Even though Mark had already reported that Jesus had exorcized many demons, this case was extraordinary.
5:1 Mark and Luke called this area the country of the Gerasenes, but Matthew called it the country of the Gadarenes. Gergesa (also referred to as Gersa and Kersa) was a small village about midway on the eastern shore of the lake. Gadara was a larger town six miles southeast of the lake's southern end. This incident apparently happened somewhere near both towns on the southeast coast of the lake.121
5:2-5 Mark gave many more details describing this man than either Matthew or Luke did. This reflects an eyewitness account and Mark's special interest in demonic activity. Matthew wrote that there were two men, but Mark and Luke mentioned only the more outstanding of the two. Mark stressed this man's great physical strength that had progressively increased, evidently due to the demons' increasing hold on him. Now nothing could restrain him. The poor man was miserable in his condition.
5:6-7 The way the man related to Jesus shows that the demons within him recognized Jesus as someone superior to them. The demons controlled the man's physical movements and his words. They addressed Jesus as "Son of the Most High God"recognizing His deity (Gen. 14:18-24; Num. 24:16; Isa. 14:14; Dan. 3:26; 4:2; cf. Mark 1:23-24). The fact that the man knelt before Jesus likewise shows that the demons regarded Jesus as their superior. The demons feared that Jesus would send them to their eternal judgment then, something only God could do (Rev. 20:1-3; cf. Matt. 8:29; Luke 8:31). The tormentor appealed for deliverance from torment.122Ironically he appealed to Jesus for mercy in God's name. He probably did this because Jesus was subject to His Father.
5:8 Jesus evidently addressed the leading demon. The Greek imperfect tense can mean that Jesus had been repeatedly commanding the demons to depart, as the NASB and NIV translations imply. However, it can also mean that something was about to follow. In this case a translation such as the AV, "For He said unto him,"is better. Apparently in verse 8 Mark gave us the reason for the demons' request in verse 7 even though Jesus did not command the demons to depart until verse 13.
5:9 These verses resume the conversation from verse 7. A legion was 6,000 Roman soldiers. Probably the leading demon used this as a round number to represent thousands of demons (cf. v. 13). The word "legion"also suggests their organization, strength, oppression, and authority over the man they influenced.123Probably Jesus asked this question for the disciples' benefit.
5:10 This verse also shows the superiority of Jesus' power that the demons recognized. It is unclear why the demons wanted to remain in that area of the country.
5:11-13 Evidently the demons requested permission to enter the swine so they could destroy them. Jesus' granting them permission resulted in everyone seeing the great destructive power and number of the demons, and that the man had experienced deliverance. Only Mark recorded the number of swine.
"Few animals are so individually stubborn as swine, yet the rush was simultaneous."124
Some interpreters believe the owners of the swine were Jews who disregarded the Mosaic prohibition against eating pork (Lev. 11:7). Jesus would then have been punishing them by allowing their pigs to perish. However this explanation is unlikely because of the population composition of the Decapolis region of which this area was a part (cf. Matt. 8:31).
5:14-15 The town in view was probably Gergesa. The demonic had formerly been a restless raving maniac, but now he was sitting peacefully. He had been shamelessly naked (Luke 8:27), but now he clothed himself. He had been out of control, but now he controlled his senses and himself. The people's fear arose partially from anticipating what Jesus might do with the great power that He obviously possessed.
5:16-17 Perhaps the people asked Jesus to leave their area because they reasoned that if He dealt so severely with evil He would eventually destroy them too. Rather than turning to Him in worship they turned from Him to the darkness they preferred (cf. John 1:11; 3:19). Mark recorded that what happened to the pigs disturbed them suggesting that economic loss played a part in their request.
5:18-19 Why did Jesus instruct the man to tell others about what the Lord had done for him when He had told the cleansed leper not to tell anyone (1:44; cf. 5:43; 7:36)? Apparently there was little danger in this Gentile region that the people would create problems for Jesus' mission as they did in Jewish territory. We need not understand Jesus' command as a permanent prohibition against following Him. Perhaps this man did return and become a disciple after he bore witness locally. The synonymous use of the names "Lord"and "Jesus"shows that the man regarded Jesus as God (cf. v. 7; Luke 8:39).
Jesus' instructions to this man in a Gentile region would have helped Mark's original Gentile readers know what an appropriate response to His deliverance of them was.
"Though we are not tortured by the devil, yet he holds us as his slaves, till the Son of God delivers us from his tyranny. Naked, torn, and disfigured, we wander about, till he restores us to soundness of mind."125
5:20 The Decapolis was a league of 10 Greek cities all but one of which stood on the east side of the lake. One of these towns was Gergesa.126
People marvelled at the man's testimony. That was good as far as it went, but it should have led them to seek Jesus out. Perhaps some of them did.
Mark's account of this miracle stressed Jesus' divine power and authority that was a greater revelation of His person to the disciples than they had previously witnessed. It also provides a model of how disciples can express their gratitude to God for His saving work in their lives.
