Mark 5
DODDMark 5:1-21
ed at the country of the Gadarenes, dispossesses and permitting the evil spirits to enter into a desired by the inhabitants to withdraw; and western side of the sea. Mat. VIII. 28, to the Mark V. 1—21. Luke VIII. 26—40.
MARK V. 1.
AND after they were thus delivered from the danger of the storm, they came over to the other side of the sea of Tiberias, and arrived at the country of the Gadarenes; a territory belonging, [or] at least adjacent, to that of the ancient Gergesenes, or Girgashites, (see Gen. x. 16; xv. 21; Deut. vii. 1; and Josh. iii. 10,) which is situated over against Galilee; being that tract of land which fell to the half tribe of Manasseh beyond Jordan, and was afterwards called Trachonitis.
And when he was landed out of the ship, he was no sooner got ashore, but there immediately met him two menᵃ possessed with demons, coming out of the sepulchres,ᵇ which were in a buryingplace near the city, whither they had fled as to a place affording them some shelter, and suiting their gloomy imaginations; and they were both of them exceeding fierce and
ᵃ There met him two men.] Mark and Luke mention only one, who probably was the fiercer of the two; but this is no way inconsistent with the account that Matthew gives. I cannot but observe here, that Mark tells this story in all other respects so much more circumstantially than Matthew, that it abundantly proves that his gospel was not (as Mr. Whiston maintains in his Harmony) an abridgment of Matthew. The same remark may arise from comparing Mark v. 22—43 with Mat. ix. 18—26; and Mark ix. 17—27 with Mat. xvii. 14—18, and some other parallel passages; not to mention histories recorded
by Mark; and not to be found in Matthew. See Mr. Jones’s Vindication of St. Matthew’s Gospel, chap. vii. and ix.
ᵇ Coming out of the sepulchres.] Grotius supposes that the demons chose to drive the men that they possessed among the tombs, to confirm some superstitious notions of the Jews relating to the power of evil spirits over the dead. The heathens had undoubtedly such notions: but I rather think, with Elsner, the demoniacs chose the caves of this buryingground as a kind of shelter; and he has shown that wretches in extremity sometimes did the like. S. Elsner. Observ. Vol. 1. p. 65—68.
He is there met by two exceeding fierce dems
mischievous, so that no one could safely pass by that way: and [one of these was] a certain man of the city with an unclean spirit, that had been known to be possessed with demons for a long time; Who was so terribly outrageous that he wore no clothes, nor would abide in any house, but had his dwelling sometimes in the burying-ground, among the tombs, and sometimes in a desert, or a common, that lay near it; and was under so strong an operation of the diabolical power, that no one could confine him even with chains: For he had often been bound with fetters and chains; yet in a most surprising manner the chains were broken asunder by him, and the fetters were beaten to pieces; and, after all the methods that had been taken with him, no one was able to tame him, either by force or entreaties, or any kind of exorcism that had been tried upon him. And he was always night and day upon the mountains, and among the tombs, crying out in a terrible manner; and, when there was no body else to spend his rage upon, cutting himself with sharp pieces of the stones he found there.
And when he saw Jesus afar off, the demon that possessed him was so overawed, that he immediately ran and fell down upon his face before him, with all the appearance of the greatest reverence, and worshipped him: And crying out with a loud voice, he said, What have I to do with thee, Jesus, thou Son of the most high God? I am not come here to enter into any contest with thee, and I beseech [and] adjure thee by that God whose Son thou art, that thou do not exert the power which thou hast to torment me: I know there will be a season when thou wilt have an ample triumph over me; but art thou come hither to torment us before the time allotted for our final punishment? And this he spoke as he was acted by the demon that possessed him; who was
ᶜ A desert, or a common, that lay near it.] So it was said by Luke, ver. 29, that he was driven into the wilderness.
ᵈ Art thou come hither to torment us before the time? Here was such a reference to the final sentence which Christ is to pass upon these rebel spirits in the
judgment of the great day, to which they are reserved (Jude, ver. 6,) as could not be dictated by lunacy; and it is much to be questioned whether either the person speaking, or any of the hearers, but Christ himself, understood the sense and propriety of it.
these was possessed by a legion of demons.
afraid of being driven away: For Jesus was so moved with pity and compassion at the sight of such a miserable spectacle, that he already had commanded the unclean spirit [and] said with an air of authority to him, Come out of the man thou unclean spirit. For (as it was observed before) it had often seized him in a most violent manner; and notwithstanding he was bound with chains, and kept under the closest confinement in fetters, yet none of them were strong enough to hold him, but he would still break loose; and having broke and torn off all the bonds that they could fix upon him, he was driven by the impetuous impulse of the raging demon into the desert places, where the burying ground lay.
And Jesus asked the evil spirit that was in him, saying, What is thy name? And he answered, saying, My name is Legion; for we are many. And this reply was not without some reason, because the evil spirit that possessed the man had many others with him, and a multitude of demons had entered into him, and had been suffered to unite their malice and power in harassing and tormenting the wretched creature.
And as they found that Jesus was determined to dislodge them, they earnestly entreated him that he would not send them quite away out of the country; hoping that if they had permission to hover still about it, they might do something to obstruct the progress of the gospel, against which their chief efforts were centered: [and] they particularly were importunate that he
My name is Legion, for we are many.] There is no need of concluding from hence that the number of these evil spirits was exactly the same with that of a Roman legion, which was now upwards of six thousand. (See Pitise. Lex. de Legione.) It was a phrase that was often made use of to express a great number; (see Light. Hor. Hebr. on Mark v. 9.) It is observable that Luke here adds, that many demons were entered into him; so that it is evident he thought it not merely a lunacy, but a real possession. Probably a band of evil spirits united in the vexation of this wretched creature; but in what manner and order it is impossible for us to say, who know so little of invisible beings.
That he would not send them out of the country.] It seems from Dan. x. 13—20, that different evil genii preside over distinct regions by the direction of Satan their prince. These, who perhaps were spirits of distinguished abilities, might be appointed to reside thereabouts, to oppose as much as possible the beneficial designs of Christ; and having made their observations on the characters and circumstances of the inhabitants, they might be capable of doing more mischief here than elsewhere, and on that account might desire leave to continue on the spot.
The demons beg leave to enter into a herd of
would not command them to go out into the bottomless abyss, the prison in which many of the fallen spirits are detained, and to which some who may, like these, have been permitted for a while to range at large, are sometimes by divine justice and power remanded. (Compare Rev. xx. 1—3; 2 Pet. ii. 4; Jude, ver. 6; and see Grotius, in loc.)
Now there was there within their view, at a considerable distance from them, on the mountains near the seashore, a great herd of many swine feeding on the mountain; for, unclean as those animals were, the Jews in that country bred up great numbers of them out of regard to the gain of such merchandise, which they sold to the Roman soldiers, and other Gentiles, who were very numerous in these parts. And all the demons which had possessed this miserable creature, (set upon doing all the mischief that they could, though they were under such a sensible restraint, and desirous to bring an odium upon Jesus as the author of mischief) entreated him again, saying to him, If thou art determined, after all we have said, that thou wilt cast us out of this man, send us, [or] give us leave to go away to the herd of swine which is feeding yonder, that we may enter into them; for we have no power of hurting even them without thy leave. And immediately Jesus permitted them to do it; partly to punish those who dealt in so infamous a commodity, and chiefly to prove the reality of a diabolical agency in these cases, and to dis-
which they sold to the Roman soldiers, and other Gentiles, &c.] The laws of Hyrcanus had indeed prohibited the Jews from keeping swine (which shews it had been much practised among them;) but these Gadarenes who had so many Gentiles in the neighbourhood, having long been under Heathen government (Joseph. Antiq. Jud. lib. xv. cap. 7 (al. 11,) § 3; & Bell Jud. lib i. cap. 20 (al. 15,) § 3,) and living in the extreme part of the country, presumed to do it, scandalous and illegal as the employment was. See Miracles of Jesus vindicated, p. 34, 35.
To prove the reality of a diabolical agency in these cases.] The cavils against this miracle are equally malicious and weak,
Our Lord’s permitting the evil spirits to enter into the swine was not properly sending them into those beasts; or if he had done it, the punishment to the owners would have been just; or had it been less apparently so, his extraordinary character as a prophet, and the proof he gave of a Divine cooperation, would have set him above our censure in an action, the full reasons of which we might not perfectly have known. But though this solution is to me very satisfactory, it is not necessary to have recourse to it: for this action evidently appears both wise and gracious; inasmuch as it unanswerably demonstrated at once the malice of Satan and the extent of Christ’s power over him. No miracles are more suspicious than pretended
Christ gives them leave, and the whole herd is driven into the sea. 385
play the malice of those evil spirits: he therefore said unto them, You may go, since you desire it, and operate on those creatures as you please. And upon this the unclean spirits went, directly out of the man whom they had possessed, and entered into the herd of swine: and such was the strange effect of their power, that, behold the whole herd immediately grew mad, and ran violently down a precipice into the sea,¹ and were all suffocated in the sea, and perished in the waters;ᵏ being in number about two thousand.
And the swine herds seeing what was done, fled in great amazement, some one way and some another, and told all the story, both in the city and country; and circumstantially related what had happened to the two demoniacs, and how the demons had been ejected from them. And when the people heard it, they were so much impressed with the report, that they went out in crowds to see what was done, and to satisfy themselves, on the testimony of their own senses, as to the truth of so unparalleled a fact. And when they came to Jesus, and saw the demoniac (even him that had been tormented by the legion, and out of whom the demons were departed) calmly sitting at the feet of Jesus to receive his instructions, and now decently clothed and perfectly composed,
dispossessions, as there is so much room for collusion in them; but it was self-evident that a herd of swine could not be confederates in any fraud: their death, therefore, in this instructive and convincing circumstance, was ten thousand times a greater blessing to mankind than if they had been slain for food, as was intended.
¹ The whole herd ran violently down a precipice into the sea.] This story is an unanswerable demonstration of the error of the hypothesis advanced by the author of the late Inquiry into the Case of the demoniacs, &c. (mentioned before in note on Luke iv. 33, p. 199.) That ingenious writer is forced to suppose these swine frightened by the two madmen, and so driven down the precipice: but, not to mention the absurdity of supposing their lunacy thus to rage after Christ had spoken the healing word, one might venture to appeal to any body that has observed what awkward creatures swine are to drive, whether it would be possible, without a miracle, for two men to drive twenty, and much less two thousand, of them into the water. It is a pitiable thing to see a writer of such a character reduced to so hard a shift. He seems indeed to think the common notion of possessions absurd and dangerous, and certainly opposes it with a very good design: but it is hard to say how Christ could have encouraged that notion more than by his conduct on this occasion; and I doubt not but this extraordinary occurrence was permitted chiefly to prove the reality of these possessions, and will always be effectual for the conviction of every impartial inquirer.
ᵏ And were all suffocated, and perished in the waters.] The display of the malignity of these demons, in this instance, served to illustrate the value of every miracle of this kind, and to display the grace as well as power of Christ in every dispossession; in which view this circumstance appears to have been determined with great wisdom and goodness, though folly and perverse, and have so strangely disguised it.
ᵏ And were all suffocated, and perished in the waters.] The display of the malignity of these demons, in this instance, served to illustrate the value of every miracle of this kind, and to display the grace as well as power of Christ in every dispossession; in which view this circumstance appears to have been determined with great wisdom and goodness, though folly and perverse, and have so strangely disguised it.
The Gadarenes pray Jesus to depart from
being restored to his right mind, they were struck with such a mixture of astonishment and reverence, that they were afraid of conversing with so great a Prophet, and dreaded the farther effects of his power. (Compare Luke v. 8. sect. xxxiv.) And they also who were present, and had seen all that passed from the beginning, gave them a particular account of [it,] and told them, more largely than the swine herds had done, by what means the demoniac had been recovered; and also told them concerning the swine, how they had been so strangely destroyed by the apparent agency of those evil spirits by which the men had before been possessed.
And behold, all the inhabitants of the whole city of Gadara,¹ as the rumour increased, come out to meet Jesus; [and] indeed the whole multitude of the country of the Gadarenes round about flocked to see so wonderful a person: and when they saw him, they presently began, with all submission, to entreat him that he would please to depart from them out of their coasts; pretending that they, who had so great a number of Gentiles round them, were not fit to receive so great and holy a person: for they unreasonably looked on him as the author of the calamity which befel the swine, and were seized with great fear, lest he should send some farther judgments upon them, which they were sensible the great irregularities of their behaviour well deserved:ᵐ and he, by no means willing to obtrude his presence on those who were so insensible as not to desire it, went into the ship again, and returned back to the western shore of the sea.
And when he was come into the ship, the demoniac, out of whom the demons were now departed, fearing lest after this (as it had been supposed
¹ The whole city of Gadara.] Josephus describes it as a very considerable place. It was by the righteous judgment of God, the first Jewish city that fell into the hands of the Romans in the fatal war under Vespasian, and suffered great extremities. Joseph. Bell. Jud. lib. iv. cap. 7. (al. v. 3.) § 3, 4. See Wits. de Decem. Trib. cap. 8. § 2.
ᵐ Lest he should send some farther
judgments upon them, &c.] Some have imagined, that they thought Christ a magician, and feared the effects of his art; but the cause assigned in the paraphrase seems to me much more decent, and, all things considered, more likely. They were probably a licentious sort of people, and might naturally, from what they saw, fear some farther chastisement from so holy a Prophet.
uac desires to go with them, but is sent home.
of some, Mat. xii. 43—45, sect. lxiii,) he might be in danger of a relapse, and, dreading the terrors of his former condition entreated him that he might be allowed to continue with him, to enjoy the farther benefit of his instructions. Yet Jesus did not permit him to do it, but sent him away, saying, Return to thine own house, [and] go to thy friends and relations at home; and fail not particularly to tell them how great things the Lord God of Israel, whose messenger I am, has by his Almighty power performed or thee; and how graciously he has had compassion on thee in those deplorable circumstances which rendered thee a spectacle of horror to them, and all that saw thee. And upon this he went away, and began to publish through the whole city of Gadara, in which he dwelt, [and] in all the neighbouring region of Decapolis, what great and wonderful things Jesus had done for him: and all men were amazed at so stupendous a miracle.
And Jesus, having entered into the ship, departed thence as soon as the demoniac was dismissed; and, leaving those ungrateful people who had no greater value for his presence, he passed over the sea of Galilee, and shortly after came to his own city of Capernaum, where he had dwelt after his leaving Nazareth. (See Mat. iv. 13, p. 190.)
And it came to pass that when Jesus had passed over again in the ship to the other side of the lake, he was no sooner landed but a great multitude gathered to him; [and] the people most gladly received him; for they expected his speedy return, and were all impatiently waiting for him: and he continued some time on the seacoast, teaching and working miracles.
IMPROVEMENT.
FROM the remarkable story which is here before us we must surely see the most apparent reason to adore the good providence of God, which restrains the malignant spirits of hell from spreading those desolations among beasts and men, which would otherwise quickly turn the earth into a wilderness, or rather into a chaos. But what matter of joy is it to reflect, that all their
ᵃ Gladly received him.] This Grotius has (ἀνέξασε), and in this sense it may like observed to be the meaning of the word wise be understood, Acts xv.4, and xviii.
Reflections on the power of Christ over Satan.
fury and rage is under a Divine control, and that they cannot LXX. hurt even the meanest animal without permission from above! Verse The unhappy creature, whose state is here described in such 12 lively colours, is an affecting emblem of those who are in a spiritual sense under the power of Satan. Thus do they break 4,5 asunder the bonds of reason and gratitude, and sometimes of authority, and even of shame; and, thus driven on by the frenzy of their lusts and passions, they are so outrageous as to injure others, and to wound themselves. Human attempts to moderate 15 and reform them may be vain; but let us remember that the Almighty Saviour has a voice which can put this worst kind of demons to flight, and restore those that have been agitated by them to their right mind, so as to place them at his feet in holy composure, and in calm rational attention. 7 We see here a legion of devils trembling before the Son of God, confessing his superior power, howling as it were in their chains, and entreating the delay of their torments. And can human pride stand before him, and rebellious mortals triumph over him? Happy souls that are listed under his banners! They shall share the victories of the great Captain of their salvation, and the God of peace shall bruise Satan under their feet shortly. (Rom. xvi. 20.) 17 But oh, how stupid and how wretched were these Gadarenes, who preferred their swine to their souls, and besought him to depart out of their coasts whose presence was their defence and their glory! May Divine grace preserve us from a temper like theirs! And may those of us who have ourselves experienced the restoring power of Christ and his gospel, be engaged to ad- 18,20 here to our great Benefactor, and gratefully to devote those powers to his service which he has rescued from dishonour, mischief, and ruin!