A hallmark of American radio broadcasting for more than 50 years was the firm staccato voice of newsman and commentator Paul Harvey. His voice was most recognizable and his signature line was “stand by…..for the rest of the story.” It seems today we often quickly skim over Bible stories in our reading without really knowing “the rest of the story.” More often, the details behind the story lend greater meaning and understanding of our Lord.
One such story is the account of Jesus healing two demon-possessed men in the Gadarenes on the east side of the Galilee. It is found in Matthew 8:28-34 and corroborated in Mark 5:1-20 and Luke 8:26-29. In Matthew’s account it is early in Jesus’ ministry just after the Sermon on the Mount. Interestingly, it occurs right after His healing of a servant of a Roman centurion who demonstrates great faith (verses 5-13) and is the first recorded healing involving a Gentile. Why is that interesting?
First, it was remarkable that the centurion found Jesus in Capernaum and it is recorded He “marveled” at the faith of this Gentile (verse 10). In contrast He said, “…“Assuredly, I say to you, I have not found such great faith, not even in Israel!”
It is also notable because shortly after beginning in verse 23 Jesus and the disciples enter a boat departing Capernaum for the region of the Gadarenes (or Gergesenes) on the east side of the Sea of Galilee. That is interesting because unlike the Jewish-settled west side, the east side of the Galilee was Gentile and Jesus never had a dedicated ministry directed specifically to the Gentiles.
Jesus literally took the disciples on a mission. “On the same day, when evening had come, He said to them, “Let us cross over to the other side.” Now when they had left the multitude, they took Him along in the boat as He was. And other little boats were also with Him. And a great windstorm arose, and the waves beat into the boat, so that it was already filling. But He was in the stern, asleep on a pillow. And they awoke Him and said to Him, “Teacher, do You not care that we are perishing?”
Then He arose and rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, “Peace, be still!” And the wind ceased and there was a great calm. But He said to them, “Why are you so fearful? How is it that you have no faith?” And they feared exceedingly, and said to one another, “Who can this be, that even the wind and the sea obey Him!” (Mark 4:35-41)
Third, the disciples were all fishermen accustomed to storms and they were sailing on the Sea of Galilee, considered to be their daily home “turf.” Why did they express such alarm? Was this a greater storm than they routinely encountered? Or was there something different about the storm? Fourth, notice that Jesus “rebuked” this storm. It begs the question, was this storm formed against Him by a malevolent intelligence?
And finally, we see that the disciples early on are overwhelmed in this moment and trying to understand who this man Jesus was. And they lived with Him! “Who can this be, that even the wind and the sea obey Him?” They are about to receive a quick education on the other shore.
But first, what is a dolmen? They are megalithic tombs made primarily from slabs of basalt and limestone that can vary greatly in size and weight. Dolmens are found all over the world, but there are more of these tombs in Jordan (20,000) and the Golan Heights (5,000) than anywhere else. Many are dated to 3000-2000 BC and some older. Generally simple structures, mostly in a trilithon formation-two standing stones and a capstone, like a “table” across the top, with no cement holding the slabs together.
Their primary function was for the burial of the dead, they were generally positioned north to south, and it was the sight of a monthly practice of making an offering to the dead that dates back to ancient Sumer and later practiced by the Amorites and Moabites. Each family would bring a food offering on the night of the new moon when it was believed the veil was thinnest between the natural and the supernatural world not only to appease their dead ancestors with food but to summon their spirits for blessings and protection. Dolmens were frequently found in gardens. The offering was always conducted by the oldest son, called the “pourer of the cup.”
The offering was typically bread, water, honey, and a meat offering. The meat mostly used was a pig because it was the least expensive to raise. Thus, these regions around Israel traditionally raised swine herds to provide a monthly meat offering to their dead ancestors and from which they would partake themselves.
The act of necromancy, speaking to the dead, was a common practice of pagans during the Old and New Testament eras. The word is based on the Greek nekromanteía, a compound of nekros (“corpse”) and manteía (“divination”). In essence, it describes an attempt to speak to the dead and receive messages in return.
The practice of necromancy is most detestable and abhorrent to God.
“Then they yoked themselves to the Baal of Peor, and ate sacrifices offered to the dead; they provoked the Lord to anger with their deeds, and a plague broke out among them.” (Psalm 106:28-29)
It is known as the veneration of the dead and the Israelites, during their time in Moab, adopted these practices from the Amorite/Rephaim culture.
“While Israel lived in Shittim, the people began to whore with the daughters of Moab. These invited the people to the sacrifices of their gods, and the people ate and bowed down to their gods. So Israel yoked himself to Baal of Peor. And the anger of the Lord was kindled against Israel.”(Numbers 25:1-3)
Who was Baal of Peor? Remember, baal in Hebrew means “lord.” So the Lord of Peor was a deity linked to that area. Peor is related to the Hebrew root p’r, which means “cleft” or “gap” or “opening” and in this context is consistent with Isaiah’s description of the entrance to the netherworld of the dead.
“Therefore, Sheol has enlarged its appetite and opened (pa’ar) its mouth beyond measure. (Isaiah 5:14)
“I spread out my hands all the day to a rebellious people, who walk in a way that is not good, following their own devices; a people who provoke me to my face continually, sacrificing in gardens and making offerings on bricks; who sit in tombs, and spend the night in secret places; who eat pig’s flesh, and broth of tainted meat is in their vessels; who say, “Keep to yourself, do not come near me, for I am too holy for you.” (Isaiah 65:2-5)
Thus, this serves a background to a key component of our Matthew 8 account in terms of the practices of the day. For these pagan practices of venerating the dead even made its way into both the Roman and Greek cultures well into the 300s A.D. The Gergesene region was in the center of the ancient Amorite culture.
“And when he was come to the other side into the country of the Gergesenes, there met him two possessed with devils, coming out of the tombs, exceeding fierce, so that no man might pass by that way.” (Matthew 8:28)
Remarkably, both the Luke and Mark accounts record that one man was demon-possessed whereas Matthew clearly states there were two. Most theologians believe it is because the Luke and Mark accounts extend the story to include the one man requesting to board the boat with Jesus at the end but He told him to go back and testify to his healing and so their accounts center on the one.
(“exceedingly fierce” is underlined because it is the Greek word chalepos used to describe the actions of men possessed by demons. This word is only used one other time in the New Testament in 2nd Timothy 2:24-3:9 describing the last days as “perilous” as in, out of their minds, uncontrollable and violent. Certainly, we are seeing that today and is referenced in a prior article dated 6/2/20)
“And, behold, they cried out, saying, What have we to do with thee, Jesus, thou Son of God? art thou come hither to torment us before the time?” (verse 29)
And the disciples heard this. Today we have the benefit of the entire New Testament, but until this point Jesus had not yet declared who He was. Moreover, even the demons seemed to be taken aback with the appearance of Christ, yet they immediately knew who He was and recognized His authority. (Reference: James 2:19) To further validate their surprise the demons asked if Jesus had come to torment them “before the time” or the time of their judgment. They know their time is limited.
In the Mark account Jesus calls out the unclean spirit and asks its name for which he replies, “My name is Legion: for we are many.” (Mark 5:9) Note that a Roman legion could vary in size between 4,000-6,000. In verse 10, the demon pleads with Jesus not to cast them out of the area or region. It is here that the demons see a herd of swine in the distance.
“Now a good way off from them there was a herd of many swine feeding. So the demons begged Him, saying, “If You cast us out, permit us to go away into the herd of swine.”
And He said to them, “Go.” So when they had come out, they went into the herd of swine. And suddenly the whole herd of swine ran violently down the steep place into the sea, and perished in the water.” (Matthew 8:30-32)
The question becomes, why did the demons ask to be cast out of the two possessed men and into a swine herd? Most deliverance ministers and many theologians acknowledge that demons are territorial spirits in nature. The Bible tells us that angels can take the form of a man (Hebrews 13:2) but demons require embodiment in an animal or human to manifest themselves. A very real possibility is that the demons requested to be cast into the swine herd simply to extend their territorial presence there. Really interesting: Mark 5:13 tells us the swine herd numbered 2,000! It is also uncanny that the demons were cast into a swine herd that most likely as a primary purpose was raised for use as a monthly offering to dead spirits. The next obvious question is, why did Jesus agree to their request?
Jesus said, “When an unclean spirit goes out of a man, he goes through dry places, seeking rest, and finds none. Then he says, ‘I will return to my house from which I came.’ And when he comes, he finds it empty, swept, and put in order. Then he goes and takes with him seven other spirits more wicked than himself, and they enter and dwell there.” (Matthew 12:43-45a)
That the swine herd ran violently down into the waters and perished cost the demons the embodiment necessary to stay in that area. Today, most Christians are not familiar with the non-canonical books of the Apocrypha, they are referenced in the Bible but the authors of both the Old and New Testaments knew them well. Both books of Enoch and Jasher state that demons are the disembodied spirits of the Nephilim of Genesis 6 that perished in the Flood. The ancient writers stated that demons were fearful of water as it reminded them of their bodily death. This would seemingly be supported by Jesus’ teaching that “when an unclean spirit goes out of a man, he goes through dry (arid) places, seeking rest…”
The demons did not know their fate, but Jesus did?? We simply don’t have all the answers.
Questions to be answered when we are with our Lord Jesus Christ in heaven and when we learn….”the rest of the story.”
Sources: Dr. Ken Johnson, Sharon & Derek Gilbert, Dr. Thomas Horn, Dr. Chuck Missler, Dr. Michael Heiser
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I am grateful for your emails and inquiries over my three months absence from the blog. My wife and I have recently sold our home of 26 years and have relocated to a temporary residence waiting for God’s direction. Shortly thereafter I succumbed to a two-month illness and was unable to write or teach. Having now recovered, we would appreciate your prayerful support.