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Demoniac of the Gaderenes story

(Luke 8:26-40, Mark 5:1-20):

After calming the tempest (8:22-25), Jesus & disciples landed in Gadera (v26) on the shore of the Sea of Galilee. The demoniac came from tombs in the city (v27) naked. Jesus commanded devils to come out of him.

8:32 And he said unto them, "GO." [ ... ]
"Go" in above verse is the smallest possible gramatically correct complete sentence in the English language, yet it was sufficient to do the job. No long exorcism is needed to cast out a demon, only faith, prayer, and fasting.
: 17:21 Howbeit this kind goeth not out but by prayer and fasting.
The devils acknowledged deity of Jesus by begged him "that he would not command them to go out into the deep."

Note: "deep" is Greek word "ab'-us-sos" meaning "without bottom" infer "bottomless pit" or back into Hell where they came from!

8:32 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. 8:33 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.

Entered into swine. (So people there were gentiles!) Jesus let them have the most worthless, disgusting thing imaginable. They destroyed even the swine, thus taking themselves into the deep of the sea of Galilee anyway. This is a figurative lesson that Satan will end up there no matter what.

8:34 When they that fed [them] saw what was done, they fled, and went and told [it] in the city and in the country. 8:35 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. 8:36 They also which saw [it] told them by what means he that was possessed of the devils was healed. 8:37 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.

Luke 8:26-40 shows revival followed after rejection:

8:39 Return to thine own house, and show 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. 8:40 And it came to pass, that, when Jesus was returned, the people [gladly] received him: for they were all waiting for him.

Mark 5:1-20 gives city of Decapolis, site of later revival:

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

2 mark: 7:31 And again, departing from the coasts of Tyre and Sidon, he came unto the sea of Galilee, through the midst of the coasts of Decapolis.

3 matt: 4:25 And there followed him great multitudes of people from Galilee, and [from] Decapolis, and [from] Jerusalem, and [from] Judaea, and [from] beyond Jordan.


next up previous contents
Next: About this document ... Up: Delayed Reaction Previous: The Text
Robert J. Brown
9/16/1997