Unclean Swine

Jesus and his disciples came to the other side of the sea, to the territory of the Gerasenes. When he got out of the boat, at once a man from the tombs who had an unclean spirit met him. The man had been dwelling among the tombs, and no one could restrain him any longer, even with a chain. In fact, he had frequently been bound with shackles and chains, but the chains had been pulled apart by him and the shackles smashed, and no one was strong enough to subdue him. Night and day among the tombs and on the hillsides he was always crying out and bruising himself with stones.

Catching sight of Jesus from a distance, he ran up and prostrated himself before him, crying out in a loud voice, "What have you to do with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I adjure you by God, do not torment me!"(He had been saying to him, "Unclean spirit, come out of the man!") He asked him, "What is your name?" He replied, "Legion is my name. There are many of us." And he pleaded earnestly with him not to drive them away from that territory.

Now a large herd of swine was feeding there on the hillside. And they pleaded with him, "Send us into the swine. Let us enter them." And he let them, and the unclean spirits came out and entered the swine. The herd of about two thousand rushed down a steep bank into the sea, where they were drowned. The swineherds ran away and reported the incident in the town and throughout the countryside. And people came out to see what had happened.

As they approached Jesus, they caught sight of the man who had been possessed by Legion, sitting there clothed and in his right mind. And they were seized with fear. Those who witnessed the incident explained to them what had happened to the possessed man and to the swine. Then they began to beg him to leave their district. As he was getting into the boat, the man who had been possessed pleaded to remain with him. But Jesus would not permit him but told him instead, "Go home to your family and announce to them all that the Lord in his pity has done for you." Then the man went off and began to proclaim in the Decapolis what Jesus had done for him; and all were amazed. (Mark 5:1-20)

First, a little geography from Wikipedia:  (begin) The Decapolis (“Ten Cities”) was a group of 10 Hellenistic cities on the eastern frontier of the Roman Empire in the Southern Levant in the first centuries BC and AD. They formed a group because of their language, culture, religion, location, and political status, with each functioning as an autonomous city-state dependent on Rome. They are sometimes described as a league of cities, although some scholars believe that they were never formally organized as a political unit.

The Decapolis was a center of Hellenistic and Roman culture in a region which was otherwise populated by Jews…The Decapolis region is located in modern-day Jordan (Philadelphia, Gerasa, Pella and Gadara), Israel (Scythopolis and Hippos) and Syria (Raphana, Dion, Canatha and Damascus). (end)

Today’s reading ends with: “Then the man went off and began to proclaim in the Decapolis what Jesus had done for him; and all were amazed.”  Mark, writing during the time of the destruction of the Temple and the Roman ravaging of Jerusalem (70 AD), wrote his Gospel as war-time literature slyly focused on “Jesus against the Empire of Rome.”  

Most of us don’t appreciate Mark’s targeting of Roman oppression he disguised as “man in the tombs,” “unclean spirits of Legion,” “2,000 swine,” and “men possessed by Legion.”  For example, Legion was a military organization, originally the largest permanent organization in the armies of ancient Rome. The term legion also referred to the military system by which imperial Rome conquered and ruled the ancient world.

The Jews were “entombed” by the Romans and were in “shackles and chains.” Mark told his audience that the chains had been pulled apart and the shackles smashed by Jesus.  No one was strong enough to subdue Jesus.  This was clever anti-Roman propaganda by followers of Jesus disguised by Mark in his Gospel (Good News).  

Furthermore, about one-half a Roman Legion (2,000 soldiers stationed in Galilean Hills) were cast as a herd of unclean swine thrown into the sea where they drowned.  Earlier we read: “Legion is my name. There are many of us." And he pleaded earnestly with him not to drive them away from that territory.”  Mark was parroting what most Jews wished: that the Romans be driven from Jewish land.  

Again, much of Mark can be envisioned as anti-Roman propaganda.  A key to this conclusion is the timing of the Gospel – around 70 AD.  

Deacon David Pierce