THE DEMONS KNEW WHO JESUS WAS. WHY DID THE PEOPLE ASK HIM TO LEAVE?
Mark 5:1–20 — Jesus and the Man Among the Tombs
TEXT B4 TRADITION
Read First. Conclude Later.
THE QUESTION
Jesus has just demonstrated His authority over the wind and sea.
Now He encounters a man controlled by unclean spirits.
The man lives among tombs. No one can restrain him.
The demons recognize Jesus immediately.
But after Jesus frees the man, the people ask Him to leave.
Why did the demons recognize Jesus while the people wanted Him gone?
MARK 5:1 — THE COUNTRY OF THE GERASENES
Jesus and His disciples reach the eastern side of the Sea of Galilee.
Mark calls the area the country of the Gerasenes.
Ancient manuscripts differ in the name. Some read Gadarenes or Gergesenes.
The exact location remains debated.
The important point is that Jesus has crossed into a region with a strong Gentile presence.
The large herd of pigs mentioned later fits that setting.
MARK 5:2–3 — A MAN LIVING AMONG THE TOMBS
As Jesus leaves the boat, a man with an unclean spirit approaches Him.
Mark describes his condition:
He lives among burial places.
He is separated from ordinary society.
No one can keep him restrained.
His life is filled with suffering and isolation.
Mark wants us to understand the man's condition before showing what Jesus does.
MARK 5:4 — NO ONE COULD RESTRAIN HIM
People had repeatedly bound him with chains and shackles.
He broke them.
No one had the strength to control him.
Notice the contrast.
No human being could restrain him. But Jesus would free him with a command.
MARK 5:5 — CRYING OUT AND CUTTING HIMSELF
Day and night, the man wandered among the tombs and hills.
He cried out and injured himself with stones.
This was a terrible existence.
But we must be careful.
Mark specifically identifies this man's condition as involving unclean spirits.
This passage does not teach that everyone suffering from mental illness or self-injury is demon-possessed.
We must not turn one recorded case into a diagnosis for everyone.
MARK 5:6 — HE FELL BEFORE JESUS
When the man sees Jesus, he runs toward Him and falls before Him.
The action acknowledges Jesus' superior authority.
It does not prove that the demons loved or faithfully worshiped Him.
Even hostile spiritual beings recognize authority they cannot resist.
MARK 5:7 — JESUS, SON OF THE MOST HIGH GOD
The man cries out:
“What have you to do with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God?”
Notice what the demons know:
They recognize Jesus.
They identify Him as Son of the Most High God.
They fear what He may do to them.
Earlier, the disciples asked:
“Who then is this?” (Mark 4:41).
Now the demons identify Him.
But recognizing Jesus is not the same as trusting and obeying Him.
James 2:19 says even demons believe that God is one—and shudder.
Correct knowledge alone does not make someone a faithful servant of God.
MARK 5:8 — COME OUT OF THE MAN
Jesus had commanded the unclean spirit to leave.
The demon's fearful response follows that command.
Notice who takes the initiative.
Jesus does.
The demons are not negotiating as equals.
They are pleading with the One who has authority over them.
MARK 5:9 — MY NAME IS LEGION
Jesus asks the spirit's name.
The answer:
“My name is Legion, for we are many.”
A Roman legion was a large military formation, often numbering several thousand soldiers.
But the name does not establish the exact number of demons.
Mark tells us there were many.
Many demons controlled this man. Yet none could resist Jesus.
MARK 5:10 — DO NOT SEND US AWAY
The demons beg Jesus not to send them out of the region.
Why?
Mark does not explain.
Luke 8:31 adds that they begged Him not to command them into the abyss.
Neither account explains everything about the spiritual world involved.
We should not invent an explanation.
What is clear is that the demons fear Jesus' authority over their future.
MARK 5:11–12 — THE HERD OF PIGS
A large herd of pigs is feeding nearby.
The demons ask permission to enter them.
Pigs were unclean animals under the Law of Moses (Leviticus 11:7).
Their presence fits the region's Gentile setting.
But Mark does not identify the owners as Jews or say they were violating God's law.
Nor does he say Jesus intended to punish them.
The demons ask. Jesus decides.
MARK 5:13 — ABOUT TWO THOUSAND PIGS
Jesus gives permission.
The spirits leave the man and enter the pigs.
The herd rushes down a steep bank into the sea and drowns.
Mark reports about two thousand pigs.
This was a tremendous loss.
Why did Jesus allow the pigs to die?
Mark does not directly explain.
We can observe what happened:
The man was freed.
The herd was destroyed.
The event became known throughout the area.
The demons could not act without Jesus' permission.
The passage emphasizes Jesus' authority and the man's deliverance.
We should not claim to know every reason Jesus permitted the destruction.
MARK 5:14 — THE PEOPLE COME TO SEE
Those tending the pigs flee.
They report what happened in the town and countryside.
People come to investigate.
They want to see for themselves.
MARK 5:15 — CLOTHED AND IN HIS RIGHT MIND
The people find the man who had been possessed.
He is now:
Sitting.
Clothed.
In his right mind.
What a change!
The man who could not be restrained is sitting peacefully.
The man who lived among tombs is restored.
Jesus has done what no one else could do.
But the people are afraid.
They see the evidence of His power.
Yet they do not welcome Him.
MARK 5:16–17 — THEY BEG JESUS TO LEAVE
Witnesses explain what happened to the man and the pigs.
Then the people beg Jesus to leave their region.
Why?
Mark does not give their complete reasoning.
Fear is clearly involved.
The loss of the pigs may also have troubled them, but Mark does not identify financial loss as their motive.
Notice the contrast:
The demons begged Jesus not to send them away.
The townspeople begged Jesus to go away.
They witnessed a remarkable deliverance.
But they wanted Jesus to leave.
Seeing evidence of God's power does not guarantee that people will welcome His authority.
MARK 5:18 — THE MAN WANTS TO FOLLOW JESUS
As Jesus gets into the boat, the restored man begs to accompany Him.
His request is understandable.
Jesus has given him his life back.
He wants to remain with the One who freed him.
But Jesus gives him another assignment.
MARK 5:19 — GO HOME AND TELL THEM
Jesus says:
“Go home to your friends and tell them how much the Lord has done for you, and how he has had mercy on you.”
Notice the assignment:
Go to your own people.
Tell them what the Lord has done.
Tell them about His mercy.
The man does not need to explain everything about God's eternal purpose.
He can tell what happened to him.
Jesus has given him a message worth sharing.
Why did Jesus tell this man to speak openly?
Earlier in Mark, Jesus sometimes instructed people not to publicize His miracles (Mark 1:43–45).
Here He gives the opposite instruction.
The setting is different.
The man is being sent into his own region rather than joining Jesus' travels among the crowds in Galilee.
Mark does not explain every reason for the difference.
But the command is unmistakable.
Jesus wants this man to tell others what the Lord has done.
MARK 5:20 — HE PROCLAIMED WHAT JESUS HAD DONE
The man obeys.
He begins proclaiming throughout the Decapolis what Jesus had done for him.
The Decapolis was a region associated with ten Greek-influenced cities east and southeast of the Sea of Galilee.
Notice something important.
Jesus told him to tell what the Lord had done.
Mark says he proclaimed what Jesus had done.
Mark places those descriptions side by side.
That connection is significant.
The mercy of the Lord was demonstrated through the authority and work of Jesus.
And the people marveled.
WHY DID THE DEMONS RECOGNIZE JESUS?
Mark has already shown that unclean spirits recognized Jesus.
Mark 1:24: An unclean spirit called Him “the Holy One of God.”
Mark 3:11: Unclean spirits cried out, “You are the Son of God.”
Mark 5:7: The demons called Him “Son of the Most High God.”
They recognized His identity and feared His authority.
But they were not faithful disciples.
This teaches an important lesson.
Knowing who Jesus is does not mean someone has accepted His authority.
The demons recognized Him.
The townspeople witnessed His power.
Yet the demons resisted Him, and the townspeople asked Him to leave.
The restored man responded differently.
He obeyed Jesus and told others what He had done.
WHAT DOES THIS PASSAGE TEACH ABOUT JESUS?
1. Jesus has authority over evil spirits.
The demons could not resist His command.
2. Jesus can restore what others cannot.
No one could control or restore the man. Jesus freed him.
3. Recognizing Jesus is not the same as obeying Him.
The demons knew His identity but remained His enemies.
4. People can witness great evidence and still reject Jesus.
The townspeople saw the restored man yet asked Jesus to leave.
5. Those who receive God's mercy have something to share.
Jesus sent the man home to tell what the Lord had done.
WHAT DOES THIS PASSAGE NOT TEACH?
It does not teach that every mental illness is demon possession.
Mark describes a particular case involving unclean spirits.
It does not tell us the exact number of demons.
The name Legion emphasizes that there were many.
It does not explain every reason Jesus permitted the destruction of the pigs.
We should not invent motives.
It does not prove that everyone who witnesses a miracle will believe.
The townspeople asked Jesus to leave.
It does not teach that merely recognizing Jesus saves a person.
The demons recognized Him but remained opposed to Him.
QUESTIONS WORTH DISCUSSING
1. The demons knew exactly who Jesus was. Why wasn't that enough?
Read Mark 5:7 and James 2:19.
What is the difference between knowing who Jesus is and actually trusting and obeying Him?
2. The townspeople saw a man completely restored, yet they begged Jesus to leave. Why would anyone respond that way?
Read Mark 5:15–17.
What does their reaction teach us about the difference between seeing evidence and accepting what that evidence means?
3. Jesus refused the restored man's request to accompany Him. Instead, He sent him home to tell others what had happened. Why?
Read Mark 5:18–20.
What can we learn about serving Jesus from the assignment He gave this man?
CONCLUSION — THE DEMONS KNEW WHO HE WAS
The disciples had asked:
“Who then is this?”
The demons knew.
They called Him:
“Jesus, Son of the Most High God.”
But knowledge was not obedience.
The demons feared Him.
The townspeople asked Him to leave.
The restored man obeyed Him.
Mark has shown us Jesus' authority over nature.
Now he shows us Jesus' authority over evil spirits.
The question is no longer simply whether Jesus has authority.
The question is how people respond to that authority.
CONTINUE EXPLORING SCRIPTURE
Previous Study: Mark 4:35–41 — Jesus Calms the Storm
https://text-b4-tradition.com/mark-4-35-41-wind-and-sea
Related Study: Mark 4:21–25 — Why Would Anyone Hide a Lamp?
https://text-b4-tradition.com/mark-4-21-25-lamp
Next Study: Mark 5:21–43 — Jairus' Daughter and the Woman Who Touched Jesus
Two desperate situations. One Savior with authority over disease and death.
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