The Pulpit Commentary — Luke — Volume 1 — Section 215

Vers. 26--89.-ne demoniac whose name wa8 Leg{O'II,, Two mieernble creatures are mentioned in Matthew. No sooner has Jesus come forth on the land than they rush towards him. Human, yet without the mental attributes of humanity, shunned by all, left in the lonely place, to rend the air with fearful cries, to dash themselves against stones, wretched beyond all names of wretchedness. One of the two is singled out by St. Luke, and described (vers. 27, 29). Observe the effect of Jesus' presence. Instantly some long-silent chord was touched, 110me new sense of the awful misery into which the man had been plunged was awakened, some conflict between a mind ma.de suddenly active, and the nameless power of darkness was originated. The maniac falls down, and with a loud voice cries, as if some other one were crying through him, "Wbat have I to do with thee, Jesus, thou Son of the Most High God? I beseech thee, torment me not." Marvellous confession! which, however, had been preceded by a word of authority (ver. 29), and which is followed by a kind of confused perception. " What is thy name?" What name had he? What personality? The only word which seemed to describe tbe-'-situation was the Roman name for a host, "My name is Legion; for we are many ..-- Poor Legion! there is in thee a groaning which cannot be uttered; and that groaning, nnawares to thyself, has the form of the old prayer, "'Unite my heart to fear thy Name!" Lo! he who knows the mind of the Spirit has heard thee, and he has given a new song to thy mouth. Henceforth thou shali say, "I will praise thee, 0 Lord my God, with all my heart, and I will glorify thy Name for evermore. For great is thy mercy toward me, and thou hast delivered my soul from the lowest hell." Thus fa.r, all, though wonderful, is beautiful and C1,rist-like. But now comes the strange portion of the narrative. Jesus is described as giving the demons which had laid waste the son of Abraham leave to possess the herd of swine feeding on the mountain-side; the consequence being that the herd ran violently dowu a steep place into the sea, and were choked. Against this destruction ID.llny objections have been brought; it is a stone of stumbling and offence even to lielieveTll. Even to faith it seems at variance with the mercifulness of the Lord, and the transference of the evil power from the man to the herd of swine b~istles with things hard to be understood. Explanations offered, some of them ingenious, ali uuaatillfactory, are nut here to be dwelt on. It is auumed that we take the evangelist cH. ,rm. 1-61l.] THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO ST. Lt:KE. 215