Ark of the Covenant - Bible History Online
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Mark 5

1 - They came to the other side of the sea, into the country of the Gadarenes.
2 - When he had come out of the boat, immediately a man with an unclean spirit met him out of the tombs.
3 - He lived in the tombs. Nobody could bind him any more, not even with chains,
4 - because he had been often bound with fetters and chains, and the chains had been torn apart by him, and the fetters broken in pieces. Nobody had the strength to tame him.
5 - Always, night and day, in the tombs and in the mountains, he was crying out, and cutting himself with stones.
6 - When he saw Jesus from afar, he ran and bowed down to him,
7 - and crying out with a loud voice, he said, "What have I to do with you, Jesus, you Son of the Most High God? I adjure you by God, don't torment me."
8 - For he said to him,"Come out of the man, you unclean spirit!"
9 - He asked him,"What is your name?"He said to him, "My name is Legion, for we are many."
10 - He begged him much that he would not send them away out of the country.
11 - Now on the mountainside there was a great herd of pigs feeding.
12 - All the demons begged him, saying, "Send us into the pigs, that we may enter into them."
13 - At once Jesus gave them permission. The unclean spirits came out and entered into the pigs. The herd of about two thousand rushed down the steep bank into the sea, and they were drowned in the sea.
14 - Those who fed them fled, and told it in the city and in the country.The people came to see what it was that had happened.
15 - They came to Jesus, and saw him who had been possessed by demons sitting, clothed, and in his right mind, even him who had the legion; and they were afraid.
16 - Those who saw it declared to them what happened to him who was possessed by demons, and about the pigs.
17 - They began to beg him to depart from their region.
18 - As he was entering into the boat, he who had been possessed by demons begged him that he might be with him.
19 - He didn't allow him, but said to him,"Go to your house, to your friends, and tell them what great things the Lord has done for you, and how he had mercy on you."
20 - He went his way, and began to proclaim in Decapolis how Jesus had done great things for him, and everyone marveled.
21 - When Jesus had crossed back over in the boat to the other side, a great multitude was gathered to him; and he was by the sea.
22 - Behold, one of the rulers of the synagogue, Jairus by name, came; and seeing him, he fell at his feet,
23 - and begged him much, saying, "My little daughter is at the point of death. Please come and lay your hands on her, that she may be made healthy, and live."
24 - He went with him, and a great multitude followed him, and they pressed upon him on all sides.
25 - A certain woman, who had an issue of blood for twelve years,
26 - and had suffered many things by many physicians, and had spent all that she had, and was no better, but rather grew worse,
27 - having heard the things concerning Jesus, came up behind him in the crowd, and touched his clothes.
28 - For she said, "If I just touch his clothes, I will be made well."
29 - Immediately the flow of her blood was dried up, and she felt in her body that she was healed of her affliction.
30 - Immediately Jesus, perceiving in himself that the power had gone out from him, turned around in the crowd, and asked,"Who touched my clothes?"
31 - His disciples said to him, "You see the multitude pressing against you, and you say, 'Who touched me?'"
32 - He looked around to see her who had done this thing.
33 - But the woman, fearing and trembling, knowing what had been done to her, came and fell down before him, and told him all the truth.
34 - He said to her,"Daughter, your faith has made you well. Go in peace, and be cured of your disease."
35 - While he was still speaking, people came from the synagogue ruler's house saying, "Your daughter is dead. Why bother the Teacher any more?"
36 - But Jesus, when he heard the message spoken, immediately said to the ruler of the synagogue,"Don't be afraid, only believe."
37 - He allowed no one to follow him, except Peter, James, and John the brother of James.
38 - He came to the synagogue ruler's house, and he saw an uproar, weeping, and great wailing.
39 - When he had entered in, he said to them,"Why do you make an uproar and weep? The child is not dead, but is asleep."
40 - They ridiculed him. But he, having put them all out, took the father of the child, her mother, and those who were with him, and went in where the child was lying.
41 - Taking the child by the hand, he said to her,"Talitha cumi!" which means, being interpreted,"Girl, I tell you, get up!"
42 - Immediately the girl rose up and walked, for she was twelve years old. They were amazed with great amazement.
43 - He strictly ordered them that no one should know this, and commanded that something should be given to her to eat.
Mark Images and Notes

The Book of Mark

Mark 1:15 - And saying, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel.

Mark 2:12 - And immediately he arose, took up the bed, and went forth before them all; insomuch that they were all amazed, and glorified God, saying, We never saw it on this fashion.

Mark in The New Testament - A Brief Overview

St. Mark by Titian - 1560
Painting of St. Mark by Titian - 1560

Introduction to The Gospel of Mark

The Word Gospel. The second book of the English Bible that most of us read from is the Gospel of Mark. Mark is the second of the four gospel writings, yet there is only one gospel about Jesus Christ and there are four different writers: Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. The word "Gospel" means "good news", and the good news is about Jesus Christ dying on the cross and then 3 days later conquering death and rising from the dead, offering salvation to all mankind, this is the Gospel.

Summary of The Book of Mark

Brief Summary. Jesus of Nazareth is the suffering servant who came to die for the sins of all men. He did His work and "immediately" went to the cross, so be encouraged all who are suffering because Christ suffered for you.

Purpose. The Book of Mark is the shortest of the 4 Gospel accounts of the life of Jesus Christ. and he seems to write his account of the Gospel of Christ with a sense of urgency. He mentions the word "immediately" 27 times. In Mark many times Jesus exercises actions rather than words, which would impress his Roman readers who the Book seems to be addressing. He portrays Jesus as a man of power and miracles, who could set aside the laws of nature at will. Yet this powerful Son of God was the suffering servant who would give up His life as a ransom for all mankind (Mark 10:45). The clear purpose of mark was to encourage those suffering persecution that their master suffered first, and He suffered for them.

Audience. Apparently Mark wrote his Gospel account to encourage gentile Christians in Rome who were facing the persecutions of the Emperor Nero. History is clear about the atrocious behavior of the Romans and especially the insanity of Nero. The other evidence that scholars bring up concerning mark's audience as being gentiles is the fact that Mark does not deal with Jewish Laws and he only quotes one prophecy from the Old Testament. There is also careful thought into explaining Jewish customs and idioms. (See Mark 3:7; 5:41; 7:2; 10:46; 14:36; 15:34; 9:43; 14:12; 15:42).

Authorship. The gospel of Mark does not proclaim who the author is within the document, yet the information that we know about Mark can be seen in the writer of this gospel. It is evident that the writer was Jewish, he was a Christian, and he was familiar with every day Jewish life, as well as the Jewish Scriptures. We know from the Scriptures that Mark was Jewish, and he knew the teachings of Jesus very well. He also knew the teachings of the rest of the apostles. It is also important to notice that after Peter was imprisoned he went to the house of Mary, the mother of Mark (Acts 12:12-17). Also Peter mentions in his epistle "my son Mark" (1 Peter 5:13). During Paul's missionary journeys Mark became a companion of Paul and Barnabas, and he left them at Perga in Pamphylia (Acts 13:13), after Paul had rebuked him. Many years later Mark regained the favor of Paul  (Col. 4:10; 2 Tim. 4:11). Early Church tradition unanimously ascribes the second gospel to Mark as a companion of Peter and the writer of the second Gospel. One prologue to the Gospels which was written around 160 AD has this statement: "Mark� Was Peter's interpreter, and after Peter's decease wrote down this gospel in the region of Italy." Irenaeus, Clement of Alexandria and Tertullian also attest to Mark as the author.

Location. Nothing in the Gospel of Mark indicates where it was written from. Most of the early writers who boast of Mark as the author also name Rome as the place it was written.

Date. Early Christian writers and traditions place the Gospel of Mark sometime close to the end of Peter's life, around 60-65 AD. Most scholars agree that the Gospel of Mark was written before the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 AD, while the Second Temple in Jerusalem was still standing (Mark 13:1-2). Many scholars do not believe in the miracle of predictive prophecy and argue that the Gospel of Mark was written after the fall of Jerusalem, because of the accurate details of the events that Jesus spoke about.  Mark's Gospel account seems to have been written as encouragement to the Christians who were facing the persecution of the Emperor Nero which took place in 64 AD.

Outline of the Book of Mark

The Servant Comes - Chapter 1:1-13
The Servant's Work - Chapters 1:14-13:37
The Servant's Death - Chapters 14:1-15:47
The Servant's Resurrection - Chapter 16:1-20

Jesus written in Hebrew
The Name Jesus In Ancient Hebrew Text
"Yeshua" in First Century Hebrew Text. This is how the name "Jesus" would have been written in ancient Hebrew documents. The four letters or consonants from right to left are Yod, Shin, Vav, Ayin (Y, SH, OO, A). Jesus is the Greek name for the Hebrew name Joshua or Y'shua which means "The LORD or Yahweh is Salvation".

Mark Resources

Outline of the Life of Jesus in Harmony
Simple Map of First Century Israel
Topographical Map of First Century Israel
Map of the Ministry of Jesus
Map of the Roads in Ancient Israel
Map of the Roman Empire