The Kheresa Lunatic 

Kheresa was a little village atop the cliffs on the eastern shore of the Sea of Galilee. In March of 29 CE, Jesus led his apostles there for a few days’ rest. On the way to their campsite, in Kheresa’s cemetery, they encountered a man named Amos who asked to be cured of his madness. This man believed he was possessed by demons, and after Jesus cured him, Amos saw a herd of swine go over a cliff. He assumed his demons went into the pigs and broadcast this story across the land. Although it was a pack of dogs that chased the unattended pigs to their death, the false story added to the rapidly growing interest in Jesus.

On March 20, 29 CE, Jesus and his apostles rowed to the eastern side of the Sea of Galilee to camp and rest. They landed on the shore below the village of Kheresa, climbed the cliff, and headed for a campsite. The next day, they passed by a cemetery where a man rushed up to Jesus. This demented man, Amos, was well-known in Kheresa and had been chained in a cave after one of his spells of lunacy. He broke loose and roamed the cemetery possessed in madness.

There were periods when Amos was sane and lucid. During one of these periods, he traveled to Bethsaida and listened to the teachings of Jesus. He was so impressed that he became a believer. But then he descended into madness once again and returned to the cemetery where he moaned, cried out, and terrorized all who chanced to meet him.

When he saw Jesus approaching, Amos fell at his feet and declared he was possessed by demons. Jesus said to him: “Amos, you are not possessed of a devil; you have already heard the good news that you are a son of God. I command you to come out of this spell.” After Jesus spoke, there occurred such a transformation in his intellect that he was immediately restored to his right mind and the normal control of his emotions. Some from Kheresa saw this and were so astonished that they ran to tell others.

Many swine herders lived and worked around Kheresa, a village of gentiles at that time. In the commotion of Amos’ cure, one of the herders left his herd unattended, and a pack of dogs charged the pigs, driving thirty of them to their deaths off a nearby cliff. This was an unforeseen, incidental happening. But the people believed Jesus had cast devils out of Amos, and the devils had entered the swine, which caused them to run off the cliff to their deaths. By the end of the day, everyone in the village had heard the story and believed it.

Jesus knew the truth about this incident, but the miracle-minded people of that time insisted Amos’ demons went into the pigs and sent them over the cliff. Amos also believed the story, which contributed to his cure's permanence.

Amos never suffered another bout with madness and went to Kheresa and other towns, declaring what great things Jesus did for him. Many were led to Jesus after hearing about this odd incident. A man named Aden, after listening to Amos’ story, raised up a large group of believers in Kanata, Syria, and then carried Jesus’ teachings to Mesopotamia.