Expositor's Bible Commentary Commentary Mark 5:1

"And they came to the other side of the sea, into the country of the Gerasenes." — Mark 5:1 (ASV)

Jesus now demonstrates his power over the forces of evil by casting out demons from a possessed man. Like the previous story, it reveals that Jesus is truly divine. “Across the lake” means on the eastern side, an area where the population was largely Gentile (cf. the presence of a large herd of pigs, animals considered unclean by Jews). In the area where this story probably took place, there was a cliff along with some old tombs.