What does Luke 8:29 mean?
Jesus is interacting with a demon possessed man. The demons have driven the man to fall at Jesus' feet and beg for mercy (Luke 8:27–28).In the New Testament, demon possession or generic references to "evil spirits" are given as the cause of physical ailments. Some of this man's actions indicate a mental disorder: he avoids people, lives in the tombs, refuses clothing, and gashes himself with stones (Mark 5:5). Here, however, we see a symptom clearly beyond simple imbalance: mental illness doesn't give its victims superhuman strength. We see this again in Ephesus when a lone demon-possessed man overcomes seven men, beats them, and strips away their clothing (Acts 19:11–16). Even so, it appears the man doesn't always possess such strength, as the locals are occasionally able to bind him. Likely, the locals had used ropes to bind his feet and chains on his wrists.
The townspeople tried to help the man by keeping him and others safe, but they could not save him spiritually; they could not expel the demons. Even if the demons had left, they could have gathered even more and returned (Luke 11:24–26).
Conversely, not only can Jesus save the man, but He also makes great concessions to do so. He is in Gentile territory, near tombs, next to a massive herd of unclean animals, confronting possibly thousands of demons in the body of a naked, bruised, and battered man. The man's physical state provides a clear picture of his spiritual turmoil. Perhaps no other description better illustrates the power of Jesus' love; He not only came to this man, He died for him. "But God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us" (Romans 5:8).
The term "shackles" refers to an ankle restraint. "Chains" is more generic but can be used for handcuffs. "Desert" doesn't necessarily refer to a hot sandy place; in this case, it is the noun form of a word translated "deserted," meaning an uninhabited or abandoned area. This is literally a "lonely place."
The man is most destructive to himself when he is alone. The demons drive him away from other people who would restrain and guard him. There in the tombs, the demons make him live like a self-destructive animal. The enemy does this to us, as well. God made us for community, to build each other up (Hebrews 10:24–25) and protect each other (James 5:19–20). If the enemy can get us alone, we are at our most vulnerable.
