The Pulpit Commentary — Mark — Volume 1 — Section 214

thousand soldiel'I!. Bot the word is here swine without Ohrist's permission : how used indetlnitely for a large number. St. muoh lees into "the sheep of bis po.sture" I Luke so explains it where he Bays (viii. SO), Ver. 13.-The unolean epirits oame out, "And he sni<l, Legion: for many devils were and entered into the ■wine : and the herd ent.ered into him." This revelation is ran violell.tly down a ateep plaoe (kczT~ Tou doubtless designed to teach us how great i8 kp7)µvou)-literally, down ~ e!eep-into the the number as well as the malignity of the see., ... and wero ohoked in the sea. By this e,il spirits. If one burr.an being can be Christ shows of I.low little worth are earthly possessed by so many, how vast must be the possessions when ll8t in the bale.nee with host of those who are permitted to have the souls of men. The reoovery of this acC"ess to the souls of men, and if possible demoniao was worth far more than the value lead them to destrnC"tion I Satan here imi- of the two thousand swine. tates him who is "The Lord of hosts." He Ver. 14.-And they that fed them fl.ed, too marshnls his hosts, that he may fight and told it in the oity, and in the oountry. a,:,:niust God and his people. But " for this St. Matthew mentions only the city. St. purpose wns the Son of God manifested, that Mark's narrative is more full. No doubt hG might destroy the works of the devil" many of these swineherds lived in the Yer. 10.-And he besought him muc.h that oountry districts; and so the fame of the he would not send them away out of the miracle was spread far and wide. The co~ntry. It would appear a.s though this evil swineherds would take .care that the owners spirit felt (speaking in the name of the should understand that it was through no other evil spirits) that if they were driven fault or carelessness on their part that the out from their present dwelling-places, their swine had perished ; but that the destruc- Mndition would be changed for the worse; tion was caused by a power over which they an<l that until the time should come when had no control. And they-i.e. the owners- they were to be cast into the abyss, their came to see what it wo.s that had come to best relief was to possess some materialism, pass. Their first care was to see the extent to nccupy flesh and blood, nnd that flesh of their loss ; and this was soon revealed to and blood tenanted by a spiritual being, them. They must ho.ve seen the <'-arcases through whom they might torment others. of the swine floating hither and thither in They could find no rest, no relief, but in this. the now calm and tranquil see. : and when " The unclean spirit, when he is gone out they had thus satisfied themselves as to the of the man, passeth through waterless places, fa.cts, " they came to JesllB." St. Mark seeking rest, and findeth it not" (Matt. xii. here llBes the historic present, "they come 43). Even the swine were better than to JesllB," tho.t they might behold him of nothing; but that dwelling did not serve whom these great things were told, as well the evil spirits long. as the man out of whom the evil spirits ho.d Ver. 11.-Now there was there nigh unto gone whE1n they entered into the swine. the motlll~literally, on ~ mo1Lntain They were, of course, concerned to know the ~de (.,,.p/,s .,-a 61111)-a great herd of swine feed- mngnitude of their loss, and the mode in ing. St. Matthew says (viii. 30), "There was which it had happened, tho.t they might see a good way off from tbem : " our Lord's inter- whether there were any means by whioh it view with the demoniac was on the sea- might be made up to them. shore. " The herd of swine," two thousand Ver. 15.-And they come to 1eau, and in number (as St. Mark tells us, with his behold him that was possessed with devils usual attention to details), were at a dis- Bitting, olothed and in his right mind, even tance, feeding on the slopes of the moun- him that had the legion; all.d they were tain. The Jews were not allowed to eat afraid. St. Luke adds that they found him swine's flesh. But Jews were not the only sitting at the feet of Jesus. It is likely inhabitant. of that district. It had been enough that the man, as soon as he found colonized, at leo.st in part, by the Romans himself dispossessed, had ea.et himself at immediately after the conquest of Syria, the feet of Jesus, and was worshipping him: some sixty years before Christ. It was in but that, when bidden by Obrist to sit, he this district tbut ten cities e.J"e said to have chose to pla.ce himself at his feet. " He been rebuilt by the Romans, whence the was clothed, o.nd in his right mind. n What territory acquired the name of "the Deca.- a contrast to the previous description I "And poli.s." And though the Jews were for hidden they were afraid." They dreaded Christ's by their Law to eat this kind of food, yet power. They saw that he wu almighty; they were not forbidden to breed swine for but they did not seek to know his love, o.nd other uses, such 11,11 proviidoning the Roman so to attain to tho.t love which "oasttlth out army. fear." Ver. 12.-Send u.s into the swine, that we Vers. 16, 17. - How it befell him that may ell.ter into them. And he ga,e them wa1 posse&sed with devilo, and concerning leave. They could not enter even into the the swine. TLe loos of the swine. Tliev OH, V, 1-43.] THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO BT. MARK. 211