Mark 5:15
When they came to Jesus, they saw the man who had been possessed by the legion of demons sitting there, clothed and in his right mind; and they were afraid.
When they came to Jesus
This phrase sets the scene for a pivotal moment of transformation and revelation. The Greek word for "came" (ἔρχομαι, erchomai) implies movement towards a significant encounter. The people are approaching Jesus, the central figure of the Gospel, who embodies divine authority and compassion. This approach signifies a moment of confrontation with the miraculous, where human understanding meets divine intervention.

they saw the man
The act of seeing here is more than physical sight; it is a recognition of change. The Greek word for "saw" (ὁράω, horao) can also mean to perceive or understand. The observers are witnessing a profound transformation in the man who was once tormented. This seeing is an invitation to acknowledge the power of Christ to restore and renew.

who had been possessed by the legion of demons
This phrase highlights the severity of the man's previous condition. The term "legion" refers to a large number, indicating the extent of his affliction. In Roman military terms, a legion consisted of thousands of soldiers, suggesting the overwhelming nature of the demonic presence. This context underscores the magnitude of Jesus' authority over evil, as He triumphs over a force that seemed insurmountable.

sitting there
The image of the man sitting is significant. In the ancient world, sitting was often associated with learning or being in a state of peace. This posture contrasts sharply with his previous state of restlessness and torment. It symbolizes the peace and stability that Jesus brings into a life once dominated by chaos.

clothed
Being clothed signifies dignity and restoration. In biblical times, clothing was a sign of respectability and social acceptance. The fact that the man is now clothed indicates that he has been restored to his rightful place in society, no longer an outcast but a person of worth and value.

and in his right mind
This phrase speaks to the complete healing that Jesus provides. The Greek word for "right mind" (σωφρονέω, sophroneo) implies soundness of mind and self-control. It is a testament to the holistic nature of Christ's healing, addressing not only physical and spiritual ailments but also mental and emotional well-being.

and they were afraid
The reaction of fear is telling. The Greek word for "afraid" (φοβέω, phobeo) can denote awe or reverence as well as fear. The people are confronted with the divine power of Jesus, which challenges their understanding of reality. This fear is a natural human response to the presence of the holy and the miraculous, prompting reflection on the nature of Jesus' authority and the call to faith.

Persons / Places / Events
1. Jesus
The central figure in the Gospel of Mark, Jesus is the Son of God who performs miracles and teaches with authority. In this passage, He demonstrates His power over demonic forces.

2. The Demon-Possessed Man
Previously possessed by a legion of demons, this man lived among the tombs and was uncontrollable. After encountering Jesus, he is found sitting, clothed, and in his right mind.

3. The Legion of Demons
A large number of demons that possessed the man, causing him great torment. The term "legion" refers to a Roman military unit, indicating a large number.

4. The Townspeople
The people from the surrounding region who come to see what has happened. Their reaction is one of fear upon witnessing the transformation of the demon-possessed man.

5. The Region of the Gerasenes
The geographical setting of this event, located on the eastern side of the Sea of Galilee. It was a predominantly Gentile area.
Teaching Points
The Power of Jesus Over Evil
Jesus' authority over the legion of demons demonstrates His divine power. Believers can trust in Jesus' ability to overcome any spiritual battle they face.

Transformation in Christ
The man’s transformation from a state of torment to peace illustrates the profound change that occurs when one encounters Jesus. This encourages believers to seek and embrace the transformative power of Christ in their own lives.

Fear of the Unknown
The townspeople's fear highlights a common human reaction to the supernatural and the unknown. Believers are encouraged to respond with faith rather than fear when witnessing God's work.

The Importance of Testimony
The man’s account becomes a powerful testimony to the people in his region. Believers are encouraged to share their own accounts of transformation to witness to others.

Spiritual Warfare Awareness
Understanding the reality of spiritual warfare is crucial for Christians. Believers are called to be vigilant and equipped with the Word of God and prayer.
Bible Study Questions
1. How does the transformation of the demon-possessed man illustrate the power of Jesus in our lives today?

2. In what ways can fear hinder our response to witnessing the work of God, and how can we overcome it?

3. How does the concept of spiritual warfare in Ephesians 6:12 relate to the events in Mark 5:15?

4. What are some personal testimonies of transformation you can share with others to demonstrate the power of Christ?

5. How can we better equip ourselves to recognize and combat spiritual forces in our daily lives?
Connections to Other Scriptures
Luke 8:26-39
and Matthew 8:28-34
These parallel accounts provide additional details about the event, emphasizing Jesus' authority over evil spirits.

Ephesians 6:12
This passage speaks about the spiritual battle against evil forces, highlighting the reality of demonic influence and the need for spiritual armor.

2 Corinthians 5:17
This verse speaks to the transformation that occurs in Christ, similar to the transformation of the demon-possessed man.
Monumental MiraclesA.F. Muir Mark 5:15
A Man in RuinsH. W. Beecher.Mark 5:1-20
A Man with an Unclean SpiritR. Green Mark 5:1-20
Christ and the DemoniacF. Wallace.Mark 5:1-20
Christ, the Redeemer of the IntellectE. Johnson Mark 5:1-20
Demoniacal PossessionL. W. Bacon.Mark 5:1-20
Eastern TombsR. Jamieson, D. D.Mark 5:1-20
Gadarene or Gergesene DemoniacsJ.J. Given Mark 5:1-20
LegionA.F. Muir Mark 5:1-20
Nature Sitting At the Feet of JesusJ. Cumming, D. D.Mark 5:1-20
Our Great EnemyBishop Wilson.Mark 5:1-20
Power of Evil Spirits, and Power Over ThemD. C. Hughes, M. A.Mark 5:1-20
Sin and SalvationThe Pulpit AnalystMark 5:1-20
Sin DestructiveSunday School TimesMark 5:1-20
The Country of the GadarenesH. B. Hackett, D. D.Mark 5:1-20
The Demoniac of GadaraJ. B.Mark 5:1-20
The Demoniac of GergesaE. Stock.Mark 5:1-20
The Evil SpiritsBishop Wilberforce.Mark 5:1-20
The Gadarene DemoniacCongregational PulpitMark 5:1-20
The Gadarene DemoniacC. Gray.Mark 5:1-20
The TombsDean Mansel.Mark 5:1-20
Prayers Granted and DeniedA.F. Muir Mark 5:10, 12, 13, 17-19
Change Wrought by ConversionMark 5:15-16
Life ContrastsH. W. Beecher.Mark 5:15-16
The Joy of Freedom from Satanic TyrannySunday School TimesMark 5:15-16
The Magnitude of a Moral ChangeH. W. Beecher.Mark 5:15-16
People
Jair, Jairus, James, Jesus, John, Luke, Peter
Places
Decapolis, Galilee, Gerasa, Sea of Galilee
Topics
Afraid, Awe-stricken, Beheld, Behold, Clothed, Demon, Demoniac, Demon-possessed, Demons, Devil, Dressed, Evil, Fear, Frightened, Full, Legion, Mind, Observed, Possessed, Quietly, Right-minded, Sane, Seated, Senses, Sensible, Sitting, Spirits
Dictionary of Bible Themes
Mark 5:15

     2351   Christ, miracles
     4134   demons, exorcism
     4165   exorcism
     8738   evil, victory over

Mark 5:1-20

     5285   cures
     5333   healing

Mark 5:9-17

     2030   Christ, holiness

Mark 5:14-17

     5857   fame

Mark 5:15-17

     1418   miracles, responses
     5962   surprises

Library
September 12 Morning
I have seen his ways, and will heal him.--ISA. 57:18. I am the Lord that healeth thee. O Lord, thou hast searched me, and known me. Thou knowest my downsitting and mine uprising, thou understandest my thought afar off. Thou compassest my path and my lying down, and art acquainted with all my ways.--Thou hast set our iniquities before thee, our secret sins in the light of thy countenance.--All things are naked and opened unto the eyes of him with whom we have to do. Come now, and let us reason together,
Anonymous—Daily Light on the Daily Path

The Looks of Jesus
'And He looked round about to see her that had done this thing.'--Mark v. 32. This Gospel of Mark is full of little touches that speak an eye-witness who had the gift of noting and reproducing vividly small details which make a scene live before us. Sometimes it is a word of description: 'There was much grass in the place.' Sometimes it is a note of Christ's demeanour: 'Looking up to heaven, He sighed.' Sometimes it is the very Aramaic words He spoke: 'Ephphatha.' Very often the Evangelist tells
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture

The Lord of Demons
'And they came over unto the other side of the sea, into the country of the Gadarenes. 2. And when He was come out of the ship, immediately there met Him out of the tombs a man with an unclean spirit, 3. Who had his dwelling among the tombs; and no man could bind him, no, not with chains: 4. Because that he had been often bound with fetters and chains, and the chains had been plucked asunder by him, and the fetters broken in pieces: neither could any man tame him. 5. And always, night and day, he
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture

A Refused Bequest
'He that had been possessed with the devil prayed Jesus that he might be with Him. 19. Howbeit Jesus suffered him not, but saith unto him, Go home to thy friends, and tell them how great things the Lord hath done for thee.'--Mark v. 18,19. There are three requests, singularly contrasted with each other, made to Christ in the course of this miracle of healing the Gadarene demoniac. The evil spirits ask to be permitted to go into the swine; the men of the country, caring more for their swine than their
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture

Talitha Cumi
And, behold, there cometh one of the rulers of the synagogue, Jairus by name; and when he saw Him, he fell at His feet, 23. And besought Him greatly, saying, My little daughter lieth at the point of death: I pray Thee, come and lay Thy hands on her, that she may be healed; and she shall live. 24. And Jesus went with him; and much people followed Him, and thronged Him.... 35. While He yet spake, there came from the ruler of the synagogue's house certain which said, Thy daughter is dead: why troublest
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture

The Power of Feeble Faith
'And a certain woman ... 27. When she had heard of Jesus, came in the press behind, and touched His garment. 28. For she said, If I may touch but His clothes, I shall be whole.'--Mark v. 25, 27, 28. In all the narratives of this miracle, it is embedded in the story of Jairus's daughter, which it cuts in twain. I suppose that the Evangelists felt, and would have us feel, the impression of calm consciousness of power and of leisurely dignity produced by Christ's having time to pause even on such an
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture

Touch or Faith?
If I may touch but His clothes, I shall be whole.... Daughter, thy faith hath made thee whole.'--Mark v. 28,34. I. The erroneous faith.--In general terms there is here an illustration of how intellectual error may coexist with sincere faith. The precise form of error is clearly that she looked on the physical contact with the material garment as the vehicle of healing--the very same thing which we find ever since running through the whole history of the Church, e.g. the exaltation of externals,
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture

Going Home --A Christmas Sermon
Now, this teaches us a very important fact, namely, this, that true religion does not break in sunder the bonds of family relationship. True religion seldom encroaches upon that sacred, I had almost said divine institution called home; it does not separate men from their families, and make them aliens to their flesh and blood. Superstition has done that; an awful superstition, which calls itself Christianity, has sundered men from their kind; but true religion has never done so. Why, if I might be
Charles Haddon Spurgeon—Spurgeon's Sermons Volume 3: 1857

Christ's Curate in Decapolis
"And they began to pray him to depart out of their coasts. And when he was come into the ship, he that had been possessed with the devil prayed him that he might be with him. Howbeit Jesus suffered him not, but saith unto him, God home to thy friends, and tell them how great things the Lord hath done for thee, and hath had compassion on thee."--Mark v. 17-19. That is a striking name for a man, "he that had been possessed with the devil." It would stick to him as long as he lived, and it would be
Charles Haddon Spurgeon—Spurgeon's Sermons Volume 38: 1892

The General Observations are These.
There are in these relations proper circumstances of time and place, and the names and characters of persons. Of the miracle on Jairus's daughter, the time and place are sufficiently specified by St. Mark and St. Luke. It was soon after his crossing the sea of Galilee, after Jesus had cured the men possessed with devils in the country of the Gergesenes, Mark v. 21. And when Jesus was passed over again by ship unto the other side, much people gathered unto him, and he was nigh unto the sea. And behold
Nathaniel Lardner—A Vindication of Three of Our Blessed Saviour's Miracles

R. W. Begins his Fifth Discourse, P. 1, 2. With Saying, that He is Now
to take into examination the three miracles of Jesus's raising the dead, viz. of Jairus's daughter, Matth. ix. Mark. v. Luke viii. of the widow of Naim's son, Luke vii. and of Lazarus, John xi: the literal stories of which, he says, he shall shew to consist of absurdities, improbabilities, and incredibilities, in order to the mystical interpretation of them. I have read over his examination of these miracles, and am still of opinion, that the histories of them are credible. I. I will therefore first
Nathaniel Lardner—A Vindication of Three of Our Blessed Saviour's Miracles

Conversion, Its Nature and Necessity.
Closely related to the doctrine of the power, or efficacy, of the divine Word--as considered in the last chapter--is the doctrine of conversion. It is the subject of conversion, therefore, that we now purpose to examine. It is an important subject. It deserves a prominent place in treating of the Way of Salvation. It is also an intensely personal subject. Each one who desires to be in the Way of Salvation is personally interested in it. The eternal destiny of every one who reads these pages is closely
G. H. Gerberding—The Way of Salvation in the Lutheran Church

The Third Continental Journey.
1833-4. PART II.--GREECE On the 21st of the Eleventh Month John and Martha Yeardley left Ancona, and had a safe but suffering voyage of two days to Corfu, the capital of the island of that name. The atmosphere in this place, writes J.Y., soon after they landed, is different from Ancona in every respect. It has to us a feeling of home, and our minds are clothed with peace and, I trust, gratitude to the Father of mercies. What we may find to do is yet a secret to us, but He who has brought us here
John Yeardley—Memoir and Diary of John Yeardley, Minister of the Gospel

The Legion Dispossessed. Mk 5:18,19

John Newton—Olney Hymns

Christian Cemeteries.
Sanctity of tombs guaranteed to all creeds alike.--The Christians' preference for underground cemeteries not due to fear at first.--Origin and cause of the first persecutions.--The attitude of Trajan towards the Christians, and its results.--The persecution of Diocletian.--The history of the early Christians illustrated by their graves.--The tombs of the first century.--The catacombs.--How they were named.--The security they offered against attack.--Their enormous extent.--Their gradual abandonment
Rodolfo Lanciani—Pagan and Christian Rome

The Service Common to Two and Many Female Martyrs.
At the Vespers, for O Lord, I have cried, the Stichera, Tone 4. Similar to: Thou hast given a sign... The virgin-maidens, united by the law of nature and manifestly sustained by the love unto their Maker, were by faith freed from the ties of the body; the impotent enemy they have valiantly destroyed under their feet, became resplendently adorned with the honours of victors and are rejoicing having found their abode in the intellectual bridal chambers. The all-honoured have endured fire and multiformous
Anonymous—The General Menaion

The Demoniac of Gadara
"And they came to the other side of the sea, into the country of the Gerasenes. And when he was come out of the boat, straightway there met Him out of the tombs a man with an unclean spirit, who had his dwelling in the tombs: and no man could any more bind him, no, not with a chain; because that he had been often bound with fetters and chains, and the chains had been rent asunder by him, and the fetters broken in pieces: and no man had strength to tame him. And always, night and day, in the tombs
G. A. Chadwick—The Gospel of St. Mark

The Men of Gadara
"And they that fed them fled, and told it in the city, and in the country. And they came to see what it was that had come to pass. And they come to Jesus, and behold him that was possessed with devils sitting, clothed and in his right mind, even him that had the legion: and they were afraid. And they that saw it declared unto them how it befell him that was possessed with devils, and concerning the swine. And they began to beseech Him to depart from their borders. And as He was entering into the
G. A. Chadwick—The Gospel of St. Mark

With Jairus
"And when Jesus had crossed over again in the boat unto the other side, a great multitude was gathered unto Him: and He was by the sea. And there cometh one of the rulers of the synagogue, Jairus by name; and seeing Him, he falleth at His feet, and beseecheth Him much, saying, My little daughter is at the point of death: I pray Thee that Thou come and lay Thy hands on her, that she may be made whole, and live. And He went with him; and a great multitude followed Him, and they thronged Him. And a
G. A. Chadwick—The Gospel of St. Mark

In the Creation of the World, and all Things in It, the True God Distinguished by Certain Marks from Fictitious Gods.
1. The mere fact of creation should lead us to acknowledge God, but to prevent our falling away to Gentile fictions, God has been pleased to furnish a history of the creation. An impious objection, Why the world was not created sooner? Answer to it. Shrewd saying of an old man. 2. For the same reason, the world was created, not in an instant, but in six days. The order of creation described, showing that Adam was not created until God had, with infinite goodness made ample provision for him. 3. The
John Calvin—The Institutes of the Christian Religion

How I Know God Answers Prayer
How I Know God Answers Prayer The Personal Testimony of One Life-Time By ROSALIND GOFORTH (Mrs. Jonathan Goforth) Missionary in China since 1888 "They shall abundantly utter the memory of thy great goodness."--Psalm 145:7. "Go . . . and tell them how great things the Lord hath done for thee."--Mark 5:19. HARPER & BROTHERS PUBLISHERS NEW YORK AND LONDON Copyright, 1921, by Harper & Brothers PRINTED IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
Rosalind Goforth—How I Know God Answers Prayer

Synopsis. --Arbitrary Criticism of the Biblical Narratives of the Raising of the "Dead. " --Facts which it Ignores. --The Subject Related to the Phenomena of Trance
III SYNOPSIS.--Arbitrary criticism of the Biblical narratives of the raising of the "dead."--Facts which it ignores.--The subject related to the phenomena of trance, and records of premature burial.--The resuscitation in Elisha's tomb probably historical.--Jesus' raising of the ruler's daughter plainly a case of this kind.--His raising of the widow's son probably such.--The hypothesis that his raising of Lazarus may also have been such critically examined.--The record allows this supposition.--Further
James Morris Whiton—Miracles and Supernatural Religion

Jesus Heals Two Gergesene Demoniacs.
(Gergesa, Now Called Khersa.) ^A Matt. VIII. 28-34; IX. 1; ^B Mark V. 1-21; ^C Luke VIII. 26-40. ^b 1 And they came to the other side of the sea [They left in the "even," an elastic expression. If they left in the middle of the afternoon and were driven forward by the storm, they would have reached the far shore several hours before dark], ^c 26 And they arrived at the country of the Gerasenes, which is over against Galilee. ^a 28 And when he was come into the country of the Gadarenes. ^c 27 And
J. W. McGarvey—The Four-Fold Gospel

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