ascribing all the glory of the miracle to his Father; but, in his gratitude, the former demoniac mentions the immediate author of his healing: he directly attributes the miracle to Jesus. They were all filled with admiration. Everything suggests that the Evangelist does not only want to speak of sterile admiration: in many of these hearts, no doubt, astonishment gave way to faith and sincere conversions. — See old and naive artistic representations of this miracle [Charles Rohault de Fleury, The Gospel: Iconographic and Archaeological Studies, vol. 1, p. 467].
Mark 5, 21-43. Parallel. Matt. 9, 18-26; Luke 8:40-56.
Mc5.21 Jesus having crossed the sea again in the boat, as he was near the shore, a large crowd gathered around him. This verse recounts the occasion of the double miracle performed by Jesus almost immediately after he crossed the lake and landed on the western shore. For the chronological order of events, see the Gospel according to St. Matthew, 8:18. A large crowd gathered. No sooner had the Savior set foot on the ground than a considerable multitude surrounded him. St. Luke 8:40 indicates the reason for this rapid gathering: "for they were all waiting for him.".
Mc5.22 Then came one of the synagogue leaders, named Jairus, who, upon seeing him, fell at his feet., — One of the synagogue leaders. St. Matthew had simply said "a synagogue leader." St. Mark and St. Luke emphasize the high ecclesiastical office of the supplicant. Each synagogue was governed by a college or chapter of notables, presided over by a leader named in Hebrew ראש הכנסת, Rosh-Hakkenèceth, ἄρχων τῆς συναγωγῆς, as St. Luke translates [Cf. Campeius Vitringa, De Synagoga Vetere, p. 584 ff.]. Jesus had very few friends and disciples among these leaders. But now misfortune brings one to him. Named Jairus : in Greek Ἰάειρος, in Hebrew יאיר; cf. Numbers 32:41; Judith 10:3; Esther 2:5. The Evangelists rarely mention the names of the people who were the recipients of the Savior's miracles: they make an exception for Jairus, undoubtedly because of the magnitude of the miracle that took place in his house. Who, seeing him, threw himself at his feet. Despite his dignity, he fell at the feet of Our Lord. Jesus did not seek human honors; yet we read nowhere that he refused such homage. Never, at the moment of such scenes, did he cry out like Paul and Barnabas: “Men, why are you doing this? We too are only mortal like you.” (Acts 14:14). He had easily noticed that the Pharisees were scandalized by it; and yet he allowed to happen what he could not have prevented without testifying against the truth. This conduct deserves our full attention: it is proof in favor of the divinity of Jesus Christ.
Mc5.23 and begged him earnestly, saying, «My daughter is dying; come, lay your hand on her, so that she may be healed and live.» — he begged him earnestly. An emphatic expression that perfectly highlights the urgent nature and fervor of this unfortunate father's prayers. It is specific to St. Mark. My daughter. Literally: "my darling little girl." This diminutive is perfectly in keeping with Levantine customs, as Orientals readily use terms of endearment. East at the end. The phrase is synonymous with "being about to die." Regarding the apparent contradiction here between St. Mark and St. Matthew, see our commentary on Matthew 9:18. In fact, the young woman was still alive when Jairus left her to run to meet Jesus. Come, lay your hand on her hasso that she may heal and live. Very expressive pleonasm: moreover, there are two distinct ideas here, that of healing and that of a long life after recovery.
Mc5.24 And he went with him, and a great multitude followed him and pressed around him. And Jesus went with him; and a large crowd followed him and pressed around him. — Jesus immediately granted Jairus's request. The crowd followed him, no doubt hoping to witness the miracle. A large multitude… pressed him. The Greek text uses a very energetic expression, which is found only here and in verse 31. This suggests that the divine Master was constantly jostled and pushed by the multitude.
Mc5.25 Now there was a woman who had been suffering from a flow of blood for twelve years, — A touching account of one miracle within another. See the Gospel according to St. Matthew, 9:20. St. Mark has a very vivid description of the woman's sad condition with the hemorrhage, vv. 25 and 26. He has condensed into a few lines various specific details, quite capable of moving us to pity this poor woman. Suffering from blood loss. The illness consisted of a hemorrhage of a humiliating nature, which public opinion formerly referred to as the result of disorderly conduct. — In Latin and Greek, literally: "to be in illness," to designate a state of illness, a very classical expression among the Greeks and Latins [Cf. Sophocles, Ajax, v, 270; Cicero (Marcus Tullius Cicero), Tusculan Disputations, 3, 4.].
Mc5.26 She had suffered greatly from several doctors and spent all her money, and far from experiencing any relief, she had seen her illness worsen. — Here, every word carries weight. «She had suffered greatly at the hands of many doctors; she had spent all her fortune: she only got much worse.» Luke 8:43 says essentially the same thing; but, as a doctor, he speaks with more tact, seemingly to spare his former colleagues. Who had suffered greatly…God knows what medical practice was like in those distant times. The Talmud has preserved for us the prescriptions then prescribed by the Faculty for curing the kind of ailment suffered by the heroine of this story. We will mention a few of them, which will perfectly illustrate our verse: «Rabbi Johanan said: Add to Alexandrian gum one weight of gizzard, one weight of a young man's gizzard, and one weight of gizzard to garden saffron. Grind them all together and give them in wine to the woman with the hemorrhage. If this mixture has no effect, cook three measures of Persian orpine with wine, and tell her when she drinks it: »Recover from your flow of blood.« If this also has no effect, take her to a crossroads.» Let her hold a glass of wine in her hands; let someone come up behind her and terrify her by saying, "Get up from your flow of blood." If even this has no effect, say, "Receive a sheaf of arpin," and after giving her something to drink, say, "Come away from your flow of blood." [Rab. Schabb. f. 110.] And one hundred other similar doses, in case the previous ones remain ineffective. Here is one of the most powerful remedies: "Let them dig seven pits in which they will burn oaths of uncircumcised vines (that is, vines less than four years old). Let her take her cup of wine in her hand, let her be moved from one pit and placed in another. Let her be moved again from one pit and placed in another. At each movement, let her be told, "Come away from your flow of blood." … had spent all his wealth All her resources had been squandered on remedies and doctors' fees. Even if she had recovered her health at that price. But, quite the contrary, she was even worse off for it. We are familiar with the biting satires launched in classical antiquity against doctors, notably by Pindar. «Hence this inscription on an unfortunate monument: the multitude of physicians perished» [Pliny the Elder, Natural History, 24, 5]. — The apocryphal report sent to Tiberius by Pilate describes the state to which the woman with the hemorrhage had been reduced [Johann Karl Thilo, Codex apocryphus Novi Testamenti, vol. 1, p. 808].
Mc5.27 Having heard about Jesus, she came into the crowd and touched the back of his cloak. — Having heard about Jesus. The hour of salvation has struck for this poor woman. She hears about Jesus, about his power which no illness can withstand, about his goodness which rejects no one, and she runs to him. His garment. Having mingled with the crowd accompanying the Savior to Jairus' house, she managed to approach him from behind and touch the edge of his cloak, perhaps even, according to the account in Matthew 9:20, the tzizzit or woolen fringes that adorned its ends, in accordance with the injunctions of Mosaic Law. Her act was thus a mixture of boldness and timidity.
Mc5.28 For she said, "If I only touch his clothes, I will be healed."« — She said She said to herself, as can be read in several manuscripts. Cf. Matthew 9:21. If only I could touch…It was the hemorrhaging woman's firm conviction, her unwavering faith, that if she could just touch Jesus's garment, it would be enough to cure her completely. Perhaps she had repeated these words to herself for a long time before daring to put her plan into action. This seems at least to be suggested by the imperfect tense ("she said"), the use of which often denotes the continuity of an action.
Mc5.29 The flow of blood stopped immediately and she felt in her body that she was cured of her infirmity. - HASimmediately the flow of blood… A very elegant expression in Greek and Latin. Blood flow This is equivalent to the Hebrew phrase מקור דמים from Leviticus 12:7; 20:18. She felt it in her body. It was a feeling of well-being, inner strength, and renewal that made her understand with certainty that she had just been cured. Cured of her infirmity. See Mark 3:40 and the commentary. What joy for this poor woman, after twelve years of illness.
Mc5.30 At that moment, Jesus knew within himself that power had gone out from him, and turning around in the midst of the crowd, he said, "Who touched my clothes?"« — Verses 30-34 dramatically describe a small scene that took place immediately after this great miracle. Jesus, knowing in himself. The woman with the hemorrhage felt that she was healed: Jesus, too, experienced something special, which made him aware of what had just happened. But this something was not a bodily sensation. It was an intellectual perception; it was the divine and prophetic gaze by which Jesus Christ, as God-Man, followed his most secret operations to their very end. This is how he knew that it was not the crowd that had touched him inadvertently, but that he had been the object of a special contact, the instantaneous effect of which had been a miracle. Cf. Luke 8:46. Is there anything in this to frighten rationalists? Where do they see, in the parallel accounts of St. Mark and St. Luke, traces of this magnetism by which Jesus supposedly performed the most marvelous cures, sometimes despite himself and without being aware of it? The sacred writer clearly distinguishes between the knowledge of the miracle as it was produced in the mind of the sick woman and in the holy soul of Jesus. The woman "knew it in her body," Jesus "knew it in himself." For him, the body is no longer the issue, and the verb used by the Evangelist indicates a completely intimate, completely perfect perception. — The same is true of the following words. Virtue It represents nothing magical, but a divine force. Who had gone out is a figure that very well depicts the outpouring of this force, without any unconscious emanation whatsoever. "The virtue that remained in Christ had the effect of bringing health to the woman." Cf. Luke 6:19; Jeremiah 30:22; Ruth 1, 13. — He turned towards the crowd. One of those gestures of the Savior so frequently noted in the second Gospel. Jesus then turns abruptly, and asks sternly. Who touched my clothes? No one knew it better than he did; but he wanted to demonstrate the faith of the woman with the hemorrhage, to openly grant her what she had somehow stolen from him without the knowledge of all those present by a pious fraud; he wanted by this very fact that the healing of this humble woman would become for a great many the occasion to believe in Him and to attach themselves to Him.
Mc5.31 His disciples said to him, «You see the crowd pressing around you on all sides, and you ask, »Who touched me?’” — And his disciples said to him. The disciples, unaware of what had happened, could not understand their Master's question. They were even quite astonished. "How can you ask such a question?" they said to him rather rudely. "When you are pressed by the crowd, as you are now, is this really the time to complain about having been lightly touched by someone?" The Apostles emphasized the words press And touched, between which they establish a contrast. The Fathers also delight in noting the same antithesis, but in a moral and mystical sense. Even today, they say, many press against Jesus, but no one touches him with faith and reverence. «It is as if the Lord had said: I seek those who touch me and not those who press against me. So it is today with the Church, which is his body. It is as if touched by the faith of the few and pressed by the multitude. Pressed by the flesh, and touched by faith… Lift up your eyes of faith, touch thus the ends of the fringes of his garment; this will be enough for your salvation» [Saint Augustine [of Hippo, Sermon 62, 5]. — St. Luke, 8, 45, expressly states that, in this circumstance as in so many others, it was Saint Peter who spoke on behalf of the Twelve.
Mc5.32 And he looked around to see who had touched him. — And he was watching… Another gesture, the mention of which is again specific to St. Mark. We have seen, moreover, that the second Evangelist likes to point out Jesus' glances. Cf. Mark 3:5 and the note. The use of the imperfect tense indicates a scrutinizing and prolonged gaze. To see who had done this. The woman with the hemorrhage is referred to in this place in anticipation: the narrator places himself in the reader's point of view, whom he has already informed of the situation.
Mc5.33 This woman, trembling with fear, knowing what had happened to her, came and threw herself at his feet and told him the whole truth. — In this verse, St. Mark is more of a painter than a writer. He admirably recounts the inner feelings and outward conduct of the woman with the hemorrhage when she realized that her secret was known to Jesus. — 1. Her inner feelings were those of fear and terror: She was seized with dread for having dared to take possession, in a way, and without permission, of something belonging to Jesus. Cf. Theophylact [Cf. Origen, Catenary in Mark]. She trembled because of this dread. — 2. Her conduct consisted of a humble and complete confession of what she had done a few moments before. Approaching the Savior, she prostrated herself before him and confessed the whole truth This is an emphatic expression, signifying that she concealed nothing, that she recounted every detail to the Wonderworker. Cf. other interesting circumstances in Luke 8:47. — Ancient commentators note regarding this verse that it contains the three qualities of a good confession: «marked by reverent fear, humble, and complete.».
Mc5.34 Jesus said to her, «Daughter, your faith has saved you; go in peace and be healed of your infirmity.» — My daughter. A gentle name, which must have immediately reassured and calmed the woman suffering from hemorrhage. This is the only time we see Jesus give this name to a woman in the Gospel. Your faith saved you…The Savior highlights the faith of the sick woman, which had been like the instrument and channel of her healing. Go in peace. We read in the Greek text: «Enter into peace. ". That peace be now the element of your life. The Hebrews said the same: לשלום. Cf. 1 Samuel 1:17; 2 Samuel 15:9. Cf. James 11:46; Acts 16:36. The article "In pace" in the Dictionary of Christian Antiquities by Abbé Martigny is worth reading. This formula, of Jewish origin, unknown to the pagans, was adopted by Christians to express a variety of thoughts. Be healed…With these words, Jesus confirms the healing of the woman with the hemorrhage; he solemnly ratifies the blessing she had surreptitiously sought to steal from him. «Be» means: «Be definitively,» after a long period of suffering, a lasting benefit.
Mc5.35 He was still speaking when someone came from the synagogue leader's house and told him, "Your daughter is dead; why burden the teacher any further?"« — He was still talking. This transition brings us back to Jairus. His faith in Jesus, which must have grown at the sight of the miracle he had just witnessed, was immediately put to a severe test; for no sooner had Jesus finished comforting the woman with the hemorrhage than the unfortunate father was told of his daughter's death. They came from the house of the synagogue leader. Jairus was then with Jesus. Why tire yourself out more?…What's the point of bothering the Rabbi now that there's nothing left to do? These bad advisors, in the imperfection of their faith, assume that Jesus is incapable of bringing about a resurrection. — The Greek verb translated here by tired, bother, is very energetic. It literally means: to remove the skin, to tear, then, figuratively: to tire extremely.
Mc5.36 But when Jesus heard this, he said to the synagogue leader, «Do not be afraid; just believe.» — Jesus hearing…If the Master speaks immediately, it is to prevent the poor father from being discouraged by the sad news his friends have brought him. Some thought of unbelief might have passed from their minds into his: that is why Jesus hastens to cast a word of fervent hope into this desolate soul. Titus of Bosra expresses this idea very well [John Anthony Cramer, Catenæ Græcorum Patrum in Novum Testamentum, Luke]. Believe only. Jesus thus upheld Jairus' faith, keeping it afloat amidst the waves that threatened to sink it. According to the Savior's intentions, the miracle was to be the reward for this faith: it was through faith that he was to be won, in a sense.
Mc5.37 And he did not allow anyone to accompany him except Peter, James, and John, the brother of James. — Upon arriving at Jairus's house, Our Lord forbade the crowd from entering. Apart from the girl's father and mother, only his three chosen disciples, Peter, James, and John, were with him at the time of the miracle. This small number of witnesses was more than enough to prove the truth of the resurrection. — If not to Pierre… This was the first time that the son of Jonah and the sons of Zebedee received such a mark of distinction: but it will not be the last.
Mc5.38 We arrive at the house of the synagogue leader and there he sees a confused group of people weeping and shouting loudly. — We arrive home. In the East, when one enters the home of a rich or well-to-do person, one usually finds, after crossing the threshold, a large room used for receptions: the private apartments are arranged on either side of this sort of living room. He sees a confused group . Although the child's death had barely occurred half an hour earlier, the house already presented a strange aspect. Instead of the contemplation and silence appropriate in such sad circumstances, and to which everyone in the West conforms these days, we find the tumult and noisy displays of the ancient and modern East. People were crying and screaming loudly.. These words refer to hired mourners, whose job it is to make mournful lamentations heard in mortuary houses and during burials [See the commentary on Matthew 9:23]. The first Gospel also mentioned flute players.
Mc5.39 He went in and said to them, "Why all the noise and crying? The child is not dead, but asleep."« — He enters. The narrator gradually describes the Savior's entrance. Verse 37 signaled his approach to the house; verse 38 showed him arriving at the door and glancing into the main room; this verse introduces him definitively. The narrative is thereby dramatized. The child is not dead, but she is asleep. The young girl was indeed dead (see Luke 8:53); but Jesus, by using this expression, simply meant to indicate that he would restore her to life as easily and quickly as one awakens a sleeping person. Her death would have lasted so short a time that it would resemble a passing sleep. On the use of this expression and its misuse by rationalists, see the Gospel according to St. Matthew, 9:24.
Mc5.40 And they mocked him. But he, having put them all out, took with him the child's father and mother and the disciples who were with him, and went into the place where the child was lying. — They made fun of him. Jesus, who had not yet seen the child, who had only just entered the house, asserted that Jairus' daughter was not dead: they, on the contrary, had seen and touched her. They were therefore openly mocking the Savior. Having made everyone leave. Let us admire the holy authority of Jesus: with a word, "Go away" (Matt. 9:24), he makes all this noisy and useless crowd leave, and he enters, with the witnesses he had chosen, into the room of the deceased.
Mc5.41 And taking her hand, he said to her, "Talitha qoumi," which means, "Young girl, get up, I tell you."« — And taking his hand. Jesus had done the same for Saint Peter's mother-in-law. Cf. Mark 1:31. — To this gesture, he added a few words that only Saint Mark has preserved for us in Aramaic, as they were therefore spoken by the divine Master, for this was the language then generally spoken throughout Palestine. Talitha, טליתא, a contraction of tal'yeta, is the feminine form of טלי, tali, young, which is growing. Koumi, קומי, is the second-person singular feminine form of קומ, koum, the Kal form. We will see elsewhere, in Mark 7:34; 14:36, Saint Mark inserting into his narrative the very words of Jesus. He undoubtedly received them from Saint Peter. Which means. The Evangelist translates for his Roman and Greek readers the Syro-Chaldean expressions he has just quoted. Young girl, get up, corresponds to Talitha, koum. The parenthesis I order you to do so was added by St. Mark, "it is easy to see that he made this addition only to make the effectiveness of the word of Jesus Christ and the power he had over death more keenly felt," St. Jerome.
Mc5.42 Immediately the girl got up and began to walk, for she was twelve years old, and they were struck with amazement. — Right away. St. Mark's favorite adverb was bound to appear at this point in the narrative. Jesus is the Resurrection And life, John 11:25: he only has to speak the word, and death suddenly flees. The young girl stood up and began to walk. A special feature of St. Mark, intended to prove the reality and promptness of the resurrection. The Prophet, Isaiah 35:6, had foretold that, in the time of Christ, the lame would be seen walking; and now even the dead are walking. She was twelve years old.. This detail is intended to explain the preceding statement. Several times in the narrative, the young girl had been called θυγάτριβν, παιδίον (child): the Evangelist here indicates her exact age in order to show that she was no longer a child, and that she could stand and walk without help. They were struck dumb with astonishment.. An emphatic and highly energetic expression, which is, moreover, modeled on Hebrew. The Jew Philo defines it thus [Philo, Quis rerum divinarum heres sit, p. 515.]: «A great fear that seizes those to whom something sudden and unexpected happens.» One can then understand the terror of the five witnesses to the miracle.
Mc5.43 And Jesus strongly forbade them to tell anyone, then he told them to give the girl something to eat. — Jesus ordered them, That is, to the girl's parents and her three disciples, especially the first three. Cf. Luke 8:56. Nevertheless, it was impossible for the secret to have been kept, since there was a large crowd at the door of the house waiting to see how this scene would unfold. Therefore, St. Matthew adds, in Matthew 9:26, that "the news of this miracle spread throughout the whole region." He said to feed. A seemingly unusual order, but one that had its reason in this particular case: by giving it, Jesus intended to show that the young woman had been restored not only to life, but also to health. «Those who are gravely ill can scarcely take in food,» Grotius rightly observes. The resurrected woman was therefore not emerging from a lethargic state, as rationalists claim. — Healings of women are relatively rare in the Gospels: on that day, Our Lord performed two, which followed one another very closely.
