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Scripture Reading: Mark 4:35-41; 5:1-43
With this message we shall begin to consider another long section of the Gospel of Mark, a section concerned with the move of the Slave-Savior’s gospel service (4:35—10:52). In this message we shall consider 4:35—5:43. In this portion of the Gospel of Mark we have three matters: the silencing of the wind and the stilling of the sea for the voyage (Mark 4:35-41), the casting out of a legion of demons (Mark 5:1-20), and the healing of a woman with a flow of blood and the raising up of a dead girl (Mark 5:21-43).
Chapter four of Mark is a wonderful chapter concerned with the seed, the gene, of the kingdom and its full development. It may be surprising that at the end of this chapter we have the record of a storm on the sea. Perhaps you are wondering how the last part of chapter four fits in with 4:1-34, in which we have the parables of the kingdom.
First, chapter four of Mark speaks concerning the kingdom of God. Then immediately after the record of the kingdom, there is a record of rebellion. Mark 4:37 says that a great windstorm came, and the waves beat into the boat. This is a picture of rebellion. By this we see that, at the end of this chapter on the kingdom of God, rebellion is still present.
It is not sufficient to use a single word as the topic for chapter four. In this chapter we first have the kingdom and then the subduing of rebellion. From God’s point of view, the kingdom is the development of God Himself as the seed of life. But from the point of view of God’s enemy, the kingdom is the subduing of rebellion.
Immediately after the Slave-Savior spoke a strong word on the kingdom of God, He said to His disciples, “Let us pass over to the other side. And leaving the crowd, they take Him along, as He was, in the boat, and the other boats were with Him” (vv. 35-36). The rebel, Satan, then used his angels in the air and his demons in the water to stir up rebellion. Because of this “a great windstorm came, and the waves beat into the boat, so that the boat was already filling” (v. 37). This storm made it very difficult for the boat carrying the Lord and His disciples to cross the sea.
Verse 38 says, “And He was in the stern, sleeping on the cushion. And they awake Him and say to Him, Teacher, do You not care that we are perishing?” The Slave-Savior was sleeping and resting in the boat beaten by the windstorm, but at the same time the disciples were threatened by the storm. This indicates that He was above the threatening windstorm and was not bothered by it. As long as the disciples had Him with them in their boat they should, by faith in Him (v. 40), share His rest and enjoy His peace.
The Lord was resting peacefully, but the disciples were frightened. Because of their fear, they awakened the sleeping Slave-Savior and said to Him, “Teacher, do You not care that we are perishing?”
Verse 39 says, “And being awakened, He rebuked the wind and said to the sea, Be silent! Be still! And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm.” While the disciples were following Him, the Slave-Savior, as a Man with divine authority, controlled the storm that threatened them.
Why did the Lord rebuke the wind and speak to the sea? A rebuke is not given to things without life, but to things with personality. The Slave-Savior rebuked the wind and commanded the sea to be still because in the wind were the fallen angels of Satan (Eph. 6:12), and in the sea were the demons (Matt. 8:32). The fallen angels in the air and the demons in the water collaborated to frustrate the Slave-Savior from going to the other side of the sea because they knew that He would cast out the demons there (Mark 5:1-20).
The Lord rebuked the wind and commanded the sea to be silent because of the rebellious angels and demons that were behind the scene. The Lord knew that the storm was instigated by these angels and demons in order to frustrate Him from going to the other side of the sea to cast out the legion of demons. When the Lord cast out those demons, that was the coming of the kingdom.
Now we can see that in chapter four the Lord spoke concerning the kingdom, and in chapter five He carried out the kingdom through the casting out of demons. Between the word concerning the kingdom and the carrying out of the kingdom, there is the incident of the stormy sea. After the Lord rebuked the wind and spoke to the sea, the wind ceased and there was a great calm, for the rebellion of the evil angels in the air and the demons in the water was subdued. Therefore, in 4:35-41 we see the kingdom as the power to subdue rebellion.
The sequence in this chapter is significant. Immediately after the unveiling of the kingdom, we have the subduing of rebellion. This is for the carrying out of the kingdom of God.
Mark 4:41 says that the disciples “feared greatly and said to one another, Who then is this, that both the wind and the sea obey Him?” The Lord’s rebuking of the wind and the sea not only displayed the Slave-Savior’s divine authority, but also testified that He was the very Creator of the universe (Gen. 1:9; Job 38:8-11).
Because the rebellion was subdued, the Slave-Savior and His disciples “came to the other side of the sea, into the country of the Gerasenes” (5:1). The record in 5:1-20 is much more detailed than that in Matthew 8:28-34. This is strong evidence that Mark’s Gospel, as a biography of the Slave of God, emphasizes His work instead of His word and gives more details than the other Gospels.
Mark 5:2 says, “And when He came out of the boat, immediately there met Him out of the tombs a man with an unclean spirit.” Concerning this man, verse 7 says, “And crying out with a loud voice, he says, What do I have to do with You, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I adjure You by God, do not torment me!” This indicates that the possessed man was usurped by the possessing spirit to such an extent that he was used by the evil spirit to be as that spirit himself.
As soon as the Lord Jesus came into the country of the Gerasenes, the situation there was exposed to Him and His disciples. There was a man possessed by a legion of demons, and the people in that country were in the business of raising hogs (vv. 11-14). What a terrible industry!
In His wisdom, the Slave-Savior took care of two problems at the same time. He cast out the demons from the possessed man, and He cleared up the unclean industry of hog raising. Before He went to the country of the Gerasenes, that place was full of demons and hogs. Would you like to make a home for your family in such a place? To be sure, no normal person would want to settle down in such a country. Nevertheless, the Lord Jesus went there for the purpose of casting out demons and of clearing up the unclean industry. The disciples did not know the Lord’s purpose for telling them to pass over to the other side (4:35). The Lord, of course, knew why He wanted to go to the country of the Gerasenes.
God’s people should not be in the business of raising hogs. Instead, they should raise sheep. By raising sheep, they would then have the proper sacrifices to offer to God. However, those in the country of the Gerasenes were in the unclean business of raising hogs.
The principle is the same among unbelievers today as it was with those in the land of the Gerasenes. Whenever human beings are occupied by demons, they will be engaged in some form of unclean business or industry. They need the Lord Jesus to come to cast out the demons and clear up all their unclean activities.
Mark 5:13 says, “And having come out, the unclean spirits entered into the hogs, and the herd rushed down the steep slope into the sea, about two thousand, and were choked in the sea.” Here we see that there were about two thousand hogs. Surely, there must have been a large number of demons to drive these hogs into the sea. If there had been only twenty demons, each demon would have had to cause a hundred hogs to rush down the slope into the sea. The important point here is the relationship between the demons and the unclean industry. The reason that the unbelievers today are involved in unclean activities and sinful forms of entertainment is that they are under the influence of demons.
In 5:21-43 we have the record of the healing of a woman with a flow of blood and the raising up of a dead girl. In this record also of the miraculous deeds of the Slave of God in His gospel service, Mark gives us more details than Matthew. It is a vivid presentation, portraying especially the sufferings of the sick, and the Slave-Savior’s tenderness and kindness in His saving service toward them. This detailed presentation also indicates that Peter was present at that time.
Mark 5:22 and 23 say, “And one of the synagogue rulers comes, Jairus by name; and seeing Him, he falls at His feet, and entreats Him much, saying, My little daughter is at the point of death; come and lay your hands on her, that she may be healed, and live.” The synagogue ruler did not have much faith. This was the reason he begged the Lord Jesus to come to his home. The Lord agreed, and He went with him.
According to verse 24, “a great crowd followed Him and pressed upon Him.” In verses 25 through 34 we see that a woman who had had a flow of blood twelve years came in the crowd behind the Lord, touched His garment, and was healed. Since this woman’s case is merged with the case of the ruler’s daughter, and since the twelve years of her sickness are the age of the girl, and both are females, one older, one younger, these cases may be considered a complete case of one person. In this view, the girl was born, so to speak, in the woman’s death-sickness and twelve years later died of it. When the woman’s death-sickness was healed by the Savior, the girl rose up from death. This signifies that every fallen person is born in the death-sickness of sin and is dead in it (Eph. 2:1). When his death-sickness of sin is dealt with by the Savior’s redeeming death (1 Pet. 2:24), he rises up out of death into life (John 5:24-25).
Mark 5:28 and 29 say, “For she said, If I may touch even His garments, I shall be healed. And immediately the fountain of her blood was dried up, and she knew in her body that she was cured from the plague.” The Greek word translated “healed” in verse 28 may also be rendered “made whole.” Literally, the word means saved. Sickness is an oppression exercised by the Devil over the sick. Hence, the Slave-Savior’s healing was a saving service rendered to the suffering victim, so that she might enjoy relief and release from the evil one’s oppression (Acts 10:38).
Because a crowd was pressing upon the Slave-Savior, it was difficult for the genuine seekers to touch Him. Nevertheless, this woman found a way to touch Him, and when she did so, she was healed. “And immediately, Jesus realizing in Himself that power had gone out of Him, turned around in the crowd and said, Who touched My garments?” (v. 30). The Lord had the inner sense that His virtue, His power, had gone out of Him and had been transfused into someone else. This was the reason He asked who it was that had touched His garments. The disciples, being natural and seeing the crowd pressing upon Him, said, “You see the crowd pressing upon You, and You say, Who touched Me?” (v. 31). The pressing crowd received nothing from the Savior, but the woman who touched Him was healed.
The Slave-Savior was God incarnated to be a man (John 1:1, 14). His garments signify His perfect behavior in His humanity, His human virtuous perfection. To touch His garments was actually to touch the Lord Himself in His humanity, in whom God was embodied (Col. 2:9). By such a touch His divine power was transfused into the touching one through the perfection of His humanity and became her healing. God, who dwells in unapproachable light, became touchable in Him through His humanity for her salvation and enjoyment. This was the service of the Slave-Savior as the Slave of God to the sick sinner.
In verse 34 the Lord said to the woman, “Daughter, your faith has healed you; go in peace and be well from your plague.” The Slave-Savior’s power expressed His deity in healing (v. 30). His word with love and kindness expressed His humanity in sympathy. In this case His deity and His humanity were again merged for His expression.
What does this woman’s disease signify? Her disease signifies the leaking out of life. The flow of blood signifies the leaking out of the life essence. From the time of man’s fall, every descendant of Adam has been sick in this way. As fallen sinners, we all are plagued by the leaking out of our life essence. Because of this plague, every descendant of Adam, every fallen sinner, is dying day by day. As soon as a human being is born, he begins to die. What does it mean to die? To die is to experience the leaking out of the essence of life. If you consider today’s society, you will realize that with every sinful person there is the illness of the leaking out of the life essence.
In 4:35—5:43 we have three things: the subduing of rebellion, the casting out of the demons and the clearing up of the unclean industry of hog raising, and the healing of the woman with the flow of blood. These three matters portray the situation of human society. First, among human beings there is the “stormy sea” of rebellion. In society there is not a peaceful environment. Instead, there is one storm after another. Furthermore, in society the real situation is one of demon possession and “hog raising.” In every country people are engaged in some form of unclean industry for the purpose of making a living. The whole world is involved in the industry of hog raising because the world is under the control of legions of possessing demons. In addition, all fallen people are dying; that is, they are suffering from the leaking out of the life essence. These certainly are characteristics of today’s human society: rebellion, demon possession with hog raising, and the leaking out of life. This is the reason that we are burdened to go out to preach the gospel. We need the Lord Jesus to come in to subdue the rebellion, to cast out the demons and clear away the hog-raising industry, and to heal the plague of the leaking out of life.
We have seen that the record in 5:21-43 merges the case of the woman with the flow of blood with that of the ruler’s daughter. This indicates that these two cases portray the situation of one person. We may say that the girl was born in the woman’s death-sickness. This is also the situation of every human being. We all were born in a death-sickness; we all were born to die. According to the record here, when this death-sickness reaches its peak, we die, just as the girl died. The girl was born in the woman’s sickness and died in that sickness. But the Slave-Savior came to heal that death-sickness. When the sickness was healed, the girl was revived. This indicates that the woman’s healing was the girl’s reviving.
The healing of the woman and the raising up of the girl are a picture of our experience in receiving the gospel. When the gospel came to us, we heard it, we received it, and we were healed of the disease of the leaking out of the life essence. Then after we were healed, we were revived and enlivened. We were born in a death-sickness, but through receiving the gospel we have been healed and made alive.
In 4:35—5:43 we have a demonstration of the kingdom. In this demonstration of the kingdom we see the subduing of rebellion, the casting out of the legion of demons, the clearing up of the unclean industry, the healing of the death-sickness, and the enlivening of the dead one. This means that in 4:35—5:43 rebellion is subdued, demons are cast out, the hog-raising industry is cleared up, the death-sickness is healed, and the dead person is revived. This is the kingdom of God. Where this kingdom is, there cannot be rebellion, demons, hog raising, or death-sickness. Instead, both the old and the young are healed and made alive. This is the kingdom, this is the gospel, and this is also our experience in the church life.
Every human being has the problems of rebellion, demons, hog-raising industry, sickness, and death. These things are found in human society and in every individual. But when the Lord Jesus comes as the seed of the kingdom, all these problems are solved. Then the kingdom of God is here.
We are glad to testify that the Lord Jesus has dealt with the rebellion, with the “stormy sea,” in our environment. Now we have a free course to go on with Him. Moreover, once we were possessed by demons and involved with unclean industry. But the demons have been cast out and the hog-raising industry has been cleared up. We can also testify that we have been healed and enlivened, and now we are in the church life, in the kingdom. How we enjoy the gospel service of our Slave-Savior!
