Mark 5:1-20
1. And they came over unto the other side of the sea, into the country of the Gadarenes.
2. And when he was come out of the ship, immediately—(see Mr 5:6).
there met him a man with an unclean spirit—"which had devils [demons] long time" (Lu 8:27). In Matthew (Mt 8:28), "there met him two men possessed with devils." Though there be no discrepancy between these two statements—more than between two witnesses, one of whom testifies to something done by one person, while the other affirms that there were two—it is difficult to see how the principal details here given could apply to more than one case.3. Who had his dwelling among the tombs—Luke (Lu 8:27) says, "He ware no clothes, neither abode in any house." These tombs were hewn out of the rocky caves of the locality, and served for shelters and lurking places (Lu 8:26).
4. Because that he had been often bound with fetters and chains, &c.—Luke says (Lu 8:29) that "oftentimes it [the unclean spirit] had caught him"; and after mentioning how they had vainly tried to bind him with chains and fetters, because, "he brake the bands," he adds, "and was driven of the devil [demon] into the wilderness." The dark tyrant-power by which he was held clothed him with superhuman strength and made him scorn restraint. Matthew (Mt 8:28) says he was "exceeding fierce, so that no man might pass by that way." He was the terror of the whole locality.
5. And always, night and day, he was in the mountains, and in the tombs, crying, and cutting himself with stones—Terrible as he was to others, he himself endured untold misery, which sought relief in tears and self-inflicted torture.
6. But when he saw Jesus afar off, he ran and worshipped him—not with the spontaneous alacrity which says to Jesus, "Draw me, we will run after thee," but inwardly compelled, with terrific rapidity, before the Judge, to receive sentence of expulsion.
7. What have I to do with thee, Jesus, Son of the most high God? I adjure thee by God, that thou torment me not—or, as in Mt 8:29, "Art Thou come to torment us before the time?" (See on Mr 1:24). Behold the tormentor anticipating, dreading, and entreating exemption from torment! In Christ they discern their destined Tormentor; the time, they know, is fixed, and they feel as if it were come already! (Jas 2:19).
8. For he said unto him—that is, before the unclean spirit cried out.
Come out of the man, unclean spirit!—Ordinarily, obedience to a command of this nature was immediate. But here, a certain delay is permitted, the more signally to manifest the power of Christ and accomplish His purposes.9. And he asked him, What is thy name?—The object of this question was to extort an acknowledgment of the virulence of demoniacal power by which this victim was enthralled.
And he answered, saying, My name is Legion: for we are many—or, as in Luke (Lu 8:30) "because many devils [demons] were entered into him." A legion, in the Roman army, amounted, at its full complement, to six thousand; but here the word is used, as such words with us, and even this one, for an indefinitely large number—large enough however to rush, as soon as permission was given, into two thousand swine and destroy them.10. And he besought him much that he would not send them away out of the country—The entreaty, it will be observed, was made by one spirit, but in behalf of many—"he besought Him not to send them, &c."—just as in Mr 5:9, "he answered we are many." But what do they mean by entreating so earnestly not to be ordered out of the country? Their next petition (Mr 5:12) will make that clear enough.
11. Now there was there, nigh unto the mountains—rather, "to the mountain," according to what is clearly the true reading. In Mt 8:30, they are said to have been "a good way off." But these expressions, far from being inconsistent, only confirm, by their precision, the minute accuracy of the narrative.
a great herd of swine feeding—There can hardly be any doubt that the owners of these were Jews, since to them our Lord had now come to proffer His services. This will explain what follows.12. And all the devils besought him, saying—"if thou cast us out" (Mt 8:31).
Send us into the swine, that we may enter into them—Had they spoken out all their mind, perhaps this would have been it: "If we must quit our hold of this man, suffer us to continue our work of mischief in another form, that by entering these swine, and thus destroying the people's property, we may steel their hearts against Thee!"13. And forthwith Jesus gave them leave—In Matthew (Mt 8:32) this is given with majestic brevity—"Go!" The owners, if Jews, drove an illegal trade; if heathens, they insulted the national religion: in either case the permission was just.
And the unclean spirits went out—of the man. and entered into the swine: and the herd ran violently—rushed. down a steep place—down the hanging cliff. into the sea (they were about two thousand)—The number of them is given by this graphic Evangelist alone. and were choked in the sea—"perished in the waters" (Mt 8:32).14. And they that fed the swine fled, and told it—"told everything, and what was befallen to the possessed of the devils" (Mt 8:33).
in the city, and in the country. And they went out to see what it was that was done—Thus had they the evidence, both of the herdsmen and of their own senses, to the reality of both miracles.15. And they come to Jesus—Matthew (Mt 8:34) says, "Behold, the whole city came out to meet Jesus."
and see him that was possessed with the devil—the demonized person. and had the legion, sitting—"at the feet of Jesus," adds Luke (Lu 8:35); in contrast with his former wild and wandering habits. and clothed—As our Evangelist had not told us that he "ware no clothes," the meaning of this statement could only have been conjectured but for "the beloved physician" (Lu 8:27), who supplies the missing piece of information here. This is a striking case of what are called Undesigned Coincidences amongst the different Evangelists; one of them taking a thing for granted, as familiarly known at the time, but which we should never have known but for one or more of the others, and without the knowledge of which some of their statements would be unintelligible. The clothing which the poor man would feel the want of the moment his consciousness returned to him, was doubtless supplied to him by some of the Twelve. and in his right mind—but now, oh, in what a lofty sense! (Compare an analogous, though a different kind of case, Da 4:34-37). and they were afraid—Had this been awe only, it had been natural enough; but other feelings, alas! of a darker kind, soon showed themselves.16. And they that saw it told them how it befell to him that was possessed with the devil—("the demonized person").
and also concerning the swine—Thus had they the double testimony of the herdsmen and their own senses.17. And they began to pray him to depart out of their coasts—Was it the owners only of the valuable property now lost to them that did this? Alas, no! For Luke (Lu 8:37) says, "Then the whole multitude of the country of the Gadarenes round about besought Him to depart from them; for they were taken with great fear." The evil spirits had thus, alas! their object. Irritated, the people could not suffer His presence; yet awe-struck, they dared not order Him off: so they entreat Him to withdraw, and—He takes them at their word.
18. he that had been possessed with the devil prayed him that he might be with him—the grateful heart, fresh from the hand of demons, clinging to its wondrous Benefactor. How exquisitely natural!
19. Howbeit, Jesus suffered him not, &c.—To be a missionary for Christ, in the region where he was so well known and so long dreaded, was a far nobler calling than to follow Him where nobody had ever heard of him, and where other trophies not less illustrious could be raised by the same power and grace.
20. And he departed, and began to publish—not only among his friends, to whom Jesus immediately sent him, but
in Decapolis—so called, as being a region of ten cities. (See on Mt 4:25). how great things Jesus had done for him: and all men did marvel—Throughout that considerable region did this monument of mercy proclaim his new-found Lord; and some, it is to be hoped, did more than "marvel."Mr 5:21-43. THE DAUGHTER OF JAIRUS RAISED TO LIFE—THE WOMAN WITH AN ISSUE OF BLOOD HEALED. ( = Mt 9:18-26; Lu 8:41-56).
The occasion of this scene will appear presently.
Jairus' Daughter (Mr 5:21-24).