1) Jesus and his disciples travel to the region of the Gadarenes where they encounter a demon-possessed man. 2) The man is violently possessed by a legion of demons, as evidenced by his living among tombs and wearing no clothes. The demons recognize Jesus as the Son of God. 3) Jesus commands the demons to leave the man and enter a herd of pigs. The pigs then rush into a lake and drown, causing the local swineherds to report the incident to others in the city. 4) The people come and find the formerly demon-possessed man sitting at Jesus' feet, clothed and in his right mind. However, they are

1. Extra! Extra!
Pork-Bellies
Fall Sharply
in the
Gadarenes
Luke 8:26-39
Maud church of Christ
By: Jim Bradshaw
Sunday Morning,
June 22, 2014

12. Pork Bellies Fall Sharply in the Gadarenes
Luke 8:26-37 NKJV Then they sailed to the country of the
Gadarenes, which is opposite Galilee. (27) And when He
stepped out on the land, there met Him a certain man from
the city who had demons for a long time. And he wore no
clothes, nor did he live in a house but in the tombs. (28)
When he saw Jesus, he cried out, fell down before Him,
and with a loud voice said, "What have I to do with You,
Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I beg You, do not
torment me!" (29) For He had commanded the unclean
spirit to come out of the man. For it had often seized him,
and he was kept under guard, bound with chains and
shackles; and he broke the bonds and was driven by the
demon into the wilderness.

13. Pork Bellies Fall Sharply in the Gadarenes
Luke 8:26-37 continued (30) Jesus asked him, saying, "What
is your name?" And he said, "Legion," because many
demons had entered him. (31) And they begged Him that
He would not command them to go out into the abyss.
(32) Now a herd of many swine was feeding there on the
mountain. So they begged Him that He would permit them
to enter them. And He permitted them. (33) Then the
demons went out of the man and entered the swine, and
the herd ran violently down the steep place into the lake
and drowned. (34) When those who fed them saw what
had happened, they fled and told it in the city and in the
country.

14. Pork Bellies Fall Sharply in the Gadarenes
Luke 8:26-37 continued (35) Then they went out to see what
had happened, and came to Jesus, and found the man
from whom the demons had departed, sitting at the feet of
Jesus, clothed and in his right mind. And they were afraid.
(36) They also who had seen it told them by what means
he who had been demon-possessed was healed. (37) Then
the whole multitude of the surrounding region of the
Gadarenes asked Him to depart from them, for they were
seized with great fear. And He got into the boat and
returned.

15. The Scene
Gadara
was the
principle
city of the
region
1. Jesus and his disciple had
just crossed the Sea of
Galilee.
2. They had survived a great
lailaps (cyclonic storm).
3. Luke’s and Mark’s account
say Gadarenes. Matthew
says Gergesenes.
4. In the province of the
Decapolis there were 10
cities. Gadara was the
nearest principle city.
From Capernaum to
Gergesa

16. 1 or 2 Demon Possessed Men?
Luke 8:27 NKJV And
when He stepped out
on the land, there
met Him a certain
man from the city
who had demons for
a long time. And he
wore no clothes, nor
did he live in a house
but in the tombs.
Mark 5:2 NKJV And
when He had come
out of the boat,
immediately there
met Him out of the
tombs a man with an
unclean spirit,
Matthew 8:28 NKJV
When He had come
to the other side, to
the country of the
Gergesenes, there
met Him two demon-
possessed men,
coming out of the
tombs, exceedingly
fierce, so that no one
could pass that way.

17. 1 or 2 Demon Possessed Men?
Apparently there were 2 Demon Possessed men,
but 1 was more prominently focused.
Mark 5:15 NKJV Then they came to Jesus, and
saw the one who had been demon-possessed
and had the legion, sitting and clothed and in his
right mind. And they were afraid.
It appears that only one of these men decided to
follow Jesus afterward, Luke 8:38, 39.

18. Description of the Men?
Matthew 8:28 NKJV
When He had come
to the other side, to
the country of the
Gergesenes, there
met Him two
demon-possessed
men, coming out of
the tombs,
exceedingly fierce,
so that no one
could pass that
way.
Mark 5:3-5 …and no one
could bind him, not even
with chains, (4) because
he had often been bound
with shackles and chains.
And the chains had been
pulled apart by him, and
the shackles broken in
pieces; neither could
anyone tame him. (5)
And always, night and
day, he was in the
mountains and in the
tombs, crying out and
cutting himself with
stones.
Luke 8:27 NKJV
And when He
stepped out on the
land, there met Him
a certain man from
the city who had
demons for a long
time. And he wore
no clothes, nor did
he live in a house
but in the tombs.

19. The Incident
Luke 8:30 NKJV Jesus
asked him, saying,
"What is your
name?" And he said,
"Legion," because
many demons had
entered him.
Mark 5:9 NKJV Then
He asked him, "What
is your name?" And
he answered, saying,
"My name is Legion;
for we are many."
A Romans legion
consisted of:
6,826 soldiers;
6100 foot soldiers
+
726 horseman

20. The Incident
Luke 8:27 NKJV And when He stepped out on the land, there met
Him a certain man from the city who had demons for a long time.
And he wore no clothes, nor did he live in a house but in the
tombs.
Met -- hupantaō (ὑπαντάω) – when used in a military reference
implies a hostile meeting.
Mark 5:6 NKJV When he saw Jesus from afar, he ran and
worshiped Him.
James 2:19 NKJV You believe that there is one God. You do well.
Even the demons believe--and tremble!

21. The Incident
Luke 8:28 NKJV
When he saw Jesus,
he cried out, fell
down before Him,
and with a loud voice
said, "What have I to
do with You, Jesus,
Son of the Most High
God? I beg You, do
not torment me!"
Mark 5:7 NKJV And
he cried out with a
loud voice and said,
"What have I to do
with You, Jesus, Son
of the Most High
God? I implore You by
God that You do not
torment me."
Matthew 8:29 NKJV
And suddenly they
cried out, saying,
"What have we to do
with You, Jesus, You
Son of God? Have
You come here to
torment us before
the time?"

22. Jesus to Torment Demons?
Matthew 25:41 NKJV "Then He will also say to those on the left
hand, 'Depart from Me, you cursed, into the everlasting fire
prepared for the devil and his angels:
2 Peter 2:4 NKJV For if God did not spare the angels who sinned,
but cast them down to hell (tartaros – torment) and delivered
them into chains of darkness, to be reserved for judgment;
“What have I to do with You?” (In essence -- what do we have in
common?)

23. Pigs commit Sooey-cide
Mark 5:12-13 NKJV So all the demons begged Him, saying, "Send
us to the swine, that we may enter them." (13) And at once Jesus
gave them permission. Then the unclean spirits went out and
entered the swine (there were about two thousand); and the herd
ran violently down the steep place into the sea, and drowned in
the sea.

24. Matthew 8:34 NKJV And behold, the whole city came out to meet
Jesus. And when they saw Him, they begged Him to depart from
their region.

25. The Farmers
Mark 5:14 NKJV So those who fed the swine fled, and they told it
in the city and in the country. And they went out to see what it
was that had happened.
The farmers probably said, “Why would this Jesus do this to us.
You know it is just like those Jews, they hate pigs!

26. The Pigs
Well, they can’t speak, plus they all died a gruesome death after
being possessed by the demons.
If PETA were there, I am sure there would have been future
protests of Jesus from being a Pig-killer.
Mark 5:13 KJV …and were choked in the sea.
Choked best literal translation graphically depicts drowning.
Mark also uses the Imperfect tense, conveying a morbid
disappearance of pig after pig into the sea.

27. The Consensus
Luke 8:35-37 NKJV Then they went out to see what had
happened, and came to Jesus, and found the man from whom the
demons had departed, sitting at the feet of Jesus, clothed and in
his right mind. And they were afraid. (36) They also who had seen
it told them by what means he who had been demon-possessed
was healed. (37) Then the whole multitude of the surrounding
region of the Gadarenes asked Him to depart from them, for they
were seized with great fear. And He got into the boat and
returned.
Asked – more literally, begged.

28. The Demon Possessed Man
Luke 8:38-39 NKJV Now the man from whom the demons had
departed begged Him that he might be with Him. But Jesus sent
him away, saying, (39) "Return to your own house, and tell what
great things God has done for you." And he went his way and
proclaimed throughout the whole city what great things Jesus had
done for him.

29. What have I to do with Jesus?

30. Jesus, Son of the Most High God
•No man could bind this man with the demon named Legion – BUT
JESUS DID!
•Men die when at sea during a great Lailaps, BUT JESUS SIMPLY
SAID THE WORDS AND IT WAS CALM!
•Jesus had taught with authority, exousia, with both the right and
might, Lu. 4:36.
•Jesus had healed the sick, lepers, paralytics, cast out demons, etc.
•Jesus was indeed the Son of Man and the Lord of the Sabbath, Lu.
6:5.
•Jesus is the Son of the Most High God!!!

31. What have you to do with Jesus?
Eternal Joy,
1 Thess. 4:14-18
Eternal Punishment,
2 Thess. 1:7-9