Words

Last time I wrote about some components of the setting to the passage Mark 5:1-20. This time we will look at characterization in this passage. The character we will look at is the demon-possessed man, sometimes called the demoniac.

The demon-possessed man is nearly two characters in one. I use the word ‘nearly’ because, although there are two entities, a legion of demons and a man, Mark treats him as a single character. When the man is possessed by demons, they are in control; when Jesus frees the man, he is in control. So this dynamic character’s development is marked by a radical shift of control. This also frames the narrative. In the beginning the demons are in control, but at the end he is in control. I will, therefore, split my comments in accordance with this framing device and marked shift in control.

The Man as Demon-Possessed

We first meet the character as he comes to Jesus, who is getting out of his boat. The author tells us that the man is possessed by an unclean spirit, he lives among the tombs and in the mountains, he screams and torments himself night and day, and he cannot be bound. This information is reliable concerning the character because the author directly tells it to us (Narrative Criticism by Resseguie 2005, 132). These facts underline both the total control of the unclean spirits and the man’s impurity. Simply put, he is unclean, unhappy, and uncontrollable.

As soon as he meets Jesus, the demon-possessed man prostrates himself before him. He shouts in a loud voice, asking what they have to do with one another and begs Jesus not to torment him. Jesus then asks his name and the demon responds with “Legion.” The actions of the character show that the mere presence of Jesus brings immediate control to this uncontrollable character. The first words of a character can be significant, leading to the discovery of his or her traits (Resseguie 2005, 143). Here, on the one hand, they highlight the demons’ power and control over the man, yet, on the other hand, they show their weakness and submission to Christ. The name Legion – a segment of the Roman army that contains 6,000 men at full strength (Mark 1-8:26, Word Biblical Commentary by Guelich 1989, 281) – reveals the strength of the unclean spirits. Still, these powerful spirits must plead with Jesus to let them go into some nearby pigs. The demon-possessed man is a paradox: powerful and yet weak, in control and yet being controlled.

The Man No Longer Demon-Possessed

Once Jesus exorcises the demons from this man everything about him changes. The author now describes the man in opposite terms from those of the opening sentences. He is under control, no longer running about, no longer in torment, no longer inhabited by unclean spirits and not in among the unclean tombs. Instead of desiring to be rid of Jesus, he wants to go with him. The reaction of the people from town that knew this man also testify to his change. In other words, this man is completely transformed. That he goes back into his own town and proclaims the good things that Jesus has done for him denotes the totality of the change.

His development as a character highlights the power of Jesus over the power of Satan. The power of Satan destroys life and is ultimately weak. But the power of Jesus gives life and is ultimately supreme. The man has been rescued from a life marked by death and destruction, to a life marked by joy and healing.

All Entries on Mark 5:1-20
Plot
Point of View
Jean Starobinski’s Article
Characterization
Setting
Rhetorical Devices