22 - JESUS AND POWER - Part 1

Luke 8:22-39

The next section presents four stories of different ways that Jesus demonstrated his powers over nature, demons, disease and death. All of these incidents were primarily to instruct the disciples so that they might also share his sovereignty and power.

The first incident (8:22-25) relates the familiar story of the stilling of the storm. Lake Galilee is quite large but shallow, lies below sea level and is surrounded by low mountains. Storms frequently sweep down from the mountains whipping up waves that would threaten the small fishing boats like those of the fishermen. Knowing the lake, the disciples would also recognize when they were in great danger. Jesus used the moment to teach them hopeful faith that they were safe when he was with them.

The second incident is more problematic because it happened in foreign territory, probably a seacoast village of Khersa. In some manuscripts it was called Gadara, but not to be confused with Gerasa That a Greek city state lay in the mountains 40 miles to the southeast. It was one of the ten cities known as Decapolis. As a Gentile community, it is especially important for the later apostolic mission to the Gentiles which was Luke’s primary interest.

The man possessed with demons would be regarded today as mentally ill, perhaps with schizophrenia or multiple personalities. He was a danger to himself and his community, so he had been bound with chains and banished to live among the tombs in the cemetery. That a herd of swine was nearby emphasized that this was Gentile territory, although some Jewish people probably lived there. The region had been captured and held by the Jews for about twenty years prior to the Roman conquest of all Jewish territory to the east and west of the Jordan River in 63 BCE. The incident also reveals obvious marks of grave impurity for any Jew: a demon-possessed maniac living in a cemetery near a place “in the wilds” where a herd of pigs wandered freely. As Sharon Hinge stated, these details revealed that the man lived “beyond the bounds of civilization.”

The loss of the herd of swine would have been significant for that community. No wonder they reacted in fear and asked Jesus to leave, despite seeing their fellow citizen in his right mind. The man himself desperately wanted to go with Jesus, but was refused. Jesus sent him back to his community to witness to what had happened to him. That too would have been significant for the future mission of the church.

Cruel as the stampede of the herd of pigs may be, it confirmed for the disciples who witnessed the incident that the sovereignty of the kingdom of God had arrived with Jesus. The stilling of the sea had shown them that through Jesus, God ruled over the chaos of nature. The healing of the demoniac further showed that God also reigned over the chaos that was in humanity, Jew and Gentile alike. That all three Synoptic Gospels report these incidents indicate their importance to the early tradition.