Luke 8:29 - Printer Friendly

ESV: For he had commanded the unclean spirit to come out of the man. (For many a time it had seized him. He was kept under guard and bound with chains and shackles, but he would break the bonds and be driven by the demon into the desert.)

NIV: For Jesus had commanded the impure spirit to come out of the man. Many times it had seized him, and though he was chained hand and foot and kept under guard, he had broken his chains and had been driven by the demon into solitary places.

NASB: For He had already commanded the unclean spirit to come out of the man. For it had seized him many times; and he was bound with chains and shackles and kept under guard, and yet he would break the restraints and be driven by the demon into the desert.

CSB: For he had commanded the unclean spirit to come out of the man. Many times it had seized him, and though he was guarded, bound by chains and shackles, he would snap the restraints and be driven by the demon into deserted places.

NLT: For Jesus had already commanded the evil spirit to come out of him. This spirit had often taken control of the man. Even when he was placed under guard and put in chains and shackles, he simply broke them and rushed out into the wilderness, completely under the demon’s power.

KJV: For he had commanded the unclean spirit to come out of the man. For oftentimes it had caught him: and he was kept bound with chains and in fetters; and he brake the bands, and was driven of the devil into the wilderness.)

NKJV: For He had commanded the unclean spirit to come out of the man. For it had often seized him, and he was kept under guard, bound with chains and shackles; and he broke the bonds and was driven by the demon into the wilderness.

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.

Luke 8:26–39 records a man's rescue from a legion of demons. This comes just as Jesus has saved the disciples from chaos and nature. The rescued man believes, having seen the light and heard the message (Luke 8:15–18). The townspeople don't listen and are filled with fear. When the once-chained man begs to stay with Jesus, Jesus instead commissions him to spread the good news he has heard and experienced, becoming the apostle to the entire district. Next, Jesus shows His power over sickness and death (Luke 8:40–56) before imbuing that power to His disciples (Luke 9:1–6). Mark also records Jesus' power over Legion while Matthew notes there were two possessed men (Matthew 8:28–34; Mark 5:1–20).

Luke 8 includes portions of three sections of Jesus' Galilean Ministry. The women who support Jesus' ministry bridge the faithful outcasts of chapter 7 to the sower who spreads the news of God's kingdom (Luke 8:1–3). Luke 8:4–18 includes the parables of the sower and the lamp under the jar. These illustrate the importance of hearing Jesus' message with a mind to believe and obey. Luke 8:19–56 presents different faith reactions when Jesus' life, power, and authority elicit questions about His identity.

This passage continues Luke's pattern in the account of Jesus' Galilean ministry: alternating calls to discipleship with stories that describe the discipleship He expects. In Luke 6:17, Jesus transitioned from calling and training the Twelve to a more general call; in Luke 7, Jesus interacted specifically with those with less privilege in society. Chapter 8 reveals how people react when Jesus reveals who He is, mostly through miracles. In Luke 9:18–50, Jesus returns to intense discipleship of the Twelve to give them courage and faith, preparing them for the journey to Jerusalem and what they will witness there.

Luke was a traveling companion of Paul (Acts 16:10) and a physician (Colossians 4:14). Unlike Matthew, Mark, and John, Luke writes his gospel as an historian, rather than as a first-hand eyewitness. His extensive writings also include the book of Acts (Acts 1:1–3). These are deliberately organized, carefully researched accounts of those events. The gospel of Luke focuses on the earthly ministry of Jesus Christ. Luke's Gentile perspective presents Christ as a Savior for all people, offering both forgiveness and direction to those who follow Him.