Today, I had the story of when Jesus delivered a man who had a legion of demons and sent them into pigs (found in Mark 5:1–20, Luke 8:26–39, and Matthew 8:28–34) stuck in my head — which is so random, or maybe not. The Holy Spirit clearly wanted to teach me something through it.
Jesus was always healing people and casting out demons, but He wasn’t just going around randomly performing miracles — there was a method to the madness, if I can say that.
To understand verses 7–20, you need to first understand what happened in verses 1–6. Because that was the journey from rebellion to salvation that led to freedom!
Grab your physical Bible or click Bible for the online version.
The Man and Jesus (verse 1-6)
Verses 2 and 6 tell us that the man saw Jesus from a distance and ran to Him. But who was this man?
The Bible says he was demon-possessed and lived among the tombs and in the hills.
Why did he live in those places?
Maybe it was the only way he could be free to explore the fullness of his darkness — day and night, crying out, screaming, even cutting himself, with no one there to judge or try to control him. Or maybe he related to the emptiness of those places — maybe it reflected how he felt inside: dead.
No one was ever strong enough to subdue him. They tried, but he always broke free. Matthew 8:28 even says he was so violent that no one could pass through the area. So why did he run to Jesus and bow low?
The answer I came to was this: he finally found someone who could fully understand his brokenness — the only One strong enough not to subdue his darkness but to actually free him.
Where did I get this from? Let’s follow the conversation between the characters: Jesus, the possessed man, the evil spirit (later, spirits), and the townspeople.
The Interaction
The Possessed Man:
He saw Jesus from a distance, ran to Him, and bowed low before Him.
Jesus:
He says, "Come out of the man, you evil spirit."
Mark 5:8 adds that "Jesus had already said," implying that Jesus spoke first before the demon's response in verse 7.
The Demon:
Let’s break the demon’s response into three points:
1."Why are you interfering with me?" — This shows there was an agenda Jesus interrupted.
2."Jesus, Son of the Most High God" — They recognized Jesus as God. And notice the name they use: Most High — the One with authority over them.
3."In the name of God, I beg you, don’t torture me" — In Job 1:12 and Revelation 12:12, we see that the enemy is allowed to cause chaos, but only for a limited time.
Jesus:
He asks, "What is your name?"
In Matthew 1:21, when the angel announces the birth of Christ, he says to name the baby Jesus, which means “He will save His people from their sins.” The same way Jesus’s name revealed His agenda, the name of the demon would reveal his.
The Demon:
“My name is Legion; for we are many.”
Fact: A legion was an army of around 5,000 to 6,000 Roman soldiers who would oversee a large region — in this case, the Decapolis or the Ten Towns.
It started with one demon, but it turned out to be many.
Revelation: When we first encounter Jesus, we’re aware of specific sins. But the closer we get to Him, the more His light reveals things we didn’t even know were there.
You thought your struggle was just anger — but behind that, there’s rejection, abandonment, harsh criticism, abuse that happened when you were five.
The Demon(s):
“Then the evil spirits begged him again and again not to send them to some distant place. “Send us into those pigs,” the spirits begged. “Let us enter them.”
Fact: Pigs were considered unclean animals to Jews under Moses’s Law in Leviticus 11:7, so only Gentiles (non-Jews) would have had pig farms, which confirms that it was a predominantly Gentile area.
This shows that this wasn’t just about one man — he represented the spiritual state of the whole region. Christ was bringing salvation and deliverance to thousands through one man.
Jesus:
“Jesus gives them permission.”
This is a reminder that even the kingdom of darkness is under the authority of Jesus Christ.
Ephesians 1:22 — “God has put all things under the authority of Christ and has made him head over all things for the benefit of the church.”
The Demon(s):
“Then the unclean spirits went out and entered the pigs (there were about two thousand); and the herd ran violently down the steep place into the sea, and drowned in the sea.”
That was a symbol of darkness being cast out — a spiritual cleansing of the whole region. This moment fulfilled what Isaiah had prophesied:
Isaiah 9:2 — “The people who walk in darkness will see a great light. For those who live in a land of deep darkness, a light will shine.”
The Possessed Man (now free):
“Then they came to Jesus, and saw the one who had been demon-possessed and had the legion, sitting and clothed and in his right mind. And they were afraid.”
Jesus restored him. He gave him dignity. There was no shame. He took away the torment and gave him peace of mind.
2 Timothy 1:7 — “For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.”
The Townspeople:
They pleaded with Jesus to go away and leave them alone.
Context is very important to understand why they rejected Jesus even after seeing Him perform a miracle. There was tension between Jews and Gentiles — culturally, religiously, politically, economically. So when a Jewish man came and caused their pigs (already considered unclean by Jews) to drown, it felt like an attack.
The Man (now free):
He begged to go with Jesus. But Jesus said:
“No, go home to your family and tell them everything the Lord has done for you and how merciful He has been.” — Mark 5:19
Fact: The Greek word for "family" used here is Oikos — it means household, and was used to describe wider family, tribe, or community depending on the context.
I’ve learned in my own walk with God that our purpose and giftings often come from our brokenness — the place we were most ashamed of.
Jesus knew how powerful personal testimony is — it’s how God is glorified.
So instead of taking the man with Him, He sent him back to be a witness of God’s mercy. He knew a foreigner preaching wouldn’t move them like one of their own — someone they once saw tormented, now completely transformed.
These people were also polytheists — meaning they worshipped many gods like Zeus and Artemis — so they wouldn’t easily accept the God of the Jews.
The Townspeople (later):
“They were completely amazed and said again and again, ‘Everything He does is wonderful. He even makes the deaf to hear and gives speech to those who cannot speak.’” — Mark 7:37
Jesus’ strategy worked.
In verse 20 and again in Mark 7:31–37, when Jesus returns, they welcome Him. They believed the message so much that they brought people to be healed — and they praised Him.
Jesus didn’t try to force Himself where He wasn’t welcome, and He didn’t try to do everything — even though He could.
He valued diversity. This is how the Church — the Body of Christ — is meant to function.
We see another example in John 4:1–42. Jesus meets the Samaritan woman at the well. Jews and Samaritans didn’t get along, so Jesus focused on one person who later evangelized to her entire town.
A good reminder:
The number of people doesn’t matter. If we are faithful with the little, we will bear much fruit.
Final Thoughts:
Religiousness teaches you to subdue sin — but suppressing is not freedom.
If you keep managing what seems small instead of casting it out, it will grow. One day, it may become strong enough to overcome you.
You can’t manage sin — so please surrender to the One who sees your brokenness… and can FREE you!
Love,
Albright
Read full article on Albright's website HERE.