Jesus Reveals His Authority Over The Legion of Demons That Possessed the Gadarene Demoniac (8:26-39).
Disembarking from the boat in the country of the Gerasenes, fresh from His triumph at sea, Jesus is confronted with another ‘storm' in the person of a man possessed by many militant evil spirits who had rendered him naked and mad. The whole countryside feared him, and when they could they bound him with chains and fetters. But he was so strong under the evil influence that he could break the fetters and escape to live among the tombs. It would seem that this would be a severe test of Jesus' power and authority.
It may well be that Luke intended us to see in this narrative an illustration of Gentiles being delivered ‘from the power of Satan to God' (Acts 26:18). The man is depicted as under Satan's control, he comes to Jesus and confesses Him as the Son of the Most High God, Jesus then removes what is unclean from him, and he ends up sitting at the feet of Jesus clothed and in his right mind having been ‘saved' (Luke 8:36 literally), at which he confesses Jesus before men.
This is not to doubt its historicity. In this regard it should be noted that Jesus performed a large number of miracles and exorcisms. There was therefore a wide selection from which the writers could select, and they regularly made their selection on the basis that the examples they chose also had another lesson to teach.
Note On Evil Spirits/Demons.
The incident we are now about to examine raises again the question as to the existence of evil spirits. But this is something never doubted anywhere in the Bible. It is not constantly stressed or over-emphasised, but there is the clear indication of evil power at work behind the scenes from Genesis 3 onwards (compare Job 1-2; Daniel 10; Zechariah 3), right through to Revelation. That Jesus Himself believed in Satan ‘the Adversary' (the Devil, ‘the Accuser') there can be no doubt (Luke 4:1-13; Luke 10:18; Luke 13:16; Luke 22:31; Matthew 4:10; Matthew 12:26; Matthew 13:39; Matthew 25:41; Mark 3:23; Mark 3:26; Mark 4:15; John 8:44). Indeed it was to destroy the works of the Devil that Jesus came (1 John 3:8). He constantly overcame him. And if Satan exists we can be sure that other evil spirits exist also.
The growth of monotheism hindered the ability of these evil spirits to affect mankind for when men ceased seeking to worship them through the worship of the gods (Deuteronomy 32:16-17; 1 Corinthians 10:20), or to seek to influence them or to contact them through the occult, their effectiveness was largely nullified. But their readiness, when given the opportunity, to enter and control men is evidenced throughout history. The twentieth century saw a rise of spirit possession in Western countries precisely because men and women once more opened themselves to such evil influences in their search for new (and dangerous) ‘amusements', and the twenty first century may yet see further growth as people indulge in the occult in various ways, but in Africa and the East such possession has always been well known and evidenced. There they do not scoff at the idea of evil spirits, even the educated.
Such activity must not be over-exaggerated. The Gospels distinguish sickness and lunacy from spirit possession (Luke 4:40; Luke 7:21-22; Matthew 4:23-24; Matthew 8:16; Matthew 10:8; Mark 6:13), and Jesus only casts out evil spirits in clear cut cases. He did not believe that they affected every man, or even most men, by entry and possession, nor did He see them as the prime cause of disease except in rare cases, although it is made clear that Christians do ‘wrestle' with evil powers in heavenly places, often without knowing it for they triumph through Christ (Ephesians 6:12). There did appear to be a rise in spirit possession in the days of Jesus, but this may well rather be because His presence drew them out and brought them to the fore. At other times they could carry on undisturbed, preferring not to be brought to notice. It is noteworthy that Jesus did not lay hands on men possessed by evil spirits. He dealt with them by a word of command. (A lesson to be well learned by any who deal in such things).
Men possessed by evil spirits may behave in strange, extreme ways and the spirits can to some extent control their actions and even speak through them in different voices. But not all who behave in strange ways do so because they are demon possessed. Mental problems can produce what appear to be similar reactions and a distinction was in fact made between the ‘lunatic' and the ‘spirit-possessed' (Matthew 4:24). Nor do all demon possessed people obviously behave outwardly in strange ways.
The fact that such evil spirits were personal comes out in that they recognised Jesus for Whom He was, showed fear, were aware of God's purpose for them, and spoke and cried out. They can probably, however, only enter people when they in some way open themselves to them. This can especially occur when people dabble in fortune telling, astrological influences, seeking the spirit world, witchcraft, idol worship, blanking the mind, attending gatherings where spirits are to be engaged and so on. These things are constantly condemned in the Bible. See for example Exodus 22:18; Leviticus 19:26; Leviticus 19:31; Leviticus 20:27; Deuteronomy 18:10-12; Isaiah 8:19. While large numbers who indulge in such things do not become possessed, it is an ever present danger. Medical science cannot deal with such cases, which require exorcism through the power of Christ.
End of note.
Having this in view we now move on to look at an extreme case of spirit possession dealt with by Jesus which revealed His total mastery over the spirit world.
We may analyse this passage as follows:
a They arrived at the country of the Gerasenes, which is over against Galilee (Luke 8:26).
b When He was come forth on the land, there met Him a certain man out of the city, who had demons, and for a long time he had worn no clothes, and abode not in any house, but in the tombs (Luke 8:27).
c When he saw Jesus, he cried out, and fell down before him, and with a loud voice said, “What have I to do with you, Jesus, you Son of the Most High God? I beseech you, torment me not” (Luke 8:28).
d For He was commanding the unclean spirit to come out from the man (Luke 8:29 a).
e For oftentimes it had seized him, and he was kept under guard, and bound with chains and fetters, and breaking the bands asunder, he was driven of the demon into the deserts (Luke 8:29 b).
f Jesus asked him, “What is your name?” And he said, “Legion”, for many demons were entered into him, and they entreated Him that He would not command them to depart into the abyss (Luke 8:30-31)
g There was there a herd of many swine feeding on the mountain, and they entreated him that He would give them leave to enter into them. And He gave them leave. (Luke 8:32)
f And the demons came out from the man, and entered into the swine, and the herd rushed down the steep into the lake, and were drowned (Luke 8:33).
e When those who fed them saw what had come about, they fled, and told it in the city and in the country. And they went out to see what had happened, and they came to Jesus, and found the man, from whom the demons were gone out, sitting, clothed and in his right mind, at the feet of Jesus, and they were afraid (Luke 8:34-35).
d Those who saw it told them how he who was possessed with demons was made whole (Luke 8:36).
c And all the people of the country of the Gerasenes round about asked him to depart from them, for they were gripped with great fear, and he entered into a boat, and returned (Luke 8:37).
b But the man from whom the demons were gone out prayed him that he might be with him. But he sent him away, saying, “Return to your house, and declare how great things God has done for you” (Luke 8:38-39 a).
a He went his way, publishing throughout the whole city how great things Jesus had done for him (Luke 8:39 b).
Note that in ‘a' they arrive in the country of the Gerasenes, and in the parallel the healed man publishes abroad there all that Jesus has done for him. In ‘b' the demoniac had been naked and alone, not wanting company or dwelling in any house, and in the parallel he wants to be with Jesus, but Jesus tells him to go back and live in his house as a testimony to what God has done. In ‘c' the man is afraid of Jesus, recognising Him as the ‘Son of the Most High God', and in the parallel the people are afraid of Jesus and want Him to leave. In ‘d' Jesus commands the unclean spirit to come out of the man, and in the parallel those who saw it testify as to how it happened. In ‘e' we are told of the distraught state of the man before he is healed and in the parallel the evil spirits have gone out and the man is sitting clothed and in his right mind. In ‘f' the evil spirits plead not to be sent to the Abyss and in the parallel they end up in the sea. In ‘g' Jesus gives them permission to enter the swine. The central position of this last demonstrates that this is seen as important. Unclean demons are depicted as only fit for unclean pigs. The Jews looked on pigs with abhorrence. They were one of those creatures listed as ‘unclean. Thus this was a rebuke to those who kept pigs in one time ‘Jewish' territory in open defiance against God (the territory had once been ruled by the Jews), it was an indication of God's desire to cleanse the land by removing all uncleanness from it, and it was especially an indication of God's opinion of evil spirits. They are only fit for ‘unclean' pigs.