35 On that day, when evening had come, he said to them, “Let us go across to the other side.” 36 And leaving the crowd, they took him with them in the boat, just as he was. And other boats were with him. 37 And a great windstorm arose, and the waves were breaking into the boat, so that the boat was already filling. 38 But he was in the stern, asleep on the cushion. And they woke him and said to him, “Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?” 39 And he awoke and rebuked the wind and said to the sea, “Peace! Be still!” And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm. 40 He said to them, “Why are you so afraid? Have you still no faith?” 41 And they were filled with great fear and said to one another, “Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?”
5 They came to the other side of the sea, to the country of the Gerasenes.1 2 And when Jesus2 had stepped out of the boat, immediately there met him out of the tombs a man with an unclean spirit. 3 He lived among the tombs. And no one could bind him anymore, not even with a chain, 4 for he had often been bound with shackles and chains, but he wrenched the chains apart, and he broke the shackles in pieces. No one had the strength to subdue him. 5 Night and day among the tombs and on the mountains he was always crying out and cutting himself with stones. 6 And when he saw Jesus from afar, he ran and fell down before him. 7 And crying out with a loud voice, he said, “What have you to do with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I adjure you by God, do not torment me.” 8 For he was saying to him, “Come out of the man, you unclean spirit!” 9 And Jesus asked him, “What is your name?” He replied, “My name is Legion, for we are many.” 10 And he begged him earnestly not to send them out of the country. 11 Now a great herd of pigs was feeding there on the hillside, 12 and they begged him, saying, “Send us to the pigs; let us enter them.” 13 So he gave them permission. And the unclean spirits came out and entered the pigs; and the herd, numbering about two thousand, rushed down the steep bank into the sea and drowned in the sea.
14 The herdsmen fled and told it in the city and in the country. And people came to see what it was that had happened. 15 And they came to Jesus and saw the demon-possessed3 man, the one who had had the legion, sitting there, clothed and in his right mind, and they were afraid. 16 And those who had seen it described to them what had happened to the demon-possessed man and to the pigs. 17 And they began to beg Jesus4 to depart from their region. 18 As he was getting into the boat, the man who had been possessed with demons begged him that he might be with him. 19 And he did not permit him but said to him, “Go home to your friends and tell them how much the Lord has done for you, and how he has had mercy on you.” 20 And he went away and began to proclaim in the Decapolis how much Jesus had done for him, and everyone marveled.
Section Overview
In the presence of his disciples and others, Jesus continues to manifest the ever-growing extent of his power, here predominantly his power over the laws and forces of nature (Mark 4:35–41) as well as his sovereignty over demonic powers (5:1–20). As the messenger and the as-of-yet-hidden herald of the messianic kingdom of God, Jesus continues to demonstrate his authority, which undergirds his growing claims. Providentially, the account of the stilling of the storm contains various elements of an eyewitness account, including the description of the evening scene, accompanying boats, taking on water on account of the storm, and a pillow. Subsequent to Jesus’ various displays of power, once again, rejection follows (6:3).
Section Outline
II.B. Climax in Galilee (3:13–6:6) . . .
3. Nature Miracle and Exorcism (4:35–5:20)
a. Jesus Stills the Storm (4:35–41)
b. Exorcism near Gerasa (5:1–20)
(1) The Circumstances of the Possessed Man (5:1–6)
(2) Jesus’ Actions against the Demons (5:7–13)
(3) The Restored Man (5:14–17)
(4) The Man’s Desire to Be with Jesus (5:18–20)
Response
Once again Jesus demonstrates his expanding range of power in the presence of his disciples and others, namely, power over the laws of nature (4:35–41) and the demonic world (5:1–20). Such displays of power primarily underscore the claims of Jesus that he is indeed sent and authorized by God the Father and that his unique and challenging claims are indeed true. This includes, for example, the authority to forgive sins directly (2:1–12). His powerful signs thus validate and ratify his exceptional claims.
The disciples of today may acknowledge this fact with gratitude but still ask whether Jesus’ power is still displayed in the same way. It is important to notice that Mark does not teach the direct continuity of such interventions of God beyond the ministry of Jesus. A careful study of Acts also leads to the conclusion that the “signs and wonders” described there are first and foremost given to provide God’s affirmation and validation of the apostles’ witness to the real resurrection of Jesus. In the ministry both of Jesus and of his apostles, signs and wonders serve the primary purpose of endorsing the claims of Jesus and the resurrection testimony of his apostles. Nevertheless, the presence of the Holy Spirit in each true believer necessitates the claim that evil spirits must depart from everyone who belongs to Christ, then and now. Nature miracles and physical healings may at times be part of the experience of today’s followers of Christ, but they do not have to be. Regarding possible healings, see especially James 5:14–16. There is no NT basis for the claim that these phenomena must always occur where there is enough “faith” to warrant them (cf. comments on 11:22–24). The attitude of the followers of Christ should be a fundamental gratitude for the redemption in Christ and his promised presence among his people. Should God, in addition, intervene supernaturally, this should be viewed as a special grace of God and not perceived as a fundamental claim or guaranteed right of every true believer. The follower of Jesus must be watchful concerning false definitions of “faith” in the sense of “self-assuredly claiming something in faith and prayer,” such as via “name it and claim it,” without submission to the sovereignty and glory of God.
Some analogies exist between the stilling of the storm (Mark 4:35–41) and the exorcism of the demonic man (5:1–20): as the sea is foaming, so does the demonic man; as the storm is stilled, so does the demonic man return to his right mind. In both instances Jesus restores peace. The followers of Jesus can rest in the presence of the triune God, even amid great turmoil (see Matt. 28:20).