The Tombs of Gerasenes

In the book of Mark, we are told of a man who lived among the tombs of Gerasenes. He had been chained on more than one occasion. He had broken those chains each time. Night and day he would cry out and cut himself with stones. He was a man tormented. No one would go near him. In Mark 5, it reads…

They went across the lake to the region of the Gerasenes.^{[a] 2} When Jesus got out of the boat, a man with an impure spirit came from the tombs to meet him. ³ This man lived in the tombs, and no one could bind him anymore, not even with a chain. ⁴ For he had often been chained hand and foot, but he tore the chains apart and broke the irons on his feet. No one was strong enough to subdue him. ⁵ Night and day among the tombs and in the hills he would cry out and cut himself with stones.

This man was living in a self-imposed prison of dead men. We don’t know his background. We don’t know how he came to be demon possessed. What we do know is the outcome. He was likely wearing no clothes or rags which provide little protection from the elements. His life wasn’t much. Somewhere, things in his life had gone badly wrong. Somehow, Legion had taken control of his decision making.

And in this crisis of condition, Jesus found him. Also from the book of Mark….

⁶ When he saw Jesus from a distance, he ran and fell on his knees in front of him. ⁷ He shouted at the top of his voice, “What do you want with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? In God’s name don’t torture me!” ⁸ For Jesus had said to him, “Come out of this man, you impure spirit!”

I don’t know why so many shy away from this text. Even The Chosen(which I like), has so far skipped it. Maybe I have heard this preached from the pulpit once – maybe. But if you want to see the power of God, then read about Jesus casting out demons. The narrative continues….

⁹ Then Jesus asked him, “What is your name?”

“My name is Legion,” he replied, “for we are many.” ¹⁰ And he begged Jesus again and again not to send them out of the area.

¹¹ A large herd of pigs was feeding on the nearby hillside. ¹² The demons begged Jesus, “Send us among the pigs; allow us to go into them.” ¹³ He gave them permission, and the impure spirits came out and went into the pigs. The herd, about two thousand in number, rushed down the steep bank into the lake and were drowned.

And with that, the man was free. Needless to say, there was A LOT of reaction to this back in the day. The pig herders had lost their pigs. Word spread into the neighboring community. This is my favorite part…

¹⁵ When they came to Jesus, they saw the man who had been possessed by the legion of demons, sitting there, dressed and in his right mind; and they were afraid. ¹⁶ Those who had seen it told the people what had happened to the demon-possessed man—and told about the pigs as well. ¹⁷ Then the people began to plead with Jesus to leave their region.

When the people heard about this, they come and found the man dressed and in his right mind. Can you imagine? This wouldn’t be the first time in the Gospels that people showed up at tombs looking for a dead man….and not finding what they expected.

When Jesus shows up at tombs and funerals, the dead come back to life. Maybe at a later time we can discuss the fact that the people who saw the result of this wonderful miracle became afraid, and asked Jesus to leave. There is a lesson in that as well. But for now, let’s focus on what Jesus did for this man.

This man of the tombs was dead. Then, his life crossed paths with the Savior. He was never the same again. How great is our God?

Happy Monday.

Licensced thumbnail photo of the Sea of Galilee from Mount Arbel by RnDmS.