1 They went across the lake to the region of the Gerasenes. 2 When Jesus got out of the boat, a man with an impure spirit came from the tombs to meet him. 3 This man lived in the tombs, and no one could bind him anymore, not even with a chain. 4 For 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. 5 Night and day among the tombs and in the hills he would cry out and cut himself with stones.
6 When he saw Jesus from a distance, he ran and fell on his knees in front of him. 7 He shouted at the top of his voice, “What do you want with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? In God’s name don’t torture me!” 8 For Jesus had said to him, “Come out of this man, you impure spirit!”
9 Then Jesus asked him, “What is your name?”
“My name is Legion,” he replied, “for we are many.” 10 And he begged Jesus again and again not to send them out of the area.
11 A large herd of pigs was feeding on the nearby hillside. 12 The demons begged Jesus, “Send us among the pigs; allow us to go into them.” 13 He gave them permission, and the impure 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.
14 Those tending the pigs ran off and reported this in the town and countryside, and the people went out to see what had happened. 15 When 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. 16 Those who had seen it told the people what had happened to the demon-possessed man—and told about the pigs as well. 17 Then the people began to plead with Jesus to leave their region.
18 As Jesus was getting into the boat, the man who had been demon-possessed begged to go with him. 19 Jesus did not let him, but said, “Go home to your own people and tell them how much the Lord has done for you, and how he has had mercy on you.” 20 So the man went away and began to tell in the Decapolis how much Jesus had done for him. And all the people were amazed.
Read Mark 5:1-20 in context and/or in other translations on BibleGateway.com!
In one of the most impressive healings that we can find in the gospels, we also are left with a group of people (not the disciples) that are actually scared of Jesus. After Jesus has cast the legion of demons out of the man living among the tombs in the region of the Gerasenes, Mark tells us that the people living there were scared of Jesus.
In the healing, Jesus had permitted the request of these demons to enter a herd of pigs, and this in itself was an odd thing for Him to do. After the herd of pigs commits mass-suicide by stampeding off of a cliff, Mark tells us that “Those tending the pigs ran off and reported this in the town and countryside, and the people went out to see what had happened. When 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. Those who had seen it told the people what had happened to the demon-possessed man—and told about the pigs as well. Then the people began to plead with Jesus to leave their region.” (v. 14-17)
What strikes the people the most about the situation they encounter is not that their livestock had just been killed. I wonder if this had happened before. Maybe the demon-possessed man had done something that would have caused the death of earlier herds of pigs. It is not the loss of the pigs that scared the people – it was when the saw they formerly demon-possessed man sitting, dressed, and in his right mind.
Healing this man was something they likely had tried to do many times. Perhaps some of the chains they tried to bind the man with was to get him close to a priest to do a formal exorcism. But the demons were too strong, and none of their plans had worked.
After learning that Jesus was more powerful than the demons living in the man, that it was the demons who recognized this, and that Jesus had granted the demons’ request to enter the pigs instead, their fears were confirmed that Jesus was really more powerful than they had imagined. They were scared of Jesus and pleaded with Him to leave their region.
What could have been the launch of a whole region turning to Jesus was instead undermined by the fear of a group of shepherds and livestock owners. Perhaps this is why Jesus tells the man He had just healed to stay and share what God had done for Him. Maybe this man’s testimony could help shift the perception of those present about whether Jesus is safe.
The big thing this teaches me is that we should be willing to push past our fears to grow closer to Jesus. If being near Jesus scares us, we might want to look into why that is. Everything Jesus did in this event is kind and/or loving. While the pigs died, it was because He was kind to the demons. The demons chose to kill the pigs. In this event, Jesus elevates that value of every human life because that is the reason He came! Jesus came to give His life so that each of us can have a new life in Him. While that may be scary on one hand, it is empowering for those who are ready to join Him.
This thought was inspired by studying the Walking With Jesus “Reflective Bible Study” package. To discover insights like this in your own study time, click here and give Reflective Bible Study a try today!
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