In Mark ch.5:1-20, we read of the demon-possessed man, Legion, ‘who had his dwelling
among the tombs; and no one could bind him, not even with chains ... neither could
anyone tame him.’ On the leaving the ship, the Lord is met by Legion, who said, "What
have I to do with You, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I implore You by God that
You do not torment me." The Lord casts out the demons and they, by His permission,
enter into the herd of swine - “there were about two thousand”. The swine then ‘ran
violently down the steep place into the sea, and drowned in the sea.’ The owners
of the pigs, having been informed by the swineherds of their loss, come to Jesus
and ‘they began to plead with Him to depart from their region.’
John Oxenham, in his short poem Gadara A.D.31, beautifully highlights a very important
lesson from this incident on the shores of Lake Galilee and brings a challenge to
any would-be disciple of Christ. Below are two verses from the three-verse poem.
