Mark 5:1-20

The Healing of a Demon-possessed Man

1They went across the lake to the region of the Gerasenes. 2When Jesus got out of the boat, a man with an evil spirit came from the tombs to meet him. 3This man lived in the tombs, and no one could bind him any more, not even with a chain. 4For he had often been chained hand and foot, but he tore the chains apart and broke the irons on his feet. No one was strong enough to subdue him. 5Night and day among the tombs and in the hills he would cry out and cut himself with stones.

6When he saw Jesus from a distance, he ran and fell on his knees in front of him. 7He shouted at the top of his voice, "What do you want with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? Swear to God that you won't torture me!" 8For Jesus had said to him, "Come out of this man, you evil spirit!"

9Then Jesus asked him, "What is your name?"

"My name is Legion," he replied, "for we are many." 10And he begged Jesus again and again not to send them out of the area.

11A large herd of pigs was feeding on the nearby hillside. 12The demons begged Jesus, "Send us among the pigs; allow us to go into them." 13He gave them permission, and the evil spirits came out and went into the pigs. The herd, about two thousand in number, rushed down the steep bank into the lake and were drowned.

14Those tending the pigs ran off and reported this in the town and countryside, and the people went out to see what had happened. 15When they came to Jesus, they saw the man who had been possessed by the legion of demons, sitting there, dressed and in his right mind; and they were afraid. 16Those who had seen it told the people what had happened to the demon-possessed man—and told about the pigs as well. 17Then the people began to plead with Jesus to leave their region.

18As Jesus was getting into the boat, the man who had been demon-possessed begged to go with him. 19Jesus did not let him, but said, "Go home to your family and tell them how much the Lord has done for you, and how he has had mercy on you." 20So the man went away and began to tell in the Decapolis[c]how much Jesus had done for him. And all the people were amazed.

BACKGROUND READING:


Luke 8:26-39


Matthew 8:28-34



Dig Deeper

After Herod the Great died in 4 BC, the territory of Judea was split up between his sons. Philip took charge of the area to the north-east of the Sea of Galilee, but the area to the south-east, where this story takes place, had never clearly been Jewish territory. It was often called the ‘Decapolis’, meaning ‘ten towns’, though even ancient writers could never seem to agree which ten towns made up the ‘Decapolis’. The area was a muddle of different territories and name disputes. This seems to have led to some confusion among the gospels whether this account took place in the area of Gerasenes, Gergasenes, or Gadarenes. The gospels offer different names, so the question must be asked, is this a contradiction or an error?


Gadara is about 5 miles from the Sea of Galilee, and so cannot be the location where this took place. Gerasa is 37 miles southeast from Galilee, so it cannot be the correct location. Gergesa is on the eastern shore of Galilee and is also the only spot on that shore with a steep bank overlooking the sea, just as Mark describes. Church historian, Eusebius identified Gergesa as the spot where this account took place. There are also the remains of a Byzantine monastery that were built there in the sixth century to commemorate this biblical sight. It would seem then, that the earliest texts rendered the site as "Gergesenes", but that due to the confusion of the area, and the similarity between pronunciation and spelling, the two alternate sites came to be substituted at some point.


One thing that we should be clear on, however, is that this wasn’t Jewish land, these were probably not Jews. This is evidenced by the fact that they were herding pigs, something Jews would never have done. The Jews saw pigs as entirely unclean and would not have had them around.


To add to the feeling of uncleanness in this account, we are told that it took place in a graveyard. A Jew would become instantly unclean by having contact with a dead body or even graves.


As if that wasn’t enough, the man that runs out to Jesus is contaminated by an unclean spirit. He was clearly demon possessed. Between the pigs, the graves, and the evil spirit, this young man was about as unclean as a human being could possibly get.


The question may arise, who or what are demons? Demons are not fallen angels, as many believe. They are, apparently, the offspring of fallen angels and human women (Genesis 6:1-6). These offspring were exceedingly sinful and violent, and possibly giants. According to the book of 1 Enoch (which is quoted by Jude and referenced by Peter) these offspring, known as the Nephilim, were sentenced by God to roam the earth as bodiless spirits until the ‘age to come’. The fallen angels who perpetrated this act are locked in a part of Hades called Tartarus (2 Peter 2:4; Jude 1:6-7).


This is another account that really happened, but Mark seems to have deeper reasons for including it, than just the face value. When Jesus asks the spirit what his name is, the response is Legion. This word immediately brings to mind the Roman Empire, the ultimate beast, the quintessential unclean example of incarnate evil. His point is that the demons here represent Rome (and the Jews who have thrown their lot in with the Romans). Jesus is here to confront evil, announce God’s kingdom, and demonstrate God’s sovereign rule. God’s kingdom was bringing healing and restoration, but as for the unclean forces that were fouling up human lives, to the sea with them, just as the demon-possessed pigs went into the lake.


Once again, though, with Mark, there is yet another layer. This account represents a victory over evil, but not the ultimate victory. How will Jesus accomplish that. As we read the rest of Mark we will find that it will be Jesus naked, isolated, among the tombs, and being ripped apart by a Roman legion. This is how he would gain his ultimate victory. The early church father, Athanasius, said that Jesus was like a champion wrestler taking the very best the enemy had to offer. He took the full force of evil on himself and defeated it.


Mark also wants us to see that once we have felt the healing touch of the Master, we are to do more than just follow him around and keep it to ourselves. Jesus tells the young man to return to his home and find a new life, one that will announce what Jesus had done and who he was. In some respects, this man, not Paul, was the first apostle to the Gentiles.



Devotional Thought

Once Jesus has touched our lives, it is our role to take that healing message to others. Who is in your life that really needs to hear the message of Jesus today? How can you best bring them that message?