Jesus and the demoniac of the Gerasenes – Luke 8:26-39, Mark 5:1-13, Matthew 8:28-34

Encounters with Jesus

A Graphic Illustration

“Then they sailed to the country of the Gerasenes, which is opposite Galilee. 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. 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.” 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.)”

Luke 8:26-29 ESV

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The gospels contain fascinating and gripping incidents in the life of Jesus. None more so than in His dealings with the people whom He met and none more dramatic than this account recorded in Matthew, Mark and Luke’s gospel known as the demoniac of the Gerasenes. The gospel writers are cautious to record Jesus’ teaching and miracles to prove that He is the Son of God, the promised Messiah, and Saviour of the world (see John 20:31, Mark 1:1). Chapter eight of Luke’s gospel transitions from the teaching of Jesus (8:1-21) and focuses on the actions of Jesus which consist of four miracles: over nature (8:22-25), over demonic powers (8:26-39), over disease (8:40-48) and over death (8:49-56). These miracles are a demonstration of Jesus’ identity. Who controls a storm, demonic powers, disease, and death?

It is not insignificant that this was Jesus’ first foray into the gentile country, for Jesus came to rescue all people (see Rev 7:9). Earlier, Jesus had taught that the Word of God goes into the world like a seed that is sown (8:4-15). Here, the parable of the sower is about to be seen at work in the gentile world, with some surprising results! As soon as Jesus steps off the boat, he is immediately confronted by a man who, by his appearance and behaviour, is deeply disturbed. He was naked, and his home was with the dead. He exhibited superhuman strength and could not control himself or be controlled and, therefore, had to be kept in chains, not out of pity but necessity. He was banished, in solitude, isolated and alienated from the rest of humanity, having no peace with his neighbours or himself as his screaming and self-harming demonstrated (see Mark 5:5). This man was a living death. Luke tells us why – he was demon-possessed (8:27).

“As Legion experienced a living death, enslaved and alienated, he is a graphic illustration of the terrible plight of humanity in their rebellion against God.”

Mike McKinley observes, “This story has an almost cinematic feel to it—something like the showdown scene in The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly. We can imagine Jesus stepping off the boat while “The Ecstasy of Gold” plays in the background. The calmer of the sea has come to battle the battalion of demons!” (1). Demon possession in the gospels was a unique phenomenon; however, the Bible is clear that the forces of darkness are as active today as they were then, as the Apostle Paul reminds the Ephesian Christians, “For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.” (Eph 6:12). Today we often want to explain away such extreme behaviour under the guise of science and psychology. Still, perhaps this story is neither “apocryphal nor dated.” (2).

Putting the issue of demon possession to one side, this account has important spiritual truths for us, for when we look into the mirror of God’s word, we see this man looking back at us. You may think this man’s condition is far removed from everyday experience; however, the Bible teaches that we are alienated from God because of our sinful lifestyle. As Legion experienced a living death, enslaved and alienated, he is a graphic illustration of the terrible plight of humanity in their rebellion against God. Paul reminds the Ephesians, “You were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience— among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind.” (Eph 2:1-3, 12, Col 1:21, Rom 3:9-18). No areas of our lives are untouched by sin, and like Legion, it renders us helpless and hopeless.

It can be shocking to be confronted with this, but we must be confronted if we are to understand the good news that is the gospel.

The Restoration of a Ruined Life

“Jesus then asked him, “What is your name?” And he said, “Legion,” for many demons had entered him. And they begged him not to command them to depart into the abyss. 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. 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. When the herdsmen saw what had happened, they fled and told it in the city and in the country. 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.”

Luke 8:30-35 ESV

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When studying the Bible, we must always ask the question: “What does this passage teach me about Jesus?” (see John 5:39). We have already noted that this is the intention of the gospel writers. Earlier in chapter eight, after being confronted with Jesus’ power over nature in amazement, the disciples ask, “Who is this?” He commands even the winds and the water, and they obey him.” (8:25). As this confrontation between Legion and Jesus occurs, the demons know something that the disciples have yet to grasp. Jesus is the Son of God! (8:28). Luke is telling us something very significant. In a gentile area, a battalion of demons who have held power over human beings is confronted by the one who holds power over them. They fall before Him (the Greek word proskynesis means to pay homage) and acknowledge His identity as the one who can send them to hell (8:31). The Kingdom of God had encroached on enemy territory, but this is not a fight between equal parties! (11:20). The Bible teaches that satan and his cohorts are a defeated foe, and that should be a great comfort to us! (see Rev 20:10).

What happens next has often puzzled many (8:32-33). There have even been those who have used this section to justify their rejection of Jesus. The philosopher Bertrand Russell pointed to this story to explain (in the words of his essay) “Why I am not a Christian.” (3). However, as Mike McKinley observes, “Those questions are perhaps natural, but they represent a spectacular exercise in missing the point! This was the Pharisees’ speciality; they could react to the healing of a blind man by complaining about making spit mud on the Sabbath (see John 9:16). They could celebrate the healing of a cripple by raging that he had used his new-found health to carry a mat on the Sabbath (see John 5:10). There are good responses to objections about Jesus’ actions in this passage (such as a discussion of the priority of human life over that of animals), but they are not necessary. If a man conquers with a mere word a posse of demons that chains couldn’t restrain, he doesn’t need to defend his actions.” (4). In a world where 73 million human babies have their lives ended through abortion every year, it is doubtful that humanity is in the best position to judge Jesus’ actions regarding a herd of pigs! (5).

“Although we may not recognise it, all of our lives are ruined and in need of restoration.”

In chapter four, Luke tells us that Jesus had read from Isaiah, “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favour.” (4:18-19). He said something extraordinary, “Today, this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.” (4:21). In this dramatic confrontation between Jesus and Legion, Luke shows us how this is true. Jesus has come to restore ruined lives! (19:10). If Luke is correct and Jesus is the Son of God who came into the world to destroy the works of the devil, then it would be strange if He did not give evidence of His deity, whether it is in silencing the raging power of a storm or in confronting this demoniac (see 1 John 3:8). And so, after being healed we find the man “sitting at the feet of Jesus, clothed and in his right mind.” (8:35). As J.C. Ryle observes, “That sight must have been strange and astonishing! The man’s history and condition, no doubt, were well known. He had probably been a nuisance and terror to the neighbourhood. Yet, in one moment, a complete change had come over him. Old things had passed away, and all things had become new. The power of such a cure must indeed have been almighty. When Christ is the physician, nothing is impossible.” (6).

Although we may not recognise it, all of our lives are ruined and in need of restoration. “We are slaves to evil; we are not free; we are bent, ultimately, on self-destruction. Neither we nor others can break the powers that have bound us. Christ alone can break the power of sin and set us free.” (7). Whether our lives are broken like Legion’s or whether we are respectable sinners like his neighbours, we are all without God and hope in the world (see Eph 2:12).

Jesus has come to restore our ruined lives, but, like Legion, we will never be clothed and in our right minds until we learn to sit at His feet!

Responses to Jesus

And those who had seen it told them how the demon-possessed man had been healed. 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. The man from whom the demons had gone begged that he might be with him, but Jesus sent him away, saying, “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.

Luke 8:36-39 ESV

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The disciples knew what it was to be in the presence of the divine. After trying to catch fish all night, Jesus told them to let down their nets. We are told they caught so many fish that their nets broke! Peter then said something extraordinary. “Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord.” (5:8). The fear of being in divine presence remained (8:25). There is no doubt the appearance of Jesus in the region caused consternation. No sooner was Jesus on dry land than a screaming demon-possessed man confronted him. Seconds later, two thousand pigs drowned. The herders rushed into the city to tell everybody (8:34). It is a scene reminiscent of the best Hollywood action movies! Amid this confusion, we see a significant reversal. The once deranged Legion is now clothed and sane, sitting at Jesus’ feet, and it is the people who are now seized with fear (8:35-37). As Paul reminds the Corinthian Christians, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.” (2 Cor 5:17). To restore and repair broken lives by grace is the very reason Jesus came into the world. Legion serves as an illustration of that.

Legion was undoubtedly a well-known figure in the town. Perhaps some of the people were related to him or remembered playing with him when they were children. But, at some point, something terrible happened. The demon-possessed Legion was all they knew, but now, because of Jesus, he had been miraculously healed. We would expect their reaction to be one of gratitude and amazement.

On the contrary, they ask Jesus to leave (8:37). What’s the explanation? As Sinclair B. Ferguson points out, “A moment’s self-examination should give the answer.” (8). You may have told your friends and family about Jesus if you are a Christian. You expected a positive response, and perhaps you received some by God’s grace. However, others brought sadness and disappointment. Maybe it’s because we fail to grasp what it means to be people under sin’s power (see John 3:19, 2 Cor 4:3-4). The people of the Gerasenes valued their pigs more than the salvation of Legion because they did not understand their spiritual condition and their need for Jesus, and it is the same today! Christ’s presence demands a response, but tragically, people would rather cling to their sin than sit at Jesus’ feet.

“To restore and repair broken lives by grace is the very reason Jesus came into the world.”

Unsurprisingly, Legion wanted to become a disciple of the man who had restored and repaired his broken life. The once dehumanised man had been made human again. But Jesus had other plans. Here, the grace of God is seen in those who rejected Jesus. Legion was to become an unlikely missionary! (8:39, Mark 5:20). Here we see a precursor to Luke’s second book, where we learn that it is God’s purpose “to open their eyes, so that they may turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God” (Acts 26:18). Nobody fully understood that Jesus had the authority to save because He had come to sacrifice Himself, and to die on the cross to make forgiveness possible. Still, it has been made clear (see 1 Pet 3:18, Is 53:1-12, Gal 1:4, 3:13, Rom 5:6-8). If Jesus has transformed you, you have also been called to mission, and Legion teaches us that proper missionary activity begins at home.

If you are not a Christian, you may wonder how such a strange story can have any relevance for you today. The answer is straightforward. Luke chapter eight is a powerful demonstration of Jesus’ deity. That is what the gospel writers have been careful to prove. If Jesus is God, He demands a response from all of us (see Acts 17:30-31). The gospel is good news for those who, like Legion, realise their need, for Jesus is a surprising Messiah, full of kindness and grace, ready to be found by those who did not seek Him and have rebelled against Him (see Is 65:1). So what is your response? Like Legion, do you want to go with Jesus? Has He restored and repaired your broken life? Or, like the townspeople, do you want Jesus to go? Do you want to cling to your sin?

There are no greater questions.

Notes

1. Mike McKinley – Luke 1-12 For You, The Good Book Company, 2016, p152
2. Douglas J.W. Milne – Let’s Study Luke, Banner of Truth Trust, 2005, p119
3. https://www.naturalthinker.net/trl/texts/Russell,Bertrand/Religion/Bertrand%20Russell%20-%20Why%20I%20am%20not%20a%20Christian.pdf (accessed 19/10/22 p10)
4. Mike McKinley – Luke 1-12 For You, The Good Book Company, 2016, p153
5. Mankind derives its dignity from being created in God’s image. It is the rejection of this that is the cause of much misery and confusion today (see Gen 1:26-27)
6. J.C. Ryle – Expository Thoughts on Luke Volume 1, Banner of Truth Trust, 1997, p270
7. Sinclair B. Ferguson – Let’s Study Mark, Banner of Truth Trust, 2011, p65-66
8. Ibid, p68

All scripture quotations are from the ESV unless otherwise stated.