Gadarenes

The country across the sea from Galilee where Jesus heals the demon-possessed man with the unclean spirits called Legion is named in the UPDV scriptures as the country of the Gerasenes. The umbrella term Gadarenes is the older catch-all for the same region — the region also known by the variants Gergesenes and Gerasenes — and the UPDV's textual choice is the Gerasene reading throughout. The episode is told in Mark and in Luke; both arrivals, and the final departure, all read Gerasenes.

Arrival across the Sea

Mark opens the episode with a single navigational sentence: "And they came to the other side of the sea, into the country of the Gerasenes" (Mk 5:1). Luke gives the same arrival with the bearing made explicit: "And they arrived at the country of the Gerasenes, which is across from Galilee" (Lu 8:26). The country is on the eastern shore — the trip is specifically a crossing.

The Man among the Tombs

The man who meets Jesus on the shore is described at length. "And when he came out of the boat, right away there met him out of the tombs a man with an unclean spirit, who had his dwelling in the tombs: and no man could anymore bind him, no, not with a chain; because he had been often bound with fetters and chains, and the chains had been rent apart by him, and the fetters broken in pieces: and no man had strength to tame him. And always, night and day, in the tombs and in the mountains, he was crying out, and cutting himself with stones" (Mk 5:2-5). The scene combines burial-ground, exposed mountainside, broken chains, and self-inflicted cuts — a portrait of unrestrained anguish.

What Have I to Do with You

The encounter opens with the unclean spirit's protest, before Jesus has done more than command. "And when he saw Jesus from afar, he ran and worshiped him; and crying out with a loud voice, he says, What have I to do with you, Jesus, you Son of the Most High God? I adjure you by God, don't torment me. For he said to him, Come forth, you unclean spirit, out of the man" (Mk 5:6-8). Worship and protest run together; the demon both bows and bargains.

My Name Is Legion

The naming exchange is the episode's hinge. "And he asked him, What is your name? And he says to him, My name is Legion; for we are many" (Mk 5:9). Luke gives the same exchange with the explanation widened: "And Jesus asked him, What is your name? And he said, Legion; for many demons went into him" (Lu 8:30). The name is plural; the man is occupied by a host.

Into the Swine

The negotiation that follows ends in the herd: "And he implored him much that he would not send them away out of the country. Now there was there on the mountain side a great herd of swine being shepherded. And they implored him, saying, Send us into the swine, that we may enter into them. And he gave them leave. And the unclean spirits came out, and entered into the swine: and the herd rushed down the steep into the sea, [in number] about two thousand; and they were drowned in the sea" (Mk 5:10-13). The legion cannot stay in the man and will not leave the country; the swine are the third option, and the result is the steep, the sea, and two thousand drowned.

The Country's Response

The shepherds carry the news, and the country comes out to see for itself. "And those who shepherded them fled, and told it in the city, and in the country. And they came to see what it was that had come to pass. And they come to Jesus, and look at him who was possessed with demons sitting, clothed and in his right mind, [even] him who had the legion: and they were afraid. And those who saw it declared to them how it befell him who was possessed with demons, and concerning the swine. And they began to urge him to depart from their borders" (Mk 5:14-17). The man healed is a sight; the herd lost is a price; the country's verdict is fear, and the request is for departure.

Luke names the response with the same word: "And all the people around the country of the Gerasenes asked him to depart from them; for they were held with great fear: and he entered into a boat, and returned" (Lu 8:37). The country chooses the swine over the healing.

The Healed Man Sent Home

The departure scene closes the episode. "And as he was entering into the boat, he who had been possessed with demons implored him that he might be with him. And he did not allow him, but says to him, Go to your house to your friends, and tell them how much the Lord has done for you, and [how] he had mercy on you" (Mk 5:18-19). The country dismisses Jesus; Jesus appoints the healed man to remain among them as the witness to what has been done. The boat carries Jesus back across the sea; the testimony stays in the country of the Gerasenes.