Jesus Heals the Gerasene Demoniac
Jesus and his disciples crossed to the other side of the sea and arrived in the region of the Gerasenes. The moment Jesus stepped out of the boat, a man possessed by an evil spirit came toward him from the burial caves where he had been living. This man could not be controlled by anyone. People had tried many times to tie him up with chains and metal restraints, but he always broke free. He had such supernatural strength that no one could overpower him. Day and night he wandered through the burial caves and hills, screaming and cutting himself with sharp stones. When the man spotted Jesus from far away, he ran toward him and threw himself down on the ground before him. He cried out loudly, "What do you want with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I'm begging you in God's name—don't torture me!" The man said this because Jesus had already commanded the evil spirit, "Come out of this man!" Jesus asked him, "What is your name?" The man answered, "My name is Legion, because we are many spirits." The demons inside him pleaded desperately with Jesus not to force them to leave that area. On a nearby hillside, a large herd of pigs was eating. The demons begged Jesus, "Send us into those pigs so we can go into them." Jesus gave them permission. The evil spirits immediately left the man and entered the pigs. The entire herd—about two thousand pigs—rushed down the steep slope into the sea and drowned. The men who had been watching the pigs ran away and spread the news throughout the town and surrounding countryside. People came rushing out to see what had happened. When they reached Jesus, they found the man who had been possessed by the legion of demons sitting calmly, wearing clothes, and completely sane. This frightened them. Those who had witnessed everything told the crowd exactly what had happened to both the demon-possessed man and the pigs. The people became so afraid that they began begging Jesus to leave their region. As Jesus was climbing back into the boat, the man who had been freed from the demons asked if he could come along. But Jesus refused his request. Instead, he told him, "Go back to your family and friends. Tell them everything the Lord has done for you and how he showed you mercy." So the man left and began telling people throughout the Ten Cities about all the amazing things Jesus had done for him. Everyone who heard his story was completely astonished.
Jairus Requests Jesus to Heal His Daughter
When Jesus crossed back over the lake by boat to the other side, a huge crowd gathered around him by the water's edge. A man named Jairus came to find Jesus. Jairus was a leader at the local synagogue, but when he saw Jesus, he threw himself down at Jesus' feet. He begged Jesus desperately, saying, "My little daughter is dying. Please come and put your hands on her so she will be healed and live." Jesus agreed to go with him, and the large crowd followed along, pushing in close around them as they walked.
Jesus Heals the Woman with a Hemorrhage
There was a woman in the crowd who had been bleeding for twelve years. She had gone to many doctors, enduring terrible pain from their treatments and spending every penny she owned, but nothing helped. In fact, she had only gotten worse. When she heard about Jesus, she pushed through the crowd and came up behind him. She reached out and touched his robe, telling herself over and over, "If I can just touch his clothes, I will be healed." The moment she touched him, her bleeding stopped completely. She could feel in her body that she was finally well after all those years of suffering. Jesus immediately knew that healing power had flowed out of him. He turned around and looked at the crowd, asking, "Who touched my clothes?" His disciples looked at him in confusion. "Can't you see all these people crowding around you and pushing against you?" they said. "How can you ask who touched you?" But Jesus kept looking around, searching for whoever had done it. The woman knew what had happened to her. Shaking with fear, she came forward and threw herself down in front of him. With trembling voice, she told him everything that had happened. Jesus looked at her with compassion. "Daughter," he said gently, "your faith has made you well. Go in peace, and stay healthy."
Jesus Raises Jairus's Daughter
While Jesus was still talking, some people came from Jairus's house with terrible news. "Your daughter has died," they told him. "There's no point in bothering the Teacher any longer." Jesus heard what they said and immediately spoke to Jairus. "Don't be afraid," he said. "Just keep believing." Jesus allowed only three of his followers to come with him—Peter, James, and John, who was James's brother. No one else could accompany them. When they reached the synagogue leader's house, Jesus could see and hear the chaos inside. People were crying loudly and wailing in their grief. He went into the house and spoke to the crowd. "Why are you making all this noise and crying like this?" he asked them. "The child isn't dead—she's only sleeping." The people laughed at him, thinking his words were foolish. Jesus made all of them leave the house. Then he took only the little girl's father and mother and his three companions with him into the room where the child lay. Jesus took the girl's hand in his and spoke to her in Aramaic: "Talitha koum!" This means "Little girl, I'm telling you to get up!" Right away, the girl stood up and started walking around the room. She was twelve years old. Everyone who saw this was completely amazed and overwhelmed by what had happened. Jesus gave them firm instructions that no one else should be told about what they had just witnessed. He also told them to give the girl some food to eat.