In this episode, J Mark looks at where Jesus casts out the man’s demons in Mark 5:1-20. In the Gospels, we see Jesus going into dark situations and bringing light and redemption. In this passage, Jesus shows his power over Satan. He took several different steps that we must be willing to take when we face difficult situations and serve in difficult places.
Transcript
It is so good to be with you today. Thank you for joining us as we study God’s Word. All of us have a body; our body is a thing. We touch, feel, smell, hear, and taste with our physical body. However, we know we are more than just physical bodies. We can worship and pray; what happens during these times is more than just a physical act, it is spiritual. In Thessalonians, Paul describes us as body, soul, and spirit. We may not have a perfect understanding of how this works and fits together, but we acknowledge there is a spiritual realm that is just as real as the physical.
Today, in our lesson, Jesus shows us that he is the King of kings. This includes the spiritual realm. All angels and demons know Jesus is their King and treat him as such. Let’s go with Jesus to the Gadarenes and learn together. J Mark won’t finish this lesson today, but next time there will be part two of this engaging lesson. Turn now to Mark 5 and follow along as J Mark reads this story.
In First John 3:8, John wrote, “He who sins is of the devil, for the devil has sinned from the beginning. For this purpose, the Son of God was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil.” So, the Son of God was revealed to destroy the works of Satan.
In the Gospels, we see Jesus doing this. Before He began His public ministry, He endured the temptation in the wilderness. There, He convincingly demonstrated His power over Satan by using the Word of God. Earlier, in Mark, on the Sabbath and in the synagogue, Jesus delivers a man from a demonic spirit, showing His mastery over the powers of darkness.
Our text for this study is Mark 5:1-20. In the biblical record, not since God cast Satan and his angels out of heaven have so many demons been displaced by one divine command!
But let’s consider the larger context. At the end of chapter four, we find Jesus sleeping during a wild storm on the Sea of Galilee. He was exhausted from days of nonstop ministry. The disciples are struggling to control the sinking ship, so they awaken Jesus with a cry of despair: “Don’t you care that we are perishing?” Jesus miraculously stills the sea, and then the disciples are even more terrified. “Who can this be, that even the wind and the sea obey Him?”
That question is left hanging, as it were. In their understanding, only God, the creator of earth and sea, can control such things. And that brings us to our text: Mark 5:1-20. Listen to Mark’s record of these incredible events.
1Then they came to the other side of the sea, to the country of the Gadarenes.
2 And when He had come out of the boat, immediately there met Him out of the tombs a man with an unclean spirit,
3 who had his dwelling among the tombs; and no one could bind him, not even with chains,
4 because he had often been bound with shackles and chains. And he had pulled the chains apart and broken the shackles in pieces; neither could anyone tame him.
5 And always, night and day, he was in the mountains and in the tombs, crying out and cutting himself with stones.
6 When he saw Jesus from afar, he ran and worshiped Him.
7 And he cried out with a loud voice and said, “What have I to do with You, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I implore You by God that You do not torment me.”
8 For He said to him, “Come out of the man, unclean spirit!”
9 Then He asked him, “What is your name?” And he answered, saying, “My name is Legion; for we are many.”
10 Also he begged Him earnestly that He would not send them out of the country.
11 Now a large herd of swine was feeding there near the mountains.
12 So all the demons begged Him, saying, “Send us to the swine, that we may enter them.”
13 And at once Jesus permitted them. Then the unclean spirits went out and entered the swine (there were about two thousand); and the herd ran violently down the steep place into the sea, and drowned in the sea.
14 So those who fed the swine fled, and they told it in the city and in the country. And they went out to see what had happened.
15 Then they came to Jesus, and saw the one who had been demon-possessed and had the legion, sitting and clothed and in his right mind. And they were afraid.
16 And those who saw it told them how it happened to him who had been demon-possessed, and about the swine.
17 Then they began to plead with Him to depart from their region.
18 And when He got into the boat, he who had been demon-possessed begged Him that he might be with Him.
19 However, Jesus did not permit him, but said to him, “Go home to your friends, and tell them what great things the Lord has done for you, and had compassion on you.”
20 And he departed and began to proclaim in Decapolis all that Jesus had done for him; and all marveled.
The disciples were terrified during the storm and in the immediate aftermath. What we read must have compounded their uneasiness. The unpredictability of nature is one thing, the darkness of the demonic world is quite another! I’ve titled my teaching, “Going to the Dark Side.”
This incident shows us the STEPS we must be willing to take to serve in difficult places.
The First STEP (in going to the dark side) is,
Crossing Barriers
Jesus’ teaching about the kingdom of God in chapter three implied that it wouldn’t be restricted to the Jewish people. But those living in Jesus’ day were convinced that “salvation is of the Jews.” They were God’s chosen people. Yet here is Jesus purposefully crossing the Sea of Galilee to Gadara, a place inhabited mainly by non-Jews.
Gadara was one of the cities of the Decapolis. Pagans populated this area on the eastern shore of the lake, and it was a place the Jews avoided lest they become “unclean.” The Greek inhabitants of the area were never on good terms with the Jews, and the herd of pigs may indicate their contempt for what they saw as Jewish prejudice. But Jesus had intentionally set sail with His disciples for this place!
What causes barriers between people in the first place? Isn’t it often fear? We fear what we don’t understand. So, if people differ in religion, culture, or practices, we tend to avoid contact with them. We know they’re in spiritual darkness and need to hear about Jesus, but we fear that they may misunderstand our motives and react negatively to us.
What’s on the other side of your Sea of Galilee? Are there areas in your community that you consider “off limits?” Are there people you avoid so you don’t become contaminated by sin? Is Satan putting roadblocks in your way to keep you from reaching out to people who make you uncomfortable? These questions are valid and deserve fair consideration.
So, Jesus took the first step toward the dark side; He crossed to the eastern shore of Galilee, a place inhabited mainly by people living in spiritual darkness.
Another STEP (in going to the dark side) is,
Confronting Evil
As Jesus steps out of the boat onto the shore, He is immediately met by a raging lunatic, a man possessed by demons. We can only imagine his frightening appearance.
He didn’t live in a house like a normal person. Instead, he lived in the tombs. He must have been a terror to the community because the residents had often bound his hands and feet with shackles and chains. But he pulled the chains apart and broke the shackles.
No one was strong enough to restrain him successfully, and they certainly couldn’t tame him. I’m sure this man was somewhat of a legend, known far and wide across the area, and the people avoided him as much as they could.
Not only did he live in the tombs, but he practiced self-mutilation. Night and day, he roamed the mountains and the tombs, shrieking hideously and gashing himself with sharp stones. I imagine his body was covered with open wounds and many scars from bouts of demonic frenzy.
Biblically, these kinds of behaviors are always associated with idol worship and the demonic world. Even today in Shia Islam, there is a holiday of Ashura (Ash-or-ah) where devotees flagellate themselves in demonic frenzy until the blood flows freely. The widespread practices of tattooing, piercing, cutting, sadomasochism, transgenderism, and more in our day are all evidence of the powers of darkness! They strike at the heart of what and who God created us to be. The goal of demon possession is to distort and destroy the image of God in mankind.
When Jesus stepped out of the boat, the demoniac saw Him and ran toward Him. Was the man going to attack Jesus? Imagine their surprise when he falls prostrate before Jesus, crying out in terror, “What do you have to do with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? Swear to God that you will not torture me!” The demons recognized they are powerless before Him.
Why was this man crying out like this? Verse eight tells us that it was because Jesus had repeatedly commanded the demons to leave him. So, the two actions were simultaneous. Jesus’ repeated commands for exorcism were frightening the demons and causing their frenzied reactions. It was a scene the disciples wouldn’t soon forget!
Then Jesus asked him, “What is your name?” His reply was, “Legion” because many demons possessed him. At the time, a Roman legion comprised up to 6,000 soldiers! I don’t think that means this man had 6,000 demons, but there were many of them. I believe we can safely assume at least 2,000 because that’s how many pigs died because of this exchange.
The goal of the Roman legions was to enforce the Emperor’s will; his word was law. You disobeyed at the risk of your life! The goal of these evil spirits was to carry out the devil’s will of bringing pain, destruction, and chaos into the life of this man. For them to fail in their mission and be sent prematurely to the abyss would incur Satan’s wrath.
Even though demons are spirit beings, they seem uncomfortable being disembodied. Why else would they ask Jesus to let them go into the pigs? Their horror at being sent to the abyss prematurely caused their frenzied request. Perhaps they thought they could temporarily inhabit the pigs until Jesus left and then find new hosts in this pagan community.
This request also tells me that Satan and his demons are not omniscient, that is, they don’t know everything. Would they have kept begging Jesus to send them into the pigs if they had known the pigs would all drown in the sea? I don’t think so because they end up being without a body to host them.
Thanks, J Mark, for addressing this topic. This lesson is not finished; we just covered the first two steps, crossing barriers and confronting evil. Next time, we will finish this topic by looking at two more steps: choosing sides and commissioning witnesses. Please join us if you can.
If you have any questions about today’s lesson or if you would like to contact us, please let us know. You can reach us by email or the internet. Our email address is [email protected], and our website is heraldsofhope.org. There, go to the “partner” tab at the top. Under this tab, you will see “contact us”; from there, you can message us directly. Please get in touch with us using the method that is easiest for you. We look forward to hearing from you soon.
Today, we discussed Jesus going to the dark side. In a way, this is what He did the whole time He was on earth. John 1 says, “In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.” He is light and life, let’s be like Him.
