What does Mark 5:2 mean?
Mark 5:2 is a bit of a preview for verses 6–8. In Mark 3:9, Jesus had begun the habit of keeping a boat nearby when preaching on the shore of the Sea of Galilee. This allowed Him to teach without being mobbed by the horde of people seeking healing. We aren't told who owns the boat, but it is presumably the same in which Jesus napped during the storm (Mark 4:36–38) and from which He taught the parable of the sower on the western shore of the Sea (Mark 4:1)."Unclean" is taken from the Greek root word akathartos which describes something as morally stained or not fit for ceremonial use. "Spirit" is from the Greek root word pneuma, which refers to a singular being which has independent agency but no physical form. When used together, they merely mean a demon. The demon-possessed man met Jesus immediately after running some distance (Mark 5:6). It's possible he saw Jesus before the boat had landed. Again, a demon is compelled to approach Jesus despite the danger it may face (Mark 1:23–24; 3:11).
The word "tombs" comes from the Greek root word mnemeion, from which we get the English word "monument." Specifically, it refers to a sepulcher or a sepulchral monument. Burial practices at that time involved laying the body in a larger cave until nothing remained but the bones. The bones were then placed in a stone box called an ossuary for permanent storage. Some of the larger caves would have been big enough for a person to find shelter.
Mark 5:1–13 describes Jesus' encounter with a man possessed by a vast number of demonic spirits. Jesus has shown His authority over storms during the turbulent crossing of the Sea of Galilee. In a cemetery on the eastern shore of the lake, He and the twelve meet a wild, dangerous man controlled by a ''legion'' of demons. Jesus allows the fleeing evil spirits to enter a herd of pigs which promptly run into the sea and drown. The man is grateful. The locals, either startled by Jesus' power or afraid for their livestock, promptly ask Jesus to leave. This account is also found in Luke 8:26–33 and possibly Matthew 8:28–32 which mentions two possessed men.
Jesus arrives on the other side of the Sea of Galilee and heals a man afflicted by a ''legion'' of demons. In the aftermath of this event, Jesus once again crosses the waters within this region, known as the Decapolis. There, He is approached by a synagogue leader, begging Him to come and save a dying girl. In the midst of this trip, Jesus stops the crowd to identify a woman who attempted to covertly touch his robes; her faithful act results in healing. Jesus then continues on to the home of the synagogue leader and resurrects his recently-deceased child.
