One event, four witnesses
The Gadarene Demoniac
On the far shore of the Sea of Galilee, Jesus frees a man, or two men, tormented by a legion of demons, sending them into a herd of swine. Matthew, Mark, and Luke all record this deliverance, with real differences in the number of men and the place-name.
“And when he was come to the other side into the country of the Gergesenes, there met him two possessed with devils, coming out of the tombs, exceeding fierce, so that no man might pass by that way.”Matthew 8:28
“And they came over unto the other side of the sea, into the country of the Gadarenes.”Mark 5:1
“And they arrived at the country of the Gadarenes, which is over against Galilee.”Luke 8:26
The event
The event. Jesus crosses the lake to the country of the Gadarenes and is met by a demon-possessed man of terrible violence, who lives among the tombs, cannot be bound even with chains, and cries out day and night, cutting himself with stones. The demons recognize Jesus at once and beg not to be tormented before their time. When Jesus asks the name, the answer is Legion, for they are many. They plead not to be sent into the deep but into a large herd of swine feeding nearby, and Jesus permits it; the whole herd rushes down the steep bank into the sea and drowns. The swineherds flee and tell the town, and the people come out to find the man who had been possessed now sitting, clothed, and in his right mind at Jesus' feet. Gripped with fear, they beg Jesus to depart from their region. The delivered man asks to go with Him, but Jesus sends him home to tell his friends what great things the Lord has done, and he goes and publishes it through the Decapolis. A man no chains could hold is set free by a word.
Read side by side: what is the same, what differs
Read side by side: what is the same, what differs. All three agree on the core: Jesus crosses the lake, meets a violently possessed man among the tombs, the demons name themselves Legion and beg to enter the swine, the herd drowns, the townspeople are afraid and ask Him to leave. Two real differences stand out. First, the number of men. Matthew says two demoniacs met Jesus; Mark and Luke speak of one. This is not a contradiction: where there were two, there was certainly one, and Mark and Luke focus on the more prominent and fearsome man, the one who spoke, asked to follow, and was commissioned. Matthew, who often notes pairs, records that there were in fact two. A narrower focus is not a denial of the other. Second, the place-name varies across manuscripts and Gospels: Gadarenes, Gergesenes, and Gerasenes all appear in the tradition. Gadara and Gerasa were towns of the same general region east of the lake, and "Gergesenes" may reflect a nearer locale on the shore. The region was known by more than one of its towns, so the different names point to the same district rather than to a mistake. The event is one; the vantage points and the regional naming differ.
What it shows of Christ
What it shows of Christ. Jesus is Lord over the powers of darkness, and a legion of demons can only beg and obey. The scene displays His authority in its most dramatic form: what no restraint of men could tame, His single word subdues, and the fiercest bondage ends in a man sitting quietly at His feet. Mark and Luke, focusing on the one man, draw out the fullness of his transformation and his commission to tell what the Lord has done, a first herald to the Gentile Decapolis, which fits Luke's theme of mercy reaching the outsider. Matthew, noting two men, presses the truth that the demons confessed Jesus as the Son of God and feared the appointed judgment. The townspeople's plea for Him to leave shows that His power can be met with fear as well as faith. Above all, the delivered man sent home to testify reveals a Christ who not only frees but sends the freed to declare His grace.
Questions people ask
Why does Matthew mention two demoniacs while Mark and Luke mention only one?
Because Mark and Luke focus on the more prominent man, the one who spoke with Jesus, asked to follow Him, and was sent to testify. Matthew notes that there were in fact two. Recording one central figure is not a denial that another was present; a narrower focus and a fuller count are both true.
Why do the Gospels and manuscripts give different place-names: Gadarenes, Gergesenes, Gerasenes?
All three names point to the same general region east of the Sea of Galilee. Gadara and Gerasa were towns of that area, and Gergesa may name a nearer spot on the shore. A district known by more than one of its towns naturally appears under more than one name; this is regional naming, not error.