The Demoniac

Intro- Open your Bibles to Mark 5:1-20... We continue our journey through Mark’s gospel this morning with an interesting story of an encounter Jesus had with a man possessed by not one but many demons. A man who was completely, utterly, and helplessly under Satan’s control. A man who at this point in his life was less a man and more a tool or slave of the Enemy. But what we find in this story is much more than just an interesting case study on demon possession. What we find here is clear and helpful insight into our Enemy, his plan for our lives, our only hope for deliverance, and a danger that threatens to cut us off from that deliverance.

Mark 5:1–13 (NIV)

They went across the lake to the region of the Gerasenes. When Jesus got out of the boat, a man with an impure spirit came from the tombs to meet him. This man lived in the tombs, and no one could bind him anymore, 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? In God’s name don’t torture me!” For Jesus had said to him, “Come out of this man, you impure 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 impure 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.

Transition: Let’s begin by looking at this demon possessed man and the kind of life that he lived.

1. A Picture of Satan’s Goal for Your Life

We are told in verse 3 that he lived in the tombs. These were probably caves that had been dug out of the hills. At that time in history people wrapped dead bodies in linen strips with spices and then laid them in these caves on shelves carved into the sides of the cave for this purpose. And that is where this man lived, among the decaying flesh and bones of dead men. He was cutoff from the society of all men, except one. Matthew’s gospel notes that there was a second demon possessed man there with him. But otherwise he was there alone, living among the dead, and in all likelihood wishing he was one of them. If you think that too string a statement, let’s keep looking at his life.

Verse 3 also tells us that no one could bind this man for the legion of demons living in him gave him Samson-like strength. Even shackles and chains could not restrain him. Now, to the foolish person this may sound cool or even like a benefit of demon possession, but verse 4 hints at the problem. It says, “No one was strong enough to subdue him.” That word subdue there means “to tame,” like you would tame a wild animal. [John D. Grassmick, “Mark,” in The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures, ed. J. F. Walvoord and R. B. Zuck, vol. 2 (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1985), 122.] So, no one was strong enough to tame this wild man. He lived like a wild animal with great strength yes, but untamed strength that was a danger to himself and to everyone else. And because of that he knew no peace. Let me explain what I mean by offering you two very different images of what the word ‘subdued’ means. Here’s the first. Picture a man locked in a prison. He would be subdued. Now, here’s the second. Imagine a dog curled up at his master’s feet in front of the fire. That dog would also be subdued or tamed. So there is a trade off here. It isn’t just that no one could lock this man up in chains, it’s also that he could not come under anyone else’s authority or protection either. He was a slave to thousands of demonic beings, and no one was strong enough to subdue him.

Verse 5 tells us that this man was so miserable that he screamed night and day and sought relief from his tortures by cutting himself with stones. You see, self-harm, cutting yourself to try to relieve your suffering isn’t a new idea. Ecclesiastes 1:9 says, “what has been done will be done again; there is nothing new under the sun.” This is an old tactic of the Enemy that has come around again in our day. What Satan wants more than anything in the world is to lash out and harm God. Since he cannot do that, he must settle for lashing out at you. You see, you are made in the image of God. And make no mistake, Satan longs to harm and harass those made in God’s image and to damage and destroy that image in us. This poor man is so far under Satan’s control that he is actually harming his own body, tearing and slashing at the image of God in himself. This is what Satan wants to do to you as well. If you are engaging in self-harm, if you are cutting, know that that isn’t what God wants for you. That is part of Satan’s plan to destroy you.

And that is what I want you to see in this story is that this man is a picture, a clear presentation of what Satan wants to do in your life. You have an enemy who wants to destroy you. And this man is a picture of what Satan wants to do to you. Here is a man that the Enemy had near complete control over. And what did he do to him? He overwhelmed him with demonic oppression. He isolated him from everyone and everything good in the world. He surrounded him with death and decay. He tormented and tortured him until the man began to hate and torment himself.

You’ve heard of the Fruit of the Spirit? The fruit that the Spirit produces in our lives? Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. What we see in this man’s life is the fruit of the Enemy. Terror, isolation, torment, a preoccupation with death, self-harm, torture, degradation, pain and tears. This is what following Satan, what indulging in sin will produce in your life. Every step you take toward sin, every step you take toward believing the lies of the Enemy is a step you take towards these things. Never forget that this is what Satan wants for you. Don’t fall for his temptations and his lies. Don’t follow him. Don’t walk down his path, or it will inevitably lead you closer and closer to torments like this.

Transition: So, how can we avoid his fate? How can we avoid letting Satan into our lives?

2. Avoiding Demonic Influence

I only want to spend a few minutes on this because it is really outside the scope of this passage. But I don’t want to miss the opportunity to warn you off some dangerous activities. Often Christians talk exclusively about demon possession- which is what happens when a person’s body is taken over and controlled by a demon. But really it is more helpful to think of a range of influence that demons can have over a person. At one extreme end of the spectrum is possession, but there is a whole range of influence that demons can exert over a person leading up to that. So, it isn’t just demon-possession that we want to avoid but any demonic influence in our lives.

And how do we do that? Well, the best way is to be saved! If you are filled with the Holy Spirit of the Living God then you cannot be filled with demons. I John 4:4 assures us that “the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world.” No demon is powerful enough to drive God’s Spirit out of you to take you as their own. And Romans 8:38–39 says, “I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” No demon can separate you from the love of God. He will not give you up. So, the best way to avoid this man’s fate is to get saved because no true Christian can suffer the fate this man suffered.

But even Christians should be wary of inviting demonic influence into their lives. And there are a host of activities that people engage in in our culture that open doors to demonic influence. First, would be worshipping false gods which is actually just worshipping demons. A second way people invite demonic influence into their lives is through occult practices. Occult practices are any kind of activity that turns to hidden knowledge or to supernatural, mystical or magical sources to try to exert power or control over people or events. And many of these practices are mainstream in our culture today. Occult practices include things like divination, fortune telling, palm reading, horoscopes, astrology, psychics, witchcraft, magic spells, magic charms, even lucky charms. A rabbit foot may seem innocent, but cutting the foot off an animal and carrying it around in your pocket and truly believing that it will change your luck, is an occult idea. Other occult practices include voodoo, wicca, talking to the dead, seances, ouija boards, and interacting with so-called ghosts.

Now, I’m not saying that anyone who does any of these things is going to end up demon possessed. I’m just saying that all these things dabble in the demonic. Anytime someone engages in these behaviors they open doors in the spiritual realm and invite demonic influence in their lives. Scripture forbids us from doing most or all of these things for good reason, so avoid them at all costs. And if you have done any of them, repent and cut them out of your life entirely.

Transition: Now, that’s enough on demons. Let’s look at Jesus.

3. Jesus was Strong Enough to Deliver

What this story clearly reveals about Jesus is that these demons were no match for Him. This man says he was possessed by a legion of demons. A Roman legion consisted of about 6,000 soldiers. That doesn’t mean that there were literally 6,000 demons in this man, but I do think it’s safe to say that there were many demons in him. Enough, to stampede 2,000 pigs off a steep bank at least. [Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset, and David Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible, vol. 2 (Oak Harbor, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc., 1997), 70.] So, I feel comfortable saying that this man was possessed by thousands of demons. And, “No one was strong enough to subdue him...” until Jesus got off that boat and changed this man’s life. Jesus was stronger than the demons.

Jesus is stronger than thousands of demons and it isn’t even close. The demons cower before Jesus in the passage. They fall at His feet. They ask Him not to torture them. Verse 10 says that they begged Jesus again and again not to send them out of the area. And in verse 12 they beg Him to let them go into the pigs.

The picture we get from all this is that Jesus has complete authority over demons. Jesus was the only one strong enough to deliver this man, and He is the only one strong enough to deliver you from all the things that enslave you. When will you quit trying to save yourself? You aren’t strong enough! But there’s good news, because even if legions of demons should rise up against you, you have a Helper who is strong enough to deliver you. [Matthew Henry and Thomas Scott, Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary (Oak Harbor, WA: Logos Research Systems, 1997), Mk 5:1.]

Transition: But this isn’t the end of the story. Let’s look now at how the townspeople responded to Jesus.

Mark 5:14–20 (NIV)

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. Those who had seen it told the people what had happened to the demon-possessed man—and told about the pigs as well. 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 own people 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.

4. The Townspeople’s reaction to Jesus

How did the townspeople respond? They very kindly and very politely invited Jesus to leave. In fact, it says they “pleaded” with Jesus to leave their region. And this is exactly how some of you treat God. You come here on Sunday morning and pay your respects and then you politely ask God not to interfere with your private life. Why? Why did they respond this way and why do we respond this way?

Verse 15 gives us the answer. It says, “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.” They were afraid! Who knows how long this man had terrorized their area. Who knows how many times they had tried to deal with him. The passage says that he had often been chained hand and foot. Yet, Jesus arrives and within just a few minutes is able to subdue this man and cast out all the demons inside of him! They didn’t think this was possible. They were afraid of Jesus’ power. And they simply weren’t sure they wanted someone that powerful anywhere near them or their city. They were afraid of what Jesus could do, afraid of what He might do with all that power.

I think many of us respond to Jesus in this same way. We are afraid to let Jesus into our life, because we are afraid of what He might do? Afraid of what He might ask us to do. I struggled with this for a long time. I was afraid that if I fully surrendered my life to Christ that He might call me to be a missionary, or He might ask me to walk up to strangers on the street and share the gospel with them. Are you keeping Jesus at arm’s length? Are you very politely asking Him to leave you alone because you are afraid of what He might ask you to do if you surrender full control of your life to Him? Don’t make the mistake these people made. The Bible doesn’t record Jesus ever returning to this area after they invited Him to leave. Don’t let fear keep you from Jesus.

Conclusion:

As we prepare to close this morning, I want you to think about who you have been inviting into your life. Maybe you need to repent of some occult practices you have engaged in that have invited demons into your life. Maybe you need to repent of asking Jesus to leave you alone. There is one response though that we should all have to this passage, we should all fall at the feet of Jesus like this man does and surrender our lives to Him. Invite Jesus into your life today. Give Him full control. Take that step of faith you’ve been putting off, that you’ve been too afraid to take. Join the church. Share the gospel. Get saved. Surrender completely to Jesus. Let this truly be a time of invitation for you this morning as you invite Jesus in.

PRAY-