Structurally, the focus of today's passage is verse 13: "So he gave them permission." Jesus has such authority that the demons need to ask him before they act!

- Jesus has the authority. Same as the story of Jesus calming the storm.

- The opposition to Jesus in the beginning was the demons... At the end, it was the gentiles.

- At the end of Mark 4 (Jesus calms the storm), the disciples question who Jesus is... here in Mark 5, they declare it!

Looking at these two stories, we see an Exodus pattern... Crossing the sea (in the storm in ch4), then the enemy drowns in the water (pigs in ch5).

Regarding the location of this story, Luke and Mark say this happened in one place, Matthew says another. Luke and Mark are naming the larger gentile city nearby because people would know it.

This story also appears here:

Matthew 8:28-34

Luke 8:26-39

Mark omits this part, but Matthew says, "have you come here to torture us BEFORE THE TIME?" (Before the return of the Lord)... The demons are horrified that Jesus may decide to unleash his power on them early!

This recognition of Jesus's power is appropriate for Palm Sunday... similar to the triumphal entry (a false coronation, as they later backtracked), which prefigures Jesus' return, when people will truly realize he's the King. The triumphal entry is a picture of the return of the Lord! These demons shudder at his early appearance.

The demons were a legion... A Roman legion operated with 4,000-5,000 men. May have been any number of demons, but the point is they were in a militaristic form.

In sending the demons to the pigs, Jesus shows that human life is his greatest treasure, over and above the animals. We are God's crowning achievement!

Satan can't even enter a pig without God's permission... So he can't tempt us or hurt us without... God's permission! Anything hard in life is something that God is allowing! He has a purpose for our suffering.

The crowds end up begging him to leave just as the demons did. They were afraid of him! Maybe just awestruck. Maybe afraid of change. As if they're afraid he'll do another exorcism... perhaps begging him to let them keep their demons.

In the end, the former demoniac wants to go with Jesus but he tells him to stay and tell his friends. He becomes a missionary to his city... the first missionary sent out by Jesus!

Three thoughts...

1. Jewish people were under the occupation of Rome, but their greatest opposition was not the Roman legion; it was the legion of demons. The real enemy is spiritual! Ephesians 6 tells us we wrestle against spiritual forces, not physical ones. But in the end, Christ will be victorious!

2. As Jesus and his disciples make spiritual headway in Rome, they're not as popular as they'd like. The gentiles beg Jesus to leave! Even Christ was rejected for doing good things.

3. People in their final years of life... Often they're ready to go home and be with Jesus. They've run their race and are ready. Yet they're still here, in bad health for months, years... Jesus has another plan for them. We don't know his purpose. The former demoniac begged Jesus to let him come with him, but Jesus had a reason for him to remain in his area. If we're still here, God has a reason for us to be here! This man gladly did what God asked of him, and people marveled!