The parallel accounts of Matthew 8:28-34 are found in Mark 5:1-19, Luke 8:26-39.
When He came to the other sideof the Sea of Galilee after the storm, Jesus and His disciples arrivedinto the country of the Gadarenes(v 28). The term,Gadarenes, is believed to refer to the citizens of the town,Gadara(much like the term, Nazarenes, refers to citizens of the town of Nazareth). Gadara was a city of the Greek Decapolis. The name Decapolis literally means “ten” (deca); city (polis). The Decapolis was a region populated by ten Greek cities established in the aftermath of Alexander the Great’s conquests, three and a half centuries earlier. They were now a Roman province. In the eyes of their Jewish neighbors, these Greco-Roman Gentiles loudly flaunted their paganism. Both Matthew’s and Mark’s use of the phrasethe other side(Mark 5:1) makes reference to the Decapolis on the eastern shore.
The city of Gadara itself was located about ten miles from the shoreline, a little to the south and further east of Galilee along a major trade route. Since Hippos was a Decapolis city on a hill overlooking the Sea of Galilee, Jesus and His disciples must have ventured into an area of the shoreline controlled by Gadara. Matthew infers this when he calls the space they enteredthe country of the Gadarenes(v 28). Jesus and His disciples arrived in the area under the influence of Gadara andthe countrywherethe Gadarenesheld sway.
Mark and Luke use the term, Gergesenes instead ofGadarenesin their gospel narratives (Mark 5:1-19;Luke 8:26-39). A Gergesene was a citizen of the city ofGergesawhich was situated north of Gadara halfway up the eastern shore of Galilee . It is likely thatthe countryJesuscame intowas between Gergesa and Gadara and in the relative proximity of both towns. It was under the cultural influence of both, but was in the political territory of Gadara. Gergesa is believed to have bordered the Decapolis but not to have been officially a part of this geopolitical territory.
Whenthey gotto the other side, Jesus and His disciples weremetbytwo men who were demon-possessed(v 28). Unlike thedemon-possessedpeople who were brought to Jesus the night before in Capernaum, thesetwo demon-possessed menwere coming to Jesus themselvesout of the tombs. Apparently, thesemenlived in thesetombsamong the dead, violently harassing anyone who came near. Matthew writes,they were so extremely violent that no one could pass by that way(v 28).
But as they came out to harm Jesus and His disciples, the evil spirits within thesetwo menrecognize whotheyare encountering.They, meaning both thetwo menand the demons possessing them, cried out saying (to Jesus)What business do we have with each other Son of God?Have you come here to torment us before the time?(v 29). The demons understand that Jesus isGodin human form. They recognize Him as beingthe Son of Godwho is of the Divine Trinity.
Because of their rebellion against God when they fell with Lucifer, the demons rightly see Jesus as their enemy. They are on opposite sides of the cosmic spiritual conflict, of which the kingdoms of earth serve as a battle ground. Because they diametrically oppose one another, the demons cryout,What business do we have with each other?(v 29). They speculate their own answer. It is very revealing.Have You come here to torment us before the time?(v 29).The demons understand that they are going to lose this conflict. They know that they will be severely punished andtormentedat the appointedtime. They know that their tormentwill be done by the authority ofthe Son of God. But they also know that thistimeis not yet, which is why they assume and ask if Jesus has comehere to tormentthem nowbefore the time(v 29).
The Gospel writer Mark shares about one of thesedemon-possessed men. He reports a few additional lines of conversation between Jesus andthe demonspossessing this man, “What is your name?” Jesus asks the evil spirits. And the man said to Him, “My name is Legion; for we are many” (Mark 5:9). Legion is a Roman military designation. A legion was composed of crack soldiers of the army and usually numbered in the thousands. The most famous Roman legion was the Tenth Legion who helped Julius Caesar subdue Gaul (modern day France) over 75 years earlier. This same legion would later be stationed in the nearby town of Hippos which lay between Gadara and Gergesa during the Zealot rebellion. Its iconic banner displayed a boar’s head.
Matthew, Mark, and Luke reportnow there was a herd of many swine feeding at a distance from them(v 30).Swinewere unclean animals and forbidden to be eaten by Jews according to the Mosaic law (Leviticus 11:7,Deuteronomy 14:8). This particularherd ofswinewas likely being used as a food supply for the Gentiles living in the Decapolis. Matthew says thatthe demons began to entreat Him(Jesus) (v 31). The word he uses forentreatis “parakaleo” (G3870) which literally means to “call alongside.” It has a wide range of meanings including, “encourage,” “plead,” “exhort,” or “comfort.” In describing the Holy Spirit to His disciples inJohn 14and15Jesus describes Him as “The Paraklete,” i.e. the One who Encourages, Exhorts, Comforts, etc. In this instance, “parakaleo” means “pleads” or “begs.” Whatthe demonsbegged ofHimwas to not becastintotorment, but to becast intothe nearbyherd of swine. They said toHim,if You are going to cast us out, send us into the herd of swine(v 31).AndJesus granted their entreaty andsaid to them, “Go!” (v 32).
Thetwo menwere liberated from the spiritual oppression of being possessed by thesedemons.And the demons came outof thetwo menand went into the swine(v 32). Oncethe demonsenteredthe swine, Matthew tells us,the whole herd rushed down the steep bank into the sea and perished in the waters(v 32).The herdsmenwho were raisingthe swine ran away. Theywent into the city and reported everything(v 33). Theseherdsmenlikely did not wish to be held responsible for what happened to the destroyed livestock. They alsoreported what happened to the demoniacs(v 33). They told the townspeople thatthenow formerdemoniacshad been freed from these evil spirits at Jesus’s command. Thetwo menhad regained possession of themselves.
When the people ofthe city(it is not clear which city—Gadara, Hippos, or Gergesa) learned of these things, Matthew tells us thatthe whole city came out to meet Jesus(v 34). This would be an appropriate response to take if a local reported these unusual events.But when they saw Him,theywere not happy (v 34).
Theydid not rejoice in what Jesus had done.Theywere upset about their lost property, or fearful of what Jesus would do next.Theywere not glad thatHefreed their countrymen fromdemons.They implored Him to leave their region (v34).Theywould rather have theirherd of pigs, even if it meant that their fellow countrymen would remain suffering in spiritual bondage.
