Healing of the Gerasene Demoniac

Text and Content

The account appears in all three Synoptic Gospels. It immediately follows the Calming of the Storm, and in Mark and Luke it is followed by the Raising of Jairus's Daughter. The most detailed account is in Mark 5:1-20.

When Jesus stepped out of the boat, a man who lived among the tombs came to him. He was so strong that he could break chains, and night and day he cried out and cut himself with stones. When Jesus asked his name, he answered, "My name is Legion: for we are many" (Mark 5:9). The demons begged to be sent into a nearby herd of swine. When Jesus gave them permission, the herd, about two thousand in number, ran violently down a steep place into the sea and drowned. The townspeople, seeing the man clothed and in his right mind, were afraid and asked Jesus to leave. The healed man wanted to go with him. Jesus, however, told him to go home and tell what the Lord had done for him, and he proclaimed it throughout the Decapolis.

Background

The place name varies among the manuscripts and among the Gospels. The New Korean Revised Version, for example, renders it "the country (or land) of the Gerasenes" in Mark and Luke and "the country of the Gadarenes" in Matthew 8:28. Matthew's account mentions two demon-possessed men. Scholars disagree on the exact location. Because Gerasa (modern Jerash in Jordan) and Gadara were cities some distance from the sea, some hold that the event took place at another site on the eastern shore of the Sea of Galilee.

The region had a large Gentile population. Under the Law, swine were unclean animals (Leviticus 11:7), and tombs were likewise regarded as unclean places. The name "Legion" given by the possessed man comes from the Latin legio, a Roman military unit of several thousand soldiers.

Significance in Scripture as a Whole

This miracle demonstrates Jesus' authority over demons. It is also read as showing that Jesus' ministry extended to the Gentile region across from Galilee. Elsewhere Jesus sometimes commanded those he healed to keep silent; by contrast, he told this man to go and tell others, a point that is frequently noted. Some interpreters connect this passage with Isaiah 65:4, which speaks of a people "which remain among the graves" and "eat swine's flesh."

Interpretations and Debated Points

• One man or two: To account for the difference between Matthew and the other two Gospels, one harmonizing interpretation holds that only the more prominent of the two men was recorded. Another view holds that each Gospel writer had a different emphasis.
• The death of the swine: How to understand the loss of property and the death of the animals is a long-standing question. A common interpretation is that the restoration of one person is worth more than that loss.
• Understanding demon possession: Traditional interpreters and the charismatic movement read this passage as describing the actual activity and expulsion of evil spirits. Some scholars additionally propose reading it in terms of mental illness, or from a sociopolitical perspective in which the name "Legion" evokes Roman domination.
• What the text does not say: The text does not give the man's name. Moreover, "two thousand" is the number of swine, not the number of demons.

In Korean Churches

In Korean Protestant preaching, the passage is often treated under the theme that "one soul is more precious than a herd of swine." The healed man's return to his hometown to bear witness is frequently cited as a model of evangelism and testimony.