This section is quite similar to Mark's account. Luke chose miracles that demonstrated Jesus' power over nature, demons, and illness and death to show Jesus' authority as the divine Savior. Again he stressed the powerful word of Jesus. These miracles also revealed Jesus' compassion and willingness to save people in need.
This story pictures Jesus in complete control of Himself and His environment. Its climax is not the stilling of the storm but the disciples' question about Jesus' identity (v. 25). This is the first miracle that Luke recorded that did not involve a person. It showed that Jesus had the power of God over nature that God demonstrated in the Exodus (Exod. 14; cf. Ps. 89:8-9; 93:3-4; 106:8-9; 107:23-30; Isa. 51:9-10). The disciples turned to Jesus for deliverance at sea just as people had called on God for salvation in similar situations.
8:22-23 Evidently Jesus mentioned crossing the lake to His disciples before and after He entered the boat (cf. Matt. 8:18; Mark 4:35). Jesus' command to cross constituted a guarantee that they would arrive safely. The other side was the east side (cf. v. 26). Luke introduced the fact that Jesus fell asleep before he mentioned the storm breaking perhaps to heighten the contrast between Jesus' peaceful condition and the storm. He stressed the severity of the storm by mentioning the wind three times (vv. 23, 24, 25) as well as by describing it.
8:24-25 This time of testing was a challenge to the disciples' faith in Jesus' word (cf. v. 13). They stopped believing momentarily. Their double address, "Master, Master,"showed their urgency. Jesus reminded them of their unbelief with His question. Luke recorded a milder rebuke than Mark did (Mark 4:40) perhaps showing that faith is a dynamic quality that grows and shrinks (cf. vv. 13-15). The disciples' question showed their lack of perception of Jesus' true identity (cf. 9:20). They had believed that He was the Messiah, but they had thought of Him as their contemporaries did. Now they saw that He could perform works that only God could do (cf. Ps. 107:28-30). The disciples should have trusted in Jesus' word.
Christians have often seen this storm as typical of the storms of life we encounter that threaten our faith (cf. James 1:6).
"The point of connection is not in the precise situation the disciples face in the boat, but in the feelings of helplessness they have about where Jesus has led them. Events in our lives sometimes leave us feeling at risk, whether it be in a job situation that calls us to take a stand, in the severe illness of a loved one, in an unexpected tragedy, or in the breakdown of a relationship. Any of these can be a storm in which we doubt God's goodness. We may feel God has left us to fend for ourselves."241
Experiencing deliverance in such situations should expand our appreciation for Jesus.
The raging of this demoniac was even worse than the raging of the waters of Galilee (cf. Ps. 65:7). Demonic power was evident in the Hellenistic world of Luke's original readers. The fact that this incident happened in predominantly Gentile territory suggests that Luke may have seen in it a preview of the church's ministry to Gentiles (cf. Acts 26:18). In his account of this incident Luke stressed the saving of the man (v. 36), the fear of the spectators (v. 37), and the abyss as the final destiny of the demons (v. 31). As Jesus had calmed the sea, He now calmed this demon-afflicted man.
8:26-29 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.242This incident apparently happened somewhere near both towns on the southeast coast of the lake. As Luke described the situation, the demoniac met Jesus and His disciples as they arrived at the shore. He was one of two demoniacs, but Luke and Mark only mentioned one of them (cf. Matt. 8:28-34).
Doctor Luke mentioned several symptoms of this man's demon possession. These included disregard for his personal dignity (nakedness), social isolation, retreat to an unclean shelter, recognition of Jesus' identity, control of speech, shouting, and great strength (vv. 27, 29). This man was under the control of spiritual powers totally opposed to Jesus and God's will.
The demons in the man acknowledged that Jesus was God (cf. 1:32; Gen. 14:18-22; Num. 24:16; Isa. 14:14; Dan. 3:26; 4:2). They were not worshipping Jesus as God but were appealing to Him as their judge for mercy. They wanted to escape premature torture in the abyss (v. 31; cf. Matt. 8:29; Rev. 20:1-3, 10).
8:30-31 Jesus was probably asking the name of the demon who indwelt the man for His disciples' benefit. "Legion"was not a proper name but the name of a Roman military unit that consisted of about 6,000 soldiers. The name "Legion"communicated that thousands of demons indwelt the man (cf. 8:2; Mark 5:13). The "abyss"refers to the final confinement place of the devil and his angels (cf. Rom. 10:7; Rev. 9:1-3; 11:7; 17:8; 20:1-3). The Jews thought of it as a watery deep below the earth (cf. 2 Pet. 2:4; Jude 6). Only God can send demons to the abyss. This is another indication that the demons recognized Jesus as God. The disciples should have learned from them.
8:32-33 Jesus granted the request of the demons that involved a temporary stay of execution thus demonstrating His mercy. Instead He sent them to another watery place. There is no evidence that demons indwell water, so evidently Jesus killed them in this symbolic way, though their final judgment is still future (Rev. 20:1-3).
8:34-37 The present condition of the man contrasts with his former state. He now sat at Jesus' feet as a disciple. The power that Jesus possessed to affect such a transformation terrified the people. Luke's use of the Greek sozo(v. 36, "made well"or "cured,"lit. "saved") suggests that the man became a believer and a disciple of Jesus. Fear of Jesus led the residents to reject Him unfortunately. Thus Luke showed his reader disciples that this is a reaction they could expect.
8:38-39 The man begged Jesus to allow him to follow Him. His desire was admirable, but Jesus ordered this disciple to remain there as a witness to Jesus' person and power at least temporarily. The man responded as an obedient disciple and spread the gospel in this previously unreached Gentile area. He really more than obeyed. He is, therefore, a good model for Gentile converts to emulate.
"The story is a paradigm of what conversion involves: the responsibility to evangelize."243
Luke, as the other Synoptic evangelists, recorded this double miracle in its intertwined historical sequence. This is the only intertwined miracle in the Gospels. One miracle involved providing deliverance from disease and the other deliverance from death. Both of them demonstrated the power and compassion of Jesus and the importance of faith in Him. The tension created in the Jairus' story by the interruption of the woman challenged the faith of Jairus and the disciples on the one hand and their compassion on the other. Both incidents also deal with females for whom the number 12 was important. This number was important in each of the female's lives for reasons explained below, but it probably has no typological significance. Jesus' willingness to cleanse unclean people at the expense of His own ceremonial defilement also recurs (cf. 7:11-17). This showed His superiority over the Mosaic Law. These two miracles, as the preceding two, revealed the identity of Jesus primarily.
