5:1 – Our Lord had taught on the other side and had given them parables. He was weary and so had crossed the sea. The Gadarenes were the inhabitants of Gadara, and this is the land that was given to the tribe of Gad on the east side of the Jordan River. Remember, Gad chose the wrong side of Jordan. They were the ones who stayed on the east side, and now we find them in the pig business. You see, when you start away from God, you just keep going away from Him.
5:2 – He’s “a man,” a human being. Note that first of all and write it down. He is in a desperate condition, but he is still a man. That is what the Lord Jesus saw—a man. In spite of his condition, Jesus saw the man. His conduct suggests that the man was a maniac. Notice what it says about him.
5:3-5 – This is a desperate case of a man possessed with this unclean spirit. He no longer enjoyed the society of normal men but he lived among the dead. Yet we are told that he possessed superhuman power; so they could not bind him. Just because a man demonstrates power which is supernatural does not prove that God gave it to him. This case is a typical example. He was a wild man; no one could confine him. He was miserable. He suffered great physical harm which he inflicted on himself. He’s a creature of pathos and pity, and on the human plane he is a hope-less case. He’s inarticulate and just crying out. What an awful condition! And all due to demon possession!
5:6-8 – It was the man who worshiped Him, not the demon. He was afraid of Jesus. He suffered from what I suppose would be called spiritual schizophrenia, a split personality. Sometimes it is the man and sometimes it is the demon speaking. In verse 7 it literally says, “What is there to thee and me?” That is, “What have we in common?” This poor man—possessed by demons!
5:9 – The answer of this man is baffling but it’s not bad grammar. He says, “My name is …” indicating that the man was trying to speak, but then the demons take over and they say, “We are many.”
5:10-13 – There is a tremendous occurrence presented to us here. The demons made a very peculiar request. They preferred swine to the abyss.
There is no reason for any believer to be afraid of demons or to adopt some superstition or spooky notion concerning them. If you feel that you are bothered with them, then just ask the Lord Jesus to deliver you. They have been cast out in His name, and it is a lack of faith in the Lord Jesus to walk in fear of them today. If you feel that they can control you in any way, or possess you, or direct you, then you need counselling. Remember that the Lord Jesus Christ has power over demons.