The Gerasene Demoniac And Synoptic Gospels

A demon is described by Webster’s Dictionary as a spirit being, who is unclean and immoral in nature and activities, to be under the power or influence of one, or to be vexed with a devil. As a result of studying many examples of demons during the life of Christ, one can surmise that Christians and unbelievers can both become subdued by demons. Many scholars believe there was more recorded demonic activity during Jesus' life than any other time in biblical history, and demonic confrontations are mentioned throughout the Gospels. Examples of the confrontations include: Jesus' temptation, the Canaanite woman's daughter, the man in the synagogue, and the Gerasene demoniac, which is considered a synoptic gospel, ( Matt 8:28-34 ;  Mark 5:1-20 ;  Luke 8:26-37 ). The synoptic gospels work together to present Jesus. They are not different stories, but; rather, the same information arranged and written as their individual perspective. By arranging

the information, this pinpoints how they are similar and different from each other.
In the illustration described in the story of the Gerasene demoniac, a man is “possessed by a demon.” Night and day he would dwell among the tombs and in the hills, crying out and cutting himself with stones. The story then picks up as Jesus approaches and calls the demon to come out of the man, who replies "What do you want with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I beg you in the name of God never to torment me!…” The demons petitioned Jesus, begging Him not to send them away, but instead to send them into the herd of pigs that were nearby, and Jesus does. The pigs, nearly two thousand in number then ran into the lake and drowned. The man was restored.
The Gerasene Demoniac is present in Matthew, Mark and Luke; however, their are more characteristics that are dissimilar than similarities.

One of the similarities that is distinct in the synoptic gospels is the fact that all of the writers agreed that the man was demon possessed. Additionally, all three authors agreed that the demonic spirits were sent into the herd of swine. Lastly, they all note that the herd of swine drowned or perished. Some of the differences are geographical location. Matthew list the geographical location as Gadarenes; however, Mark and Luke seem to believe it to be Gerasenes, which was approximately thirty miles inland from the Sea of Galilee. Another difference is the fact that Matthew states, “there were two who were possessed that were coming from the tomb;” but Mark and Luke noted that there was one possessed with a demon. In Mark and Luke the demon possessed man sees Jesus, then falls down and begins to worship him. The authors of Mark and Luke also give a name for the demon possessed man,

Legion.
Because of the differences in the depiction of the same story by the gospel writers, arguments have been made about the possibility of Matthew, Mark and Luke, describing scenes from totally different stories. Despite the many debates, the evidence in all three texts gives solidity that substantiates the Gerasene Demoniac being the same story represented in all three gospels. All three narratives describe demon possession and the power that Jesus has over the spirits. The three accounts state that He made a point to cross the sea to heal a man from demons. Matthew, Mark and Luke all corroborate that there was at least one man who was plagued by demons. The fact that the three gospels vary in trivial details only validates that they were written by three different authors, each of whom wrote from their perspective, and chose to highlight a different facet of the account.