Luke 8:37

Luke 8:37, in plain English

The people of the entire region were so overwhelmed by fear that they asked Jesus to leave. So He got into the boat to go back.

Why it's here

This is one of the saddest verses in the Gospels. Jesus had just performed an incredible miracle of liberation, and the people asked Him to go away. Fear of the unknown outweighed gratitude for the good.

Who's speaking

The Gerasene community makes their request, and Jesus responds by departing.

Where it sits in the story

Instead of welcoming the miracle-worker, the terrified community asked Jesus to leave. They preferred their old normal, pigs and all, to the unpredictable power of God. And Jesus respected their choice.

The scholarly reading

The entire plēthos ('multitude') of the surrounding region asks Jesus to depart because phobō megalō synechonto ('they were gripped by great fear'). This community-wide rejection based on fear contrasts sharply with the faith-based responses Jesus has praised elsewhere.

Language and setting

The request for Jesus to leave may stem from economic concerns (the lost pigs), fear of further supernatural disruption, or discomfort with a power they cannot control. Luke's use of synechō ('to seize/grip') portrays fear as an overwhelming force.

Voice

The people of the Gerasene region collectively ask Jesus to leave.

Significance

Overwhelmed by fear, the entire community asked Jesus to leave their region. He complied, getting into the boat to return, honoring their choice despite having just performed an extraordinary deliverance.

35So the people went out to see what had happened. They came to Jesus and found the man whom the demons had left, sitting at Jesus’ feet, clothed and in his right mind; and they were afraid.

36Meanwhile, those who had seen it reported how the demon-possessed man had been healed.

37Then all the people of the region of the Gerasenes asked Jesus to depart from them, because great fear had taken hold of them. So He got into the boat and started back.

38The man whom the demons had left begged to go with Jesus. But He sent him away, saying,

39“Return home and describe how much God has done for you.” So the man went away and proclaimed all over the town how much Jesus had done for him.

Read all of Luke 8 — A storm, a legion of demons, a bleeding woman, and a dead girl — Jesus moves through a world of chaos and brings order with a word or a touch.