The Jordan river is only about 135 miles long, running nearly north and south. It rises on the slopes of Mount Hermon, the tallest peak in the Anti-Lebanon range with a height of 9,200 feet. It first flows through a body of water named Lake Huleh, which is four miles long and three miles wide. 50 miles south it flows through the sea of Galilee, which is 695 feet below sea level; and sixty-five miles further on it ends in the Dead Sea, the lowest point on the earth's surface. Its name means "descending", because of its sharp drop in elevation throughout its length. It twists and turns so that it actually flows nearly three times the overland distance.

The eastern side was occupied during tribal times by the tribes of Manasseh in the north, Reuben in the south, and Gad or Gilead in the central part between the sea of Galilee and the Dead Sea. Gilead became famous in ancient times for its soothing balsam resin, from which the expression "balm in Gilead" comes. This central region was known as Perea in the time of Yeshua. The book of Genesis refers to older tribes which were driven out when the Israelites entered, including a tribe called the Girgashites, from which comes the name Gergesa, a village on the eastern shore of the sea of Galilee. By the time of the exile, however, the tribes had disappeared, and the eastern regions were intermixed with other peoples. The cities in the region in the time of Yeshua had formed an independent league called the Decapolis, meaning "the ten cities."

After preaching again on the plain of Gennesaret, Yeshua decided to cross over the sea of Galilee to the eastern regions. We don't know why he wanted to do this; perhaps he wanted to tour the region as he had toured Galilee. But while they were sailing, a great storm came up, and the boat was in danger of sinking. The disciples feared for their lives, and they awakened Yeshua. They told him that they were perishing, but he chided them for their panic:

Soon after they arrived at the village of Gergesa. This was a small fishing-village on the eastern shore of the sea of Galilee. It could not have been Gadara, as Matthew says, because that village was 10 miles to the south of the sea of Galilee, or Gerasa as Mark says, since that city was even further south. Nevertheless, so soon as they had landed, they were accosted by another madman, who lived among the tombs, crying out, and cutting himself with stones; this man had many times been bound with chains, but he always broke the chains and escaped. He ran up to Yeshua, and screamed at him, "Get out of here, you holy man; in the name of God, do not torment me." For Yeshua was fixing him with that look he had when he was confronting mentally disturbed persons. And the man's screaming gradually subsided; but his great cries panicked a herd of sheep grazing on the hillside, who rushed headlong down into the sea and were drowned.

The shepherds too were frightened, and ran into the city and told everyone. Soon after, the residents of Gergesa were all gathered around the tombs, where the man was now clothed properly and sitting calmly at the feet of Yeshua. They were all astonished; and the story began to be told that Yeshua had ordered the demons which had possessed the man into the herd of sheep and into the sea. And years afterward it was said that it had been a herd of swine that had perished; but there were no herds of swine in Judea, because of the Mosaic law against eating pork.

Then the villagers began to beg Yeshua to leave their city; they were frightened at the sheep stampede, even though the man had been cured of his madness. Yeshua acceded to their plea, and entered again into his boat. Then the man who had been cured came up to him, and wanted to go with him. But Yeshua would not let him, and told him to return to his house and to tell all his friends how his madness had been removed. So the man went back, and began to tell in all the ten cities of the Decapolis on the eastern side of the Jordan that Yeshua had cured him.

So this was one exorcism which had an unexpected result: Yeshua was not able to continue his preaching in the eastern regions. But apparently he acquiesced with grace and style; whatever his plans had originally been in crossing over the sea, he cancelled them, and returned over the sea back to Kephar-Nahum.

Once he returned, however, Yeshua found a great multitude gathered on the beach; Luke tells us that "the multitude welcomed him, for they were all waiting for him." We can imagine them all cheering as his boat moored on the shore. Then he was confronted by another demand for a healing: a man named Jairus, described as a ruler of the synagogue, came and begged him to come and cure his daughter who was at the point of death. This shows us again that not all the Jewish religious leaders were opposed to Yeshua, at least not to his powers of healing. Matthew says that Yeshua arose at once, and went with him; and Mark and Luke add that the crowds thronged after him.

On the way, another remarkable incident is said to have occurred. Yeshua felt that he had been touched, and not in the casual way in which people in crowds brush against each other, but in some way such that he knew that he had been intentionally touched, as if the person wanted his attention. Looking around, he could not tell, but he asked,

Then they arrived at the house, where friends and relatives had gathered to mourn, and some were mourning already. Yeshua told Jairus not to fear. Then he put everyone outside, and took Simon and Yakub and Yohan, and Jairus and his wife, and they went child's room. He said to Jairus, "She is not dead, but only asleep." Then he took hold of her hand, and after stroking it gently, and speaking some soothing words softly enough, she came to her senses, and rose up and walked. Mark tells us that she was twelve years old. Jairus and his wife were amazed; but Yeshua insisted that they should not tell anyone about this. He also reminded them that they needed to give her something to eat, since during her unconsciousness she had not eaten at all.