Chapter 5:1-20 The Gerasene Demoniac

5:1 And they came over unto the other side of the sea, into the country of the Gadarenes.
The Gadarenes were included within the limits of the Gergasenes.

5:2 And when He was come out of the ship, immediately there met Him out of the tombs a man with an unclean spirit,

As soon as the great Physician landed, a dreadful apparition appeared. “Out of the tombs”, an uncanny place, rushed a man, howling and yelling like some wild beast; or worse still, under the influence of Satan, who had taken possession of him. He had his dwelling among the tombs, among the graves of dead people.

5:3 Who had his dwelling among the tombs; and no man could bind him, no, not with chains:
He was very strong and ungovernable; No man could bind him, as it is requisite both for their own good, and for the safety of others, that those who are distracted should be.

5:4 Because that he had been often bound with fetters and chains, and the chains had been plucked asunder by him, and the fetters broken in pieces: neither could any man tame him.

See how the world deals with furiously guilty men. 

It tries to fetter them, or else to tame them; to keep them in check by fear of punishment, or else to subdue them to a gentleness of morality: poor work this! 

Christ neither binds nor tames; 

He changes and renews.

5:5 And always, night and day, he was in the mountains, and in the tombs, crying, and cutting himself with stones.
The devil is a cruel master to those that are led captive by him, a perfect tyrant; this wretched creature was night and day in the mountains and in the tombs, crying, and cutting himself with stones, either bemoaning his own deplorable case, or in a rage and indignation against heaven. 

Men in frenzies often wound and destroy themselves; 

Q: what is a man, when reason is dethroned and Satan enthroned?

5:6 But when he saw Jesus afar off, he ran and worshipped Him,
Worshipped Him - Did Him homage; compelled thereto by the power of God. How humiliating to Satan, thus to be obliged to acknowledge the superiority of Christ!

5:7 And cried with a loud voice, and said, What have I to do with Thee, Jesus, thou Son of the most high God? I adjure Thee by God, that Thou torment me not.
Using the lips of this poor man, Satan spoke in him and through him. He is afraid of Christ. This dog of hell knows his Master, and crouches at his feet.

5:8 For He said unto him, Come out of the man, thou unclean spirit.

Christ never wastes words over the devil. 

He speaks to him very shortly and very sharply. 

It would be well sometimes if we could be more laconic when we are dealing with evil.

5:9 And He asked him, What is thy name? And he answered, saying, My name is Legion: for we are many.
Legion: for we are many - Could a disease have spoken so? No.

5:10 And he besought Him much that He would not send them away out of the country.
Out of the country - Strange that these accursed spirits should find it any mitigation of their misery to be permitted to exercise their malevolence in a particular district! But as this is supposed to have been a heathen district, therefore the demons might consider themselves in their own territories; and probably they could act there with less restraint than they could do in a country where the worship of God was established.

5:11 Now there was there nigh unto the mountains a great herd of swine feeding.
Now there was there, nigh unto the mountains - Where this man often was, according to Beza, the mountains of Galaad, which ran through that country, or the mountains that surrounded Tiberias. Some copies, as the Alexandrian copy and others, read "at", or "about the mountain", in the singular number. The Vulgate Latin and Arabic versions read, "about the mountain". The Syriac and Ethiopic, "at the mountain".

5:12 And all the devils besought Him, saying, Send us into the swine, that we may enter into them.

Satan would rather vex swine than do no mischief at all.

5:13 And forthwith Jesus gave them leave. And the unclean spirits went out, and entered into the swine: and the herd ran violently down a steep place into the sea, (they were about two thousand;) and were choked in the sea.
The permission Christ gave them to enter into the swine, and the immediate destruction of the swine thereby; He gave them leave, He did not forbid or restrain them, He let them do as they had a mind. Thus He would let the Gadarenes see what powerful spiteful enemies devils are, that they might thereby be induced to make him their Friend. 

*Immediately the unclean spirits entered into the swine, which by the law were unclean creatures, and naturally love to wallow in the mire, the fittest place for them. 

*Those that, like the swine, delight in the mire of sensual lusts, are fit habitations for Satan, and are, like Babylon, the hold of every foul spirit, and a cage of every unclean and hateful bird. 

*The consequence of the devils entering into the swine, was, that they all ran mad presently, and ran headlong into the adjoining sea, where they were all drowned, to the number of two thousand.

5:14 And they that fed the swine fled, and told it in the city, and in the country. And they went out to see what it was that was done.
Who would not flee when they thus saw the power of Christ?

5:15 And they come to Jesus, and see Him that was possessed with the devil, and had the legion, sitting, and clothed, and in his right mind: and they were afraid.
sitting, and clothed, and in his right mind, and they were afraid; not of the man, as they were before, when he was possessed, not daring to come that way because of him; but of Christ, and His amazing power; who was able to dispossess a legion of devils, and restore a man to his perfect senses.

5:16 And they that saw it told them how it befell to him that was possessed with the devil, and also concerning the swine.
told them how it befell to him that was possessed with the devil; gave a particular account, how, upon first sight of Christ, he ran to meet Him, and fell down and worshipped Him.

5:17 And they began to pray Him to depart out of their coasts.
If Jesus should come to you tonight, do not ask him to go away. Open wide the door of your heart, and entreat the Lord to come in, and dwell there for ever and ever. This narrative teaches us that the Lord Jesus Christ will go away if He is asked to do so; He will not remain where His room is preferred to his company.

5:18 And when He was come into the ship, he that had been possessed with the devil prayed Him that he might be with Him.
He desired that he might go along with Christ, perhaps for fear lest the evil spirit should again seize him; or, rather, that he might receive instruction from Him, being unwilling to stay among those heathenish people that desired him to depart. Those that are freed from the evil spirit, cannot but covet acquaintance and fellowship with Christ.

5:19 Howbeit Jesus suffered him not, but saith unto him, Go home to thy friends, and tell them how great things the Lord hath done for thee, and hath had compassion on thee.
He was told to publish what great things the Lord had done for him.

5:20 And he departed, and began to publish in Decapolis how great things Jesus had done for him: and all men did marvel. 

And all men did marvel - So our Lord left them all wondering. Leaving this one messenger to bear testimony to him, he went his way elsewhere, to carry blessings to many others on the other side of the sea.

Chapter 4:35-41Jesus Stills the Sea

4:35 And the same day, when the even was come, He saith unto them, Let us pass over unto the other side.
And the same day, when the even was come - After He had finished His parables among the multitude, and had explained them to His disciples: Let us pass over unto the other side - Our Lord was now by the sea of Galilee.

4:36 And when they had sent away the multitude, they took Him even as He was in the ship. And there were also with Him other little ships.
they took Him even as He was in the ship - which may be understood of His being taken and carried in the ship, in which He had been preaching all the day, without being moved into another; and there were also with Him other little ships; - or boats, that were in company with that, in which Christ was.

Christ was Lord High Admiral of the Galilean lake that night, and He had quite a little fleet of vessels around his flagship.

4:37 And there arose a great storm of wind, and the waves beat into the ship, so that it was now full.
And there arose a great storm of wind - Called Laelaps, a wind that is suddenly whirled about upwards and downwards, and is said to be a storm, or tempest of wind with rain; it was a sort of a hurricane: and the waves beat into the ship, so that it was full; of water, and ready to sink.

4:38 And He was in the hinder part of the ship, asleep on a pillow: and they awake Him, and say unto Him, Master, carest thou not that we perish?
He was quite at home upon the wild waves,-“Rocked in the cradle of the deep,”-for winds and waves were but His Father’s servants, obeying His commands.

4:39 And He arose, and rebuked the wind, and said unto the sea, Peace, be still. And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm.
And He arose and rebuked the wind - He arose from off His pillow, and stood up; and in a majestic and authoritative way reproved the wind, as if it was a servant that had exceeded His commission; at which He shows some resentment: and said unto the sea, peace, be still; - as if that which was very tumultuous and boisterous, and threatened with shipwreck and the loss of lives, had raged too much and too long: and the wind ceased, and there was a great calm; - which was very unusual and extraordinary.

4:40 And He said unto them, Why are ye so fearful? how is it that ye have no faith?
When He had calmed the winds and the waves, 

He had to speak to another fickle set, more fickle than either winds or waves: “and He said unto them,”-

How imperfect are the best of saints! Faith and fear take their turns while we are in this world; but ere long, fear will be overcome, and faith will be lost in sight.

4:41 And they feared exceedingly, and said one to another, What manner of man is this, that even the wind and the sea obey Him? 

What manner of man is this? - They were astonished at such power proceeding from a person who appeared to be only like one of themselves. what manner of man is this, that even the wind and the sea obey Him? - Surely this person must not be a mere man; He must be more than a man; He must be truly God, that has such power over the wind and sea.