Luke 8:34-37 34And when the herdsmen saw what had happened, they fled and reported in the city and in the country. 35Then people went out to see what had happened, and they came to Jesus and found the man from whom the demons had gone, sitting at the feet of Jesus, clothed and in his right mind, and they were afraid. 36And those who had seen it told them how the demon-possessed man had been healed. 37And all the people of the surrounding country of the Gerasenes asked him to depart from them, for they were seized with great fear. So getting into a boat, he returned.
The story of the Gerasenes takes a turn in verse 34. Those watching over the herd of pigs ran into the city with the news after their whole herd had rushed into the lake. This was no ordinary event. Word quickly spread about the strange event and huge loss of an important food source. When the people went to investigate, they found the formerly naked and insane, man now clothed and in his right mind. His mind was being transformed. He was in control of himself and could now think clearly. He was in the initial stages of “having the mind of Christ” (Romans 12:1-3; 1 Corinthians 2:16). More significantly from the perspective of discipleship, the man was sitting at the feet of Jesus. Sitting in the position of worship, awe, reverence, and learning (7:38; 8:41; 10:39; 17:16; John 11:32; Acts 5:2, 10).
When the people saw the scene, they were afraid. The demons had caused a significant problem for those who owned the herd of pigs. A herd of pigs was a big financial investment and would have fed many people in the community. Losing them would have been quite devastating to the owners and the local marketplace. Luke does not record specifically why the people were afraid, either of the loss of the herd or the healing of the man, but it was likely the whole situation. Their fear only grew even more when they found out about the casting out of the legion of demons.
The response of the people is another shock to this story and implies Luke’s intended message for including this story in his Gospel. Their response is intensified by the description of all the people from the whole area of the Gerasenes. Word had spread quickly. Although this description of all (hapan) is a bit of an exaggeration, it makes clear that this was a community response. The Gerasenes would lose out on more miracles. Jesus intervened in the life of this man, but he turned away from the rest of the people because they did not want him. Like Nazareth, no more miracles would take place among them because they would not accept Jesus.
What causes people to reject Jesus and thus, not experience his transforming power? This story indicates that the fear of changing one’s old lifestyle or the fear of losing something can put up a wall in one’s heart and push Jesus away. People would rather live in ignorance or follow humanistic ways that seemingly explain the world. The people of Gergasa would miss out on the personal presence of Jesus, but there was still hope, as the next few verses indicate.
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