TEXT [Commentary]

9. The healing of the Gerasene demoniac (5:1-20; cf. Luke 8:26-39)

1 So they arrived at the other side of the lake, in the region of the Gerasenes.[*] 2 When Jesus climbed out of the boat, a man possessed by an evil[*] spirit came out from the tombs to meet him. 3 This man lived in the burial caves and could no longer be restrained, even with a chain. 4 Whenever he was put into chains and shackles—as he often was—he snapped the chains from his wrists and smashed the shackles. No one was strong enough to subdue him. 5 Day and night he wandered among the burial caves and in the hills, howling and cutting himself with sharp stones.

6 When Jesus was still some distance away, the man saw him, ran to meet him, and bowed low before him. 7 With a shriek, he screamed, “Why are you interfering with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? In the name of God, I beg you, don’t torture me!” 8 For Jesus had already said to the spirit, “Come out of the man, you evil spirit.”

9 Then Jesus demanded, “What is your name?”

And he replied, “My name is Legion, because there are many of us inside this man.” 10 Then the evil spirits begged him again and again not to send them to some distant place.

11 There happened to be a large herd of pigs feeding on the hillside nearby. 12 “Send us into those pigs,” the spirits begged. “Let us enter them.”

13 So Jesus gave them permission. The evil spirits came out of the man and entered the pigs, and the entire herd of about 2,000 pigs plunged down the steep hillside into the lake and drowned in the water.

14 The herdsmen fled to the nearby town and the surrounding countryside, spreading the news as they ran. People rushed out to see what had happened. 15 A crowd soon gathered around Jesus, and they saw the man who had been possessed by the legion of demons. He was sitting there fully clothed and perfectly sane, and they were all afraid. 16 Then those who had seen what happened told the others about the demon-possessed man and the pigs. 17 And the crowd began pleading with Jesus to go away and leave them alone.

18 As Jesus was getting into the boat, the man who had been demon possessed begged to go with him. 19 But Jesus said, “No, go home to your family, and tell them everything the Lord has done for you and how merciful he has been.” 20 So the man started off to visit the Ten Towns[*] of that region and began to proclaim the great things Jesus had done for him; and everyone was amazed at what he told them.

NOTES

5:1 Gerasenes. This is the reading in * B D. Other manuscripts read “Gadarene” (A C ) or “Gergesene” (2 L). The last reading is too poorly attested to be the likely original. Matthew’s parallel reads “Gadarene,” which possibly explains this textual variation as an effort to bring the two texts into tighter agreement. The better manuscripts of Mark have “Gerasenes” and Luke’s reading is parallel to Mark. Gerasa (modern Jerash, Jordan) is about thirty-seven miles from the Sea of Galilee, while Gadara (modern Umm Qais, Jordan) is about six miles from it. In either case, the location was a predominantly Gentile area in what was known as the Decapolis region, so the tradition surrounding this miracle appears to be regional. Perhaps the better-known locale was cited rather than the actual one. Another possibility is that a lesser-known “Gerasa” on the eastern shore of Galilee was intended (so Cranfield 1959:176; Lane 1974:181).

5:2 evil spirit. This same expression appears in 1:23. For details, see that discussion.

5:3 lived in the burial caves. The tombs of the cemetery in an area outside the city were associated with death and ritual uncleanness. In later Judaism, spending the night on a grave was taken as a sign that one had gone mad (b. Hagigah 3b; Marcus 2000:343). People would want a cemetery cleansed so they could visit the graves of their loved ones (Gundry 1993:258, who also explains why an allusion to Isa 65:1-7, 11 LXX and its association of demons with tombs is not present, although the text from the prophet does show that such a connection was sometimes made).

could no longer be restrained, even with a chain. The attempt to fetter the man suggests that he was demon possessed and needed controlling. That the bonds could not hold him only reinforced that perception. The man’s state was particularly dire; he was isolated and destructive, even self-destructive (5:5).

5:4 he snapped the chains . . . smashed the shackles. In Gr., the verbs are passive (“had been torn apart by him . . . had been smashed”). This unusual use of the passive may suggest that the man was not acting alone.

No one was strong enough to subdue him. The description reminds one of the strong man who was overcome by someone even stronger in 3:27. This man needed such a confrontation.

5:6 bowed low before him. The expression here is “worshiped” him, which often involved bowing before the one being honored. The only other place Mark uses this verb is at the mocking of Jesus (15:19).

5:7 Why are you interfering with me? Lit., “What do you have to do with me?” (see 1:24). The demon was trying to put Jesus off.

Son of the Most High God. The title “Most High God” is common in the LXX; Gentiles used it to refer to God (Gen 14:18-20; Num 24:16; Isa 14:14; Dan 3:26; 4:2 [3:32, LXX]; cf. 1 Esdras 2:3; 6:31; 8:19, 21; 2 Macc 3:31; 3 Macc 7:9; Acts 16:17). The title acknowledges God’s residence in heaven and his sovereignty (Deut 32:8; Dan 4:17). For the title “Son of God,” see the discussion of 1:1. Once again, supernatural forces make this confession (1:24).

don’t torture me! Jesus’ authority was recognized in the demons’ request not to be punished. They used a term that often refers to the punishment of prisoners (BDAG 168; MM 104; NIDNTT 3:856). This is ironic since the man was already in torment, as is often the case with demon possession (1:26; 5:2-5; 9:17-18, 20-22, 26).

5:9 Legion. The demon has the name of the largest unit in the Roman army, consisting of 3,000–6,000 soldiers (Marcus 2000:345). The point of the name is to indicate that this man was a victim of multiple possessions. He was a severe case. It also shows that the battle Jesus faces here is one against a large number, not merely a one-on-one battle.

5:10 begged. The Gr. for this word is in the imperfect, so the pleading is vividly portrayed as ongoing, not as just a momentary request. Such pleas were not unprecedented in Judaism (Testament of Solomon 2:6).

send them to some distant place. The demons’ request was that Jesus not remove them “outside the region” (as the Gr. reads). The NLT has rendered this as “some distant place.” Perhaps they feared being judged and sent immediately to the abyss (see 5:7b). They may also have wanted to remain in the region where they were used to working (Guelich 1989:281).

5:11 pigs. The pigs indicate that this was a Gentile region; Jews would not work with these ceremonially unclean animals (m. Bava Qamma 7:7).

5:12 Send us into those pigs. The symbolism is important here. The unclean demons requested residence in the unclean pigs rather than experience judgment.

5:13 the entire herd of about 2,000 pigs plunged down . . . into the lake and drowned. This herd was large by ancient standards, as most were of about 150 animals (Gundry 1993:252). Many discuss the property damage that occurred here and raise a moral issue about what Jesus permitted. However, the damage was slight compared to what would have happened if such cosmic forces had been allowed to run around freely.

5:15 saw the man who had been possessed . . . sitting . . . and perfectly sane. This verse shows the evidence of the healing rather dramatically—the demoniac had a sound mind and was behaving calmly. This was quite a contrast after the people’s inability to restrain him (5:4). His demon possession is expressed with a present participle (“the one who is demon possessed”). He was marked by who he had been. In 5:18, the participle switches to an aorist that describes “the one who had been demon possessed.”

they were all afraid. In several passages in Mark, such fear is not respect for God, but a debilitating and paralyzing dread (5:36; 6:50; 9:32; 10:32; 11:18, 32; 12:12; 16:8).

5:17 pleading with Jesus to go away. It is not entirely clear what motivated this request for Jesus to leave. Two suggestions are that (1) the damage the healing had done to the local economy and religion was a concern. Pigs were used for food and for sacrifices in this region. How unpredictable it would be to have Jesus around! (2) More likely, however, this direct encounter with supernatural power made them uneasy. Despite the healing Jesus brought, he was not welcome. This stranger had “bound the strong man”—now who would restrain him?

5:18 begged to go with him. The former demoniac wanted to become a disciple who traveled with Jesus (lit., “that he might be with him”; see 3:14). In contrast to the townspeople of 5:17, this man appreciated what Jesus had done. Jesus refused the request for reasons that are not made clear.

5:19 how merciful he has been. Jesus told the man to stay at home and testify to what God had done for him. He was to emphasize God’s mercy because divine benevolence had healed him.

5:20 Jesus. The man began to tell what Jesus had done. There was no way that the man could do this without including Jesus’ part in the healing (Guelich 1989:286).

COMMENTARY [Text]

This miracle shows the extent of Jesus’ authority over demons. Here he exorcised an entire legion of demons. The detail of the miracle is unprecedented. Much space is occupied in describing the man’s helpless condition under demonic influence, including his self-destructive behavior and the devastating effects of demon possession. The unusual form of the exorcism only reinforces this impression. The journey of the pigs to their death in the sea enhances the sense of the destructiveness of Satan and his minions. The account affirms the danger of allowing evil to roam the earth unchecked, but Jesus is stronger than evil, and the demons cowered at his power. Jesus transformed the formerly possessed man and gave him new life.

As exciting as this should have been, however, those in the Decapolis wanted nothing to do with such an unpredictable divine presence or its consequences, so they asked Jesus to leave. The Gentile region was no more open to Jesus than the Jewish area was. They rejected the mercy of God.

The man who had been possessed was different. He accepted God’s mercy and desired to be among those who traveled with Jesus. Denied that opportunity, he was told by Jesus to remain at home and witness to his neighbors. His call was to explain what God had done for him. Instead of being asked to keep silent as others had been, this man was encouraged to tell his story, possibly because the messianic mission (in Jewish terms) was less likely to be misunderstood in this Gentile area (for remarks that commentators on Mark overstate the theme of secrecy, see Hooker 1991:145). In fact, the man told what Jesus had done for him, or better, he “proclaimed” it (kērussō [TG2784, ZG3062]).