But the little country to which we have come—or rather the region—was inhabited by a small people, the Gergesenes, also called Gadarenes, and lay directly opposite Galilee along the whole length of the sea.
When we have all reached land there (Matthew 8:28), and wished to make our way to the small town of Gadara, which lies above the sea on a height about six thousand paces from our landing place, two naked people of horribly distorted appearance ran towards us from a small mountain. This stood opposite the town beside the lake, and on its summit was the burial ground of the inhabitants of this region and town. They were possessed by a whole legion of evil spirits and were so fierce that on their account almost no one could pass along this road. Their dwelling was the tombs in the cemetery on the mountain. No one could catch them or bind them with chains. For even when a mass of the strongest men sometimes overpowered them, bound them with strong chains and put the strongest fetters on them, the chains were torn apart in an instant and the fetters ground to dust. Day and night they were on the mountain and there among the tombs, screaming terribly and striking themselves most violently with stones.
But when these two saw Me in the midst of the disciples, they ran straight towards Me, fell down before Me and screamed, ‘What (Matthew 8:29) have we to do with You, You Son of the Most High!!! Have You come to torment us before the time?! We adjure You by God the Most High not to torment us!’
But I threatened them and said, ‘What is your name, evil spirit, who torment these two as though they were one man?’
Then the evil one screamed, ‘My name is Legion, for we are many!’
But I commanded the evil one to come out of these two. In an instant a great multitude of evil spirits came out of the two in the visible form of large black flies, but most earnestly begged Me not to drive them out of this region.
(Matthew 8:30.) But along the small mountains that stretched beside the sea, towards the west, there was a large herd of swine belonging to the Gadarenes; for this little people, consisting chiefly of Greeks, ate the flesh of these animals and also traded in it, chiefly with Greece.
When the evil spirits (Matthew 8:31) caught sight of this herd of swine, they again begged Me to allow them to enter (Matthew 8:32) this herd.
And when I permitted them this, for reasons which were of course wholly secret and hidden from the world, the devils at once entered the swine, which numbered about two thousand.
But when the devils have entered the swine, these animals ran up a mountain which had a rock projecting strongly and far into the sea. And from this rock, which was three hundred cubits high, all two thousand swine plunged in a veritable storm into the sea, where it was very deep just there.
But when the herdsmen (Matthew 8:33) who watched over the swine saw what has happened to the possessed, they were horrified, fled, hurried into the town and told, especially to their employers, what had taken place down by the sea.
The inhabitants of this little town were frightened, and one who, like many in this town, was still a heathen and held Jupiter and all the other gods of heathendom in high esteem spoke and said, ‘Did I not tell you this morning: once the two tormented by the Furies grow quiet, but the sea becomes exceedingly stormy under the clearest sky, then a god is coming down from above, and a judgment will come upon us; for the gods never descend from the stars to earth without rod and sword! And now we have it before us: the Furies who tormented the two sinners first stirred up the sea, since they knew for certain that a god would come down from above and drive them away from the two sinners. That they then hurled themselves upon our swine in the form of black horseflies and drove these animals into the sea in a storm is now as clear to me as the sun at bright midday! There is now nothing left for us to do but go down in considerable numbers, in all humility and contrition of our inner disposition, to the god—probably Neptune or Mercury (?)—and most earnestly beg him to leave this region again at once. For as long as a god remains visibly in a region of the earth, one can think of nothing but misfortune upon misfortune! For, as already said, a god never comes down from the stars to earth without rod, sword and judgment.
‘But let no one make any reproach against him for the harm done to us, even in the most secret thought, for then it would be utterly over with us! We have long failed to bring the old gods a proper sacrifice, and it is of course chiefly the stupid Jews who have prevented us, wanting to know everything better than we do. And so an offended god has taken his sacrifice himself! That is how it is! Therefore we must not allow even a dissatisfied thought about it to arise within us. But we must go down to him, greet him and then above all most earnestly beg him to leave this region again immediately!?’
But several Jews also listened to this instruction and said, ‘You may think us stupid, but in this matter we nevertheless know better than you. Look, this supposed god of yours is none other than either a magician from Persia or the famous Jesus from Nazareth, of whom we have already heard great things. For the rest, we entirely agree with you that we should most earnestly ask him to leave this region; for people of this kind are never good fortune for a country, as we know from the times of our prophets. If our God raises up certain people as prophets in a country, that country’s misfortune is already made!’
Thereupon everyone in this town gathered together and went out and down to Me, so that only a few sick people stayed at home. When those who had come from the town caught sight of Me and saw that I had a wholly natural human appearance, they gained a little more courage to approach Me (Matthew 8:34), and therefore came up to Me, although still with much fear, and asked Me to withdraw from their borders at once.
But some looked at the two whom they knew very well as formerly possessed. These were now clothed and spoke quite rationally with them, telling them how I had freed them from their torment, and how they have then immediately been clothed by those who had arrived with Me. But none of this could lessen the fear, especially of the heathens, and they asked for nothing except that I should leave their region and never return.
And I yielded to their requests and then said to Peter, ‘Friend, just make the boat ready again immediately, so that we may leave this region again at once!’
And Peter and his servants immediately made the boat ready. But when I entered the boat, the two who had been healed hurried after Me and asked that they too might follow Me; for they will find nothing to do and nothing to live on in this town, and their relatives will certainly no longer wish to receive them in their home, since they are too greatly afraid of them. But I turned them back with loving earnestness and said to them, ‘Just return confidently to your home and your own people; they will receive you with joy. But go and proclaim to them, and to the whole region as well, what great things the Lord has done for you and what mercy He has shown you. In this way you will do better than if you were now to follow Me; for you are now to bear effective witness to Me in this region, where you are very well known everywhere, and thereby become useful to the people. And the people will thus not let you starve, now any more than before, when you were a terror to them.’
Thereupon the two who had been healed went away as one man and most diligently did what I had commanded them.
In a short time the two have made Me known not only in their homeland but also in all ten towns that lay along the upper part of the sea, and everywhere proclaimed with great zeal what great things I had done for them and what great mercy I had shown them. Through this many believed in My name and acquired a great longing for Me—Jews and Greeks alike.