Text: Matthew 8:28-34
When He came to the other side into the country of the Gadarenes, two men who were demon-possessed met Him as they were coming out of the tombs. They were so extremely violent that no one could pass by that way. And they cried out, saying, “What business do we have with each other, Son of God? Have You come here to torment us before the time?” Now there was a herd of many swine feeding at a distance from them. The demons began to entreat Him, saying, “If You are going to cast us out, send us into the herd of swine.” And He said to them, “Go!” And they came out and went into the swine, and the whole herd rushed down the steep bank into the sea and perished in the waters. The herdsmen ran away, and went to the city and reported everything, including what had happened to the demoniacs. And behold, the whole city came out to meet Jesus; and when they saw Him, they implored Him to leave their region.
Text: Mark 5:1-20
They came to the other side of the sea, into the country of the Gerasenes. When He got out of the boat, immediately a man from the tombs with an unclean spirit met Him, and he had his dwelling among the tombs. And no one was able to bind him anymore, even with a chain; because he had often been bound with shackles and chains, and the chains had been torn apart by him and the shackles broken in pieces, and no one was strong enough to subdue him. Constantly, night and day, he was screaming among the tombs and in the mountains, and gashing himself with stones. Seeing Jesus from a distance, he ran up and bowed down before Him; and shouting with a loud voice, he said, “What business do we have with each other, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I implore You by God, do not torment me!” For He had been saying to him, “Come out of the man, you unclean spirit!” And He was asking him, “What is your name?” And he said to Him, “My name is Legion; for we are many.” And he began to implore Him earnestly not to send them out of the country. Now there was a large herd of swine feeding nearby on the mountain. The demons implored Him, saying, “Send us into the swine so that we may enter them.” Jesus gave them permission. And coming out, the unclean spirits entered the swine; and the herd rushed down the steep bank into the sea, about two thousand of them; and they were drowned in the sea. Their herdsmen ran away and reported it in the city and in the country. And the people came to see what it was that had happened. They came to Jesus and *observed the man who had been demon-possessed sitting down, clothed and in his right mind, the very man who had had the “legion”; and they became frightened. Those who had seen it described to them how it had happened to the demon-possessed man, and all about the swine. And they began to implore Him to leave their region. As He was getting into the boat, the man who had been demon-possessed was imploring Him that he might accompany Him. And He did not let him, but He said to him, “Go home to your people and report to them what great things the Lord has done for you, and how He had mercy on you.” And he went away and began to proclaim in Decapolis what great things Jesus had done for him; and everyone was amazed.
Text: Luke 8:26-39
Then they sailed to the country of the Gerasenes, which is opposite Galilee. And when He came out onto the land, He was met by a man from the city who was possessed with demons; and who had not put on any clothing for a long time, and was not living in a house, but in the tombs. Seeing Jesus, he cried out and fell before Him, and said in a loud voice, “What business do we have with each other, 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 it had seized him many times; and he was bound with chains and shackles and kept under guard, and yet he would break his bonds and be driven by the demon into the desert. And Jesus asked him, “What is your name?” And he said, “Legion”; for many demons had entered him. They were imploring Him not to command them to go away into the abyss. Now there was a herd of many swine feeding there on the mountain; and the demons implored Him to permit them to enter the swine. And He gave them permission. And the demons came out of the man and entered the swine; and the herd rushed down the steep bank into the lake and was drowned. When the herdsmen saw what had happened, they ran away and reported it in the city and out in the country. The people went out to see what had happened; and they came to Jesus, and found the man from whom the demons had gone out, sitting down at the feet of Jesus, clothed and in his right mind; and they became frightened. Those who had seen it reported to them how the man who was demon-possessed had been made well. And all the people of the country of the Gerasenes and the surrounding district asked Him to leave them, for they were gripped with great fear; and He got into a boat and returned. But the man from whom the demons had gone out was begging Him that he might accompany Him; but He sent him away, saying, “Return to your house and describe what great things God has done for you.” So he went away, proclaiming throughout the whole city what great things Jesus had done for him.
The Gadarenes were pig eating Gentile group. The Jews despised them for this, so the grumbling as Jesus set foot on their land from the disciples might have been very Jewish of them. Jesus however is about to smash another cultural barrier.
I have dealt with the discrepancies between the three accounts as it relates to whether there were on or two men before but it bears repeating. Matthew is not really all that detailed of an account because his audience is Jewish and they would have little interest in Gentiles being delivered of demons other than this proves how powerful Jesus was or for historical accuracy. He mentions two men probably because that is what there were but once the story is over, it is done and there is no further account of the men in Matthew so they are not really necessary to the story other than to say two men got relieved of their demons on this trip.
Mark is a different story. Writing to Gentiles he wants to show that Jesus cared for Gentiles and wanted to see them healed as well as Jews. Mark is also the first gospel writer to mention that the man’s demons had the name ‘Legion’ a fact which Matthew does not mention at all. Mark’s roman audience would have very much understood the power of a legion of men, but demons would have been something more powerful. For Jesus to take on a legion of demons and win would have impressed the Romans greatly. Mark’s focus in on the single man because the second man is probably not essential to his objectives. Just because Mark only focuses on one man does not mean the other was not around, it just means that Mark (and Luke) both want to focus attention on this particular man because of his personal story. Each gospel writer definitely edits the story to suit their purposes. If you view each writer as a cameraman, Matthew is getting the panoramic view of the story; Mark is getting the close up of the drama between Legion and Jesus and Luke is pretty much focused on the known facts of the story. It does not necessarily show a contradiction in Scripture, but it may show the creativity of the various gospel writers and their respective focus and purposes.
The interesting thing about this incident form a ministry standpoint is that Jesus does not spend much time here mostly because the loss of the swine was not good for these people economically, but at the same time they could not deny that the men had been helped and because of that they did not need to be fearful of that part of the country anymore. Through the man that is there and his testimony about what Jesus has done, Christ will be able to return later and get great results. Jesus has also shown his disciples in a very short time how much power he has both over the natural (The Storm) and the Supernatural (The Demoniac). It is a lesson they will need when they are sent out on their own.
Next: Jarius’ Daughter; Woman Healed