1 AND they came over unto the other side of the sea, into the country of the Gadarenes. [ The Anchor Bible (AB) discusses in detail some of the difficulties of such an attempt to harmonize, and points out variants in the available ancient Greek texts. Most modern translations harmonize Matthew's account with Mark's and Luke's and render it "Gerasenes". Why does it matter? If the town is Gadara then it is on the very border of Judah's lands and therefore may be inhabited by Gentiles as opposed to Jews, and then the herding of swine wouldn't be prohibited by the Law. But, Gerasa was well within the borders of Judah, so if the events took place there then they were definitely Jews. The point of interest in location is whether or not the people involved were Jews. Aside from questionable geography, the content of the story strongly suggests it is Jews. Why else would it matter if the herd were swine? ]

2 And when he was come out of the ship, immediately there met him out of the tombs a man with an unclean spirit,

3 Who had his dwelling among the tombs; [ Tombs and the dead were generally considered unclean, cf. Num. 19:11-16, cp. Ezek. 39:11-15. ] and no man could bind him, no, not with chains:

4 Because that he had been often bound [ Many had tried to bind him up but none worked. ] with fetters and chains, and the chains had been plucked asunder by him, and the fetters broken in pieces: neither could any man tame him.[ His strength, it appears was supernatural, no kind of chains being strong enough to confine him. ]

5 And always, night and day, [ Constant and continual. ] he was in the mountains, and in the tombs, crying, and cutting himself [ A sign that he cannot feel anything and is trying to just feel something. ] with stones.

6 But when he saw Jesus afar off, he ran and worshipped him, [ He was just cutting himself, do you suppose that he might have ran to the Savior in another attempt to just feel something? To break free from the despair and destructive feeling, to acknowledge that there is something better, or greater light. He is at war with himself he wants to worship Jesus and at the same time he wants to rebel against Jesus. ]

7 And cried with a loud voice, and said, What have I to do with thee, Jesus, thou son of the most high God? I adjure thee by God, that thou torment me not. [ The eternal torment perscrobed to Satan and his followers is that they will never posess a body. In this case they have momentaryly gained a physical body and have it at their disposal and therfore do not want to be tormented by being forced to leave. ]

8 For he said unto him, Come out of the man, thou unclean spirit.

9 And he asked him, What is thy name? And he answered, saying, My name is Legion: for we are many. [ Typically Gods and Devils inherit special names for purposed that they are to complete - ie (Savior of the world...) Legion represents those spirits who were cast from Fathers presence. A legion in the Roman army at that time was 6100 foot soldiers and 726 horsemen, but figuratively it is a large number; in this case it was large enough to force a few thousand pigs to jump onto the sea. ]

10 And he besought him much that he would not send them away out of the country.

11 Now there was there nigh unto the mountains a great herd of swine feeding.

12 And all the devils besought him, saying, Send us into the swine, that we may enter into them. [ Why do the unclean spirits want to be able to go into the bodies of the swine? What glimpse does that give us as to the importance of our bodies? Or in other words don't deprive us of some type of body. ]

13 And forthwith Jesus gave them leave. And the unclean spirits went out, and entered into the swine: and the herd ran violently down a steep place into the sea, [ Pigs will not go down hil you have to kick them to get them to go down hill. So this shows that they were not behaving as they normally would. ] (they were about two thousand;) and were choked in the sea. [ Why the pigs? Interesting to note that the pigs were owned by a Jew they would have been on a illegal trade. If the pigs would have been owned by a Gentile they would have done so as an insult to the national religion, it's customs and laws. ]

14 And they that fed the swine fled, and told it in the city, and in the country. [ The men who were herding the swine saw all of what happened with the demoniac and the swine and go to tell everyone in town ] And they went out to see what it was that was done.

15 And they come to Jesus, and see him that was possessed with the devil, and had the legion, sitting, and clothed, [ being previously unclothed (cf. Luke 8:27), either Jesus or his disciples must have given him clothing to wear. ] and in his right mind: and they were afraid. [ The townspeople come out and see the demoniac dressed and sitting calmly at the feet of Jesus, and are frightened over the events. ]

16 And they that saw it told them how it befell to him that was possessed with the devil, and also concerning the swine.

17 And they began to pray him to depart out of their coasts. [ Why do they want Jesus the worker of miracles to leave? Quite often when we are confronted with the truth, and we recognize it we have to make a decision - to embrace it or deny and rebell. Here the people do not want to make the required commitment; but rather enjoy their current way of life and want to continue to enjoy it whothout having to make change! ]

18 And when he was come into the ship, he that had been possessed with the devil prayed him that he might be with him. [ The man that was possessed wants to follow the Lord, to continue on with him. ]

19 Howbeit Jesus suffered him not, but saith unto him, Go home to thy friends, and tell them how great things the Lord hath done for thee, and hath had compassion on thee. [ Jesus tells the man that was possessed to stay there among his people and continue to tell them what the Lord has done for him. ]

20 And he departed, and began to publish in Decapolis how great things Jesus had done for him: and all men did marvel.

21 And when Jesus was passed over again by ship unto the other side, much people gathered unto him: and he was nigh unto the sea. [ He has barely gotten off of the boat, and he has a large gathering of people who are there to follow him. ]

22 And, behold, there cometh one of the rulers of the synagogue, Jairus by name; [ He is the ruler of the synagogue and yet he falls at the feet of Jesus and worships him. He is used to being the big man on campus and now he is bowed down at the feet of another. ] and when he saw him, he fell at his feet, [ Matthew says he worshipped him. ]

23 And besought him greatly, saying, My little daughter lieth at the point of death: [ For all he knows she could be dead already, that was a little time ago as I have been waiting for you to return, so this is an urgent plea for help. ] I pray thee, [ Jairus is on his knees pleading with Jesus. ] come and lay thy hands on her, that she may be healed; and she shall live. [ The faith that even if she is gone he knows that she will be made whole if Christ will heal her. The power of God is certain in this man's eyes, but he does not know that will of God. Is this like we are so often? ]

24 And Jesus went with him; and much people followed him, and thronged him. [ Are they just looking for the next miracle, or are they true people of faith? ]

25 And a certain woman, which had an issue of blood twelve years, [ Notice that we were in the middle of the urgent story of the life or death situation of the daughter of Jairus, and a woman stopping Jesus who is going to heal his daughter would have been the lat thing that Jairus would have wanted. His daughter is nigh unto death. JWhat does it mean an issue of blood?The woman's condition, which is not clear in terms of a modern medical diagnosis, is translated as an "issue of blood" in the King James Version and a "flux of blood" in the Wycliffe Bible and some other versions. In scholarly language she is often referred to by the original New Testament Greek term as the haemorrhoissa (ἡ αἱμοῤῥοοῦσα, "bleeding woman"). Because of the continual bleeding, the woman would have been continually regarded in Jewish law as a niddah or  menstruating  woman, and so ceremonially unclean. In order to be regarded as clean, the flow of blood would need to stop for at least 7 days. Because of the constant bleeding, this woman lived in a continual state of uncleanness which would have brought upon her social and religious isolation. What are the consequences of such a condition? First she would have had very little energy for life itself loosing that much blood for that long of a period. she had spent all her money on treatments from many doctors, and nothing had helped; in fact, the blood issue had only grown worse. This meant that she would not have been permitted to enter the temple for Jewish religious ceremonies. According to the Law, anything or anyone she touched became unclean as well. The fact that she was in the crowd pressing around Jesus means that each person who bumped into her would have become unclean, too—including Jesus. So she would have been cut off from society as well.  ]

26 And had suffered many things of many physicians, and had spent all that she had, and was nothing bettered, but rather grew worse,

27 When she had heard of Jesus, came in the press behind, and touched his garment. [ Mark simply identifies the garment where Matthew (cf. Matt. 9:20) identifies "the hem of his garment" and Luke (cf. Luke 8:44) identifies "the border of his garment". These more specific statements are clearly referring to the kanaph, or fringes, of Jesus' garment. (See Numbers 15:38-39) Also cp. Matt. 14:36 where people are healed by touching the hem of Jesus' garments. The Midrash Rabbah on Exodus 31:10 interprets Mal. 4:2 as Messianic and states the Messiah will come with healing in his kanaph. Thus, when the woman touches Jesus' cloak and is healed, we see, in part, a fulfilment of the Messiah arising with healing in his garments for the women of Israel. When Jesus raises Jairus' daughter, who is 12 years old, he is reviving a girl who has just approached marriageable age. The Messiah has arisen to heal the women of Israel, in sharp contrast to the treatment the women receive at the hands of the priests, Pharisees, and physicians. A broader symbolic approach to this passage is that Jesus' healing of these two women represents the OT relationship between the Lord and His wife Israel. He has come to redeem and restore his wife Israel, cp. Isa. 49:18, 61:10, 62:5. Also note in both healings faith is the essential ingredient. In the first healing it is the faith of the woman, in the second healing it is the faith of Jairus. ]

28 For she said, If I may touch but his clothes, I shall be whole.

29 And straightway the fountain of her blood was dried up; and she felt in her body that she was healed of that plague.

30 And Jesus, immediately knowing in himself that virtue had gone out of him, [ A better translation might be "power". Simiular expreience happened to Joseph Smith. In his journal entered March 14, 1843 he wrote "Elder Jedediah M. Grant enquired of me the cause of my turning pake and losing strength last night while blessing children. I told him that I saw Lucifer would exert his influence to destro the children that I was blessing and I stove with all the faith and spirit that I had to seal upon them a blessing that would secure their lives upon the earth ; and so much virtue when out of men into the children That I became weak from which I have not yet recovered. and I referred to the case of the woman touch the hem of the grament of Jesus. The Vitue referred to is the spirit of life and a man who exercise get faith in administering to the sick, blessing little children or confirming is liable to become wekened (Teachings 280-281)" ] turned him about in the press, and said, Who touched my clothes?

31 And his disciples said unto him, Thou seest the multitude thronging thee, and sayest thou, Who touched me? [ She really only touched his garment - and the disciple are saying are you kidding me, everyone is touching you, why ask such a strange question. You are being thronged. how would he of even known? See verse 30. ]

32 And he looked round about to see her that had done this thing.

33 But the woman fearing and trembling, [ Why would she have so much fear and trembling? because she is unclean ( during menstration) and has approached and touched a man when by law she should have been keeping her distance. She fears punishment for violating purity rituals of the Law. ] knowing what was done in her, [ She knew immediately that her body was changed, there was np doubt. ] came and fell down before him, [ And all of the people there as well, this would have been very public. And what does she declare? ] and told him all the truth. [ She could have just said it was me, but she declared foe what cause she had touched him, and that she was healed. See Luke 8:47.]

34 And he said unto her, Daughter, thy faith hath made thee whole; go in peace, and be whole of thy plague.

35  While he yet spake, [ Or in the middle of Jesus's sentence someone broke forth with the words thy daughter is dead. ] there came from the ruler of the synagogue’s house certain which said, Thy daughter is dead: why troublest thou the Master any further? [ She is dead. it is too late for him to help. ]

36  As soon as Jesus heard the word that was spoken, [ That the daughter of Jairus was dead. ] he saith unto the ruler of the synagogue, Be not afraid, only believe. [ Trust in me, have faith in me, it is not too late. ]

37 And he suffered no man to follow him, save Peter, and James, and John the brother of James.

38 And he cometh to the house of the ruler of the synagogue, and seeth the tumult, and them that wept and wailed greatly.

39 And when he was come in, he saith unto them, Why make ye this ado, and weep? the damsel is not dead, but sleepeth.

40 And they laughed him to scorn. But when he had put them all out, he taketh the father and the mother of the damsel, and them that were with him, and entereth in where the damsel was lying.

41 And he took the damsel by the hand, [ A classical OT act of condescension, cf. Isa. 41:13, Isa. 42:6. ] and said unto her, Talitha cumi; which is, being interpreted, Damsel, I say unto thee, arise. [ Even though she was dead he spoke to her as though she was living. Arise. ]

42 And straightway the damsel arose, and walked; for she was of the age of twelve years. And they were astonished with a great astonishment. [ Luke's account explicitly states her spirit returned to her,
see Luke 8:55. ]

43 And he charged them straitly that no man should know it; and commanded that something should be given her to eat.