Church Fathers Commentary Mark 5

Theophylact of Ohrid: Those who were in the boat inquired among themselves, What manner of man is this? and now it is made known who He is by the testimony of His enemies. For the demon-possessed man came up confessing that He was the Son of God. Proceeding to this event, the Evangelist says, And they came over unto the other side...

The Venerable Bede: Gerasa is a well-known town in Arabia, across the Jordan, near Mount Gilead, which the tribe of Manasseh held. It is not far from the Lake of Tiberias, into which the swine were thrown.¹

Pseudo-Chrysostom: Nevertheless, the exact reading contains neither “Gadarenes” nor “Gerasenes,” but “Gergesenes.” For Gadara is a city of Judea, which has no sea near it at all, and Gerasa is a city of Arabia with neither a lake nor a sea nearby. So that the Evangelists may not be thought to have spoken such an obvious falsehood, being well acquainted as they were with the regions around Judea, Gergesa—from which the Gergesenes come—was an ancient city, now called Tiberias, around which a considerable lake is situated.ⁱ²

The text continues, And when He was come out of the ship, immediately there met Him...

St. Augustine of Hippo: Although Matthew says that there were two, Mark and Luke mention one, so that you may understand that one of them was a more prominent person, by whose condition that country was greatly afflicted.³

St. John Chrysostom: Alternatively, Mark and Luke relate what was most deserving of compassion, and for this reason they describe in greater detail what had happened to this man. For the text continues, no man could bind him, no, not with chains.⁴

Therefore, they simply said, “a man possessed by a devil,” without paying attention to the number. This was done, perhaps, so that he might show the greater power in the Worker, for He who had cured one such man could cure many others. Nor is any discrepancy shown here, for they did not say that there was only one, because then they would have contradicted Matthew.

Now, devils dwelt in tombs, wishing to promote the false belief among many that the souls of the dead were changed into devils.

Gregory of Nyssa: Now the assembly of devils had prepared itself to resist the divine power. But when He who has power over all things was approaching, they proclaimed aloud His eminent power.

Therefore, the text continues, But when he saw Jesus afar off, he ran and worshipped him, saying...

St. Cyril of Alexandria: See how the devil is torn between two passions, fear and audacity. He hangs back and pleads, as if considering a question. He wishes to know what business he has with Jesus, as if to say, “Are you casting me out from these people, who belong to me?”

The Venerable Bede: And how great is the impiety of the Jews, to say that He casts out devils by the prince of the devils, when the very devils confess that they have nothing in common with Him.

St. John Chrysostom: Then, praying to Him, the man adds, I adjure thee by God, that thou torment me not. For he considered being cast out to be a torment, or perhaps he was also being invisibly tortured.

For however evil the devils are, they know that a punishment for their sins ultimately awaits them. But they knew full well that the time of their final punishment had not yet come, especially since they were permitted to mingle with humanity. However, because Christ had come upon them as they were committing such dreadful deeds, they thought the severity of their crimes was so great that He would not wait for the end times to punish them. For this reason, they beg not to be tormented.

The Venerable Bede: For it is a great torment for a devil to stop harming a person, and the more severely he possesses him, the more reluctantly he releases him.

For the text continues, For He said unto him, Come out of the man, thou unclean spirit.

St. Cyril of Alexandria: Consider the unconquerable power of Christ; He makes Satan tremble, for to him the words of Christ are fire and flame. As the Psalmist says, The mountains melted at the presence of the Lord (Psalm 97:5), which refers to great and proud powers.

The text continues, And He asked him, What is thy name?

Theophylact of Ohrid: The Lord asks, not because He needed to know, but so that the others might know that a multitude of devils was dwelling in the man.

Pseudo-Chrysostom: Lest he not be believed if He affirmed there were many, He wishes for them to confess it themselves. Therefore, the text continues, And he saith unto Him, Legion, for we are many. He gives not a specific number, but a multitude, for such numerical accuracy would not help our understanding.⁵

The Venerable Bede: But by the public declaration of the affliction that the possessed man suffered, the power of the Healer appears more gracious. Even the priests of our time, who know how to cast out devils by the grace of exorcism, are accustomed to say that those who suffer cannot be cured at all unless they openly declare in confession, as far as they are able, what they have suffered from the unclean spirits—whether in sight, hearing, taste, touch, or any other sense of body or soul, whether awake or asleep.

It goes on, And he besought Him much that He would not send them away out of the country.

Pseudo-Chrysostom: Luke, however, says, into the abyss (Luke 8:31). For the abyss is the separation from this world, as devils deserve to be sent into the outer darkness prepared for the devil and his angels. Christ could have done this, but He allowed them to remain in this world, so that the absence of a tempter would not deprive people of the crown of victory.⁶

Theophylact of Ohrid: Also, by fighting with us, they may make us more skilled.

It goes on, Now there was there about the mountain a great herd of swine feeding.

St. Augustine of Hippo: What Mark says here, that the herd was near the mountain, and what Luke calls “on the mountain,” are not at all inconsistent. For the herd of swine was so large that some were on the mountain and the rest were around it.⁷

It goes on: And the devils besought Him, saying, Send us into the swine, that we may enter into them.

Remigius of Auxerre: The devils did not enter the swine of their own will; rather, they asked for this permission so that it might be shown that they cannot harm people without divine permission. They did not ask to be sent into humans, because they saw that He, by whose power they were tortured, bore a human form. Nor did they desire to be sent into flocks of sheep, for those are clean animals offered in the temple of God. But they desired to be sent into the swine, because no animal is more unclean than a pig, and devils always delight in filth.⁸

It goes on: And forthwith Jesus gave them leave.

The Venerable Bede: And He gave them leave, so that by the killing of the swine, the salvation of humanity might be advanced.

Pseudo-Chrysostom: He wished to show publicly the fury that devils hold against humans, and that they would inflict far worse things upon people if they were not restrained by divine power. Because His compassion would not allow this to be demonstrated on humans, He permitted the devils to enter the swine, so that their fury and power might be made known through them.⁹

The text continues: And the unclean spirits went out.

Titus of Bostra: But the herdsmen also fled, so that they would not perish with the swine, and they spread the same fear among the inhabitants of the town.

Therefore there follows: And they that fed them...

The necessity of their loss, however, brought these men to the Savior. For frequently, when God causes people to suffer loss in their possessions, He confers a benefit on their souls.

Therefore it goes on: And they came to Jesus, and see him that was tormented by the devil... This means he was at the feet of Him from whom he had obtained health. A man, whom before not even chains could bind, was now clothed and in his right mind, though he used to be continually naked. And they were amazed.

Therefore it says, And they were afraid.

They learned of this miracle, then, partly by sight and partly by word.

Therefore, the text continues: And they that saw it told them.

Theophylact of Ohrid: But amazed at the miracle they had heard about, they were afraid, and for this reason they begged Him to depart from their region. This is expressed in what follows: And they began to pray Him to depart out of their coasts. For they feared that at some time they might suffer a similar thing; saddened by the loss of their swine, they rejected the Savior's presence.

The Venerable Bede: Alternatively, aware of their own weakness, they judged themselves unworthy of the Lord's presence.

It goes on: And when He was going to the ship, he that had been tormented...

Theophylact of Ohrid: For he feared that at some point the devils might find him and enter him a second time. But the Lord sends him back to his house, indicating to him that even though He Himself was not present, His power would protect him. At the same time, this was so that he might be helpful in the healing of others.

Therefore, it goes on: And He did not suffer him, and saith unto him, Go home to thy friends...

See the humility of the Savior. He did not say, “Proclaim all the things that I have done for you,” but rather, “all that the Lord has done.” You also, when you have done any good thing, do not take the credit for yourself, but attribute it to God.

St. John Chrysostom: But although He commanded others whom He healed to tell no one, He nevertheless appropriately commands this man to proclaim it, since that entire region, being possessed by devils, remained without God.

Theophylact of Ohrid: He therefore began to proclaim it, and all were amazed, which is what follows: And he began to publish.

The Venerable Bede: Mystically, however, Gerasa, or Gergesa as some read it, is interpreted as “casting out a dweller” or “a stranger approaching,” because the Gentile people both expelled the enemy from their hearts and he who was far off was brought near.

Pseudo-Jerome: Here again, the demon-possessed man represents the Gentile people, in a most hopeless state, bound neither by the law of nature, nor the law of God, nor by human fear.

The Venerable Bede: They “dwelt in the tombs” because they delighted in dead works, that is, in sins. They were “raging night and day” because whether in prosperity or in adversity, they were never free from the service of malignant spirits. Again, by the foulness of their works, they lay as it were in tombs; in their lofty pride, they wandered over the mountains; and with words of the most hardened infidelity, they cut themselves, as it were, with stones.

But he said, My name is Legion, because the Gentile people were enslaved to various forms of idolatry. Again, the fact that the unclean spirits, after going out from the man, enter the swine and cast them headlong into the sea, implies that now that the Gentile people are freed from the dominion of demons, those who have not chosen to believe in Christ perform sacrilegious rites in hidden places.

Theophylact of Ohrid: Or, this signifies that devils enter into those people who live like swine, rolling themselves in the mire of pleasure. They drive them headlong down the precipice of perdition into the sea of an evil life, where they are choked.

Pseudo-Jerome: Or they are choked in hell without any touch of mercy by the onset of an early death. Many people avoid such evils, for by the punishment of the fool, the wise person is made more prudent.

The Venerable Bede: But the fact that the Lord did not permit him to stay, though he wished to be with Him, signifies that everyone, after the forgiveness of his sins, should remember that he must work to obtain a good conscience and serve the Gospel for the salvation of others, so that at last he may rest in Christ.

St. Gregory the Great: For when we have perceived even a little of divine knowledge, we are at once unwilling to return to worldly affairs and instead seek the quiet of contemplation. But the Lord commands that the mind should first labor hard at its work and afterward refresh itself with contemplation.¹⁰

Pseudo-Jerome: But the man who was healed preached in the Decapolis, where the Jews, who cling to the letter of the Decalogue, are being turned away from Roman rule.

Theophylact of Ohrid: After the miracle of the demoniac, the Lord performs another miracle by raising the daughter of the synagogue ruler. Before narrating this miracle, the Evangelist says, And when Jesus had passed over again by ship unto the other side, much people gathered unto him.

St. Augustine of Hippo: We must understand that the account of the synagogue ruler's daughter took place after Jesus had again crossed the sea in a ship, though how long after is not stated. If there were no interval, there would have been no time for the event Matthew relates concerning the feast at his own house.

After that feast, nothing follows immediately except this story about the daughter of the synagogue ruler. Matthew has constructed it in such a way that the transition itself shows the narrative follows the order of time. ¹

Pseudo-Chrysostom: He recorded the ruler's name for the sake of the Jews of that time, so that it would authenticate the miracle. ²

Matthew indeed relates that the ruler of the synagogue reported his daughter was dead, but Mark says she was very sick and that it was later told to the ruler, as our Lord was about to go with him, that she was dead. The fact Matthew implies, then, is the same: that Jesus raised her from the dead. For the sake of brevity, Matthew says she was already dead, which was made evident by her being raised.

St. Augustine of Hippo: For Matthew focuses not on the father's exact words, but on what is most important: his wishes. The father was in such despair that his true desire was for her to return to life, as he did not think she could still be alive after leaving her at the point of death.

Theophylact of Ohrid: Now this man was faithful in part, since he fell at the feet of Jesus; but in begging Him to come, he did not show as much faith as he should have. For he should have said, "Speak the word only, and my daughter shall be healed."

The narrative continues: And he went away with him, and much people followed him, and thronged him; and a woman, which had an issue of blood twelve years, etc.

St. John Chrysostom: This woman, who was well-known to all, did not dare to approach the Savior openly, because according to the law, she was unclean. For this reason, she touched Him from behind and not from the front, for she dared not do so, but only ventured to touch the hem of His garment. It was not the hem of the garment, however, but her frame of mind that made her whole. ³

The text continues, For she said, If I may but touch his clothes, I shall be whole.

Theophylact of Ohrid: This woman is indeed most faithful, for she hoped for healing from His garments. For this reason, she obtains health.

Therefore it says, And straightway the fountain of her blood was dried up; and she felt in her body that she was healed of that plague.

Pseudo-Chrysostom: The virtues of Christ are imparted by His own will to those who touch Him by faith. ⁴ Therefore, the text says, And Jesus, immediately knowing in himself that virtue had gone out of him, turned him about in the press, and said, Who touched my clothes?

Indeed, the Savior's virtues do not go out of Him in a physical or localized way, nor do they in any respect pass away from Him. Being incorporeal, they go forth and are given to others; however, they are not separated from Him from whom they are said to go forth, just as knowledge is given by a teacher to his pupils.

Therefore, it says, Jesus, knowing in himself the virtue that had gone out of him, to show that the woman was healed with His knowledge, and not without His being aware of it. He asked, Who touched me? even though He knew who had touched Him. He did this to bring the woman to light by her coming forward, to proclaim her faith, and to prevent the power of His miraculous work from being forgotten.

His disciples then said to Him, Thou seest the multitude thronging thee, and sayest thou, Who touched me? But the Lord asked, "Who touched Me?" meaning, who touched with thought and faith. For the crowds who press against Me cannot be said to touch Me, because they do not draw near to Me in thought and in faith.

There follows, And he looked round about to see her that had done this thing.

Theophylact of Ohrid: The Lord wished to identify the woman, first, to approve of her faith; second, to urge the synagogue ruler to a confident hope that He could also cure his child; and third, to free the woman from fear. For the woman was afraid because she had, in a sense, stolen her healing.

Wherefore there follows, But the woman fearing and trembling, etc.

The Venerable Bede: Observe that the purpose of His question was so that the woman would confess the truth of her long-standing illness, her sudden belief, and her healing. In doing so, she herself would be confirmed in faith and provide an example to others. ⁵

He then said to her, Daughter, thy faith hath made thee whole; go in peace, and be whole of thy plague.

He did not say, "Your faith is about to make you whole," but "has made you whole," meaning that because you have believed, you have already been made whole.

St. John Chrysostom: He calls her "daughter" because she was saved by her faith, for faith in Christ makes us His children. ⁶

Theophylact of Ohrid: But He says to her, Go in peace, that is, in rest. This means, "Go and have rest, for until now you have been in pain and torture."

Pseudo-Chrysostom: Alternatively, He says, Go in peace, sending her away into that which is the final good, for God dwells in peace. By this you may know that she was not only healed in body, but also from the causes of bodily pain—that is, from her sins.

Pseudo-Jerome: Mystically, however, Jairus comes after the healing of the woman because when the fullness of the Gentiles has come in, then shall all Israel be saved (Romans 11). The name Jairus means either "illuminating" or "illuminated," representing the Jewish people. Having cast off the shadow of the letter, they are enlightened by the Spirit and in turn enlighten others.

This people falls at the feet of the Word—that is, humbles itself before the Incarnation of Christ—and prays for its daughter, for when a person truly lives, he helps others to live also. In this way, Abraham, Moses, and Samuel interceded for the people who were dead, and Jesus comes in response to their prayers.

The Venerable Bede: Again, the Lord, going to the child who is to be healed, is thronged by the crowd. This signifies that although He gave wholesome instruction to the Jewish nation, He is oppressed by the wicked habits of that carnal people. The woman with an issue of blood, cured by the Lord, represents the Church gathered from the nations.

The issue of blood can be understood either as the pollution of idolatry or as those deeds which are accompanied by the pleasures of flesh and blood. But while the word of the Lord decreed salvation to Judea, the people of the Gentiles, by a confident hope, seized upon the health that was promised and prepared for others.

Theophylact of Ohrid: Alternatively, by the woman who had a flow of blood, we can understand human nature itself. Sin rushed in upon it, and since sin killed the soul, it could be said to spill its blood. It could not be cured by many physicians—that is, by the wise men of this world, or even by the Law and the Prophets.

But the moment human nature touched the hem of Christ's garment—that is, His flesh—it was healed. For whoever believes the Son of Man to be Incarnate is one who touches the hem of His garment.

The Venerable Bede: Therefore, one believing woman touches the Lord, while the crowd merely throngs Him. This is because He, who is grieved by various heresies and wicked habits, is worshipped faithfully with the heart of the Catholic Church alone. The Church of the Gentiles came up behind Him because, although it did not see the Lord present in the flesh, it still attained to the grace of His faith.

And so, by partaking of His sacraments, the Church merited salvation from its sins, and it was as if the fountain of its blood was dried up by the touch of His garments. The Lord looked around to see her who had done this, because He judges that all who deserve to be saved are worthy of His gaze and His pity.

Theophylact of Ohrid: Those who were with the ruler of the synagogue thought that Christ was one of the prophets. For this reason, they believed they should ask Him to come and pray over the girl. But because she had already died, they thought He should no longer be asked to come.

Therefore it is said, "While He yet spake, there came messengers to the ruler of the synagogue, which said, Thy daughter is dead; why troublest thou the Master any further?"

But the Lord Himself persuades the father to have confidence.

For it goes on, "As soon as Jesus heard the word which was spoken, He saith to the ruler of the synagogue, Be not afraid; only believe."

St. Augustine of Hippo: It is not said that the ruler assented to his friends who brought the news and wished to prevent the Master from coming. Therefore, our Lord's statement, "Fear not, only believe," is not a rebuke for a lack of faith, but was intended to strengthen the belief he already had. However, if the Evangelist had reported that the ruler of the synagogue joined his friends in saying that Jesus should not be troubled, then the words Matthew attributes to him—namely, that the girl was dead—would have contradicted what was in his mind.

It goes on, "And He suffered no man to follow Him, save Peter, and James, and John the brother of James."

Theophylact of Ohrid: For Christ in His humility would not do anything for display.

It goes on, "And He cometh to the house of the ruler of the synagogue, and seeth the tumult, and them that wept and wailed greatly."

Pseudo-Chrysostom: But He Himself commands them not to wail, as if the girl was not dead, but only sleeping.¹

Therefore it says, "And when He was come in, He saith unto them, Why make ye this ado, and weep? the damsel is not dead, but sleepeth."

Pseudo-Jerome: It was told the ruler of the synagogue, "Your daughter is dead." But Jesus said to him, "She is not dead, but sleepeth." Both are true. The meaning is, "She is dead to you, but to Me she is asleep."

The Venerable Bede: For to men, who were unable to raise her, she was dead. But to God she was asleep, for in His divine purpose her soul was living and her flesh was merely resting, waiting to rise again. From this, it became a custom among Christians to say that the dead, who they do not doubt will rise again, are "sleeping."

It goes on, "And they laughed Him to scorn."

Theophylact of Ohrid: But they laugh at Him, as if He were unable to do anything more. In this, however, He convicts them of involuntarily testifying that the one He raised was truly dead, which means that raising her would indeed be a miracle.

The Venerable Bede: Because they chose to laugh at this statement about her resurrection rather than believe it, they were deservedly excluded from the room, being unworthy to witness His power in raising her and the mystery of her rising.

Therefore it goes on, "But when He had put them all out, He taketh the father and the mother of the damsel, and them that were with Him, and entereth in where the damsel was lying."

St. John Chrysostom: Alternatively, to avoid all display, He did not allow everyone to be with Him. However, so that He might leave behind witnesses of His divine power, He chose His three chief disciples and the father and mother of the girl, as they were necessary above all. And He restores life to the girl both by His hand and by His word.

Therefore it says, "And He took the damsel by the hand, and said unto her, Talitha cumi; which is, being interpreted, Damsel, I say unto thee, Arise."

For the hand of Jesus, having a life-giving power, quickens the dead body, and His voice raises her as she is lying there.

Therefore it follows, "And straightway the damsel arose and walked."

St. Jerome: Someone might accuse the Evangelist of a falsehood in his explanation, since he added, "I say to you," when the Aramaic "Talitha cumi" only means, "Girl, arise." But the Evangelist adds "I say to you" to express that Jesus's meaning was to both call and command her.²

It goes on, "For she was of the age of twelve years."

Glossa Ordinaria: The Evangelist added this to show that she was old enough to walk. By her walking, she is shown to have been not only raised up but also perfectly cured.

It continues, "And they were astonished with a great astonishment."

St. John Chrysostom: This was to show that He had truly raised her, and not just in appearance.³

The Venerable Bede: Mystically, the woman was cured of a flow of blood, and immediately afterward the daughter of the synagogue ruler is reported to be dead. This is because as soon as the Church of the Gentiles is washed from the stain of vice and is called a daughter by the merits of her faith, the synagogue is at once broken up on account of its zealous treachery and envy. It was treachery because it did not choose to believe in Christ, and envy because it was distressed at the faith of the Church.

What the messengers told the ruler of the synagogue, "Why troublest thou the Master any further?", is said by people today who, seeing the state of the synagogue deserted by God, believe it cannot be restored. They therefore think we should not pray for its restoration. But if the ruler of the synagogue—that is, the assembly of the teachers of the Law—decides to believe, then the synagogue, which is subject to them, will also be saved.

Furthermore, because the synagogue lost the joy of having Christ dwell in it, as its unbelief deserved, it lies dead, as it were, among people weeping and wailing. Again, our Lord raised the girl by taking her hand, because the hands of the Jews, which are full of blood, must first be cleansed; otherwise, the synagogue, which is dead, cannot rise again. But in the woman with the flow of blood and the raising of the girl is shown the salvation of the human race, which was so ordered by the Lord that first some from Judea, then the fullness of the Gentiles, might come in, and so all Israel might be saved. Again, the girl was twelve years old, and the woman had suffered for twelve years, because the sin of unbelievers was contemporary with the beginning of the faith of believers.

Therefore it is said, "Abraham believed on God, and it was counted to him for righteousness" (Genesis 15:6).ⁱ

St. Gregory the Great: Morally, our Redeemer raised the girl in the house, the young man outside the gate, and Lazarus in the tomb. A person whose sin is concealed still lies dead in the house. A person whose sin has broken out into the open is carried outside the gate. A person who, in committing sin, lies powerless beneath the weight of habit is crushed under the mound of the tomb.⁴

The Venerable Bede: We may also remark that lighter, daily errors can be cured by the remedy of a lighter penance. Therefore, the Lord raises the girl, lying in an inner room, with a simple command, saying, "Damsel, arise." But for the man who had been dead four days to leave the prison of the tomb, He groaned in spirit, was troubled, and shed tears. Therefore, the more heavily the death of the soul presses down, the more fervently must the penitent press forward.

But this must also be observed: a public crime requires public reparation. This is why Lazarus, when called from the tomb, was placed before the eyes of the people. Slight sins, however, require cleansing by a secret penance, which is why the girl lying in the house is raised before few witnesses, who are then asked to tell no one.

The crowd is also put out before the girl is raised. For if a crowd of worldly thoughts is not first cast out from the hidden parts of the heart, the soul that lies dead within cannot rise.

It is fitting that she arose and walked, for a soul raised from sin ought not only to rise from the filth of its crimes but also to advance in good works. Soon, it is necessary that it be filled with heavenly bread—that is, to partake of the Divine Word and of the Altar.