"Otherism" in the Gospels: Mark 5:1-20 by Tamice Namae
Jesus arrives in the largely gentile region of the Gerasenes after revealing to his disciples his ability to command creation by speaking peace to a storm. Upon exiting the boat, he is met by a man who is demon possessed so severely in fact, that he terrorizes the locals and sports self-inflicted wounds and mutilation. This man who has lived among the tombs was so severely possessed that no one was strong enough to subdue him and Mark paints a convincing narrative picture for us of the divine identity of Jesus as the one who is sovereign over all creation and has the highest authority over unclean spirits.
Resting in between the Sea of Galilee and the Dead Sea the land of the Gerasenes lies in a well-watered valley with a perennial stream running through the middle of it and its wealth was probably derived from the cultivation of the fertile corn lands to the east of it. This location was prime for the events of that day for three main reasons. First, Jesus reveals Himself as the highest authority to a legion of demons, secondly, Jesus bankrupts a system that turns a blind eye to the needy and thirdly, Jesus uses the testimony of an unlikely evangelist to spread the news of God in a predominantly Gentile area known for its magic and its sorcery.
The word legion is only used four times in the Bible and refers to the main division of the Roman army and is usually comprised of four -thousand to six- thousand men. These men are then split into ten cohorts. This may be a symbolic reference to the demonic powers that are resident within the region of the Decapolis. According to Craig Keener, in ancient lore, spirits were often associated with particular local areas. Mark’s audience would undoubtedly have been familiar with this reality and could quite possibly see this encounter as a personal exorcism as well as a systemic one. This may be why Jesus sends the demons into the pigs and consequently destroys the economic system of the region. This action dignifies the man in two ways: it frees him from torment and it restores his dignity. Jesus willingness to transfer the host from a man to a herd of pigs makes a significant statement about humanity. It is as if Mark makes the statement that a man is not an appropriate host for demons and for any city to thrive while some of its residents are in torment is not acceptable.
Jesus is no mere magician, he has just revealed his divinity to his Jewish disciples on the boat and now there is a testimony to his power in an entirely different region across the sea. This is the probable reason for His command to tell his people what God has done. While Jesus makes clear in the synoptic gospels that he has come for the lost sheep of Israel, he is not without a witness in the regions of the Gentiles. This witness is almost always a result of the personal testimony of a gentile who dares to come near and believe. This point is made more clearly by Stuart T. Rochester in his article Transformative Discourse in Marks Gospel with Special Reference to Mark 5:1-20, Marks gospel presents a fairly consistent picture of Jesus as one who receives and welcomes the other—ritually unclean individuals both male and female, those with all kinds of illnesses, tax-gatherers and sinners, demoniacs both Jewish and Gentile.
Craig S. Keener, The IVP Bible Background Commentary (Downers Grove, IL, IVP Academic, 2014.), 147
Bibliography
Douglas, J. D., and N. Hillyer. New Bible Dictionary. Downers Grove, IL, USA, InterVarsity Press, 1996. Keener, Craig S. The IVP Bible Background Commentary: New Testament. Downers Grove, IL, IVP Academic, 2014. Rochester, Stuart T. “Transformative Discourse in Mark's Gospel with Special Reference to Mark 5:1-20.” Durham e-Theses, 1 Jan. 1970, etheses.dur.ac.uk/1954/. Accessed 30 Oct. 2017.