The Ignatius Catholic Study Bible New Testament (57 page)

5:1 Gerasenes:
Gerasa is one of the cities of the "Decapolis" (5:20), a confederation of ten cities in NT Palestine. They were predominantly Gentile in population, and most of them were located east of the Jordan River. The presence of "swine" in 5:11 reinforces this Gentile context, since the Jews would never herd animals that God declared unclean (Lev 11:7-8). 
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5:9 Legion:
The term for an armed regiment of nearly 6,000 Roman soldiers. It points to the overwhelming presence of demons in the man and accentuates the intensity of spiritual combat between Jesus and forces of evil. Matthew indicates that two men approached Jesus suffering from demonic possession (Mt 8:28). •
Allegorically
(St. Bede,
In Marcum):
the demoniac represents the Gentile nations saved by Christ. As pagans, they once lived apart from God amid the tombs of dead works, while their sins were performed in service to demons. Through Christ, the pagans are at last cleansed and freed from Satan's domination. 
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5:13 into the sea:
Biblical symbolism associated with the sea is diverse and flexible. • According to one tradition, God's enemies arise from the sea in the form of beasts that oppress God's people (Dan 7:1-3; Rev 13:1). Here Jesus reverses the direction of evil by sending the demon-possessed swine back into the sea. Like Pharaoh's army in the OT, God's adversaries are
drowned
in the waters (Ex 14:26-28; 15:1). 
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5:19 the Lord has done for you:
Hints at Jesus' divinity (cf. 2:28; 11:3; 12:37). The parallel text in Lk 8:39 has "God". 
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5:21-43
Two miracle stories connected chronologically and thematically. Both highlight Jesus' power over physical sickness (5:29, 42) and his favorable response to faith (5:23, 34, 36; CCC 548, 2616). The accounts are also linked by the figure
twelve years,
which represents the duration of the woman's illness (5:25) and the age of the young girl (5:42). 
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5:23 lay your hands on her:
Often in the Gospels Jesus responds to the persistent pleas of parents whose children are suffering or in danger (7:25-30; 9:17-27; Mt 17:14-18; Jn 4:46-54). His mercy touches these distressed parents whenever they turn to him in faith. Jesus also displays a deep affection for children (10:13-16; Mt 18:5-6). 
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5:25 a flow of blood:
A condition that makes the woman and everything she touches legally unclean (Lev 15:25-30). This excludes her from full participation in the covenant life of Israel. To the crowd's astonishment, Jesus removes her uncleanness
by
physical contact, not in spite of it.
See note on Mk 1:40
. 
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5:37 Peter . . . James . . . John:
Three of Jesus' closest disciples, who were also present with him at the Transfiguration (9:2) and in the garden of Gethsemane (14:33). They are likewise the only apostles Jesus renamed: Simon became "Peter", which means "rock", while James and John were called "Boanerges", which means "sons of thunder" (3:16-17). 
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5:39 not dead but sleeping:
Biblical writers often speak of "sleep" as a euphemism for biological death (Mt 27:52; Jn 11:11; 1 Cor 15:6). Jesus uses this description to emphasize that the girl's condition is only temporary and reversible.
•Morally
(St. Bede,
In Marcum):
the girl signifies the young Christian whose heart remains deadened by the world. Christ must clear away the crowds of impure thoughts to revive and strengthen the believer to begin walking in good deeds. Spiritual nourishment for this new life is given through the Eucharist. 
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5:41 Talitha cumi:
One of several Aramaic expressions preserved in Mark (7:11, 34; 14:36; 15:22, 34). He regularly translates these expressions for his non-Jewish readers in Rome. 
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6:1 his own country:
Nazareth, the Galilean village where Jesus was raised (Mt 2:23). Following an earlier incident recorded in Lk 4:16-30, this episode marks the second rejection of Jesus by his kinsfolk. 
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6:3 brother . . . his sisters:
Jesus' cousins or more distant relatives (CCC 500). They are not siblings from the same Virgin Mother.
See note on Mt 12:46
. 
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6:4 not without honor:
Jesus adapts a common proverb to explain his rejection: like the OT prophets before him, Jesus is persecuted and rejected for preaching the word of the Lord (Mt 5:11-12; Heb 11:32-38). Jesus is often called a prophet in the Gospels (Mt 21:11; Lk 7:16; 13:33; 24:19; Jn 4:19). 
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6:7-13
Jesus dispatches the Twelve
two by two
as emissaries to the surrounding Galilean towns (Mt 10:5-6). It is his
authority
that empowers their ministry of exorcism, healing, and preaching (Mt 10:1). Their mission is a training exercise for leadership in the Church, when they will be summoned to embrace evangelical poverty (6:8-9) and to trust in God for daily provisions (6:11). •
Morally
(St. Gregory the Great,
Hom. in Evan.
17): Jesus sends out the disciples in pairs to signify that the twin precepts of charity are indispensable for the duty of Christian preaching. Those entrusted with this mission must always exemplify the love of God and neighbor. 
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6:11 shake off the dust:
A symbolic act of judgment for those who reject the apostles' preaching.
See note on Mt 10:14
. 
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6:13 anointed with oil:
A symbol of healing and a medicinal agent in the ancient world (Is 1:6; Lk 10:34). • According to the Council of Trent, the sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick is "suggested" by this text (Sess. 14, chap. 1). Whether or not this episode marks the formal institution of the sacrament, it is clear the disciples' ministry anticipates its future administration in the life of the Church (Jas 5:14-15; CCC 1511-16). 
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6:14-29
A narrative "flashback" on past events. Mark recounts this episode to dispel rumors that John the Baptist and Jesus are the same person (6:16; 8:28). John's execution foreshadows both the death of Jesus (9:12; 10:32-34) and the martyrdom of other believers in the early Church (Rev 20:4; CCC 523). 
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6:14 King Herod:
Herod Antipas. After the death of Herod the Great (4/1
B.C.
), the Roman Emperor Augustus divided the kingdom in Palestine among three of Herod's sons. Herod Antipas was the son who received the title "tetrarch" (Mt 14:1) and governed the regions of Galilee and Perea until
A.D.
39. His brothers Archelaus and Philip were apportioned the remainder of their late father's territory. Since "tetrarch" is not strictly a royal title, the use of "King" here probably reflects popular usage and is not intended literally (Mt 14:9). 
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6:18 your brother's wife:
John the Baptist was imprisoned and executed for publicly repudiating the illicit union of Herod Antipas and Herodias, the wife of his half-brother Philip. According to Lev 18:16 and 20:21, the Mosaic Law forbids the union of a man with his brother's wife when the brother is still living. Since Philip was alive and well, the marriage between Antipas and Herodias was no marriage at all—it was adultery.
See note on Mt 14:4
. 
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6:23 Whatever you ask me:
Herod's oath recalls a similar banquet scene in Esther 5-7. • Queen Esther was giving a feast for the Persian King Ahasuerus when he promised to grant her any request, even half of his kingdom (Esther 7:1-2). Esther then requested that the king spare the life of the Jews throughout the Persian empire (Esther 7:3-4). This OT scenario is the mirror opposite of Mark's narrative: unlike righteous Esther, the sinful Herodias seizes the opportunity to bid for the execution of a righteous Jew. 
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6:24 The head of John:
The prompt response of Herodias, in light of her "grudge" against John (6:19), suggests his demise was premeditated. The careless oath of Herod Antipas afforded the opportune moment for Herodias to implement her plan (6:26). 
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