Bible Study series: Luke 8:26-39. Demonic oppression is real. Don’t look for it but don’t deny it, either.
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In the next link to the original chapter, I comment more and offer the Greek text. At the bottom you will find a “Summary and Conclusion” section geared toward discipleship. Check it out!
In this post, links are provided for further study.
Let’s begin.
Scripture: Luke 9:26-39
26 So they sailed down into the region of Gerasene, which is opposite of Galilee. 27 A particular man having demons from the town met him as Jesus was getting out on land. For a long time, the man wore no clothes and did not remain at home but was among the tombs. 28 When he saw Jesus, he screamed and fell down before him, and with a loud voice he said, “Why are you interfering with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I beg you not to torment me!” 29 He commanded the unclean spirit to leave the man. (For a long time it had seized him, and he was bound with chains and shackles and kept under guard, but he broke the chains and was driven by the demon into the wilderness.)
30 Jesus asked him, “What is your name?” And he said, “Legion!” because many demons entered him. 31 And they began to implore him that he would not command them to depart into the abyss. 32 And right there was a herd of numerous pigs feeding on the hillside. And the demons begged him that he would permit them to go into them. And he allowed them to do that. 33 The demons went out of the man and went into the pigs, and the herd rushed down the cliff into the lake and drowned. 34 When the herdsmen saw what happened, they fled and reported it to the town and the countryside.
35 They went out to see what happened and came towards Jesus and found the man from whom the demons went out clothed and in his right mind, sitting at the feet of Jesus. They became frightened. 36 The ones who saw reported to them how the demonized man was rescued. 37 The whole crowd from the region of Gerasene asked him to leave them because they were seized with a great fear. He got in the boat and left.
38 But before then the man from whom the demons went out was asking him to remain with him. But he released him, saying, “Return to your household and recount how much God did for you.” 39 And he returned, preaching in the entire town how much Jesus did for him. (Luke 8:26-39)
Comments:
In this pericope (section or unit), the sequence appears to be out of order. For example, the demonized man met Jesus (v. 27), but then he saw Jesus and screamed (v. 28). Jesus left the area (v. 37), but then the formerly demonized man asked Jesus if he could go with him (v. 38). What do we make of these out-of-sequence events? The grammarians tell us that by verb tenses and verb functions in some verses are background material that fill in the details of the foreground material. For instance, the demonized man met Jesus (background), and then when the demonized man saw Jesus, he screamed (foreground detail to fill out the background picture). Such is the way of the storyteller. He can order events as he wants and expects the reader to quickly sort out the sequence. Luke (and Matthew and Mark) are writing excitedly.
Luke may have borrowed from the foreground-background technique of the OT histories. In 2 Kings 13:10-25, the author describes the reign of King Jehoash. He did evil in the sight of the Lord and died and rested with his ancestors, buried in Samaria with the kings of Israel (vv. 10-13). Then the author describes a long interaction between the king and the prophet Elisha, as if the king had risen from the dead (vv. 14-25). However, the first four verses served as a background summary, and the other numerous verses were put in the foreground.
In Luke’s Gospel, therefore, the sequence only shows the excitement in the story and storyteller and his art.
One last comment: Luke switches back and forth from demon (singular) to demons (plural). It will turn out as the story unfolds that the man had a legion of demons.
26:
Luke says he did research (1:1-4), and he learned that Jesus crossed the lake to the opposite side of Galilee, which had fewer Jews. Luke was being careful in his research.
In contrast, the Gnostic Gospels were written many decades and even centuries after the Gospels, and the Gnostic writers were not concerned about the historical details, though they now and again do talk about Jerusalem and Galilee. Yet one of them wrote that Jerusalem was in Galilee, a serious error, similar to saying New York City is in Kansas!
Mark 5:1 says that Jesus was in the region of the Gerasenes. Matt. 8:28 says he was in the region of the Gadarenes. Luke here agrees with Mark, but the manuscripts are all over the place. Bock offers a resolution: The difference is similar to an event that happened in a small town outside a big city (e.g. Cairo, Los Angeles, Baghdad, New York). One writer describes the event happening in the small nearby town (specific location), and another writer describes the event in the larger town (Bock, p. 783).
27:
With the geographical details out of the way, spiritual warfare is about to begin in earnest.
“meet”: The appearance of the verb surprised me at first, but on further study it should not have surprised me. The word means (1) “to come opposite to, meet face to face, meet with”; (2) “to meet in battle” (Liddell and Scott). So the demonized man met up with Jesus, and a battle was about to take place.
But first Luke has to describe the man’s great need—no clothes and not at home, but living among the tombs, an unclean place. He was being driven mad.
“having demons”: the phrase is translated simply. The standard verb for have is used. However, in v. 36, the man is said to have been “demonized” or daimonizomai (pronounced dy-mo-nee-zo-my), which just adds the suffix –izo, a very convenient quality about Greek (English has that ability too: modern to modernize). Just add that suffix to a word, and it turns into a verb. So it looks like “have a demon” and “be demonized” are synonyms. Don’t make a big difference between the two.
Other references for “have a demon”: “Demonized” is not the only verb to express a demonic attack (see Mark 3:22, 30; 7:25; 9:17; Luke 4:33; 7:33; 8:27; Acts 8:7; 16:16; 19:13). But I see no substantive difference between the two verbs and are used interchangeably in Luke 8:27, 36. What is more relevant is the soul of the person being attacked and how deep the attack goes because the person gives the demon access.
How Does New Testament Define Demonic Control?
28:
Verse 27 was background material, and now Luke fills in the details in v. 28. What did the demonized man do when he saw Jesus? Of course he screamed. The demons’ number one enemy just got on shore. The demons were preparing to resist Jesus’s command to leave their poor victim. The man through the demons, however, fell down before the Son of the Most High.
“why are you interfering with me?”: As noted in Luke 4:34, it is an idiom that can be translated literally, “What to me and to you?” It may point to an expression in the Septuagint (pronounced sep-TOO-ah-gent and is the third-to-second century B.C. Greek translation of the OT), which could be rendered as I have it here: “Why are you interfering with me?” (Josh. 22:24; Judg. 13:12; 2 Sam. 16:10; 19:22; 1 Kings 17:18; 2 Kings 3:13). And that’s what I chose, because the more I thought about it, the more I believe the Septuagint should be authoritative and decisive in this verse. Alternatively, however, the phrase may emphasize the distance between Jesus and the demon. Therefore, it can also be translated, “Why would you cross over into my jurisdiction, from you to me?” You can decide which translation works best.
The demon believed Jesus had the authority to torment him. But would he do it? Only partially, because he sent them into a herd of pigs. It’s a demotion.
“Son of the Most High God”: Neither the crowds nor the disciples knew fully what this title meant, but demons knew who he was better than the humans did at this moment. So now let’s briefly look into systematic theology. Jesus was the Son of the Father eternally, before creation. The Son has no beginning. He and the Father always were, together. The relationship is portrayed in this Father-Son way so we can understand who God is more clearly. Now he relates to us as his sons and daughters. On our repentance and salvation and union with Christ, we are brought into his eternal family.
6. Titles of Jesus: The Son of God
When Did Jesus “Become” the Son of God?
29:
Here in this verse Luke reverses the order of background and foreground details. Jesus had commanded the demon (foreground details), and then Luke interrupts the results of the command with background material. The demon was powerful and moved the man’s muscles to break the chains. The demon used to drive him out into the uninhabited places. The possession went deep. The story is startling and scary to Luke’s ordinary readers. How would it end? We know Jesus will handle things, but how? And how do his methods relate to us?
And what about the command at the beginning of the verse? Why didn’t it seem to work? The tension in this real-life, spiritual confrontation story is building in the audience.
30:
As just noted, the demon possession ran deep, and Jesus had to find out more information. Why did he have to do that? There was a jurisdiction matter to clear up. Recall the idiom, “Why are you interfering with us?” The clause could be translated as “Why would you cross over to our jurisdiction?” The point is that Jesus learned the name of the demons, so he could have authority in this demonic jurisdiction. Some commentators say that learning the name was not to gain authority over the demons, while other commentators think otherwise. I think this case was exceptional, not an ordinary possession, because no other passage about deliverance shows a man snapping chains. Jesus found out quickly that the case was unique when he commanded the demons and got no results—at first. He learned the name to get more authority over this unique case.
A little Renewal theology: Yes, Jesus was God incarnate, but his unique divinity that he took with him to earth was hidden (not lost) behind his humanity. As he lived and moved on earth, he was subject to the everyday human limitations of life—hunger, sleep, fatigue and thirst, for instance. He was also anointed by the Spirit. He was the Anointed One. So the Father and the Spirit worked in Jesus of Nazareth—the Trinity together, but we will never be able to figure out in detail how the three cooperated together. Here the Father willed that his Son—the Son of the Most High—cast out a demon. Through the gifts of the Spirit (1 Cor. 12:7-11) kingdom citizens can also cast out demons, after Jesus ascended to heaven.
It is amazing to me how calm Jesus was in asking for the name of the demons. Authority and calm go together. Flashy Renewalists who shriek during deliverances are probably just insecure.
“Legion”: many demons entered him. A Roman legion was 3000-6000 foot soldiers with a cavalry. And Mark says the herd of pigs numbered about 2000 (5:13). However, the number in the word legion should not be taken overly literally. Many demons had overtaken him.
Some believe that asking for a name shows authority. However, in Genesis, Adam named animals. He did not ask for their names. Authority = Naming something.
31:
Luke informs the audience that the demons believed Jesus had authority to command them to go into the abyss. Apparently, demons are assigned territories. When the demon begs Jesus not to send him into the abyss to await judgment (2 Pet. 2:4; Jude 6). That is, to leave an assigned area means defeat (Matt. 12:43-45; Luke 11:24-26), so the demons implore Jesus to let them enter the pigs, who are part of the local area. Little did they know what was about to happen! One thing is for certain, to command the demons to leave the human is a sure sign that Satan and his kingdom is being pushed back.
So this truth reinforces the belief that the Father willed to teach later disciples how to cast out a particularly stubborn cluster of demons. Luke used the verb parakaleō (pronounced pah-rah-kah-leh-oh), and it can mean to “beg” or even “exhort” (strongly urge).
32-33:
Jesus gave them permission—showing his authority—to lunge headlong into the lake. I translate the word as “cliff,” but most other translations have “bank.” It’s hard to believe that the pigs just waded out into the water, so I envision a crest or cliff, and they were thrown out—leaped out—into the deep. As noted, Mark’s Gospel says there were 2,000 pigs (5:13). So a legion of demons would match up with those numbers, more or less, without demanding literal numbers with the name Legion. This loss was costly to the swineherds.
In some ancient thought, the deep water was considered an Abyss. But at this time, the cosmology is not clear. (Liefeld and Pao, comment on v. 33). Whatever the case, the demons left the man.
34-36:
They fled out of fear. Some of the people who saw the original event stayed around and then reported to the townsmen who came out to see what had happened. The man was delivered, clothed, and in his right mind.
The Greek verb for “in his right mind”can be translated, depending on the context, as “in right mind,” “clear minded,” “self-controlled,” “sober judgment” (NIV); “be of sound mind, be in one’s right mind, be reasonable, sensible, serious” (Shorter Lexicon).
“they became frightened”: Wonderous miracles can scare unprepared people. There is nothing wrong with the reverential fear and awe of God, but let’s not be scared off from him. However, some people, not knowing how to relate to God, need to be instructed that God loves them and worked a miracle to help people and draw them to himself.
“rescued”: this is the verb sōzō, and see v. 12 for deeper comments. Salvation includes deliverance from demons. Jesus rescued the man.
“demonized”: the one verb is translated simply. There are two main ways in the Greek NT to express demonic attacks to varying degrees, from full possession to just attacks: “have a demon” and “demonized.” The latter term is used often in Matthew: 4:24; 8:16, 28, 35; 9:32; 12:22; 15:22, but only once in Luke (8:36), and Mark four times (132; 5:15, 16, 18). John uses the term once (10:21). In Luke 8:26-39, Luke uses both “have a demon” and “demonized,” so he sees the terms synonymously. “Demonized” comes from the verb daimonizomai (pronounced dy-mo-nee-zo-my), which just adds the suffix –izo to the noun daimōn (pronounced dy-moan). It is a very convenient quality about Greek (English has this ability too: modern to modernize). Just add this suffix to a noun, and it turns into a verb. So it looks like “have a demon” and “be demonized” are synonyms. The context determines how severe the possession was.
37-38:
In these two verses Luke goes out of sequence. In v. 37, he completes the picture of the crowd’s reactions. They asked him to leave because they “were seized” with a great fear. Once again, people are unprepared for mighty acts of salvation. Then Jesus got back in the boat and left. In v. 38, however, now the “camera” (so to speak) or point of view swings back to the earlier discussion between Jesus and the healed man.
“before then”: It was inserted for ease of narrative flow. Now Luke finishes off the wonderful aftermath of the man’s story. So which part of the story is the foreground and which the background? The man is always in the foreground, because of the miracle worked out for him, while the crowd is in the background. He has to end the story, in the foreground. That’s why Luke switches back to him in the last verse in this pericope. In these short, true stories or parables, the Gospel writers often end with the most important lesson, the punch line.
The healed man wanted to remain with Jesus, but Jesus told him to go back home and narrate his story of what God did for him. Meanwhile, the man told the people what great things Jesus did for him. Jesus worked through God and by God and for God. This switch by Luke shows the wonderful ministry connection between the Son and the Father.
Why does Jesus tell this man to broadcast to everyone what had happened, but in v. 56, he tells the people who witnessed Jairus’s daughter’s resuscitation to remain quiet? Here, Jesus was in Gentile territory, where feverous Messianism would not arise, but in v. 56 he was back in Jewish territory where Messianism could reach an unwanted, high pitch. The man became the first ‘apostle’ to the Gentiles, anticipating and reflecting the outreach in the book of Acts.
“Perhaps they [the local people] fear further economic loss, but they are clearly more at home with the presence of the demonic in their midst than the presence of the power that can drive it away. Their rejection of Jesus is similar to what happened to Paul and Silas in Philippi when they exorcised a demon from a female soothsayer (Acts 16:16-22)” (Garland, comments on 8:36-37). Great assessment of the whole scene.
To end this pericope (pronounced puh-RIH-koh-pea, once again I invite you to see my posts about Satan in the area of systematic theology:
Bible Basics about Satan and Demons and Victory Over Them
Bible Basics about Deliverance
Magic, Witchcraft, Sorcery, and Fortunetelling
GrowApp for Luke 8:26-39
1. God through Christ has set you free from something. Tell your story.
RELATED
11. Eyewitness Testimony in Luke’s Gospel
3. Church Fathers and Luke’s Gospel
2. Archaeology and the Synoptic Gospels
1. The Historical Reliability of the Gospels: Introduction to Series
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