Commentary - Luke 8:26-39

Bird's-eye view

In this dramatic and frankly stunning account, Jesus Christ demonstrates His absolute authority over the realm of darkness in a way that is both terrifying and glorious. Immediately after showing His power over the natural world by calming the storm, He lands on the Gentile side of the lake and confronts the supernatural chaos that has utterly ruined a man's life. This is not just a simple healing; it is a full-scale spiritual invasion. The Lord engages in a direct confrontation with a host of demons, identified as "Legion," revealing their nature, their fear of ultimate judgment, and their destructive malice. The encounter climaxes with the total liberation of the man and the spectacular destruction of a herd of swine, a vivid display of the transfer of judgment.

The aftermath of this miracle is just as instructive as the miracle itself. We see three distinct reactions to the raw power of Jesus. The restored man is filled with grateful devotion, the townspeople are gripped with a fear that drives them to reject their deliverer, and the demons are filled with a terror that acknowledges His divine authority. The passage powerfully illustrates the reality of spiritual warfare, the absolute sovereignty of Christ over all spiritual powers, the transforming power of the gospel to bring a man from chaos to sanity, and the unsettling truth that some people prefer the familiar misery of their sin to the disruptive salvation offered by Jesus Christ.

Outline

Context In Luke

This event in Luke 8 follows immediately on the heels of Jesus calming the storm on the Sea of Galilee (Luke 8:22-25). Luke masterfully juxtaposes these two miracles. In the first, Jesus demonstrates His sovereignty over the chaos of the natural world, the wind and the waves. In this second account, He demonstrates His sovereignty over the chaos of the spiritual world, the demonic forces that torment mankind. The disciples asked, "Who then is this, that He commands even the winds and the water, and they obey Him?" This next episode provides a thunderous answer. He is the one whom even legions of demons must obey. This section is part of a larger theme in Luke's Gospel showcasing Jesus' authority over every conceivable power: nature, demons, disease, sin, and even death itself. It is a frontal assault on the kingdom of Satan, proving that the kingdom of God has arrived in power.

Key Issues

The Lord of All Hosts

We live in a modern, secular age that is deeply uncomfortable with the supernatural. We have tried to explain away demons as pre-scientific descriptions of mental illness. But the Bible will not allow us to flatten the world in this way. The spiritual realm is intensely real, and it is a war zone. This passage is a stark reminder that our struggle is not ultimately against flesh and blood, but against principalities and powers, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places (Eph. 6:12).

But the central point of the story is not the power of the demons, but the overwhelming, absolute, and unquestionable authority of Jesus Christ. He steps off the boat like a king landing on an enemy shore to reclaim His territory. The demons, for all their bluster and the havoc they wreak, are utterly terrified of Him. They know who He is, the "Son of the Most High God," and they know He holds their ultimate destiny in His hands. They have to ask His permission to do anything, even to enter a herd of pigs. This is not a battle between two equal and opposing forces. This is a confrontation between the Creator and rebellious creatures, and the outcome is never in doubt. Jesus is the Lord of all hosts, heavenly and demonic, and this story is a graphic depiction of that glorious reality.

Verse by Verse Commentary

26-27 Then they sailed to the region of the Gerasenes, which is opposite Galilee. And when He came out onto the land, a man from the city met Him, one who was possessed with demons and had not put on any garment for a long time, and was not living in a house, but in the tombs.

Jesus deliberately crosses the lake into Gentile territory. This is a missionary journey into the heart of darkness. The man who meets Him is the epitome of what demonic power does to a human being, who is made in God's image. He is alienated, isolated, and dehumanized. He is from the city, but cannot live in community. He is a man, but lives without the dignity of clothing. He is alive, but dwells among the dead in the tombs. This is a picture of utter degradation, a man completely unmade by the forces of hell.

28 Now seeing Jesus, he cried out and fell before Him, and said in a loud voice, “What do I have to do with You, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I beg You, do not torment me.”

The reaction of the demons, speaking through the man, is immediate and telling. They recognize Jesus instantly. While the disciples are still figuring out who Jesus is, the demons have no doubts. They give Him His full title: "Jesus, Son of the Most High God." This is a confession of His divine authority. And their first words are a plea. They know they are defeated. Their question, "What do I have to do with You?" is a way of saying, "Why have you come to interfere with us? We have no common ground." They know His presence means judgment, which is why they beg Him not to torment them. The tormentors are terrified of being tormented by the righteous Judge.

29 For He had commanded the unclean spirit to come out of the man. For it had seized him many times, and he was bound with chains and shackles, being kept under guard. And yet breaking his bonds, he was driven by the demon into the desolate regions.

Luke gives us a parenthetical note explaining the backstory. Jesus had already issued the command for the demon to exit. The plea of the demon is a reaction to this command. We also see the complete failure of human attempts to control this problem. Society's best answer was to chain him up. But the demonic power gave him supernatural strength to break the chains. This is a picture of the futility of trying to restrain deep spiritual evil with external, physical means. Law, guards, and chains are no match for the power of Satan. Only the power of Christ can truly set a captive free.

30 And Jesus asked him, “What is your name?” And he said, “Legion,” for many demons had entered him.

Jesus is not asking for information He doesn't have. In the ancient world, knowing a spirit's name was thought to give one power over it. Jesus, who already has all power, is forcing a confession for the benefit of those watching. He is making the enemy identify itself. The name given is "Legion." A Roman legion was a military unit of several thousand soldiers. This was not just one demon; this man was an occupied territory, a walking infestation. The name itself speaks of military power, organization, and overwhelming numbers. It highlights the sheer scale of the spiritual oppression this man was under, and thus magnifies the power of Christ who expels them with a word.

31 And they were pleading with Him not to command them to go away into the abyss.

The demons know their ultimate fate. The "abyss" is the place of imprisonment for evil spirits, a holding cell before the final judgment (cf. Rev. 20:3). They are terrified of being sent there "before the time" (Matt. 8:29). This reveals a crucial piece of spiritual reality. Demonic beings know that their time is short and that a final, terrible judgment awaits them. They are on a leash, and they know it. Their frantic pleading before the Son of God is a stark admission of their subordinate position.

32-33 Now there was a herd of many swine feeding there on the mountain, and the demons pleaded with Him to permit them to enter the swine. And He gave them permission. And when the demons came out of the man, they entered the swine, and the herd rushed down the steep bank into the lake and was drowned.

The demons would rather inhabit pigs than be disembodied or sent to the abyss. Their nature is to inhabit and corrupt. Jesus grants their request, and the result is instructive. First, it provides visible, undeniable proof that the exorcism was real. Something tangible left the man. Second, it reveals the true nature of the demons. Their immediate impulse is to destroy. They cannot help themselves. Their essence is ruin, and given a new host, they immediately drive it to destruction. The fate of the pigs is what the demons wanted for the man. Third, for these Gentiles raising unclean animals, it was a powerful object lesson on the value of a human soul. Jesus values one man, made in God's image, more than two thousand pigs.

34-35 And when the herdsmen saw what had happened, they ran away and reported it in the city and in the countryside. And the people went out to see what had happened, and they came to Jesus, and found the man from whom the demons had gone out, sitting down at the feet of Jesus, clothed and in his right mind. And they were afraid.

The report of the herdsmen brings the whole town out. And what they see is a radical transformation. The man who was naked is now clothed. The man who was wild and violent is now sitting peacefully. The man who was insane is now in his right mind. The man who lived among the tombs is now sitting at the feet of Jesus, in the classic posture of a disciple. This is a picture of total salvation, bringing order out of chaos. But the reaction of the townspeople is not joy, but fear. They are confronted with a power that has completely overturned their reality, and it terrifies them.

36-37 And those who had seen it reported to them how the man who was demon-possessed had been saved. And all the people of the country of the Gerasenes and the surrounding district asked Him to leave them, for they were gripped with great fear. And He got into a boat and returned.

The eyewitnesses confirm the story, explaining how the man was "saved." But the fear of the people deepens. This is not the reverential awe of faith; it is the slavish fear of those who love their sin. They have just witnessed the greatest blessing their region had ever seen, but they are more concerned about the economic loss of their pigs and the disruption to their lives. The presence of such holy power is too much for them. They would rather have their demons and their pigs than Jesus. And so, in a tragic moment, they ask the Son of God to leave. And He does. This is a terrifying picture of how God sometimes answers the prayers of the wicked.

38-39 But the man from whom the demons had gone out was begging Him that he might accompany Him. But He sent him away, saying, “Return to your house and recount what great things God has done for you.” So he went away, proclaiming throughout the whole city what great things Jesus had done for him.

In stark contrast to the fearful townspeople, the saved man wants nothing more than to be with Jesus. His heart is overflowing with gratitude. But Jesus has a different plan. He commissions him to be the first missionary to the Decapolis. The townspeople asked Jesus to leave, but He leaves behind a living, breathing testimony to His power and grace. Notice the beautiful interplay here. Jesus tells him to declare what "God" has done for him. And the man goes away proclaiming what "Jesus" had done for him. Luke makes it clear that there is no distinction. To declare the works of Jesus is to declare the works of God.

Application

This passage confronts us on several levels. First, it forces us to take the demonic realm seriously. We are in a spiritual war, and the enemy is real, malicious, and bent on our destruction. We cannot fight this war with human strength or secular therapies. The only answer to the power of "Legion" is the authority of Jesus Christ. We must be people who are clothed in His righteousness and sitting at His feet, learning from Him.

Second, we must examine our reaction to the power of Jesus. When Christ moves in power, it is always disruptive. He challenges our comfortable arrangements, our economic security (our pigs), and our desire to manage our own lives. It is possible to be so attached to our familiar sins and systems that when Jesus shows up to save us, we, like the Gerasenes, are filled with fear and ask Him to leave. True repentance means welcoming the disruption. It means valuing the presence of Jesus more than anything else we might lose.

Finally, we see the pattern for all Christian testimony. The man was saved, and his immediate response was to tell everyone what Jesus had done for him. This is the essence of evangelism. It is not about complicated theological arguments, but about a simple, grateful recounting of our own deliverance. We were all that man in the tombs, in one way or another, alienated, naked, and out of our right minds because of sin. But Jesus crossed the sea for us, commanded the darkness to flee, and restored us to sanity. Our job now is simply to go back to our own "city" and tell everyone the great things He has done.