So they arrived at the other side of the lake, in the land of the Gerasenes.
Just as Jesus was climbing from the boat, a man possessed by an evil spirit ran out from a cemetery to meet him.
This man lived among the tombs and could not be restrained, even with a chain.
Whenever he was put into chains and shackles--as he often was--he snapped the chains from his wrists and smashed the shackles. No one was strong enough to control him.
All day long and throughout the night, he would wander among the tombs and in the hills, screaming and hitting himself with stones.
When Jesus was still some distance away, the man saw him. He ran to meet Jesus and fell down before him.
He gave a terrible scream, shrieking, "Why are you bothering me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? For God's sake, don't torture me!"
For Jesus had already said to the spirit, "Come out of the man, you evil spirit."
Then Jesus asked, "What is your name?" And the spirit replied, "Legion, because there are many of us here inside this man."
Then the spirits begged him again and again not to send them to some distant place.
There happened to be a large herd of pigs feeding on the hillside nearby.
"Send us into those pigs," the evil spirits begged.
Jesus gave them permission. So the evil spirits came out of the man and entered the pigs, and the entire herd of two thousand pigs plunged down the steep hillside into the lake, where they drowned.
The herdsmen fled to the nearby city and the surrounding countryside, spreading the news as they ran. Everyone rushed out to see for themselves.
A crowd soon gathered around Jesus, but they were frightened when they saw the man who had been demon possessed, for he was sitting there fully clothed and perfectly sane.
Those who had seen what happened to the man and to the pigs told everyone about it,
and the crowd began pleading with Jesus to go away and leave them alone.
When Jesus got back into the boat, the man who had been demon possessed begged to go, too.
But Jesus said, "No, go home to your friends, and tell them what wonderful things the Lord has done for you and how merciful he has been."
So the man started off to visit the Ten Towns of that region and began to tell everyone about the great things Jesus had done for him; and everyone was amazed at what he told them.
When Jesus went back across to the other side of the lake, a large crowd gathered around him on the shore.
A leader of the local synagogue, whose name was Jairus, came and fell down before him,
pleading with him to heal his little daughter. "She is about to die," he said in desperation. "Please come and place your hands on her; heal her so she can live."
Jesus went with him, and the crowd thronged behind.
And there was a woman in the crowd who had had a hemorrhage for twelve years.
She had suffered a great deal from many doctors through the years and had spent everything she had to pay them, but she had gotten no better. In fact, she was worse.
She had heard about Jesus, so she came up behind him through the crowd and touched the fringe of his robe.
For she thought to herself, "If I can just touch his clothing, I will be healed."
Immediately the bleeding stopped, and she could feel that she had been healed!
Jesus realized at once that healing power had gone out from him, so he turned around in the crowd and asked, "Who touched my clothes?"
His disciples said to him, "All this crowd is pressing around you. How can you ask, 'Who touched me?'"
But he kept on looking around to see who had done it.
Then the frightened woman, trembling at the realization of what had happened to her, came and fell at his feet and told him what she had done.
And he said to her, "Daughter, your faith has made you well. Go in peace. You have been healed."
While he was still speaking to her, messengers arrived from Jairus's home with the message, "Your daughter is dead. There's no use troubling the Teacher now."
But Jesus ignored their comments and said to Jairus, "Don't be afraid. Just trust me."
Then Jesus stopped the crowd and wouldn't let anyone go with him except Peter and James and John.
When they came to the home of the synagogue leader, Jesus saw the commotion and the weeping and wailing.
He went inside and spoke to the people. "Why all this weeping and commotion?" he asked. "The child isn't dead; she is only asleep."
The crowd laughed at him, but he told them all to go outside. Then he took the girl's father and mother and his three disciples into the room where the girl was lying.
Holding her hand, he said to her, "Get up, little girl!"
And the girl, who was twelve years old, immediately stood up and walked around! Her parents were absolutely overwhelmed.
Jesus commanded them not to tell anyone what had happened, and he told them to give her something to eat.