Jesus withdrew toward the sea with his disciples.
A large number of people followed from Galilee and from Judea.
Hearing what he was doing,
a large number of people came to him also from Jerusalem,
from Idumea, from beyond the Jordan,
and from the neighborhood of Tyre and Sidon.
He told his disciples to have a boat ready for him because of the crowd,
so that they would not crush him.
He had cured many and, as a result, those who had diseases
were pressing upon him to touch him.
And whenever unclean spirits saw him they would fall down before him
and shout, "You are the Son of God."
He warned them sternly not to make him known.
In this passage, Mark gives us a snap shot of Jesus' ministry. Jesus heals the sick through touch and exercises spirits. Here it is not the people who call Jesus the Son of God but the unclean spirits. This is because in the Gospel of Mark, the people, like the disciples, are always in the dark and do not fully understand Jesus' role or identity. What is also interesting is that in this time period to know one's name meant to have power over that person. The fact that the demons would fall even though they know the true identity of Jesus makes Jesus that much more powerful.
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