The Gadarene (3) - All The LORD is near Daily Devotionals for 2025

Constantly, night and day, he was screaming among the tombs and in the mountains, and gashing himself with stones.

Two men who were demon-possessed met Him as they were coming out of the tombs. They were so extremely violent that no one could pass by that way.

[The Gadarene] had not put on any clothing for a long time.
Mark 5:5; Matthew 8:28; Luke 8:27

The Gadarene (3)
"He was gashing himself with stones." This makes it clear that sin is self-destructive. You are harming yourself one way or the other. That is also what the writer of Proverbs says: "But he who sins against me injures himself; all those who hate me love death" (8:36). Even if people are not willing to accept it, a life in sin has harmful effects on oneself: body, soul, and spirit. In the parallel passage in the Gospel of Matthew, we read that the two demoniacs were also a danger for others. Nobody could pass along near them. Sinful behavior also has a harmful effect on others.

"[He] had not put on any clothing." After sin entered the world, God gave man the feeling of shame in connection with nakedness, and clothed him. While the efforts of man himself were very inefficient in this respect (Gen. 3:7), God gave them suitable clothing: "The Lord God made garments of skin for Adam and his wife, and clothed them" (v. 21). This is still God's idea when we speak of clothing: to cover man's nakedness.

But Satan is trying to contradict this through the fashion industry producing clothing that is less of a covering, but shows more of the person's nakedness. And even running around completely naked, as this poor man was doing, is something Satan promotes in some areas of society, and on the internet, arousing sinful desires in people. But the life of this poor man completely changed when he met the Lord Jesus.

Michael Vogelsang