Mark 5:7Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

I implore You by God, do not torment me!’ For, as the Evangelist explains, Jesus commanded him, ‘Come out, unclean spirit, from this man.' Luke provides a parallel account of the event: upon seeing Jesus, he cried out, fell down before Him, and declared with a loud voice, ‘What do you want with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I beseech You, do not torment me.’ For Luke also narrates that Jesus ordered the unclean spirit to exit from this man.

Accepting the testimonies of all three Evangelists as undeniably true, we can construct the following sequence of events they describe. When the demon-possessed men saw Jesus approaching, they yelled, ‘What do you want from us, Jesus, Son of God? Have you come here prematurely to torment us?’ Then, one of the two men—a wild one, whom no one could restrain—ran to Jesus, fell at His feet in worship, and then Jesus said, ‘Come out, unclean spirit, from this man.’ The afflicted man cried out loudly, ‘What do you want from me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I plead with You, do not torment me!’

Once we have established the events that transpired, we must consider whether we can attribute everything said and done by the demon-possessed man to him as a self-determining individual. The wild man, who had long resided among the desolate coastal cliffs and in caves without any human contact, could not possibly have known of Christ’s arrival or His identity. Yet, upon seeing Him, he addresses Him as Jesus, the Son of God, reproachfully inquires why He has come to torment him early, then races toward Him, kneels before Him in worship, and seemingly begs for deliverance from a great affliction. Instead of expressing gratitude when Jesus commands the unclean spirit to depart, he instead loudly exclaims, ‘What do you want from me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I implore You, do not torment me!’

This conflicting behavior reveals a deep inner turmoil within the afflicted man. He approaches Jesus in worship, performing as one would who seeks help or liberation from a dire threat, yet fails to articulate his true intentions in words that reflect his inner state. His speech conveys sentiments that starkly contrast with his humble acknowledgment of Jesus, implying that these words cannot genuinely represent his own thoughts.

It is evident that the possessed man did not vocalize his own desires; rather, he unwittingly gave voice to someone else’s intentions—foreign desires and fears enacted through him. The presence of an external force is unmistakable, one that drove this poor soul to experience torment and isolation. Our acknowledgment of the presence of an evil spirit or spirits is affirmed by Jesus Christ's directive for the unclean spirit to leave him. Those with shallow faith who entertain doubts about the existence of malevolent spirits should carefully consider the discrepancy between the demon-possessed man’s words and actions, alongside the feelings he ought to have communicated to Jesus, leading them to likely conclude that another entity spoke through him. Who could this entity be? What answer may they provide to this inquiry, apart from that offered by the Gospel?

When Jesus commanded the unclean spirit to leave the man, He inquired, "What is your name?" The man, whose consciousness was clouded by the demons, could not respond; instead, the unclean spirit replied, "Legion." This term referred to a large unit of the Roman army, generally made up of around 6,000 soldiers, including both infantry and cavalry. The evil entities requested that Jesus not expel them from the region nor send them into the abyss. Nearby, on a hillside, there was a sizable herd of pigs, likely belonging to the Gentiles prevalent in the eastern part of Lake Gennesaret. The malevolent spirits implored Christ, "If You cast us out, permit us to enter the herd of swine." The Lord granted their request, saying, "Go." St. John Chrysostom explains that Christ complied not out of belief in their demands, but for other purposes: "so that the residents of that region would witness His supreme power and the true nature of the demons, whose malice was evident as He freed those they had afflicted, also showing that they could not harm even the pigs without the permission of the Almighty." After the unclean spirits exited the man, they entered the swine, and then the entire herd, numbering around two thousand, rushed down a steep bank into the lake, drowning in the waters.