And he departed, and began to publish in Decapolis how great things Jesus had done for him: and all men did marvel.
After their minds were restored to reason, the delivered men remained in their own country and proclaimed everywhere throughout Decapolis how Jesus had freed them from Satan's bondage, and all who heard marveled at the news. Though they had heard His teaching only a few moments and no sermon, they were sent as His first missionaries to that region, bearing in their changed lives the evidence that He was the Messiah by telling only what they themselves had seen and felt of His power to save. Jesus directed them to go home to friends and neighbors rather than stay with Him, because the people about Gadara had sent Him away from fear of loss without hearing His words of life, and He would send the light to them again through their own countrymen. Their publishing roused the whole country and opened the door to the gospel, so that when He returned thousands flocked to Him for three days to hear the message of salvation. In this Christ's grace transforms even those who were instruments of Satan into servants of God, showing that anyone touched by His mercy can tell what He has done, and that such personal witness is a service the perishing world lacks.
Setting and Healing
The account belongs on the eastern shore of Gennesaret, a comparatively desolate region with a largely heathen population and little communication with Galilee, where Jesus had gone seeking solitude. The surrounding country is Gadara, a prosperous city on a hill above the lake and partly non-Jewish in character, with caves and tombs along the road up from the shore that sheltered the two men who met Jesus.
The verse belongs to their deliverance from demon possession, in which their minds and lives were restored to reason. The healing left the mind clear and the manner mild, and the restored men praised God for release from demonic bondage. Their restoration stood as joyful and living evidence of Jesus' power and mercy.
The people around nevertheless rejected Jesus, because they valued their lost property more than the healing and feared further financial loss. In this, worldly interests led them to turn away from Christ and to drive His Spirit from their hearts. In sequence, the publishing throughout Decapolis comes after the healing at Gadara and before Jesus goes to the home of Jairus.
Witness in Decapolis
The restored men knelt and begged to accompany their Deliverer, for they felt secure from the demons only in His presence and longed to learn His truth, and separation at this early stage was a trial to them. Long isolation from society and difficult ties with heathen countrymen, with life in a heathen home among Gentiles, seemed to disqualify them for service, yet when Jesus instead directed them to go home to friends, households and neighbors, as soon as the pointed-out path of duty was made plain they at once prepared to follow it. In obedience they remained in the region even after Jesus Himself departed, first enlightening their own households and neighbors, then going throughout all Decapolis everywhere among the Gentiles. There they proclaimed how great things the Lord Jesus had done for them, His power to save, His mercy, and how He had freed them from demons and from Satan's bondage.
They were Christ's first missionaries sent to preach the gospel in Decapolis, though they had heard His teaching only a few moments, had heard little of His doctrine, had heard no sermon, and could not instruct as the disciples who had been daily with Him could. They bore in their own persons the evidence that Jesus was the Messiah by testifying only to what they knew, what they themselves had seen and heard and felt and experienced of His power, and their changed lives made them messengers of the gospel. Those so recently instruments and mediums of Satan, representatives of the prince of darkness and the terror of the community, were thus converted into servants of the Son of God and channels of truth and light to their households, neighbors and the wider region.
Jesus did not leave the people to the darkness they chose, for the people of Gergesa had rejected Him as the means of destroying their property without hearing His doctrine or words of life and without knowing what they rejected, so they had not committed the sin of rejecting light and were not left in utter darkness. He sent the light to them again through their own countrymen, who would listen to them, to carry the gospel's light and the message of salvation to people who had sent Him away. Their publishing roused the whole country as nothing else could and directed attention to Christ. All who heard marveled at the wondrous news. Their testimony made the people witnesses of Christ's power to break Satan's bondage and release captives, awakened interest in Jesus and His kingdom, and powerfully convinced them that He was the Son of God.
The witness prepared the region to hear the message of salvation when He returned, opening a door to the gospel throughout that region. Though Satan caused the destruction of the swine to turn the people from the Saviour and prevent preaching there, the event was overruled for good. When Jesus returned to Decapolis thousands from all the surrounding region flocked to Him and for three days heard the message of salvation, proving even the power of demons is under the Saviour's control and the working of evil is overruled for good. Christ's grace can transform even those who have been instruments of Satan and send them to tell of God's mercy, and anyone whose heart has been touched by God's grace can tell what the Saviour has done. This personal witness declaring Jesus' power to save from Satan's bondage is a service Christ calls for that the perishing world lacks, and in that work of spreading the good news the witnesses are brought nearer the Saviour and receive a greater blessing than by remaining for their own benefit in His presence.
After their minds were restored to reason, the delivered men remained in their own country and proclaimed everywhere throughout Decapolis how Jesus had freed them from Satan's bondage, and all who heard marveled at the news. Though they had heard His teaching only a few moments and no sermon, they were sent as His first missionaries to that region, bearing in their changed lives the evidence that He was the Messiah by telling only what they themselves had seen and felt of His power to save. Jesus directed them to go home to friends and neighbors rather than stay with Him, because the people about Gadara had sent Him away from fear of loss without hearing His words of life, and He would send the light to them again through their own countrymen. Their publishing roused the whole country and opened the door to the gospel, so that when He returned thousands flocked to Him for three days to hear the message of salvation. In this Christ's grace transforms even those who were instruments of Satan into servants of God, showing that anyone touched by His mercy can tell what He has done, and that such personal witness is a service the perishing world lacks.
Setting and Healing
The account belongs on the eastern shore of Gennesaret, a comparatively desolate region with a largely heathen population and little communication with Galilee, where Jesus had gone seeking solitude. The surrounding country is Gadara, a prosperous city on a hill above the lake and partly non-Jewish in character, with caves and tombs along the road up from the shore that sheltered the two men who met Jesus.
The verse belongs to their deliverance from demon possession, in which their minds and lives were restored to reason. The healing left the mind clear and the manner mild, and the restored men praised God for release from demonic bondage. Their restoration stood as joyful and living evidence of Jesus' power and mercy.
The people around nevertheless rejected Jesus, because they valued their lost property more than the healing and feared further financial loss. In this, worldly interests led them to turn away from Christ and to drive His Spirit from their hearts. In sequence, the publishing throughout Decapolis comes after the healing at Gadara and before Jesus goes to the home of Jairus.
Witness in Decapolis
The restored men knelt and begged to accompany their Deliverer, for they felt secure from the demons only in His presence and longed to learn His truth, and separation at this early stage was a trial to them. Long isolation from society and difficult ties with heathen countrymen, with life in a heathen home among Gentiles, seemed to disqualify them for service, yet when Jesus instead directed them to go home to friends, households and neighbors, as soon as the pointed-out path of duty was made plain they at once prepared to follow it. In obedience they remained in the region even after Jesus Himself departed, first enlightening their own households and neighbors, then going throughout all Decapolis everywhere among the Gentiles. There they proclaimed how great things the Lord Jesus had done for them, His power to save, His mercy, and how He had freed them from demons and from Satan's bondage.
They were Christ's first missionaries sent to preach the gospel in Decapolis, though they had heard His teaching only a few moments, had heard little of His doctrine, had heard no sermon, and could not instruct as the disciples who had been daily with Him could. They bore in their own persons the evidence that Jesus was the Messiah by testifying only to what they knew, what they themselves had seen and heard and felt and experienced of His power, and their changed lives made them messengers of the gospel. Those so recently instruments and mediums of Satan, representatives of the prince of darkness and the terror of the community, were thus converted into servants of the Son of God and channels of truth and light to their households, neighbors and the wider region.
Jesus did not leave the people to the darkness they chose, for the people of Gergesa had rejected Him as the means of destroying their property without hearing His doctrine or words of life and without knowing what they rejected, so they had not committed the sin of rejecting light and were not left in utter darkness. He sent the light to them again through their own countrymen, who would listen to them, to carry the gospel's light and the message of salvation to people who had sent Him away. Their publishing roused the whole country as nothing else could and directed attention to Christ. All who heard marveled at the wondrous news. Their testimony made the people witnesses of Christ's power to break Satan's bondage and release captives, awakened interest in Jesus and His kingdom, and powerfully convinced them that He was the Son of God.
The witness prepared the region to hear the message of salvation when He returned, opening a door to the gospel throughout that region. Though Satan caused the destruction of the swine to turn the people from the Saviour and prevent preaching there, the event was overruled for good. When Jesus returned to Decapolis thousands from all the surrounding region flocked to Him and for three days heard the message of salvation, proving even the power of demons is under the Saviour's control and the working of evil is overruled for good. Christ's grace can transform even those who have been instruments of Satan and send them to tell of God's mercy, and anyone whose heart has been touched by God's grace can tell what the Saviour has done. This personal witness declaring Jesus' power to save from Satan's bondage is a service Christ calls for that the perishing world lacks, and in that work of spreading the good news the witnesses are brought nearer the Saviour and receive a greater blessing than by remaining for their own benefit in His presence.