The Gospel of Mark Chapter 5:1-20

1. A Demon Possessed Man Delivered and Healed. 5.1. So they came to the other side of the lake, to the region of the Gerasenes.

After the stilling of the storm the Lord with His disciples safely arrived on the other side in the

Gentile region of Gadara only to face another storm of a different nature. There are times in our

Christian experience when we find that no sooner are we delivered or have the victory over one

situation that we are faced with another.

5.2. Just as Jesus was getting out of the boat, a man with an unclean spirit came from the tombs and

met him.

As soon as the boat reaches the shore this fresh storm breaks in the appearance of a man who is

possessed by an ’unclean spirit “charging forth from the graveyard heading straight for Jesus.

5.3. He lived among the tombs, and no one could bind him anymore, not even with a chain.

His dwelling place was among the dead. For where else do those who are dead in their trespasses

and sins and who are bound by the Devil live? (Prov. 21: 16). Such was our condition in times past

when we kept companion with those who were spiritual corpses (Eph. 2: 2 - 3). No one could control

the forces of evil that drove this man not even chains.

5.4. For his hands and feet had often been bound with chains and shackles, but he had torn the

chains apart and broken the shackles in pieces. No one was strong enough to subdue him.

The people had no answer to this man's bound spiritual condition only a physical one and that was

to try and restrain him with chains and fetters that proved to be useless. They were trying to fight

the spiritual powers of darkness with the natural and found it was an impossible task (Eph. 6: 12)

They were trying to find a physical cure for a spiritual sickness and it did not work. The powers of

darkness can only be fought by the power of the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by putting on the

whole armour of God and by the spiritual weapons provided for us by the Lord Jesus Christ (Eph. 6:

11 - 17). Only He is able to deliver and save.

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5.5. Each night and every day among the tombs and in the mountains, he would cry out and cut

himself with stones.

This man was not able to control himself because he was completely taken over by the unclean spirit

who drove him into the mountains and among the graves as a restless tormented soul, ’"always

shrieking, screaming, beating, bruising and cutting himself with stones (Amp. N.T.). He would have

eventually been driven to his death.

5.6. When he saw Jesus from a distance, he ran and bowed down before him.

Jesus came into this area especially to meet this man and to deliver him. As Jesus drew near the light

of His glory and His power drew the man to Him in spite of the powers of darkness that possessed

the man and he fell down and worshipped Him.

5.7. Then he cried out with a loud voice, "Leave me alone, Jesus, Son of the Most High God! I implore

you by God — do not torment me!"

From this verse to verse 12 the conversation is between Jesus and the chief demon that possessed

the man. This demon confesses and acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God for he could do none

other for he knew that all power and authority had been given into the Lord's hand (Math. 28: 18).

The demon asks "what is there in common between us?" The answer is nothing for they were

entirely two opposites the demon was unclean, unholy, darkness, and was of the Devil. Jesus is pure,

holy, light and is the Son of God and He did not need a demon to confess this. Surprisingly perhaps,

this demon implores Jesus in the name of God not to torment him. The very presence of the Holy

One caused him great distress and pain.

5.8. (For Jesus had said to him, "Come out of that man, you unclean spirit!")

In Mark's account the demon cries out as Jesus is casting him out of the man but according to the

following verses he did not leave until his request was granted. However, in Matthew's account

Jesus did not command that they leave the man until after their request (Math. 8: 29 - 32). At the

command of the Lord they had to obey.

5.9. Jesus asked him, "What is your name?" And he said, "My name is Legion, for we are many."

For some reason Jesus questioned this chief demon and asks him his name and he tells Him that it is

Legion because he was the leader of the many demons who possessed the man. In the Roman army

a legion was composed of anything between three to six thousand men.

5.10. He begged Jesus repeatedly not to send them out of the region.

The demon knew that he along with his many companions had to leave the man but they did not

want to leave the region. This says quite a lot about this area as being a place of darkness where

Satan's forces were very much at home and perhaps made to feel very much at home. So they kept

on begging Jesus not to send them away from the area.

5.11 - 12. There on the hillside, a great herd of pigs was feeding. And the demonic spirits begged him,

"Send us into the pigs. Let us enter them."

As there was a large herd of swine at hand, remember this was an area where Gentiles lived this fact

again speaks of the nature of the people of the area. There are two suggestions given regarding the

keeping of pigs in this area of Israel. Firstly that it was an area in which Gentiles lived and it was

these who owned the pigs, secondly that they belonged to Jews who bred them to sell to the

Gentiles. Whichever may be correct they should not have been there according to the Mosaic Law

(Lev. 11:7). As children of God we should make sure that we keep nothing in our homes that could

be used as channels or instruments for the devil to use.

5.13. Jesus gave them permission. So the unclean spirits came out and went into the pigs. Then the

herd rushed down the steep slope into the lake, and about two thousand were drowned in the lake.

No demon when faced with the power and authority of the Lord Jesus Christ can do what it chooses

He has to give them permission. The demons knew this and so does their master the Devil who is a

defeated foe (Heb. 2: 14). So Jesus permits them to go into the herd of swine whom they

immediately send charging to their death in the lake. This incident seems to suggest that demons

need to possess living things in order to carry out their destructive purposes. Why else should they

ask to be sent into the pigs? When the pigs died the demons would have been bound in the dead

pigs and therefore could do no more harm. They preferred this to being sent into the abyss (Luke 8:

31, Rev. 20:3).

5.14. Now the herdsmen ran off and spread the news in the town and countryside, and the people

went out to see what had happened.

The swineherds who saw all this happening fled in fear telling everybody they met what had

occurred.

5.15. They came to Jesus and saw the demon-possessed man sitting there, clothed and in his right

mind — the one who had the "Legion" — and they were afraid.

On hearing this the people go to where Jesus and the man are and to their astonishment they find

the man whom they could not hold with fetters and chains sat meekly at the feet of Jesus. He who

had gone about naked, fully clothed and he whom the demons had tormented and driven to wander

about the mountains and among the graves sitting peacefully and in his right mind talking with

Jesus. In fact he was a "new man" a "new creation" (2 Cor. 5: 17). We cannot fail to see in this event

the similarity of experience of the sinner who is bound by the world, the flesh and the devil, being

set free and clothed in robes of righteousness by the Lord Jesus Christ. The people became afraid of

what they saw for it was beyond their understanding.

5.16 - 17. Those who had seen what had happened to the demon-possessed man reported it, and

they also told about the pigs. Then they asked Jesus to leave their region.

When they had heard the full story from the swineherds their reaction was to beg Jesus not to stay

and show them the mighty works of God or to set them free but to leave their area!

5.18. As he was getting into the boat the man who had been demon-possessed asked if he could go

with him.

The man who had been delivered naturally wanted to stay close to and go with Jesus after all that

He had done for him.

5.19. But Jesus did not permit him to do so. Instead, he said to him, "Go to your home and to your

people and tell them what the Lord has done for you, that he had mercy on you."

Jesus would not allow him for He had other work for him to do. Although the people had begged

Him to leave them He did not completely abandon them for He told the man to go back to his

friends and tell them how much the Lord had done for him and how He had compassion and mercy

upon him.

5.20. So he went away and began to proclaim in the Decapolis what Jesus had done for him, and all

were amazed.

And the man did as the Lord commanded him. We are told that the people were amazed and

marvelled at the man's testimony but it does not say that they believed and received the Lord Jesus

Christ as their Saviour.

© Derek Williams 2013 Bible Studies Online UK www.biblestudiesonline.org.uk

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Scriptures taken from the NET Bible www.bible.org