Mark 5:15
And they come to Jesus, and see him that was possessed with the devil, and had the legion, sitting, and clothed, and in his right mind: and they were afraid. And they come to Jesus, and see him that was possessed with the devil, and had the legion, sitting, and clothed, and in his right mind: and they were afraid.
Those who came found the man once controlled by a legion freed by Jesus' command and restored to calm dignity, clear thought, and settled self-control. He sat at Jesus' feet to listen, learn, give thanks, and worship the One who had made him whole, a complete reversal from his former wild terror in the tombs where no traveler was safe. His changed condition stands as living proof of Christ's mercy and power to break Satan's hold, release captives, and bring even demonic power under His control for good. Yet the onlookers were seized with fear, prizing their lost property above his deliverance, and in selfish attachment to worldly interests asked Jesus to leave without hearing Him. Though He departed, He left light behind in the healed men sent home to tell what God had done, whose testimony as channels of light roused the whole country and opened the region to the gospel.
The Man Restored
The man who had the legion is seen sitting and clothed and in his right mind, restored to settled dignity, calmness, and clear intelligent sanity after the demons left him at Jesus' command. His changed state is a complete restoration to ordinary human dignity and understanding, a visible return from bondage to freedom. The calm, settled, sane condition in which he sits is the direct result of his deliverance.
The same condition is also shown in the two men freed from demons, sitting clothed and in their right minds, calm, subdued, intelligent and gentle. After the evil spirits released them at His command, their minds were clear, their appearance gentle, and their hands quiet. They sit calmly together in restored reason and self-control.
This sitting is sitting at Jesus' feet, listening to His teaching with gratitude. There they praise God and glorify Him who made them whole. What they had seen and heard and experienced of the Saviour becomes what they can tell to others. The change is so complete that the sitting itself is worship of Jesus.
Their restored quietness stands against their former terror and captivity, when the two men were the terror of the country in Gadara. They lived in caves and tombs beside the road, and no traveler was safe to pass where they were, because they rushed upon all with demonic fury. Now clothed and in their right mind, they are calm and orderly where once they spread fear. The healing at Gadara took place just before Jesus returned across the sea, where Jairus met Him to ask for the healing of his daughter.
Power Seen and Rejected
The calm figure sitting clothed and in his right mind is living proof of power able to break Satan's bondage, release captives and restore those under demonic control. The change from fury and captivity to settled dignity, clear intelligence, subdued gentleness and quiet gratitude displays mercy and compassion at work before the eyes of the witnesses. It proves that even demonic power is under control, that One who had vanquished the prince of darkness can free souls from his grasp and overrule the working of evil for good. The deliverance of captives is thereby shown to be of greater moment than temporal and earthly interests such as the loss of property.
The same account exposes the cruelty of the evil spirits toward both people and animals, for at command they departed from the men yet rushed the swine to destruction. That destruction was permitted as a rebuke to those raising unclean animals for gain, and only restraint kept the keepers and owners from sharing the same ruin. Those who came and saw the restored man or men were afraid, valuing the lost swine more than the healing and blaming Jesus for their loss. Though the healing was a clear sign of power and mercy, fear joined with the loss of the swine led them to beg Him to depart.
In ignorance of what they were rejecting, the people of Gergesa let selfish fear keep them from hearing Him and asked Him to leave without hearing His words. Attachment to worldly and temporal interests led them to turn from their hearts the One who could free them, refusing to follow His teachings when obedience seemed to threaten gain. So the response illustrates how clinging to worldly interests causes people to reject Christ and drive His Spirit from their hearts.
Witnesses and Application
Though He Himself departed, He did not leave them to the darkness they had chosen but sent light again to them by men they would listen to. The healed men remained in the region, sent home to tell what God had done, changed from mediums of the prince of darkness into channels of light and messengers of the Son of God. Their deliverance led them to serve obediently by sharing the good news that Christ can save people from Satan's bondage. Those once under the power of darkness thus remained as witnesses to His power and became messengers of the gospel.
They declared His power to save and how He had freed them from demons, telling what they had seen and heard and experienced of the Saviour. The men who had terrorized the community became messengers of truth, and their testimony about His saving power strongly convinced people in the region that He was the Son of God. Their changed condition displayed His power to release people from Satan's control and to make them witnesses to His saving power, restoring them to human dignity and soundness, clothed, calm, and sitting at His feet listening to Him. His changed life was evidence of His power and compassion.
Their change roused the whole country as nothing else could have done and directed attention to Christ, opening a door to the gospel throughout that region. When Jesus returned to Decapolis, not merely one town but thousands from all the surrounding region flocked about Him and heard the message of salvation for three days. The witness of the restored men, sitting clothed and in the right mind though the people had been afraid, helped bring the people of Decapolis to hear that message when He returned.
Freedom from satanic influence brings a person into a quiet, peaceful state and restores soundness of mind, as displayed also in the countenance and conduct of the woman freed at Philippi. Rest begins through Jesus now, and walking with Him brings His love and presence now, while joy and fellowship with God continue and deepen in heaven. Sitting clothed and in the right mind at His feet pictures how people who had been deluded and insane, deluded or mentally afflicted, are uplifted and helped as they learn from Him. Their restoration from degradation brings joy and praise to God.
Being clothed and in the right mind also describes one born again through the Spirit, whose character and habits are changed by the truth in Jesus, turning him from sin to a child of God. The same restoration was seen in Elder Rice restored to humility, tenderness, and a childlike, broken attitude before God. The same kind of restoration to a sound mind is granted as the Lord's answer to prayer in a complete change of mind after Sister Israel believed the testimony.