Crossing the Sea: Jesus, the Gerasenes, and the “Driven-Out Ones”
- Fig Tree Ministries
- Aug 11
- 2 min read
Sea of Galilee (pt. 3 of 21)
This week, we continue our journey around the Sea of Galilee by returning to the familiar story of Jesus calming the storm—this time through the Gospel of Mark.
In Mark 4:35–41, Jesus and his disciples cross the Sea of Galilee when a violent storm threatens their boat. But Mark’s telling of the story contains important echoes of Psalm 107, where sailors caught in a raging sea cry out to YHVH, who stills the storm and brings them safely to their destination. What might Mark be communicating by placing Jesus into this familiar biblical imagery?
But calming the storm is only the beginning of the journey.
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In Mark 5:1–20, Jesus arrives on the opposite side of the lake in what Mark calls the “region of the Gerasenes.” This description has created a geographical puzzle for scholars because Gerasa was located many miles from the Sea of Galilee.
In this lesson, we explore another possibility by considering the Hebrew word gerushim, meaning those who are “driven out” or “expelled.”
Across the lake from Jesus’ home in Capernaum was the Decapolis, or “Ten Cities”—a predominantly Greco-Roman region that stood in sharp cultural contrast to Jewish Galilee.
This connection opens an intriguing symbolic reading of Mark’s story. The Hebrew Bible remembers the pagan nations of Canaan as peoples who were “driven out” as Israel entered the Promised Land. Could Mark’s “Gerasenes” contain an echo of this older biblical language?
As Jesus crosses the Sea of Galilee, he is crossing more than water. He leaves Jewish Galilee, passes through the chaotic sea, and enters a predominantly pagan world. There, among tombs, demons, pigs, and the “driven-out ones,” Jesus demonstrates that his authority extends beyond the boundaries of Israel.
Join us as we explore how geography, Hebrew language, Psalm 107, and the cultural world surrounding the Sea of Galilee can help us see this familiar Gospel story through a new lens.
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