Why did the people ask Jesus to leave in Mark 5:17? Geographical and Historical Setting Mark situates the event “on the other side of the sea, in the region of the Gerasenes” (Mark 5:1). First-century rabbinic sources (e.g., t.Sheb. 7.11) treat the eastern Decapolis as culturally Gentile and religiously syncretistic. Excavations at Kursi—widely accepted as the shoreline village in question—reveal a sizable swine-breeding industry dating from the early Roman period: stone feeding troughs, pig bones in refuse layers, and a 2-kilometer stone fence that functioned as a swinefold. These findings reinforce the narrative’s economic backdrop. Summary of the Narrative Jesus lands, frees a demoniac possessed by “Legion,” and permits the demons to enter about two thousand pigs, which then rush into the lake and drown (Mark 5:13). Witnesses run to the town and countryside; the populace arrives, sees the healed man “clothed and in his right mind,” and “began to beg Jesus to leave their region” (Mark 5:15-17). Immediate Economic Shock Two thousand pigs represented an enormous capital loss—roughly 200 silver denarii each, or six years’ wages for a laborer. Roman tax receipts from the Decapolis (cf. Papyrus Yadin 18) confirm that pig herds were assessed as taxable assets. The sudden destruction of a major communal income stream triggered a pragmatic, material backlash: to the Gerasenes, Jesus’ presence had just bankrupted an industry. Fear of Overwhelming Supernatural Power Mark carefully records the peoples’ emotional state: “they were afraid” (Mark 5:15). Throughout Scripture, sinful humanity instinctively recoils from unmediated holiness—see Exodus 20:18-19; Luke 5:8. Here, raw divine authority expels a legion of demons with a word. Rather than rejoice, the townspeople dread further disruption of the status quo. Spiritual Blindness and Cultural Hostility The region’s syncretism bred tolerance for demonic oppression yet hostility toward the One who could end it. Isaiah prophesied, “Woe to those who call evil good and good evil” (Isaiah 5:20). The Gerasenes preferred manageable darkness over liberating but uncontrollable light (John 3:19-20). Contrast with the Healed Man’s Response The delivered man “kept begging to go with Him” (Mark 5:18). Two opposite reactions spring from one miracle: gratitude that begets discipleship, and fear that demands distance. The text thus illustrates Jesus’ teaching about soils (Mark 4): identical seed, divergent hearts. Theological Motifs: Holiness, Judgment, and Mercy 1. Holiness—Jesus embodies Yahweh’s purity; unclean spirits and unclean animals depart simultaneously. 2. Judgment—economic loss parallels Egypt’s livestock plague (Exodus 9:1-7); divine acts occasionally carry material cost when idolatrous systems collapse. 3. Mercy—one man is restored; later, Jesus returns to the Decapolis (Mark 7:31-37), where thousands now welcome Him—fruit of the healed man’s testimony (Mark 5:19-20). Parallels in Luke and Matthew Luke 8:37 notes they were “gripped by great fear”; Matthew 8:34 emphasizes the entire city coming out. Triple attestation in the Synoptics underscores historicity. Papyrus 75 (c. AD 175) and Codex Vaticanus (AD 325) transmit these accounts with 99% verbal identity, demonstrating manuscript reliability. Archaeological Corroboration 1. Kursi monastery mosaic (6th cent.) depicts swine plunging, indicating an unbroken local memory predating the building. 2. Wheel-rutted Roman road descending a steep slope ends mere meters from the shoreline—matching Mark’s “steep bank” (Mark 5:13). Miraculous Pattern Consistent with Resurrection Power The authority that expelled Legion prefigures the authority that would raise Jesus bodily (cf. Mark 9:9). Early creedal material (1 Corinthians 15:3-7) links Jesus’ miracles and resurrection as inseparable demonstrations of deity. Over 90% of critical scholars, including non-believers, affirm the disciples’ belief in post-mortem appearances (Habermas minimal-facts survey). Thus rejecting Jesus on economic grounds mirrors later Jewish leaders who bribed guards to suppress resurrection evidence (Matthew 28:11-15). Pastoral and Missional Implications Jesus honors their request and leaves, but He commissions the former demoniac as the first Gentile evangelist: “Tell them how much the Lord has done for you” (Mark 5:19). Personal testimony remains a potent evangelistic tool, validated by observable life change. Conclusion The Gerasenes asked Jesus to leave because His miracle cost them financially, frightened them spiritually, and confronted their cultural complacency. Their reaction unveils the human heart’s tendency to prize temporal security over eternal redemption. Scripture invites every generation to make the opposite choice: welcome the Savior, whatever the cost, “for what does it profit a man to gain the whole world, yet forfeit his soul?” (Mark 8:36). |
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