Mark 5:1-13
The Man Who Lived Among the Tombs
Read the passage
1On the other side of the sea, they arrived in the region of the Gerasenes.
2As soon as Jesus got out of the boat, He was met by a man with an unclean spirit, who was coming from the tombs.
3This man had been living in the tombs and could no longer be restrained, even with chains.
4Though he was often bound with chains and shackles, he had broken the chains and shattered the shackles. Now there was no one with the strength to subdue him.
5Night and day in the tombs and in the mountains he kept crying out and cutting himself with stones.
6When the man saw Jesus from a distance, he ran and fell on his knees before Him.
7And he shouted in a loud voice, “What do You want with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I beg You before God not to torture me!”
8For Jesus had already declared, “Come out of this man, you unclean spirit!”
9“What is your name?” Jesus asked. “My name is Legion,” he replied, “for we are many.”
10And he begged Jesus repeatedly not to send them out of that region.
11There on the nearby hillside a large herd of pigs was feeding.
12So the demons begged Jesus, “Send us to the pigs, so that we may enter them.”
13He gave them permission, and the unclean spirits came out and went into the pigs, and the herd of about two thousand rushed down the steep bank into the sea and drowned in the water.
Berean Standard Bible
Read aloud
When Jesus steps out of the boat in the Gerasenes’ region, a man with an unclean spirit comes from the tombs to meet Him. He has been living there, crying out and harming his body. Attempts to restrain him with chains have failed. Mark describes severe suffering that no one nearby has been able to subdue.
The man runs and kneels before Jesus. The voice calls Him Son of the Most High God and begs Him not to torment him. Jesus has already commanded the unclean spirit to leave. The encounter shows that destructive power recognizing an authority greater than its own.
Asked for a name, the answer is Legion, with the explanation that there are many. The spirits repeatedly plead not to be sent away from the region, then ask to enter a nearby herd of pigs. Even their request depends on Jesus’ permission.
He permits it. The spirits leave the man and enter the pigs, and the herd rushes down the bank into the sea. The loss of the animals is terrible, and the passage does not explain every question it raises. What is clear is that the spirits have come out of the man who could not be restrained.
His suffering has not placed him beyond Jesus’ authority or care. In the following verses, Mark will show the change in him. This encounter first establishes who has power to release him: the Son of the Most High God.
Questions
1 How does Mark describe the man’s suffering?
AnswerHe lives among the tombs, cries out and harms himself, and cannot be held by chains. The account presents profound distress without treating him as a spectacle.
2 What does the name Legion explain?
AnswerThe answer explicitly says there are many spirits. Their number does not place them beyond Jesus’ authority.
3 How do the spirits’ requests reveal their limits?
AnswerThey plead with Jesus about where they may go and need His permission to enter the pigs. They do not control the encounter.
4 How can we respond compassionately to someone in serious distress?
AnswerTake the need seriously, seek appropriate help and avoid easy labels. This account of an unclean spirit does not authorize us to diagnose another person’s illness or suffering as possession.
What This Means for Us
A person’s frightening or complicated suffering should not erase their dignity. Jesus meets this man as someone to be freed. We can ask for that same concern for people whose needs we do not know how to meet.
Compassion includes recognizing when skilled help and protection are needed. Do not approach a dangerous situation alone or assume that prayer excludes other care. Seek help, remain respectful and entrust the person to the Lord whose authority is greater than the evil described here.
Prayer
Lord Jesus, thank You for meeting this suffering man with power and mercy. Keep us from treating distressed people as problems to avoid or stories to tell. Give us compassion, sound judgment and willingness to seek the help they need. Amen.