In his gospel Mark tells a familiar story that can be instructive for us in the ministry of deliverance, so I thought I would make a few observations from the text. It is a little long for one reading, so I will break it into two parts.
He (Jesus) got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, “Quiet! Be still!” Then the wind died down and it was completely calm….They went across the lake to the region of the Gerasenes. When Jesus got out of the boat, a man with an evil spirit came from the tombs to meet him. This man lived in the tombs, and no one could bind him any more, not even with a chain. For he had often been chained hand and foot, but he tore the chains apart and broke the irons on his feet. No one was strong enough to subdue him. Night and day among the tombs and in the hills he would cry out and cut himself with stones.
When he saw Jesus from a distance, he ran and fell on his knees in front of him. He shouted at the top of his voice, “What do you want with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? Swear to God that you won’t torture me!” For Jesus had said to him, “Come out of this man, you evil spirit!” Then Jesus asked him, “What is your name?” “My name is Legion,” he replied, “for we are many.” And he begged Jesus again and again not to send them out of the area. A large herd of pigs was feeding on the nearby hillside. The demons begged Jesus, “Send us among the pigs; allow us to go into them.” He gave them permission, and the evil spirits came out and went into the pigs. The herd, about two thousand in number, rushed down the steep bank into the lake and were drowned.
Those tending the pigs ran off and reported this in the town and countryside, and the people went out to see what had happened. When they came to Jesus, they saw the man who had been possessed by the legion of demons, sitting there, dressed and in his right mind; and they were afraid…Then the people began to plead with Jesus to leave their region. As Jesus was getting into the boat, the man who had been demon-possessed begged to go with him. Jesus did not let him, but said, “Go home to your family and tell them how much the Lord has done for you, and how he has had mercy on you.” So the man went away and began to tell in the Decapolis how much Jesus had done for him. And all the people were amazed. Mark 4:39-5:20
As this story opens, Jesus and his disciples were crossing the Sea of Galilee late in the evening. The topography in that area is such that high winds can funnel through cliffs surrounding the lake and in a moment create hazardous waves or severe thunderstorms can come up quickly and place boats on the water at risk.. On this occasion, all we know is that one of those storms arose quickly so that the boat was taking on water. The disciples were terrified, woke up Jesus, and Jesus rebuked the storm and the waters became peaceful.
One question is why did Jesus decide to leave an area where hundreds were coning to hear him teach and sail five miles across Galilee to an area that had a significant number of non-Jews? Of course, we could speculate on any number of reasons but Jesus was always so intentional that we can suggest that he crossed Galilee to set the demoniac free. I have been to Galilee and the interesting thing is that from the place Jesus was teaching, the man for whom he crossed the lake could be heard on a still night as he wailed among the tombs. Compassion, more than likely drove Jesus to make this late evening journey.
With that in mind, we can also speculate that the storm that arose on the lake was demonically inspired. Remember that Satan sent a great storm in from the desert in Job 1:17, which killed the children of Job. Mark also notes that other small boats were traveling with the boat Jesus was in so that they were in danger as well. Jesus, perhaps, could have miraculously protected his boat from sinking but only stilling the storm would make the others safe. Sometimes, Satan’s attacks can spawn collateral damage so that others are injured who were not the primary target.
According to Mark’s gospel, Jesus and his disciples beached their boat late in the evening. As soon as they placed their feet on dry ground, the man they had heard screaming across the lake came running to Jesus. The moment had to be eerie. Here he came naked, dirty, scarred, with pieces of chain hanging from his wrists or ankles. He undoubtedly smelled like something rotten. Sometimes, when setting people free we will have to deal with things that make us uncomfortable or even disgusting. Vomiting, foul language, disgusting smells, and even bodily discharges may be the price we pay for setting people free. It goes with the job.
Unexpectedly, the demonized man ran straight to Jesus and the demons began to beg for mercy. Either the demons were compelled to fall at the feet of Jesus because of who he was or there was still just enough of the man left that he sensed Jesus was his last hope. Either way, what we learn immediately is that Jesus has authority over demons. Of course, he had already demonstrated that many times before but not to this extent. There are clearly levels of demonization revealed in the gospels. In many cases, Jesus cast out a single demon. Mary Magdalene had seven demons and this man had so many that they identified themselves as legion. In my experience, demons rarely operate alone but rarely are their hundreds. However, just as a military unit would work together strategically for a common goal, so do demons. The important thing is that whether one or hundreds, they all must bow to the authority of Jesus.
Another thing we see here is that even though he was in the form of a man, Jesus was recognizable in the spiritual realm. In the book of Acts, the demon that the sons of Sceva were trying to cast out in Jesus’ name declared that they knew who Jesus was and knew who Paul was. We are marked in the spiritual realm as those who belong to Jesus because we are sealed by the Holy Spirit. Some believers have reputations even among the enemy. If you are a Christian, you are marked. You can’t hide from the enemy so you may as well fight him. And if you are going to fight you should do so with the ferocity that will gain you a reputation among your enemies.
The response of these demons to the presence of Jesus was terror. That should be the response of any demon to the presence of any follower of Jesus. Authority is the issue in the spiritual realm and Jesus has all authoritywhich he has also delegated to us. They asked Jesus if he had come to torture them before the appointed time. They begged him not to do so. Demons often speak through their hosts. Sometimes they are threatening and at other times they just keep asserting their right of ownership over the person. Dialoguing with demons is typically not productive because they are liars and expert manipulators. Any dialogue should probably be kept to a minimum. In addition, demons apparently know that judgment is coming and that their fate is sealed by the blood of Christ. They fear the end but their inescapable nature is still to kill, steal, and destroy. Their next plea was for Jesus not to send them out of the area or the region. This confirms that demons are given territorial assignments and are afraid of failing at those assignments.
It also becomes apparent in this account that these spirits are in search of some kind of body to inhabit – preferably human – but an animal will do. ( Yes – that cat may be possessed after all). Jesus said that when a spirit comes out of a man he wanders through arid places seeking rest (Matt.12:43).The word translated as “rest” mean to cease striving. That suggests that a demon’s very assignment is to inhabit a body, not just wander around on the earth. Because of that, these spirits are constantly trying to gain entrance. Therefore, we must guard our hearts and our thoughts so that we do not provide an open door for the enemy.
Interestingly, Jesus did not destroy these demons or send them to hell or the abyss as some deliverance ministries do. It seems that the world would be a better place if we could assign demons to hell where they could no longer roam the earth, but Jesus did not. Our practice is to send them to the feet of Jesus for his judgment. Perhaps, they still play some part in God’s purposes or the wickedness of man gives them a right to remain on the earth until Jesus returns. At any rate, Jesus allowed Legion to enter a herd of pigs where chaos ensued!
More Next Week
