24 him. And, behold, there arose a great tempest in the sea, insomuch that the ship was covered with the waves; but he was 25 asleep. And his disciples came to him, and awoke him, say26 ing Lord, save us, we perish. And he saith unto them: Why are ye fearful, O ye of little faith? Then he arose, and rebuked the winds and the sea; and there was a great 27 calm. But the men marvelled, saying: What manner of man is this, that even the winds and the sea obey him? him other little ships." They set sail on the Sea of Galilee. 66 - 24. A great tempest. Mark says, a great storm of wind." Luke's graphic language is: "There came down a storm of wind on the lake." The Sea of Galilee, surrounded by hills and mountains, is subject, like the lakes of Switzerland, to sudden and violent squalls and tempests. Covered with the waves. The sea dashed over the vessel, and there was danger of its filling and sinking. He was asleep. It was night. Jesus had been engaged during the day in teaching and healing the sick. He was fatigued. His exhausted powers were refreshed by sleep like those of other men. He was not exempt from the necessities of the body, though so great and gifted. He retires to the hinder part of the ship, and lays his head upon a pillow, for the purpose of sleep and rest. Mark iv. 38. The storm comes down from the hills upon the lake, and his followers are affrighted. But he sleeps securely and soundly, having no fears or anxieties to disturb his repose. His slumbers are calm and serene, his sleep that of innocence. 66 25. We perish. We are perishing. In Mark there is a slight vein of reproach: Master, carest thou not that we perish?" In Luke, earnestness is expressed: "Master, Master, we perish!" What fine and delicate threads of truth we find scattered over every page of the Evangelists! Probably what is recorded by all the writers was said. at the time by one and another in their fright. 26. Why are ye fearful, O ye of little faith? Oye distrustful. They had really no cause to fear. Jesus was with them, and they would not be lost. His presence was a pledge of safety. Julius Cæsar, in a boat at sea, sustained the courage of the rowers in a storm, by making himself known to them, and telling them that "they bore Cæsar and his fortunes." How much greater reason had the followers of Christ to hear the roaring of the winds and waves without fear ! Rebuked. Ps. civ. 7, 29. His rebuke was: "Peace, be still." Mark iv. 39. And there was a great calm. If the winds had gone down suddenly, and the air had become still, but the waves had continued to roll, as is customary after a storm, it might have been said, as it has been, that there was no miracle, but that the tempest lulled of itself. But Luke says, that the wind and also the raging of the water ceased, and there was a great calm. This proves a miraculous agency; else if the winds had ceased, the waves would still have been violently agitated for a long time, as is usual after a storm. 27. Marvelled. Wondered, were astonished. What manner of man is this? Or, more simply, to express abrupt surprise, What a And when he was come to the other side, into the country 28 of the Gergesenes, there met him two possessed with devils, coming out of the tombs, exceeding fierce, so that no man man! How great is he! They had not beheld before a miracle wrought upon the elements, and to see the raging tempest stilled to a perfect calm in a moment, by the word of Jesus, might well have overcome them with mingled joy, awe, and wonder. The control which Jesus exercised over the most furious elements is beautifully symbolical of the calm which his religion produces in the restless, fevered heart of man, tossed by passions, fierce in appetite, raging in its desires. We join with Mrs. He mans: "Thou that didst rule the angry hour, "Thou that didst bow the billows' pride, 28-34. Parallel to Mark v. 1 20; Luke viii. 26-39. The Evangelists vary in this narration, thus unconsciously affording evidence of their truth and independence as witnesses of the same facts, since their differences are capable of being easily reconciled. -- 28. The other side, i. e. of the Sea of Galilee. The opposite side from Capernaum, from which they set sail. Country of the Gergesenes. Mark and Luke write Gadarenes. Both Gergesenes and Gadarenes may have been correct. For as Gadara was the capital of Peræa, and gave its name to the surrounding country, and as there was a considerable city by the name of Gergesa in the vicinity, the region lying on the lake may have been called indiscriminately by the name of the one or the other city. There met him two. Mark and Luke speak of only one. Probably one was better known, or much more dangerous than the other. There is no irreconcilable contradiction, for although Mark and Luke speak of but one, they do not say any thing which absolutely precludes the fact of there being another. When witnesses in court agree in the main story, and differ in some particulars, it is thought to be a corroboration of the facts to which they testify.-Possessed with devils. Matt. iv. 24. It should be read, possessed with demons, or those who were demoniacs. These were no doubt insane persons. But the superstition of the times called them bewitched, or demoniacs, or those into whom an evil spirit or spirits had entered. The insane themselves shared in this superstition, and talked as if evil beings dwelt in them, and spoke and acted through their organs. Rosenmüller states that he once saw a melancholy woman, who constantly asserted that she was an unclean spirit. Jesus and his Apostles, whilst they cured these wretched beings, did not undertake to correct errors in philosophy, or reform the popular language. To have attempted it would have diverted them from their great work, and, by dividing, would have weakened and frustrated their ef forts, and awakened a needless hostility among the believers in these superstitions. But they spent their efforts on the fundamental truths, which would finally clarify the mind of man of all errors of opinion, the heart of all corruptions of affection, and the life of all vices of conduct. Coming out of the tombs. says Mark. Luke speaks of his coming out of the city. The tombs 29 might pass by that way. And, behold, they cried out, saying: What have we to do with thee, Jesus, thou Son of God? Art 30 thou come hither to torment us before the time? And there was a good way off from them an herd of many swine feeding. were in the immediate neighborhood of the city, and either mode of speech was appropriate. Epiphanius mentions, that there were in the vicinity of Gadara "caves cut out of the rocks, burying-grounds, and tombs." The tombs of the Jews were frequently excavations into rocks, Matt. xxvii. 60, and were sometimes so spacious as to be supported by pillars, and contain several different cells for the dead. They would therefore afford a retreat large enough for the abode of the insane. And Josephus mentions that tombs were sometimes the haunts of robbers. In war the people fled to them for safety. - Exceeding fierce, so that no man might pass by that way. They were highly dangerous to travellers, and their restoration therefore to reason was a public benefit, though a large number of swine perished, and some persons suffered a pecuniary loss. 29. What have we to do with thee.. An expression of indignation, or deprecation. Judges xi. 12; 2 Sam. xvi. 10; Ezra iv. 3; John ii. 4. Son of God. See note on Matt. iii. 17. It is a term equivalent to the Messiah. This is a very different expression from one now prevalent, "God, the Son.”—The insane had heard of Jesus, no doubt, before, and knew that he cast out spirits. They had perhaps been in those crowds that resorted from this very region of Decapolis to hear him. Matt. iv. 25. For it would seem from Luke viii. 29, that the spirit caught one of them at particular times, and that in the intervals he was sane. His disorder was periodical in its attacks. It was not strange that they should know Je sus, if they had not seen him before, as he was the centre to which all eyes were turned, particularly since he had stilled the tempest. And with that boldness which characterizes insanity, they caught up the popular impression, that Jesus was the Messiah, or a distinguished prophet, and saluted him with a corresponding title of dignity. What they did in this particular was exactly in character for persons deranged. It bears the stamp of insanity on its face. - To torment us before the time. Wetstein supposes they referred to being confined in chains, or bled, or to undergoing other medical prescriptions, as they had done previously. See Luke viii. 29; Mark v. 4. They dreaded the harsh remedies that had been applied to them, and feared lest they should be repeated. Others give a different view. The Jews held an opinion, that at the day of judgment evil spirits would be sent to their place of lasting punishment, 2 Peter ii. 4; Jude 6; but that they might be confined or made to suffer before that time by superior beings. Tobit viii. 3. The insane, sharing in the popular superstition, believing that spirits are in them, speak in their name, and deprecate being tormented before the time allotted for their final punishment. Mark and Luke represent Jesus as already having commanded the unclean spirit to come out. 30. An herd of many swine. Mark says, "there were about two thousand." A mixed population of Jews and Gentiles inhabited this country. It was contrary to the law of Moses for the Jews to eat swine's flesh, and to that of Hyrcanus to keep So the devils besought him, saying: If thou cast us out, suffer 31 us to go away into the herd of swine. And he said unto them: 32 Go. And when they were come out, they went into the herd of swine. And, behold, the whole herd of swine ran violently down a steep place into the sea, and perished in the waters. them. Yet both laws were broken. Some eat the forbidden flesh. And others raised the animals to sell to their Pagan neighbors. 31. The devils besought him. That is, the men who thought they were possessed by demons besought him that the demons might be sent out into the swine. The other Evangelists state that Jesus had inquired of the man his name, and that he replied that it was Legion, for he believed a multitude of spirits had taken up their abode in him. This was a clear trait of a deranged mind. They add further, that the spirits, or the man speaking in the name of the spirits, besought Jesus that he would not send them into the deep, or the abyss, or command them to go out of the country, but permit them to enter the swine. As has been said, this would be a very strange request for a spirit to make, but not at all unsuitable to a madman, who fancied himself to be, or spoke in the name of, unclean spirits, and who, after defiling himself in the eye of the law by dwelling in a tomb, could find no habitation more conformable to his own ideas of himself than the body of the unclean animal here mentioned. 32. Jesus adopts the true method of rendering their cure permanent, by assenting to their wild propositions, and giving them as it were ocular demonstration that the spirits, or, correctly speaking, the insanity, had left them. And when they were come out, they went into the herd, &c. Jesus miraculously transferred the insanity from the men to the swine; which being seized with madness rushed down the steep promontory, and were drowned in the waters of the lake. A cure has been sometimes effected by natural means, by humoring the fantastic whims of the deranged, and acting as if what they think to be real was real. So here. It was indeed a miracle to transfer the madness from the men to the animals; and by complying with their request, and by their seeing as it were the legion of spirits leaving them, and entering into the thousands of swine, which were all destroyed in the sea, Jesus thus secured them against a return of their morbid fancies. For they had, so to say, seen their cure with their own eyes. Otherwise, nothing but a prolonged miracle could probably have prevented their relapsing into their former wretched state. Perished in the waters. It is objected by some to the beneficence of Jesus, that a great amount of property and life was destroyed in this case. True. But circumstances rendered it right and beneficial. All things belong to God, and he and his delegated messengers have a right to dispose of all as he shall deem proper. The destruction of the swine, as we have seen above, subserved the purpose of rendering the cure of the insane permanent. What is any amount of property, or brute life, weighed in the scales with the reason of an immortal man, or the safety and comfort of the neighborhood, and of travellers who were endangered by these madmen? Matt. viii. 28. The miracle was more impressive and useful on account of being at 33 And they that kept them fled, and went their ways into the city, and told every thing, and what was befallen to the pos34 sessed of the devils. And, behold, the whole city came out to meet Jesus; and when they saw him, they besought him that he would depart out of their coasts. tended with the loss of property. The sequel shows that the inhabitants were stirred very deeply by it, when otherwise they would perhaps have remained comparatively indifferent. It was unlawful for the owners to keep swine, as the presumption is that they were Jews. The miracle would serve to remove the popular superstition about possessions by evil spirits. For they saw that an animal might be possessed as well as a man, and it would be incredible that the spirit of a departed Jew would voluntarily enter into one of the unclean and most detested of animals. Again, it may be said, that the men originated the proposition, and that Jesus merely assented to it. 33. This miracle produced a most powerful impression upon all who saw, and all who heard of it. And if it served to convince any that Jesus was the Messiah, and to lead them to be his disciples, it compensated them tenfold for the loss of property, and the destruction of the brute animals. The description in this verse graphically, though artlessly, depicts the consternation and stir produced by the miracle. And it is observable, that the relation was respecting what had befallen those possessed of demons, not what had happened to the swine. 34. The whole city. A large number of the people. - They besought him that he would depart. They perhaps were convicted of their sinfulness, and feared further judgments. Or perhaps some were indignant at the loss they had sustained. Or, their request that he would depart from them might have been inspired by similar motives to that of Peter, after the draught of fishes, Luke v. 8; or to that of the centurion, that Jesus would not enter his house, Matt. viii. 8. The other Evangelists add some further particulars, which are interesting. That the man was restored to his right mind, and clothed. That he wished to accompany his benefactor, but was directed to return home and publish the miracle, since no ill effects could follow from its being known, as Jesus was going to leave that part of the country. That he did as commanded, testifying to the compassion of the Lord, and how great things had been done for him. It may be proper here to mention the circumstances which indicate that those possessed with demons were simply deranged. 1. If these, and other cases, were not cases of insanity, it would appear that whilst Jesus is described as curing almost every other disease, he is never mentioned as curing a case of insanity, a disorder which more than any other would call for a divine power to remove it, and the cure of which would be peculiarly striking and convincing. And surely insanity was not then unknown. 2. The conduct of the demoniacs is precisely that of the insane. The dwelling in by-places, in the tombs, and in the mountains, Mark v. 5, is an indication of insanity. The propensity to wander, the wearing of no clothes, Luke viii. 27, the being out by night as well as by day, Mark v. 5, and the crying aloud |