Today's readings: Gen 34; Mk 5; Job 1; Ro 5
Mark 5:13 Jesus gave them permission. So the unclean spirits came out and went into the pigs. Then the herd rushed down the steep slope into the lake, and about two thousand were drowned in the lake.
Note: Many have discussed why Jesus gave them permission, since the animals were destroyed. However, this is another example of a miracle that is a visual lesson. The demons are destructive: They were destroying the man. They destroyed the pigs. They destroy whatever they touch. The point was to take demonic influence seriously, as well as Jesus' power over it as a picture of the larger battle for human souls. There would be no doubt how the man's transformation had taken place.
Mark 5:19 But Jesus did not permit him to do so. Instead, he said to him, “Go to your home and to your people and tell them what the Lord has done for you, that he had mercy on you.”
Mark 5:25 Now a woman was there who had been suffering from a hemorrhage for twelve years.
Mark 5:42 The girl got up at once and began to walk around (she was twelve years old). They were completely astonished at this.
