Mk 5:8 “Come out…”
Summary Notes
What did Jesus say?
Jesus commanded a very large collection of demons to, “Come out of the man…”
Why would He say this?
Storms are an analogy for evil spirits. From a mariner’s perspective a storm is a demon having no substantial substance but air, yet it has a will and a purpose to make their life miserable or worse. Tornadoes, hurricanes, microbursts and even straight line wind storms, like demons, can cause widespread danger and damage that affects perhaps millions of people. A single storm can have lightning, hail, wind, rain, snow, sleet, waves and reduced visibility. Each of these phenomena are like distinct demons having their own disastrous effects.
But when the storm ends, it is like God commanding a demon to depart. Now ships can come in and out of their harbors safely. Here is a ship in the St. Joseph River enjoying the freedom of beautiful weather.
More lighthouse images can be found in the Photo Gallery. Click here see why I like lighthouses.
This event was the quintessential “Come to Jesus” moment. Two desperate and helpless men who were in a most miserable state came to Jesus. They came just as they were, naked and bleeding. These men were hopeless in their circumstances unless a savior should happen to pass by them; and that is what happened. They seized the opportunity, ran to Jesus and He saved them!
I think that there is a lesson here for me when I face big life problems.
Click here for my personal application and your comments link …or scroll down for my full notes…
Command 189: “Come out… you unclean spirit.”
REFERENCE:
MK 5:8 also Mt 8:28-34 and Lk 8:26-39 include this event but do not record the command
RECIPIENT:
An unclean spirit – a group of many demons collectively named Legion
CONTEXT:
Jesus’ disciples spent a harrowing night of storms on the Sea of Galilee. After Jesus calmed the storm the group sailed on to their destination.
Mark
Mk 5:1-8 They came to the other side of the sea, into the country of the Gerasenes. 2When He got out of the boat, immediately a man from the tombs with an unclean spirit met Him, 3and he had his dwelling among the tombs. And no one was able to bind him anymore, even with a chain; 4because he had often been bound with shackles and chains, and the chains had been torn apart by him and the shackles broken in pieces, and no one was strong enough to subdue him. 5Constantly, night and day, he was screaming among the tombs and in the mountains, and gashing himself with stones. 6Seeing Jesus from a distance, he ran up and bowed down before Him; 7 and shouting with a loud voice, he said, “What business do we have with each other, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I implore You by God, do not torment me!” 8For He had been saying to him…
Matthew
Mt 8:28-29 When He came to the other side into the country of the Gadarenes, two men who were demon-possessed met Him as they were coming out of the tombs. They were so extremely violent that no one could pass by that way. 29And they cried out, saying, “What business do we have with each other, Son of God? Have You come here to torment us before the time?”
Luke
Lk 8:26-28 Then they sailed to the country of the Gerasenes, which is opposite Galilee. 27And when He came out onto the land, He was met by a man from the city who was possessed with demons; and who had not put on any clothing for a long time, and was not living in a house, but in the tombs. 28Seeing Jesus, he cried out and fell before Him, and said in a loud voice, “What business do we have with each other, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I beg You, do not torment me.”
COMMAND FULL TEXT AND IMMEDIATE RESULT:
Mk 5:8 “Come out of the man, you unclean spirit”
RESULT:
Mark
Mk 5:9-20 And He was asking him, “What is your name?” And he *said to Him, “My name is Legion; for we are many.” 10And he began to implore Him earnestly not to send them out of the country. 11Now there was a large herd of swine feeding nearby on the mountain. 12The demons implored Him, saying, “Send us into the swine so that we may enter them.” 13Jesus gave them permission. And coming out, the unclean spirits entered the swine; and the herd rushed down the steep bank into the sea, about two thousand of them; and they were drowned in the sea.
14Their herdsmen ran away and reported it in the city and in the country. And the people came to see what it was that had happened. 15They came to Jesus and observed the man who had been demon-possessed sitting down, clothed and in his right mind, the very man who had had the “legion”; and they became frightened. 16Those who had seen it described to them how it had happened to the demon-possessed man, and all about the swine. 17And they began to implore Him to leave their region. 18As He was getting into the boat, the man who had been demon-possessed was imploring Him that he might accompany Him. 19And He did not let him, but He *said to him, “Go home to your people and report to them what great things the Lord has done for you, and how He had mercy on you.” 20And he went away and began to proclaim in Decapolis what great things Jesus had done for him; and everyone was amazed.
Matthew
Mt 8:31-34 The demons began to entreat Him, saying, “If You are going to cast us out, send us into the herd of swine.” 32And He said to them, “Go!” And they came out and went into the swine, and the whole herd rushed down the steep bank into the sea and perished in the waters. 33The herdsmen ran away, and went to the city and reported everything, including what had happened to the demoniacs. 34And behold, the whole city came out to meet Jesus; and when they saw Him, they implored Him to leave their region.
Luke
Lk 8:32-39 Now there was a herd of many swine feeding there on the mountain; and the demons implored Him to permit them to enter the swine. And He gave them permission. 33And the demons came out of the man and entered the swine; and the herd rushed down the steep bank into the lake and was drowned.
34When the herdsmen saw what had happened, they ran away and reported it in the city and out in the country. 35The people went out to see what had happened; and they came to Jesus, and found the man from whom the demons had gone out, sitting down at the feet of Jesus, clothed and in his right mind; and they became frightened. 36Those who had seen it reported to them how the man who was demon-possessed had been made well. 37And all the people of the country of the Gerasenes and the surrounding district asked Him to leave them, for they were gripped with great fear; and He got into a boat and returned. 38But the man from whom the demons had gone out was begging Him that he might accompany Him; but He sent him away, saying, 39“Return to your house and describe what great things God has done for you.” So he went away, proclaiming throughout the whole city what great things Jesus had done for him.
MY COMMENTS AND NOTES:
This event was the quintessential “Come to Jesus” moment. Two desperate and helpless men who were in a most miserable state came to Jesus. They came just as they were, naked and bleeding. One of them was so much worse off than the other that he is the only person mentioned in Mark’s and Luke’s accounts. Jesus did not reject him but commanded the demons to depart from the man, instantly freeing him from their torment. These men were hopeless in their circumstances unless a savior should happen to pass by them; and that is what happened. They seized the opportunity, ran to Jesus and He saved them!
The people of the region rejected Jesus and asked that He depart from them. They were astonished by the miracle of the healed man but were in dread of the risk to their livelihoods. Pig farming would not be tolerated in the regions of Israel closer to Jerusalem. The religious authorities would have put a stop to it. But where this story takes place in the hinterland of Israel. These Jews lived among the local not Jewish population and apparently catered to their needs and I speculate that they likely appropriated their ways. I think that these people reasoned that if Jesus were to remain in the area that He would expose their guilt under the Jewish law and compel them to make big big changes to their lives and livelihoods.. Therefore, rather than upset their lives, they asked Jesus to leave.
Jesus and his disciples healed others who were possessed by demons:
Mt 8:16 When evening came, they brought to Him many who were demon-possessed; and He cast out the spirits with a word, and healed all who were ill.
Mt 10:8 “Heal {the} sick, raise {the} dead, cleanse {the} lepers, cast out demons. Freely you received, freely give.”
Mt 17:18 And Jesus rebuked him, and the demon came out of him, and the boy was cured at once.
Mk 16:17 “These signs will accompany those who have believed: in My name they will cast out demons, they will speak with new tongues;”
Lk 10:20 “Nevertheless do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rejoice that your names are recorded in heaven.”
Where Did the Demons Go?
What happened to the demons after the swine died; I have no idea! Why do we not more often see demonic possession as is described here? I’ve talked to people who have themselves been assaulted by demons but I never hear of demon possession except for in the movies. Have you ever wondered if people who commit mass murderers, acts of terror, serial rape and other truly evil deeds today are demon possessed? I do. I do not know the answer.
DEFINITIONS: Key Greek Words – Removes ambiguity of the Bible text
Come out: G1831 ἐξέρχομαι ex-er’-khom-ahee — to go or come forth of with the mention of the place or the point from which he departs
man: G444 ἄνθρωπος anth’-rō-pos — a human being, whether male or female
unclean: G169 ἀκάθαρτος ak-ath-ar-see’-ah — morally unclean in thought and life; ceremonially unclean and must be abstained from according to the levitical law
spirit: G4151 πνεῦμα pnyoo’-mah — a current of air, that is, breath (blast) or a breeze used by analogy or figuratively to refer to a spirit being having essence, but devoid of matter, and possessed of the power of knowing, desiring, deciding, and acting
MY PERSONAL APPLICATION: I encourage you to make your own application and please share it in the comments
I must not wait until my situation is such that I am physically or metaphorically naked and bleeding before I seek the help I need. When I have large life problems I will not hesitate to come to Jesus by seeking the assistance of God in prayer and by contacting trained professionals.
© 2020 Christopher Carlson
Scripture quotations taken from the NASB
Please share a comment, question or perhaps another application for this command of Jesus.
I have thought the same about modern day demon possession, in your reference to mass murderers, etc. I also wonder about people who are autistic, bipolar, and schizophrenic, if this could apply. Thanks for sharing your thoughts and scripture. 😊
Mental health issues are very real. Perhaps we should be surprised more people don’t go haywire. But I wonder about people like Ted Bundy or Adolf Hitler. Were they demon possessed? I suppose it doesn’t really matter. At some point you must stop them the same way…
Christopher, this was very enlightening. This story has left me scratching my head a few times, and I appreciate that you made the analogy connection between storms and demon possession. How meaningful it was then that the storm was calmed and then Jesus healed the demon possessed! But also, I’d always wondered about the pigs drowning and thinking that 2,000 pigs would be a devastating financial loss for whoever was farming them. I didn’t realize that these were Jewish people for whom pig farming was not ok yet. Thank you for explaining that context! I believe that God has all of our best interests at heart, all at the same time, so that’s why I was left scratching my head. Now it makes sense why He’d allow the destruction of the pigs. Thanks for taking the time and energy to research this and share your findings!
Pearl, over the years I’ve had similar thoughts about this story. I too am glad to better understand what used to be just a bizarre story to me. Thank you for your encouragement.