There is a region east of the Sea of Galilee referred to as the Decapolis, consisting of 10 Hellenized cities that were located in today’s countries of Jordan and southern Syria. One of those cities was named Gerasa, or Gadara, or Gergesa, depending on which various Greek manuscript’s reference you use. At the time of Jesus this area was largely populated with non-Jewish residents. Archaeological excavations in Gerasa reveal a large colonnaded oval Roman forum, indicating the overall gentile influences. This was the region where the disciples’ boat landed as Jesus performed his miracle of quieting the storm.
They were clearly in gentile territory, evidenced by a herd of 2,000 swine feeding on the nearby mountain. As Jesus disembarked from the boat, another storm confronted Him in the form a “herd of demons” congregated in a man. We know the multiplicity of this “herd” since Jesus demanded an identification from these spiritual forces which responded, “Legion” because many demons had entered the man. Prior to the demons’ identity being established, they knew who Jesus was immediately upon His arrival. They prostrated themselves in worship by throwing their demonized man to the ground, crying out, “What have I to do with You, Jesus, Son of the Most High God?” Son of the Most High God? How did they know who He was? This spiritual dark commander speaking through the voice of the demonized man had no option but to bow in the presence of the One who had authority over all things in heaven and on earth. He prayed…yes, prayed, “I beg You, do not torment me!” Shortly following this request when it was made known that this dark force was actually a “legion” of demons, they all begged Jesus to not send them to the abyss. (A term for the underworld as [a] the prison of the disobedient (Lk. 8:31; Rev. 9:1) and [b] the realm of the dead (Rom. 10:7). Originally an adjective for an implied “earth,” ábyssos is used in Greek for the depths of original time, the primal ocean where chaos rules, and the world of the dead. In the Greek Old Testament [LXX] it denotes the original flood, then the realm of the dead[1]) They feared the authority of Jesus because they knew He had the authority to cast them to “hell” (Tartarus: the level of Hades where the wicked are punished.[2] – This verb only occurs in 2 Peter 2:4, referring to where fallen angels are sent to be punished.) This is a direct connection with chapters 10 & 21 in The Book of Enoch where it is mentioned that the rebellious angels would be held in prison in the abyss (also referred to as Tartarus, Hell, Sheol, Gehenna.) James (2:19), brother of Jesus, also confirms that demonic forces fear God when he writes, “You believe that there is one God. You do well. Even the demons believe – and tremble.”
It is amazing that these spiritual beings know the “end of the story” …their final destination. They just don’t want to go “before their time.” Their subsequent proposal was that, perhaps, Jesus could be persuaded to allow them to enter that herd of pigs. One might surmise from this request that these disembodied spirits want or need to inhabit a body. They are primary enemies of mankind. Jesus allowed the transfer of venue from the man to the pigs. On that east coast of the Sea of Galilee was the steep embankment leading into the water (still representing chaos) which Jesus had just tamed in order to save His disciples…but not the pigs, nor their new rebellious residential spirits. Back to the waters of chaos these agents of chaos returned. Two thousands pigs drowned that day.
What a spectacle! The gentile herdsmen fled the scene, into the city, into the countryside. Not only did they report the commercial loss, but they confessed the miracle transformation of the once-demonized man who ended up sitting at the feet of Jesus, fully clothed, in his right mind, at peace…this man whom they all knew had previously been naked, kept under guard, shackled, uncontrollable, living in the mountains and the tombs, cutting himself with sharp stones – THAT GUY! This report from the herdsmen generated so much interest that the citizens of the city came out to see what had happened. The evidence was seated right before them…and of course, floating in the lake. The investigators from the city and the whole region of the Gadarenes were seized with fear…similar to the demons, except the demons knew with whom they were dealing. Then, the Gentiles prayed. They begged Jesus with their own request: Please leave. In this account in Mark (5:10) Legion begged Jesus to not “send them out of the country.” Likewise, these human residents, evidently, did not want to leave this land, either, since they asked Jesus to leave. Jesus granted their request by loading back onto the boat.
Before leaving, the freed man also did some of his own begging. He wanted to go with Jesus. Instead of allowing the man to leave his homeland, Jesus commissioned him to be His first gentile apostle. Luke (8:39) reports Jesus as saying, “Return to your own house, and tell what great things God has done for you.” Not only did this “sent one” (definition of “apostle”) go back home, but throughout the whole city and the area of the Decapolis talking about the great things Jesus did.
Although Paul was known as the apostle to the Gentiles, the “Gadarene apostle” paved the way for the gospel to arrive in his homeland a few years later. He and the witnesses of his deliverance could say, “Yes, Jesus was here too.” His Spirit went from Jerusalem, to Judea, to Samaria, to the uttermost parts of the earth…and, yes, back to the Gadarenes. They had received an early demonstration and downpayment from the true King who commanded Legion to do His bidding. This precursor of the unseen Kingdom was on full display to a people group who saw the trailer of Coming Attractions. Unfortunately, most of them responded similarly as the Jews, except the Jews wanted to kill Him – the Gergesenes just wanted Him to go away.
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[1] Gerhard Kittel, Gerhard Friedrich, and Geoffrey William Bromiley, Theological Dictionary of the New Testament, Abridged in One Volume (Grand Rapids, MI: W.B. Eerdmans, 1985), 2.
[2] Benjamin M. Austin, “Afterlife,” in Lexham Theological Wordbook, ed. Douglas Mangum et al., Lexham Bible Reference Series (Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2014).