Silence, Be Still!
From the boat, Jesus rebuked not only the wind and the sea but also the Legion of demons

Previous Chapter: Words of Jesus

The region of the Sea of ​​Galilee was one of the key places where Jesus Christ carried His ministry, while Jesus—the God of heaven—was living and serving the people in the coastal village of Capernaum, the unclean spirits were tormenting a man in the land of the Gadarenes, located just across the water, causing him to lose his sanity and wander about naked, his insane situation mentioned in the book of Mark like this - 3.He lived among the tombs. And no one could bind him anymore, not even with a chain, 4.for he had often been bound with shackles and chains, but he wrenched the chains apart, and he broke the shackles in pieces. No one had the strength to subdue him. 5.Night and day among the tombs and on the mountains he was always crying out and cutting himself with stones - Mark 5:3-5

During the days of Jesus Christ's ministry, people used to bring sick and demon-possessed to the Lord, that we see in many places in the Bible, and Lord graciously healed them and delivered them from the demons - 40.At sunset, the people brought to Jesus all who had various kinds of sickness, and laying his hands on each one, he healed them. 41.Moreover, demons came out of many people, shouting, “You are the Son of God!” But he rebuked them and would not allow them to speak, because they knew he was the Messiah - Luke 4:40-41

However, the situation of the man possessed by the many demons known as 'Legion' was entirely different, no one could approach or bind him, and he was located across the sea, so how could he be brought to Jesus? And so, those Legion devils thought they were in a very secured place, and continued to torment him.

It was then that Jesus Christ set out in a boat with His disciples towards the region of the Gadarenes, to deliver that man from the 'Legion' of demons; however, the disciples did not know why they were going to the region of the Gadarenes - 35.On that day, when evening had come, he said to them, “Let us go across to the other side.” 36.And leaving the crowd, they took him with them in the boat, just as he was. And other boats were with him - Mark 4:35-36 

Once they reached the region of the Gerasenes, would it be possible for the disciples to find the demon possessed and bring him to Jesus? no, that because the demon possessed was very insane, that no one can bind him even with the Chains. A similar situation existed at the region of Tyre and Sidon; daughter of the Canaanite woman, she could not bring her daughter to Jesus, so, she left her daughter at home, came alone and prayed to Jesus, and finally her daughter was delivered from the demon - 28.Lord, she replied, even the dogs under the table eat the children’s crumbs. 29.Then he told her, “For such a reply, you may go; the demon has left your daughter.” 30.She went home and found her child lying on the bed, and the demon gone - Mark 7:28-30

But here, there was no one to intercede for the man possessed by the Legion of demons; it was precisely then that the storm and waves rose against the boat. The disciples, screaming in fear for their lives, asked Jesus, "Teacher, do You not care that we are perishing?" This was the first time the disciples prayed to Jesus in oneness, actually they were speaking in tongue—because they were interceding not only for themselves but also for the one perishing at Gerasenes by the legion of demons - 37.And a great windstorm arose, and the waves beat into the boat, so that it was already filling. 38.But He was in the stern, asleep on a pillow. And they awoke Him and said to Him, “Teacher, do You not care that we are perishing?” - Mark 4:37-38

The disciples marveled when the wind and the sea obeyed the Lord’s single word; yet, it was only upon arriving in the region of the Gerasenes that they truly grasped the magnitude of His power—a power that transcends human imagination. The man possessed by the legion of demons—whom no one could bind—ran forward on his own accord, fell at the Lord’s feet, and worshipped Him. How did a man whom no one could restrain come forward of his own volition? That reveals the majesty of the Lord’s command; the Bible indicates that within the single utterance—"Be silent!"—there was also the authoritative command: "Unclean spirit, come out of this man" - 6.When he saw Jesus from afar, he ran and worshiped Him. 7.And he cried out with a loud voice and said, What have I to do with You, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I implore You by God that You do not torment me. 8.For He had already said unto to him, Unclean spirit, come out of this man - Mark 5:6-8

There is one more secret resides at the command of the Lord "Peace, be still", that is, for his command where the storm and the sea went on silent, at the same place the Legion devils also must be ending their life, that is why the Legion devils started begging not to torment them, but who can change the command of the Lord? So the demons took another vehicle called pigs and fell into the sea, meeting their end - 9.And Jesus asked him, “What is your name?” He replied, “My name is Legion, for we are many.” 10.And he begged him earnestly not to send them out of the country. 11.Now a great herd of pigs was feeding there on the hillside, 12.and they begged him, saying, “Send us to the pigs; let us enter them.” 13.So he gave them permission. And the unclean spirits came out and entered the pigs; and the herd, numbering about two thousand, rushed down the steep bank into the sea and drowned in the sea - Mark 5:9-13

The Bible says that about two thousand pigs drowned in the sea, but why does the Bible say nothing about the devils that are drowned with them? The Bible says, our God does not forget one of the five sparrows that are sold for two pennies, then why does the Bible say nothing about the fate of the Legion of demons? it is because these devils became lower than the livestock and all wild animals - 14.So the Lord God said to the serpent, Because you have done this, Cursed are you above all livestock and all wild animals! You will crawl on your belly and you will eat dust all the days of your life - Genesis 3:14

Three types of witnesses

Finally, this incident became a major topic of conversation among the people, and three types of witnesses shared this news among the people, the first onew was swineherds, and the Bible states that fear gripped the people when they heard herdsmen's testimony, the people of Gerasenes saw everything by their own eyes, still fear dominated them - 14.The herdsmen fled and told it in the city and in the country. And people came to see what it was that had happened. 15.And they came to Jesus and saw the demon-possessed man, the one who had had the legion, sitting there, clothed and in his right mind, and they were afraid - Mark 5:14-17

And next there were some eye witnesses, they also shared their testimony, and then the situation became more worst, and the people of Gerasenes asked the God of Heaven to leave their region - 16.And those who had seen it described to them what had happened to the demon-possessed man and to the pigs. 17.And they began to beg Jesus to depart from their region - Mark 5:14-17

The third witness is demon possessed man himself, and his personal testimony is so different than the others, and the Bible says, that everyone who heard his testimony "marveled" - 18.As he was getting into the boat, the man who had been possessed with demons begged him that he might be with him. 19.And he did not permit him but said to him, “Go home to your friends and tell them how much the Lord has done for you, and how he has had mercy on you.” 20.And he went away and began to proclaim in the Decapolis how much Jesus had done for him, and everyone marveled - Mark 5:18-20

Why his testimony is so different from the others, the testimony of herdsmen brought fear among the people, and the testimony of eye witnesses made Jesus to leave that region, but finally the demon possessed man's testimony changed everything, how?

This is how he gave his testimony: "I was tormented by a legion of demons—not just one or two, but thousands of them—torturing me day and night. Eventually, I lost my mind and wandered about naked; whenever people saw me, they would pelt me ​​with stones. Unable to enter the town, so I made the tombs my dwelling place, and there was no food or water, my only sustenance was the rotting carcasses of birds and rats". 

One evening I saw a boat coming from the other side of the sea, I did not know that the Almighty God who made heaven and earth was in that boat, I did not expect at all that I would see him in person, or that he was going to restore my life, that night, those legions of devils were so aggressive, and it was making me mad to attack them if anyone came near, I was screaming madly.

As the boat drew closer to me, a fierce wind began to blow—a gale so violent it threatened to dash me against the rocks and kill me. Just then, a voice rang out from the boat: "Silence! Be still!", It was a powerful, authoritative voice. Miraculously, the moment that voice spoke, the storm ceased and the turbulent sea calmed. Moreover, upon hearing that voice, the Legion of demons stopped tormenting me and began to scream in terror for their lives.

Then He came ashore and cast out all the demons that had tormented me—not a single one remained. Those demons had taken on various forms; I realized this only when the pigs, possessed by them, rushed toward the sea, i saw them all running towards the ocean, and there the pigs plunged into the water and perished. Afterward, He healed me completly, and he himself clothed me, and restored my humanity. The people who saw me assumed His disciples had clothed me, but that was not the case; the disciples, who were deeply rooted in Jewish tradition, had not even come near me.

It was Jesus who came to me, and clothed me, and restored my dignity as a human being. For the first time in my life, I experienced the true meaning of love; His love overwhelmed me. I know what false gods and devils does to a person, and now i know what true God does for a person, that true God is Jesus Christ, simply speaking His name brings salvation. Everyone who heard his testimony was amazed and longed to see the Jesus whom they had previously sent away.

Next Chapter: Who touched me?