Demoniacs of Gadara

The preceding day Jesus had delivered the Sermon by the Sea, which consisted largely of parables (see Matt. 13), somewhere along the shore of Galilee bordering on the Plain of Gennesaret (see on Matt. 13:1). The distance across the lake at this point was about 7 mi. (11 km.). It was upon this crossing that Jesus had stilled the storm (see on Matt. 8:18). His purpose in crossing to the less densely populated eastern shore at this time was to enjoy a brief respite from the throngs of people who were now pressing upon Him to the extent that He often had little or no time even to eat and sleep (see Mark 3:20). When the boat landed in this region, two wild men were seen coming toward them. By the time the demoniacs came to the place where Jesus stood, the disciples had fled in terror, and the Saviour was alone with the two demon—possessed men. Somehow they seemed to perceive dimly that here was a Friend, not a foe and they prostrated themselves on the ground at Jesus' feet. His very presence often seemed to impress deeply even His worst enemies (see Matt. 21:12, 13 John 2:15).

The demons challenged Jesus' authority (see ch. 1:27 see on ch. 2:10) and basically said, "What right have you to interfere with me?" It would seem that the evil spirits were speaking directly through one of the demoniacs of Gadara to Christ, for Jesus addresses the "unclean spirit" rather than the man himself (see Mark 5:8). Accordingly, the recognition of Jesus as the "Son of the most high God" represents knowledge the spirits possessed, not the demoniacs. Christ cast the demons into a nearby herd of swine and asked the restored men to stay in this region and share their testimony with the unbelieving people.