After addressing the interruption of the hemorrhaging woman, Jesus returns to the issue that first grabbed his attention, that of Jairus the Elder’s dying daughter. This is my final sermon in a miniseries on insiders and outsiders.

When Jesus returns to Capernaum, he finds himself surrounded yet again by a large crowd. In this one scene, we have two intersecting storylines. The miraculous healing of the hemorrhaging woman literally interrupts the narrative, so in this sermon I look at the third in a miniseries on insiders and outsiders.​

In this sermon, Jesus is still in the country of the Gerasenes, only this time he is dealing not with demons but with close-minded individuals. This is the second in a miniseries on insiders and outsiders.​

Mark utilizes interpolation — the “Markan Sandwich” — to highlight a point. The second greatest theme he highlights is the question of who is “inside” and who is “outside.” The fifth chapter deals entirely with insiders and outsiders and Jesus forces us to consider — or reconsider — our notions of inclusivity. The first in this miniseries is the Gerasene demoniac.