Luke 8:27
And when he went forth to land, there met him out of the city a certain man, which had devils long time, and ware no clothes, neither abode in any house, but in the tombs. And when he went forth to land, there met him out of the city a certain man, which had devils long time, and ware no clothes, neither abode in any house, but in the tombs.
When Jesus came ashore in the country of the Gadarenes in the early morning, He was met at the shore by a man from the city who lived in caves and tombs beside the road that served as both dwellings and burial places. He had been controlled and tormented by demons for a long time, wore no clothes and lived in no house but in isolation among the tombs, and he was one of two demoniacs who were violent, uncontrollable, and dangerous to travelers, breaking chains, cutting themselves with stones, and rushing fiercely upon others. His naked, frenzied, beast-like condition shows the torment, ruin, and degradation by which evil spirits reduce human beings almost to the likeness of wild beasts. Jesus freed him and restored him to reason, calmness, and a sound mind, and though he desired to remain with Jesus he was sent home to tell his people what God had done and became a witness of Christ's power to save from Satan's bondage in Decapolis. The encounter is visible evidence that Jesus as the Prince of Light is supreme over Satan as the Prince of Darkness, and the change from terror to testimony revealed Him as the Son of God, yet fear of worldly loss led the people to reject Him and turn away heaven's gift.
The Man in the Tombs
When Jesus came ashore in the country of the Gadarenes, a man from the city met Him at the shore in the early morning after the night on the water. He lived in caves and tombs beside the road, which in that region served as both dwellings and burial places. The landing on the beach was met by two men possessed with devils who rushed fiercely forward as if to tear the newcomers in pieces.
The man had been controlled and tormented by demons for a long time. He wore no clothes and lived in isolation among the tombs and graves rather than in any house. He was cut off from ordinary community life and left in severe distress apart from men.
He was one of two demon-possessed men who were violent, dangerous, and uncontrollable. They had been confined in chains but had broken them and escaped, with parts of the chains still hanging from them. They harmed and cut and bruised themselves with sharp stones and other missiles at hand. They had long matted hair and glaring faces, rushed fiercely at Jesus as if to tear Him in pieces, and made travel unsafe because they rushed upon travelers to kill them if they could.
Their naked, frenzied, beast-like appearance looked more like wild beasts than men. Their rage, self-injury, and danger to others show the torment, ruin, and degradation caused by evil spirits. It is Satan's destructive power to reduce people almost to the likeness of wild beasts and to take away ordinary human life.
Deliverance and Witness
Jesus freed the man and the other demoniac from demonic control, restoring them to reason, calmness, and sound minds after long torment. They were no longer a threat to the community but sat calm and listened to Jesus with gratitude. His appearance became gentle and he praised God for deliverance.
The restored men wanted to remain with Jesus, but He sent them home to tell their people what God had done for them. They obeyed and became witnesses and messengers of Christ's saving power, sharing the good news of His power to save people from Satan's bondage. Though long isolation and being cut off from ordinary society seemed to have left them unfit for this work, those once controlled by darkness carried the gospel to Decapolis.
Their change from men who terrorized their neighbors into messengers of truth revealed Jesus' power to save and His identity as the Son of God. Even when the people first rejected Jesus, their testimony opened the way for many to hear the message of salvation. The demons' name, Legion, indicates their great number, since a Roman legion contained three to five thousand soldiers. The encounter is visible evidence of Satan's power and of Jesus as the Prince of Light exercising supremacy over the Prince of Darkness. Yet their restoration to reason did not overcome the Gadarenes' fear of financial loss, so they rejected Christ's visit and turned away heaven's priceless gift, illustrating how people drive His Spirit from their hearts when following Him seems to cost worldly interests, for they cannot serve both God and mammon.