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Luke 8:22-39
"Where is your faith?" 22 Now it came to pass on a certain day, that he went into a ship with his disciples: and he said unto them, Let us go over unto the other side of the lake. And they launched forth. 23 But as they sailed he fell asleep: and there came down a storm of wind on the lake; and they were filled with water, and were in jeopardy. 24 And they came to him, and awoke him, saying, Master, master, we perish. Then he arose, and rebuked the wind and the raging of the water: and they ceased, and there was a calm. 25 And he said unto them, Where is your faith? And they being afraid wondered, saying one to another, What manner of man is this! for he commandeth even the winds and water, and they obey him. 26 And they arrived at the country of the Gadarenes, which is over against Galilee. 27 And when he went forth to land, there met him out of the city a certain man, which had devils long time, and ware no clothes, neither abode in any house, but in the tombs. 28 When he saw Jesus, he cried out, and fell down before him, and with a loud voice said, What have I to do with thee, Jesus, thou Son of God most high? I beseech thee, torment me not. 29 (For he had commanded the unclean spirit to come out of the man. For oftentimes it had caught him: and he was kept bound with chains and in fetters; and he brake the bands, and was driven of the devil into the wilderness.) 30 And Jesus asked him, saying, What is thy name? And he said, Legion: because many devils were entered into him. 31 And they besought him that he would not command them to go out into the deep. 32 And there was there an herd of many swine feeding on the mountain: and they besought him that he would suffer them to enter into them. And he suffered them. 33 Then went the devils out of the man, and entered into the swine: and the herd ran violently down a steep place into the lake, and were choked. 34 When they that fed them saw what was done, they fled, and went and told it in the city and in the country. 35 Then they went out to see what was done; and came to Jesus, and found the man, out of whom the devils were departed, sitting at the feet of Jesus, clothed, and in his right mind: and they were afraid. 36 They also which saw it told them by what means he that was possessed of the devils was healed. 37 Then the whole multitude of the country of the Gadarenes round about besought him to depart from them; for they were taken with great fear: and he went up into the ship, and returned back again. 38 Now the man out of whom the devils were departed besought him that he might be with him: but Jesus sent him away, saying, 39 Return to thine own house, and shew how great things God hath done unto thee. And he went his way, and published throughout the whole city how great things Jesus had done unto him. |
Margin notes:
"Let us go over unto the other side of the lake." (8:22) - "Let's go to the other side of the Sea of Galilee." "Gadarenes" (8:26) - The citizens of Gadara, one of the ten cities that made up the Decapolis. Also called "the Gergesenes" in Matthew 8:28. Gadara was populated mostly by Gentiles, and was the capital of the Roman province of Perara located approximately six miles southeast of the Sea of Galilee. The historian Josephus tells us that the Romans put down a Jewish revolt and destroyed Gadara around AD 70. "So Vespasian marched to the city of Gadara. He came into it and slew all the youth, the Romans having no mercy on any age whatsoever. He set fire to the city and all the villas around it." The city recovered but was devastated by an earthquake in the eighth century and abandoned. Its many ruins can still be seen. "Over against Galilee." (8:26) - "Opposite Galilee." "Devils." (8:27 - Devils (demons) are fallen angels allied with Satan. You'll notice in Matthew 8:29, Mark 1:24, 3:11, and 5:7, that demons know full well who Jesus is, and they believe in God (James 2:19). The Bible tells us their fate is eternal damnation (Matthew 25:41; 2 Peter 2:4; Jude 1:6; Revelation 12:7-9). Isn't it strange that while many people deny Christ, demons instantly recognize Him? "He was kept bound with chains and in fetters." (8:29) - "He was kept bound in chains and shackles." "Legion." (8:30) - Legion means many. There were 5,000 men in a Roman legion. "They besought him that he would not command them to go out into the deep." (8:31) - "They begged Him not to send them to the bottomless pit." The bottomless pit is a prison prepared for Satan and his demons (Revelation 20:1-3). As seen in this passage, demons don't look forward to going there. "Herd of many swine." (8:32) - There were about 2,000 pigs in the herd (Mark 5:13). Jews considered pigs unclean and would not own, raise, or even touch one. Since Decapolis was a Gentile area, both the herdsmen and owner of the pigs were almost certainly Gentiles. "Suffer." (8:32) - "Permit." "And were choked." (8:33) - "And were drowned." "Found the man....clothed." (8:35) - Remember, in verse 8:27, the possessed man was naked. "Published throughout the whole city." (8:39) - "Announced throughout the whole city." |