Church Fathers Commentary Luke 8:26-39

"And they arrived at the country of the Gerasenes, which is over against Galilee. And when he was come forth upon the land, there met him a certain man out of the city, who had demons; and for a long time he had worn no clothes, and abode not in [any] house, but in the tombs. And when he saw Jesus, he cried out, and fell down before him, and with a loud voice said, What have I to do with thee, Jesus, thou Son of the Most High God? I beseech thee, torment me not. For he was commanding the unclean spirit to come out from the man. For oftentimes it had seized him: and he was kept under guard, and bound with chains and fetters; and breaking the bands asunder, he was driven of the demon into the deserts. And Jesus asked him, What is thy name? And he said, Legion; for many demons were entered into him. And they entreated him that he would not command them to depart into the abyss. Now there was there a herd of many swine feeding on the mountain: and they entreated him that he would give them leave to enter into them. And he gave them leave. And the demons came out from the man, and entered into the swine: and the herd rushed down the steep into the lake, and were drowned. And when they that fed them saw what had come to pass, they fled, and told it in the city and in the country. And they went out to see what had come to pass; and they came to Jesus, and found the man, from whom the demons were gone out, sitting, clothed and in his right mind, at the feet of Jesus: and they were afraid. And they that saw it told them how he that was possessed with demons was made whole. And all the people of the country of the Gerasenes round about asked him to depart from them, for they were holden with great fear: and he entered into a boat, and returned. But the man from whom the demons were gone out prayed him that he might be with him: but he sent him away, saying, Return to thy house, and declare how great things God hath done for thee. And he went his way, publishing throughout the whole city how great things Jesus had done for him." — Luke 8:26-39 (ASV)

St. Cyril of Alexandria: The Savior, as He sailed with His disciples, came to a port, as it is written, And they arrived at the country of the Gadarenes, which is opposite Galilee.

Titus of Bostra: Many accurate copies have neither “Gerazenes” nor “Gadarenes,” but “Gergezenes.” For Gadara is a city in Judea, but no lake or sea is found there, and Geraza is a city of Arabia, with no lake or sea nearby.

Gergeza, however, from which the Gergezenes get their name, is an ancient city near the Lake of Tiberias. Above it is a cliff hanging over the lake, into which they say the swine were dashed down by the demons. Since Gadara and Geraza border the land of the Gergezenes, it is probable that the swine were led from there into their region.

The Venerable Bede: For Geraza is a famous city of Arabia, on the other side of the Jordan, close to the mountain of Gilead, which was held by the tribe of Manasseh, and not far from the Lake of Tiberias, into which the swine were cast headlong.

St. John Chrysostom: But as soon as our Lord departed from the sea, He met with another, more awe-inspiring wonder. For the demoniac, like a wicked slave, confirms his bondage when he sees Him, as the text continues: And when he went forth to land, there met him out of the city a certain man...

St. Augustine of Hippo: While Matthew says that there were two demon-possessed men, Mark and Luke mention only one. You must understand that one of them was a more distinguished and famous person, for whom that neighborhood was chiefly distressed and in whose restoration they were greatly interested. To signify this, the two Evangelists thought it right to mention only him, as the report of this miracle had been most widely spread on his account.

St. John Chrysostom: Alternatively, Luke selected from the two the one who was the most savage. Hence, he gives the most grievous account of his calamity, adding, And he wore no clothes, and did not live in any house, but in the tombs. But the evil spirits visit the tombs of the dead to instill in people the dangerous notion that the souls of the dead become demons.

St. Cyril of Alexandria: Now, his going naked among the tombs of the dead was a mark of demonic wildness. But God, in His providence, permits some to become subject to evil spirits so that we may learn from them what kind of beings these spirits are to us. This is so that we may refuse to be subject to them, and thus, through the suffering of one, many may be edified.

St. John Chrysostom: But because the people acknowledged Him to be a man, the demons came proclaiming His divinity, which even the sea had declared by its calmness. Thus, the text continues, When he saw Jesus, he fell down before him and with a loud voice said...

St. Cyril of Alexandria: Mark here the combination of fear with boldness and great desperation. It is a sign of demonic despair to speak out boldly, “What have I to do with you, Jesus, you Son of God most high?” but it is a sign of fear when they pray, “I beseech you, do not torment me.”

If you know Him to be the Son of God most high, you confess Him to be the God of heaven and earth and of all things contained in them. How then do you use His words, not your own, saying, “What have I to do with you?” What earthly prince would ever endure having his subjects tormented by barbarians? This is why the text says, For he had commanded the unclean spirit to come out of him. And He shows the necessity of this command, adding, For it had often seized him...

St. John Chrysostom: Therefore, since no one could restrain the possessed man, Christ goes to him and addresses him. The text continues, And Jesus asked him, saying, “What is your name?”

The Venerable Bede: He does not ask the man's name because He is ignorant of it, but so that when the demoniac confessed the affliction he endured, the power of the Healer might shine forth and be more welcome to him.

The priests of our time, who through the grace of exorcism are able to cast out demons, are also accustomed to say that sufferers can only be cured by openly confessing everything they have endured from the unclean spirits, whether waking or sleeping—and especially when they believe the demons are seeking to possess their body.

So also here the confession is added: And he said, “Legion,” because many demons had entered him.

Gregory of Nyssa: Certain demons, imitating the heavenly hosts and the legions of angels, say that they are legions. In the same way, their prince says that he will exalt his throne above the stars so that he may be like the Most High.

St. John Chrysostom: But when the Lord had overcome the demons that disturbed His creatures, they thought that because of the enormity of their actions, He would not wait for the appointed time of their punishment. Therefore, since they could not deny their guilt, they begged not to undergo their penalty immediately, as the text continues: And they begged him not to command them to go out into the deep.

Theophylact of Ohrid: The demons demand this because they wish to continue to mingle with humankind.

St. Cyril of Alexandria: From this it is plain that the rebel hosts against the Divine Majesty were cast down into hell by the unspeakable power of the Savior.

St. Maximus the Confessor: The Lord ordains an appropriate punishment for each class of sinner: the unquenchable fire of Hell for carnal passions, the gnashing of teeth for reckless merriment, intolerable thirst for pleasure and revelry, the worm that does not die for a crooked and malignant heart, everlasting darkness for ignorance and deceit, and the bottomless pit for pride. Hence, the deep is assigned to the demons as it is to the proud, as the text continues: And there was there a herd of swine...

St. Augustine of Hippo: The words of Mark, that there was a herd of swine near the mountains, and of Luke, that they were on the mountains, do not contradict one another. The herd of swine was so large that some could have been on the mountain and some near it. For there were two thousand swine, as Mark has stated.

St. Ambrose of Milan: But the demons could not endure the brightness of the light of heaven, just as those with weak eyes cannot bear the sun’s rays.

St. Cyril of Alexandria: The multitude of unclean spirits therefore seeks to be sent into the herd of unclean swine, which were like them, for the text continues: And they begged him to allow them to enter into them.

St. Athanasius of Alexandria: If demons have no power over swine, they have much less power against humans, who are made in the image of God. Therefore, we ought to fear God alone and despise them.

St. Cyril of Alexandria: The Lord granted them permission so that this, among other things, might be a source of benefit for us and give us confidence in our safety. The text says, And he allowed them. We must therefore consider that demons are hostile to those who are subject to them.

This becomes evident from their sending the swine violently into the water and drowning them, as the text continues: Then the demons went out of the man and entered the swine, and the herd ran violently down a steep place into the lake and was drowned.

Christ permitted this for those who sought it, so that the event might reveal how cruel they are. It was also necessary to show that the Son of God has no less power of foresight than the Father, so that equal glory might be manifested in each.

Titus of Bostra: The shepherds take flight, for fear that they would perish with the swine. Thus the text says, When those who fed them saw what was done, they fled and went and told it in the city and in the country, causing similar alarm among the citizens.

But the severity of their loss led them to the Savior, for the text continues, Then they went out to see what was done and came to Jesus. Here, we should remark that while God punishes people in their possessions, He confers a blessing upon their souls.

When they arrived, they saw the man who had been long afflicted now in his right mind. The text says, And they found the man from whom the demons had departed, sitting at the feet of Jesus, clothed (whereas before he was naked) and in his right mind. For he would not depart from those feet where he had found safety.

Acknowledging the miracle, they were astonished at the cure of his sickness and marveled at the event, for the text continues, And they were afraid. They discovered this partly by sight and partly by hearing it described. The text says, Those who saw it also told them how he who had been possessed by demons was healed.

But they should have begged the Lord not to depart from them, but to be the guardian of their country so that no evil spirits might come near them. Instead, through fear, they lost their own salvation by asking the Savior to leave. The text continues, Then the whole multitude of the surrounding country of the Gadarenes begged him to depart from them, for they were seized with great fear.

Theophylact of Ohrid: They were afraid that they would again suffer some loss, as they had with the drowning of the swine.

St. John Chrysostom: But observe the humility of Christ. When they sent Him away after He had conferred such great benefits upon them, He does not resist but departs, leaving those who had proclaimed themselves unworthy of His teaching. The text continues, And he got into the boat and returned.

Titus of Bostra: But as He was departing, the man who had been afflicted did not want to part from his Savior, for the text says, Now the man from whom the demons had departed begged him that he might be with him.

Theophylact of Ohrid: As one who had learned from experience, he was afraid that if he were far from Jesus, he might again become the prey of demons. But the Lord shows him that even though He is not physically present, He can protect him by His grace, for the text continues, But Jesus sent him away, saying, “Return to your own house, and tell what great things God has done for you.” He did not say, “what great things I have done for you,” giving us an example of humility, that we should attribute all our righteousness to God.

Titus of Bostra: He does not, however, turn aside from the law of truth, for whatever the Son does, the Father also does. But why does He, who everywhere else charged those who were delivered to tell no one, say to this man delivered from the legion, “Show how great things God has done for you”? It is because, in truth, that whole country did not know God and was in bondage to the worship of demons.

Or more accurately, when He refers the miracle to His Father, He says, “Show how great things...”, but when He speaks of Himself, He charges them to tell no one. But the man who was healed of the demons knew Jesus to be God, and therefore he proclaimed what great things God had done for him. For the text continues, And he went his way and proclaimed throughout the whole city...

St. John Chrysostom: And so, abandoning those who had proclaimed themselves unworthy of His teaching, He appoints as their teacher the man who had been released from the demons.

The Venerable Bede: Mystically, Gerasa signifies the Gentile nations, whom Christ visited through His preachers after His passion and resurrection. Hence Gerasa, or Gergesa as some say, is interpreted as “casting out an inhabitant”—that is, the devil by whom it was previously possessed—or, “a stranger approaching,” who before was far away.

St. Ambrose of Milan: Although the number of those healed by Christ is different in Luke and Matthew, the mystery is one and the same. Just as the man who had a demon is a figure of the Gentile people, the two men similarly represent the Gentiles. For since Noah fathered three sons—Shem, Ham, and Japheth—only the family of Shem was called to the possession of God, and from the other two, the people of different nations descended.

He (as Luke says) had demons for a long time, since the Gentile people were afflicted from the flood down to our Lord’s coming. He was naked because the Gentiles lost the garment of their nature and virtue.

St. Augustine of Hippo: He lived in no house; that is, he had no rest in his conscience. He lived among the tombs because he delighted in the dead works of his sins.

St. Ambrose of Milan: Or what are the bodies of the unbelieving but kinds of tombs in which the word of God does not abide?

St. Augustine of Hippo: That he was bound by bronze fetters and chains signifies the harsh and severe laws of the Gentiles, by which offenses are also restrained in their states. But that, having burst these chains, he was driven by the demon into the wilderness, means that after breaking through these laws, he was led by lust into crimes that exceeded the ordinary life of men.

The expression that a legion of demons was in him signifies the nations who served many demons. The fact that the demons were permitted to go into the swine feeding on the mountains also signifies the unclean and proud people over whom demons have dominion because of their idol worship.

For the swine represent those who, in the manner of unclean animals without speech or reason, have defiled the grace of their natural virtues with the filthy actions of their lives.

By their being sent violently down into the lake, it is meant that the Church has been purified. Now that the Gentiles are delivered from the dominion of demons, those who refuse to believe in Christ carry on their unholy rites in hidden places with dark and secret observances.

St. Ambrose of Milan: They are carried violently down, for they are not reclaimed by contemplating any good deed. Instead, they are thrust from a higher place to a lower one, along the downward path of iniquity, and they perish amidst the waves of this world, cut off from the breath of the Spirit. For those who are carried to and fro by the rapid tide of pleasure cannot receive communion with the Spirit.

We see, then, that man himself is the author of his own misery. For unless a person lived like the swine, the devil would never have received power over him—or if he did receive it, it would be to test him, not to destroy him. And perhaps the devil, who can no longer steal away the good after our Lord’s coming, does not seek the destruction of all people, but only the licentious, just as a robber lies in wait not for the armed, but for the unarmed.

When those who kept the herd saw this, they fled. For neither the teachers of philosophy nor the leaders of the synagogue can bring a cure to perishing mankind. It is Christ alone who takes away the sins of the people.

St. Augustine of Hippo: Or, by the herdsmen of the swine fleeing and telling these things, He represents certain rulers of the wicked who, though they evade the law of Christianity, still proclaim it among the nations through their astonishment and wonder. By the Gerasenes asking Jesus to depart from them out of great fear when they knew what was done, He represents the multitude who delight in their old pleasures. They honor the Christian law but are unwilling to endure it, saying they cannot fulfill it, even while they marvel at the faithful who have been released from their former abandoned way of life.

St. Ambrose of Milan: Or, there seems to have been a kind of synagogue in the city of the Gerasenes that begged our Lord to depart because they were seized with great fear. For the weak mind does not receive the word of God, nor can it endure the burden of wisdom. Therefore, He no longer troubled them but ascended from the lower to the higher—from the Synagogue to the Church—and returned across the lake. For no one passes from the Church to the Synagogue without endangering his salvation. But whoever desires to pass from the Synagogue to the Church must take up his cross to avoid the danger.

St. Augustine of Hippo: That the man, now that he is healed, desires to be with Christ, and it is said to him, “Return to your house, and tell what great things God has done for you,” implies that each of us should understand something. After the remission of our sins, we should return to a good conscience as to our home and obey the Gospel for the salvation of others. In doing so, we may rest with Christ there, for fear that by wishing to be with Christ too early, we neglect the ministry of preaching necessary for the redemption of our brethren.