7. The Healing of a Demon-possessed Man
Luke 8.26-39: 26 They sailed to the region of the Gerasenes, which is across the lake from Galilee. 27 When Jesus stepped ashore, he was met by a demon-possessed man from the town. For a long time this man had not worn clothes or lived in a house, but had lived in the tombs. 28 When he saw Jesus, he cried out and fell at his feet, shouting at the top of his voice, “What do you want with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I beg you, don’t torture me!” 29 For Jesus had commanded the evil spirit to come out of the man. Many times it had seized him, and though he was chained hand and foot and kept under guard, he had broken his chains and had been driven by the demon into solitary places. 30 Jesus asked him, “What is your name?” “Legion,” he replied, because many demons had gone into him. 31 And they begged him repeatedly not to order them to go into the Abyss. 32 A large herd of pigs was feeding there on the hillside. The demons begged Jesus to let them go into them, and he gave them permission. 33 When the demons came out of the man, they went into the pigs, and the herd rushed down the steep bank into the lake and was drowned. 34 When those tending the pigs saw what had happened, they ran off and reported this in the town and countryside, 35 and the people went out to see what had happened. When they came to Jesus, they found the man from whom the demons had gone out, sitting at Jesus’ feet, dressed and in his right mind; and they were afraid. 36 Those who had seen it told the people how the demon-possessed man had been cured. 37 Then all the people of the region of the Gerasenes asked Jesus to leave them, because they were overcome with fear. So he got into the boat and left. 38 The man from whom the demons had gone out begged to go with him, but Jesus sent him away, saying, 39 “Return home and tell how much God has done for you.” So the man went away and told all over town how much Jesus had done for him.
Luke tells this story in some detail, which suggests that he is trying to draw our attention to its symbolic meaning. Jesus is entering pagan territory on a prefigurative mission among non-Jews.
The state of this man is, in fact, a very suggestive image of the spiritual situation of the pagan nations. He has been under the domination of numerous demonic powers (false gods) for a long time. He lives, not in the house of God but in the city of the dead. He is naked, a fact which, for a Jew, would call to mind the notorious sexual immorality that was rampant in pagan society. Like the great empires that had dominated the chosen people for centuries, he is endowed with colossal strength impossible to control by human means. The name “Legion” is obviously of Roman origin, the pagan power that was currently oppressing the Jews. The exorcism of this demon-possessed man is thus for Luke a prefiguration of the future Christian mission among the pagan nations, a mission that Jesus did not actively pursue during his earthly ministry.
The climax of the story presents the formerly demon-possessed Gentile in the typical position of a disciple: he is seated at Jesus’ feet, perfectly calm, ready to receive his teachings. In fact, the man would like to follow Jesus, become his disciple, but the time has not yet come to incorporate non-Jews into the messianic community that is being formed within Israel. That could very well be the meaning of the demons’ question in Matthew 8.29: “What do you want with us, Son of God?” they shouted. “Have you come here to torture us before the appointed time?” Jesus anticipates the future moment when his messianic rule will be definitively established: a day of judgment for the forces of Satan, a day of victory and enthronement for the Messiah.
The commandment given to the man to spread the news of his deliverance contrasts sharply with Jesus’ numerous and usual injunctions to silence (the messianic secret). The explanation of this difference is no doubt to be found in the location of the miracle: on the far side of the Sea of Galilee. We are in pagan territory, where the risk of triggering nationalistic messianic movements among the Jewish crowds and the risk of provoking an untimely official reaction by Jewish authorities are much smaller.
Prayer
Speak to our hearts, Lord, and they will be healed. Rebuke the demon, your enemy and ours, and all the powers of darkness which lay siege to our souls, all of the passions which war in our hearts will be dispersed and put to flight. Open our eyes and do not permit that we should run to our ruin like impure and mindless animals. Let us taste the joy of possessing you and feel what would be our loss in losing you. And, finally, dwell in us, after having taken possession of us, and grant us to be with you in time and throughout eternity. Amen.