Then they came to Jesus, and saw the one who had been demon-possessed and had the legion, sitting and clothed and in his right mind

 

 Then they came to the other side of the sea, to the country of the Gadarenes.  And when He had come out of the boat, immediately there met Him out of the tombs a man with an unclean spirit, who had his dwelling among the tombs; and no one could bind him, not even with chains, because he had often been bound with shackles and chains.  And the chains had been pulled apart by him, and the shackles broken in pieces; neither could anyone tame him.  And always, night and day, he was in the mountains and in the tombs, crying out and cutting himself with stones.  When he saw Jesus from afar, he ran and worshiped Him.  And he cried out with a loud voice and said, "What have I to do with You, Jesus, Son of the Most High God?  I implore You by God that You do not torment me."  For He said to him, "Come out of the man, unclean spirit!"  Then He asked him, "What is your name?"  And he answered, saying, "My name is Legion; for we are many."  Also he begged Him earnestly that He would not send them out of the country.  

 

Now a large herd of swine was feeding there near the mountains.  So all the demons begged Him, saying, "Send us to the swine, that we may enter them."  And at once Jesus gave them permission.  Then the unclean spirits went out and entered the swine (there were about two thousand); and the herd ran violently down the steep place into the sea, and drowned in the sea.  So those who fed the swine fled, and they told it in the city and in the country.  And they went out to see what it was that had happened.  Then they came to Jesus, and saw the one who had been demon-possessed and had the legion, sitting and clothed and in his right mind.  And they were afraid.  And those who saw it told them how it happened to him who had been demon-possessed, and about the swine.  Then they began to plead with Him to depart from their region.  

And when He got into the boat, he who had been demon-possessed begged Him that he might be with Him.  However, Jesus did not permit him, but said to him, "Go home to your friends, and tell them what great things the Lord has done for you, and how He has had compassion on you."  And he departed and began to proclaim in Decapolis all that Jesus had done for him; and all marveled.

 

- Mark 5:1–20 

 

Yesterday we read that, on the same day Jesus preached with many parables, when evening had come, He said to them, "Let us cross over to the other side."  Now when they had left the multitude, they took Him along in the boat as He was.  And other little boats were also with Him.  And a great windstorm arose, and the waves beat into the boat, so that it was already filling.  But He was in the stern, asleep on a pillow.  And they awoke Him and said to Him, "Teacher, do You not care that we are perishing?"  Then he arose and rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, "Peace, be still!"  And the wind ceased and there was a great calm.  But He said to them, "Why are you so fearful?  How is it that you have no faith?"  And they feared exceedingly, and said to one another, "Who can this be, that even the wind and the sea obey Him!"   

Then they came to the other side of the sea, to the country of the Gadarenes.   My study bible tells us, first of all, that we should understand that the country of the Gadarenes is still in Galilee (although Jeus and the disciples have crossed the Sea of Galilee to get here), which means this is an area with many Gentiles living among the Jewish population.  

And when He had come out of the boat, immediately there met Him out of the tombs a man with an unclean spirit, who had his dwelling among the tombs; and no one could bind him, not even with chains, because he had often been bound with shackles and chains.  And the chains had been pulled apart by him, and the shackles broken in pieces; neither could anyone tame him.  And always, night and day, he was in the mountains and in the tombs, crying out and cutting himself with stones.  When he saw Jesus from afar, he ran and worshiped Him.  And he cried out with a loud voice and said, "What have I to do with You, Jesus, Son of the Most High God?  I implore You by God that You do not torment me."  For He said to him, "Come out of the man, unclean spirit!"  Then He asked him, "What is your name?"  And he answered, saying, "My name is Legion; for we are many."  Also he begged Him earnestly that He would not send them out of the country.  Let us take a good look at the state of this man, and his complete alienation from human society.  It's an important clue that he had his dwelling among the tombs, with the dead.  He's not capable of living an ordered life.  Although bound with shackles and chains, the chains had been pulled apart by him, and the shackles broken in pieces -- no one can tame him.  He is beyond human help to be able to live in community.  Night and day, he's crying out in the mountains and the tombs, and cutting himself with stones.  Does this give us a picture that we can relate to in modern society?  And let us note the human impulse that operates in the man, despite the presence of the legion of demons, as when he saw Jesus from afar, he ran and worshiped Him.  Just as we have already read in Mark's Gospel, the demons speak through this man, as they recognize Jesus, calling Him Son of the Most High God.   My study bible suggests they are surprised that their power is being terminated before the time of the last judgment (see Matthew 8:29), hence they beg "do not torment me."  

 

 Now a large herd of swine was feeding there near the mountains.  So all the demons begged Him, saying, "Send us to the swine, that we may enter them."  And at once Jesus gave them permission.  Then the unclean spirits went out and entered the swine (there were about two thousand); and the herd ran violently down the steep place into the sea, and drowned in the sea.  So those who fed the swine fled, and they told it in the city and in the country.  And they went out to see what it was that had happened.  Then they came to Jesus, and saw the one who had been demon-possessed and had the legion, sitting and clothed and in his right mind.  And they were afraid.  And those who saw it told them how it happened to him who had been demon-possessed, and about the swine.  Then they began to plead with Him to depart from their region.   As this is in a region mixed with Gentiles, these swineherd are likely apostate Jews, who raise swine (either having adopted Gentile practices or possibly in order to sell them to the Gentile community) -- something which is forbidden in Jewish Law (Deuteronomy 14:8).  My study bible comments that since our Lord forbade His disciples to go to the Gentiles (Matthew 10:5), and was Himself reluctant to seek out the Gentiles (Matthew 15:24), it's more likely than not these are Jews who plead with Him to depart from their region.  Their preference is for the money they have lost because of the death of the swine who've drowned in the sea, and not for the healing of the one who had been demon-possessed and had the legion, who is now sitting and clothed in his right mind.  This simply fills them with fear at the power of Christ.

 

And when He got into the boat, he who had been demon-possessed begged Him that he might be with Him.  However, Jesus did not permit him, but said to him, "Go home to your friends, and tell them what great things the Lord has done for you, and how He has had compassion on you."  And he departed and began to proclaim in Decapolis all that Jesus had done for him; and all marveled.  Let us observe Jesus' response to this man who knows he has been saved, and so begs Jesus that he might be with Him.  He is to go home to his friends, "and tell them what great things the Lord has done for you, and how He has had compassion on you."   The healed man dutifully goes out to the Decapolis (a union of ten Greek-Roman cities in Galilee) and proclaims all that Jesus had done for him; and all marveled.  

This man healed from a legion of demons begins a new life, going out to the Decapolis, where he proclaims his salvation and the compassion of the Lord.  Let us look at the place from which he starts in our story, not only as the man completely lost to the merciless occupation of a legion of demons, but also living among the dead, and those who cared nothing for him, as they had also given up the laws of their own faith.  If we are going to look at this carefully, it is a full picture of abandonment, of a world gone over to rebellion against God.  This one human being struggles in a world dominated by violence and thievery, where human beings have given up on the Law given by the Lord, the God of Israel.  There is no guarding of community here, only the rule of exploitation and selfishness, one of hardened hearts which care nothing for the restoration of humanity, and thereby, for salvation.  It is a picture of a world where the struggle for faith is abandoned, and with it the God of mercy, healing, and compassion.  This demon-possessed man, "occupied" by a foreign legion of the army of the enemy, can only live among the dead in the tombs, crying out, unable to contain himself or be tamed.  He is, in a sense, tortured night and day by those who simply wish for him to suffer and surrounded by a heartless and uncaring world.  The swineherders clearly show themselves to be people given up to what is called hard-heartedness in the Gospels.  It is a picture of a world where God is given up and abandoned, and the thoroughly destructive results that are attained by so doing.  We could possibly see in it a picture of the results of war that is "all hell" in the words of a famous American Civil War general.  In 20th century history, we can look at the results created when a regime steeps itself in the throwing off of all religious restraint, and military pursuit of endless power and sheer might; we have examples of that on both the far right and far left.  But it's also a warning for our own future, because it gives us a picture of a life in which we have forgotten that the good teachings of God are given out of love, and that those laws are meant to save and to create community, taking in even the least among us, the strays, the strangers, the broken, even the despised, all who know they are in need of healing.  When we find ourselves in a world where ideology supplants the faith in something greater than a political party or social theory, then watch out, for from there insanity arises in double-speak and triple-speak, words and laws lose their meaning, and the result is in this picture of the abandoned uncontrollable and untamable man among the tombs, possibly a familiar sight to those who witness the problems of the homeless and modern "disordered" among us.  There are those who say that the sickest among us mirror to us the problems of the family and society, and they wouldn't be far wrong if we take a closer look at what we have so frequently left behind in the name of an ideological and even purportedly scientific progress.  "What is truth?" Pilate will ask, when it is standing in front of him.  For the root of truth is much deeper than our theories and even our proofs, based on so many assumptions.  We have only to look where hypocrisy covers a multitude of selfish sins.  But the One who is above it all remains Christ, the Truth, the One who comes to this seemingly God-forsaken place to save this remnant of humanity beset by a legion of demons.  My study bible notes that although the malice of the demons is great, they can do nothing against the will of God, and therefore can only enter the swine at Christ's command.  It adds that the immediate destruction of the herd shows humanity's protection by God's care, because even though so sorely afflicted, he nevertheless did not perish.  And so, we also persist even under affliction, beset by unnamed and irrational demons, and we look to the "stronger man" who can combat a legion of thousands and seeks only to protect us and heal us, and who comes as Liberator and Deliverer.  Let us look to Christ and all those saints and angels in the great cloud of witnesses who protect and defend, whom this healed man -- previously beset by a legion of demons -- now joins in testimony of the great things the compassionate Lord has done for him.  May we all be joined to this communion as was he.