† 8. The Gadarene Demoniacs

General

All three synoptic gospels capture that Jesus casts out demons in a non-Jewish region across the sea southeast of Galilee. This account features the strongest demons on record, and it serves to demonstrate how the Lord can set us free from many harmful things and order our lives. Mark and Luke differ from Matthew mainly in focusing on one man who wished to join the disciples following Jesus during His earthly ministry.

Gadarenes, Gergesenes, Gerasenes

There are variations in the ancient copies of the gospels on the name of the place in this episode. Some copies call the place Gadara, others Gergesa, and still others Gerasa. Unfortuntely, many scholars see the variation as a challenge to the idea we have the original text—or even worse, as a denial of the divine inspiration of Scripture!

The truth is far simpler. All three places are southeast of the Sea of Galilee, opposite Galilee. From the perspective of Matthew's Jewish audience, these were all basically the same: over that way, on the other side of the sea.

None of the named places pose a problem for the text, either. Gadara and Gergesa in particular are mountainous and near the sea, perfectly suited to this account. Gerasa is several miles away from the seashore, but this, too, is no problem; nothing in the account requires the people of the town to have come out within the space of hours or even on the same day.

Matthew 8

28 And when he came to the other side, to the country of the Gadarenes, two demon-possessed men met him, coming out of the tombs, so fierce that no one could pass that way.
29 And behold, they cried out, “What have you to do with us, O Son of God? Have you come here to torment us before the time?”
30 Now a herd of many pigs was feeding at some distance from them.
31 And the demons begged him, saying, “If you cast us out, send us away into the herd of pigs.”
32 And he said to them, “Go.” So they came out and went into the pigs, and behold, the whole herd rushed down the steep bank into the sea and drowned in the waters.
33 The herdsmen fled, and going into the city they told everything, especially what had happened to the demon-possessed men.
34 And behold, all the city came out to meet Jesus, and when they saw him, they begged him to leave their region.

two demon-possessed men

Matthew records two men were possessed (see also v.33, "the demon-possessed men"), while Mark and Luke only mention one. Both Mark and Luke also mention something Matthew lacks: one of the men asked to accompany Jesus. It seems, then, the reason Mark and Luke only mention one man is they are focused on the one who gave thanks.

so fierce that no one could pass that way

The word Matthew uses to describe the ferocity of these demon-possessed men (χαλεπός) indicates something that is hard to deal with, difficult to bear. It can also describe a difficult or dangerous road. Instead of rocks, bumps, or ambushes, the trouble on this road is these demon-possessed men—who likely present all three threats and more!

"Have you come here to torment us before the time?"

Instead of trying to understand what role Jesus might play in the torture of demons or the coming "time" to which they refer, remember that these words are the testimony of demons. We shouldn't read much into their words, whether here or elsewhere in Scripture. God's word provides the authoritative record.

1 Timothy 4:1

Now the Spirit expressly says that in later times some will depart from the faith by devoting themselves to deceitful spirits and teachings of demons....

the whole herd rushed down the steep bank into the sea

Just as we ought not to trust the words of demons, we shouldn't spend much time analyzing why they did what they did, either. Regardless of their motives, the damage is extensive, especially from the perspective of the herdsmen, whose source of income is now gone. While pigs are unclean under the Law of Moses, these are Gentile towns not subject to that Law. The lesson seems rather to be that human life is more valuable even than an entire herd of animals (Matthew 10:31).

especially what had happened to the demon-possessed men

Matthew makes explicit what is the most frightening aspect of this entire episode. For all the town's efforts to contain these men, the road remained impassable. Seeing those whom they could not contain restored to complete normalcy proved that Jesus had a power far greater than anything they could dream of.

they begged him to leave their region

The townspeople begged Him to leave just as "the demons [had] begged him" to be released earlier (v.31). By contrast, the demon-possessed men don't have a voice and are not recorded to have asked Jesus anything beforehand.

Mark 5

1 They came to the other side of the sea, to the country of the Gerasenes.
2 And when Jesus had stepped out of the boat, immediately there met him out of the tombs a man with an unclean spirit.
3 He lived among the tombs. And no one could bind him anymore, not even with a chain,
4 for he had often been bound with shackles and chains, but he wrenched the chains apart, and he broke the shackles in pieces. No one had the strength to subdue him.
5 Night and day among the tombs and on the mountains he was always crying out and cutting himself with stones.
6 And when he saw Jesus from afar, he ran and fell down before him.
7 And crying out with a loud voice, he said, “What have you to do with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I adjure you by God, do not torment me.”
8 For he was saying to him, “Come out of the man, you unclean spirit!”
9 And Jesus asked him, “What is your name?” He replied, “My name is Legion, for we are many.”
10 And he begged him earnestly not to send them out of the country.
11 Now a great herd of pigs was feeding there on the hillside,
12 and they begged him, saying, “Send us to the pigs; let us enter them.”
13 So he gave them permission. And the unclean spirits came out and entered the pigs; and the herd, numbering about two thousand, rushed down the steep bank into the sea and drowned in the sea.
14 The herdsmen fled and told it in the city and in the country. And people came to see what it was that had happened.
15 And they came to Jesus and saw the demon-possessed man, the one who had had the legion, sitting there, clothed and in his right mind, and they were afraid.
16 And those who had seen it described to them what had happened to the demon-possessed man and to the pigs.
17 And they began to beg Jesus to depart from their region.
18 As he was getting into the boat, the man who had been possessed with demons begged him that he might be with him.
19 And he did not permit him but said to him, “Go home to your friends and tell them how much the Lord has done for you, and how he has had mercy on you.”
20 And he went away and began to proclaim in the Decapolis how much Jesus had done for him, and everyone marveled.

from afar, he ran and fell down before him

After the detailed description of the demon-possessed man's terrifying strength and power to lash out, his running straight for Jesus seems to be a serious threat. But immediately we see the tables are turned when he prostrates himself before Jesus. In the person of Jesus there is a true power, a true authority.

"I adjure you by God"

Despite the original show of deference, falling down before Him, the demon now thinks to require an oath from Jesus. This is just another example of the inconsistency and confusion of the words of demons, and another reminder to pay them no mind.

My name is Legion, for we are many.

The dictionary reveals a legion is a division of the Roman army typically numbering three to six thousand soldiers.

On the one hand, the terrifying power Mark ascribes to the demon possession would accord with the concept of combined forces. On the other hand, the number of soldiers in a legion is similar to the "about two thousand" pigs (v.13).

the man who had been possessed with demons begged him that he might be with him

Here as in Matthew, the demons beg to be released (v.12), and the townspeople beg Him to leave (v.17). But Mark and Luke add that one man who had been possessed begged to be with Him. The strength of the demons' power and the grip of the crowd's fear are matched by the faith of this man.

Go home to your friends and tell them how much the Lord has done for you, and how he has had mercy on you.

In this case, the man must stay among his family and friends rather than joining Jesus. His testimony to those who had known him would be powerful. The same thing holds for any of us who "come to our senses and escape the snare of the devil" (2 Timothy 2:25–26).

Luke 8

26 Then they sailed to the country of the Gerasenes, which is opposite Galilee.
27 When Jesus had stepped out on land, there met him a man from the city who had demons. For a long time he had worn no clothes, and he had not lived in a house but among the tombs.
28 When he saw Jesus, he cried out and fell down before him and said with a loud voice, “What have you to do with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I beg you, do not torment me.”
29 For he had commanded the unclean spirit to come out of the man. (For many a time it had seized him. He was kept under guard and bound with chains and shackles, but he would break the bonds and be driven by the demon into the desert.)
30 Jesus then asked him, “What is your name?” And he said, “Legion,” for many demons had entered him.
31 And they begged him not to command them to depart into the abyss.
32 Now a large herd of pigs was feeding there on the hillside, and they begged him to let them enter these. So he gave them permission.
33 Then the demons came out of the man and entered the pigs, and the herd rushed down the steep bank into the lake and drowned.
34 When the herdsmen saw what had happened, they fled and told it in the city and in the country.
35 Then people went out to see what had happened, and they came to Jesus and found the man from whom the demons had gone, sitting at the feet of Jesus, clothed and in his right mind, and they were afraid.
36 And those who had seen it told them how the demon-possessed man had been healed.
37 Then all the people of the surrounding country of the Gerasenes asked him to depart from them, for they were seized with great fear. So he got into the boat and returned.
38 The man from whom the demons had gone begged that he might be with him, but Jesus sent him away, saying,
39 “Return to your home, and declare how much God has done for you.” And he went away, proclaiming throughout the whole city how much Jesus had done for him.

sitting at the feet of Jesus

Luke's account alone provides this detail. It's the most precise picture of the transformation in this man's case. He went from a raving lunatic to an attentive pupil.

for they were seized with great fear

Luke alone explicitly states the reason the town asked Jesus to leave. Their fear seems to be proportionate to the transformation that has become of this poor man—and the expectation that Jesus is a true authority among them. We last saw something like this in Luke 7:16, "Fear seized them all, and they glorified God, saying, 'A great prophet has arisen among us!' and 'God has visited his people!'"

§ 8. Jesus' Ministry in Galilee Continued