4:11 To you has been given: Jesus explains his parables to the inner circle of disciples. By instructing them privately, he prepares them for their future role as teachers and stewards of God's mysteries (16:15, 20; 1 Cor 4:1). • According to Vatican II (Dei Verbum, 7), Jesus ensures the transmission of his truth to every age by the Holy Spirit, who guides the Church through the teaching and apostolic succession of bishops (Jn 14:26; 16:13; 2 Tim 2:2) (CCC 888-90). Back to text.

4:12 see but not perceive: A paraphrase of Is 6:9-10. • Isaiah was commissioned by the Lord to file a covenant lawsuit against Jerusalem in the eighth century B.C. It was a time when wickedness and injustice were flourishing in Israel despite Yahweh's repeated attempts to reform the people (Is 5:1-30). As a result of persistent rebellion, Israel became blind and deaf to the warnings of the prophets. Isaiah's mission was a dreadful one of preaching judgment upon his wayward generation until destruction and exile would overtake all but a holy remnant of the people (Is 6:13). Jesus likewise addresses a crooked generation and preaches a message that reaches a remnant of Israel but leaves the rest hardened and unresponsive (Jn 12:37-43; Acts 28:23-28). Back to text.

4:14-20 Jesus explains the parable to his disciples only when they are "alone" (4:10). The crowd "outside" is not privileged to hear its interpretation (4:11). Back to text.

4:21-22 A parable about the purpose and function of Jesus' teaching. Although the mystery of the kingdom is temporarily hidden and secret in parables, its true meaning will eventually be manifest and come to light (Lk 12:2). Back to text.

4:26-29 An agricultural parable found only in Mark. Jesus compares the mystery of natural, organic growth to the expansion of the kingdom of God. The kingdom will visibly mature like grain, but the spiritual forces behind it will remain invisible. The parable of the Leaven in Mt 13:33 elucidates the same mystery. • Morally (St. Gregory the Great, Hom. in Ezek. 2, 3): the maturing grain signifies our increase in virtue. First, the seeds of good intentions are sown; these gradually bring forth the blade of repentance and ultimately the mature ear of charitable works. When established in virtue, we are made ripe for God's harvest. Back to text.

4:29 the harvest: The day of God's manifestation and judgment (Jer 51:33; Joel 3:13; Mt 13:39; Rev 14:15). Back to text.

4:30-32 The parable of the Mustard Seed. It is based on the difference between the smallest seed and the greatest shrub and depicts how Christ's kingdom begins with a small band of disciples and gradually grows into a worldwide Church. • The imagery Jesus uses to explain this is drawn from OT oracles that describe the dominion of ancient empires. Babylon (Dan 4:10-12), Egypt (Ezek 31:1-6), and Israel (Ezek 17:2224) were all portrayed as kingdoms that grew into mighty trees. See note on Mt 13:32. Back to text.

4:35-41 Jesus manifests his divinity by exercising authority over nature. • According to the OT, God alone has the power to subdue the raging seas (Ps 89:9; 93:4; 107:28-29). This biblical background alarms the disciples and prompts their question, Who then is this . . . ? (4:41). • Morally (St. Augustine, Sermo 51): the episode at sea signifies the drama of the Christian life. All of God's children embark with Christ on a life that is full of dangerous storms, especially attacks from evil spirits and temptations of the flesh. We must learn to trust in Christ daily, since he alone can restrain these forces and bring us to the safe harbor of salvation. See note on Mt 8:23-27. Back to text.

5:1 Gerasenes: Gerasa is one of the cities of the "Decapolis" (5:20), a confederation of ten cities in NT Palestine. They were predominantly Gentile in population, and most of them were located east of the Jordan River. The presence of "swine" in 5:11 reinforces this Gentile context, since the Jews would never herd animals that God declared unclean (Lev 11:7-8). Back to text.

5:9 Legion: The term for an armed regiment of nearly 6,000 Roman soldiers. It points to the overwhelming presence of demons in the man and accentuates the intensity of spiritual combat between Jesus and forces of evil. Matthew indicates that two men approached Jesus suffering from demonic possession (Mt 8:28). • Allegorically (St. Bede, In Marcum): the demoniac represents the Gentile nations saved by Christ. As pagans, they once lived apart from God amid the tombs of dead works, while their sins were performed in service to demons. Through Christ, the pagans are at last cleansed and freed from Satan's domination. Back to text.

5:13 into the sea: Biblical symbolism associated with the sea is diverse and flexible. • According to one tradition, God's enemies arise from the sea in the form of beasts that oppress God's people (Dan 7:1-3; Rev 13:1). Here Jesus reverses the direction of evil by sending the demon-possessed swine back into the sea. Like Pharaoh's army in the OT, God's adversaries are drowned in the waters (Ex 14:26-28; 15:1). Back to text.

5:19 the Lord has done for you: Hints at Jesus' divinity (cf. 2:28; 11:3; 12:37). The parallel text in Lk 8:39 has "God". Back to text.

5:21-43 Two miracle stories connected chronologically and thematically. Both highlight Jesus' power over physical sickness (5:29, 42) and his favorable response to faith (5:23, 34, 36; CCC 548, 2616). The accounts are also linked by the figure twelve years, which represents the duration of the woman's illness (5:25) and the age of the young girl (5:42). Back to text.

5:23 lay your hands on her: Often in the Gospels Jesus responds to the persistent pleas of parents whose children are suffering or in danger (7:25-30; 9:17-27; Mt 17:14-18; Jn 4:46-54). His mercy touches these distressed parents whenever they turn to him in faith. Jesus also displays a deep affection for children (10:13-16; Mt 18:5-6). Back to text.

5:25 a flow of blood: A condition that makes the woman and everything she touches legally unclean (Lev 15:25-30). This excludes her from full participation in the covenant life of Israel. To the crowd's astonishment, Jesus removes her uncleanness by physical contact, not in spite of it. See note on Mk 1:40. Back to text.

5:37 Peter . . . James . . . John: Three of Jesus' closest disciples, who were also present with him at the Transfiguration (9:2) and in the garden of Gethsemane (14:33). They are likewise the only apostles Jesus renamed: Simon became "Peter", which means "rock", while James and John were called "Boanerges", which means "sons of thunder" (3:16-17). Back to text.

5:39 not dead but sleeping: Biblical writers often speak of "sleep" as a euphemism for biological death (Mt 27:52; Jn 11:11; 1 Cor 15:6). Jesus uses this description to emphasize that the girl's condition is only temporary and reversible. •Morally (St. Bede, In Marcum): the girl signifies the young Christian whose heart remains deadened by the world. Christ must clear away the crowds of impure thoughts to revive and strengthen the believer to begin walking in good deeds. Spiritual nourishment for this new life is given through the Eucharist. Back to text.

5:41 Talitha cumi: One of several Aramaic expressions preserved in Mark (7:11, 34; 14:36; 15:22, 34). He regularly translates these expressions for his non-Jewish readers in Rome. Back to text.

6:1 his own country: Nazareth, the Galilean village where Jesus was raised (Mt 2:23). Following an earlier incident recorded in Lk 4:16-30, this episode marks the second rejection of Jesus by his kinsfolk. Back to text.

6:3 brother . . . his sisters: Jesus' cousins or more distant relatives (CCC 500). They are not siblings from the same Virgin Mother. See note on Mt 12:46. Back to text.

6:4 not without honor: Jesus adapts a common proverb to explain his rejection: like the OT prophets before him, Jesus is persecuted and rejected for preaching the word of the Lord (Mt 5:11-12; Heb 11:32-38). Jesus is often called a prophet in the Gospels (Mt 21:11; Lk 7:16; 13:33; 24:19; Jn 4:19). Back to text.