Mark 5 Preaching Club

The Demon-Possessed man

Pray: Father, Speak to us through your word, Give us grace to listen. Shape our thoughts and attitudes to your likeness. Let the Light of Christ be seen more clearly. Lord, Give us true humilty to Understand and apply this passage in Mark. And Help us to see it with clear and fresh eyes through the power of Your Spirit. All this to your Glory, amen.

Read the Text Whole: Mark 5:1-20

Mark 5:1–20 ESV

They came to the other side of the sea, to the country of the Gerasenes. And when Jesus had stepped out of the boat, immediately there met him out of the tombs a man with an unclean spirit. He lived among the tombs. And no one could bind him anymore, not even with a chain, for he had often been bound with shackles and chains, but he wrenched the chains apart, and he broke the shackles in pieces. No one had the strength to subdue him. Night and day among the tombs and on the mountains he was always crying out and cutting himself with stones. And when he saw Jesus from afar, he ran and fell down before him. And crying out with a loud voice, he said, “What have you to do with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I adjure you by God, do not torment me.” For he was saying to him, “Come out of the man, you unclean spirit!” And Jesus asked him, “What is your name?” He replied, “My name is Legion, for we are many.” And he begged him earnestly not to send them out of the country. Now a great herd of pigs was feeding there on the hillside, and they begged him, saying, “Send us to the pigs; let us enter them.” So he gave them permission. And the unclean spirits came out and entered the pigs; and the herd, numbering about two thousand, rushed down the steep bank into the sea and drowned in the sea. The herdsmen fled and told it in the city and in the country. And people came to see what it was that had happened. And they came to Jesus and saw the demon-possessed man, the one who had had the legion, sitting there, clothed and in his right mind, and they were afraid. And those who had seen it described to them what had happened to the demon-possessed man and to the pigs. And they began to beg Jesus to depart from their region. As he was getting into the boat, the man who had been possessed with demons begged him that he might be with him. And he did not permit him but said to him, “Go home to your friends and tell them how much the Lord has done for you, and how he has had mercy on you.” And he went away and began to proclaim in the Decapolis how much Jesus had done for him, and everyone marveled.

“This is the Word of the Lord”

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Have you ever witnessed a madman? I was looking for a job not to long ago, and a good friend of mine presented the idea of working as a psyciatric technician at the psychiatric hospital. The psyciatric technician is tasked with the responsibility of subduing a patient when they enter “psycosis” Typically this is a 4 person job and many Psych Technicians work over night. Typically a result of Trauma, torments, or horrors. . Evil, has the tendency to move people do disorder, chaos, and fear. A great horror can cause a person to even loose touch with reality, going insane. Here ins the Gospels we have a similar story. But not mere psychosis.... This man would break chains in half, He had a supernatural strength. This man was possessed by a legion of Demons, experiencing a horrific evil greater than we can imagine, and it is evident even to those around him. There is no amount of psych technicians that could subdue such a powerful force.

Gadara across the sea of Galillee. A city in the Decopolis. A largely greek population.

Damascus, Dion, Gadara, Gerasa (or Galasa), Hippos (or Hippo), Canatha (or Kanatha), Pella, Philadelphia (the Old Testament Rabbah or Rabbath Ammon and present-day Amman, the capital of Jordan), Raphana (or Rephana), and Scythopolis (Beth Shan).

The Man Lived among the Tombs, yelling and cutting himself with stones

English Standard Version Mark 5:3

He lived among the tombs

Likely the Southeast Side of the Sea of Galilee in the region of Gadara. (Known for worship of Artemis and Zeus)

Luke adds the detail that he was naked, but this was implied by Mk 5:15.

Ran and fell before Jesus after seeing him from afar

Matthews Gospel (Two Demon Posessed men, so fierce none could pass that way.

English Standard Version Matthew 8:28

so fierce that no one could pass that way

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Jesus Got off the Boat: Likely at night, if it follows the events of chapter 4

Mark 5:2 “And when Jesus had stepped out of the boat, immediately there met him out of the tombs a man with an unclean spirit.”

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Jesus was saying, “ Come out of the man, you unclean spirit”

Why was Jesus not surprised? How did he know there was a demon before He asked? Why did God allow this to happen to this man? Is it good for God to allow this?

1. Jesus has authority Over our Sufferings

Right Response: Why is this happening to me O’ God?

Wrong Response: You are wrong God, I deserve better

The Lord is not surprised by the mans demon possesion, “He was already saying come out of the man!” As the man ran up. Often we ask ourselves, Why does the Lord allow (Permit) These atrocities to happen to people?? We dont know, but we forget who we are. We are yet still creatures, in the face of a creator made to magnify his glory. We are deserving of condemnation for breaking his law and any good gifts we recieve are purely grace. All undeserved. Yet, As we’ll see he is by nature a merciful God filled with steadfast love and faithfulness.

Mark 5:8 “For he was saying to him, “Come out of the man, you unclean spirit!”

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Demon/Demons -“What have you to do with me? Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I adjure you by God, do not torment me.”

Matthews account: Have you come to torment us before the time?

Mark 5:7 “And crying out with a loud voice, he said, “What have you to do with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I adjure you by God, do not torment me.”

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Jesus -“What is your name?”

Mark 5:9 “And Jesus asked him, “What is your name?” He replied, “My name is Legion, for we are many.””

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Demon/Demons- “My name is Legion. for we are many”

Mark 5:9 “My name is Legion, for we are many.””

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The Demons- Begged Jesus not to Send them out of the Country

Luke's version “ Don't send us into the Abyss”

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The Demons -begged him saying,” Send us to the pigs; let us enter them”

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Jesus gives the Demons permission

Mark (Mark 5:11–13)

One thing in this passage is clear and should not be overlooked in concern for the pigs. The demons had to ask permission of Jesus before they could enter the pigs. Again, Jesus was their superior and they knew it.

Pigs Drown in the Sea

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The Herdsman Flee and Tell What Happened in the City and Country

People came and saw the Demon-Possessed man, “Clothed and in his right mind”

The people were afraid.

They Begged Jesus to leave from their region

The Demon Possessed man begged Jesus, “please take me with you”

2. The Lord may keep you in your circumstance, to use you for the salvation of others.

How often do we ask,” Lord just take me home! I dont want to be here anymore.” How often are we fed up with our circumstances and feel alone. The Lord often says “no, you may not come be with me.” Why? There is always a purpose. The great and merciful God we serve desires to give his mercy out! There are yet people near you who need to know what the Lord has done for you, and how he has had mercy on you! Stay planted christian and work hardily for the Lord when he says no.

Again Jesus did not permit this (2nd Time Jesus uses Permit)

Jesus tells the man,” Go Home to your friends and tell them how much the Lord has done for you, and how he has had mercy on you.”

He had made the equation between God (‘how much the Lord has done for you’, 19) and Jesus (how much Jesus had done for him, 20) and knew himself to be the recipient of God’s saving mercy (19). No-one could make such an equation except by the revelation of the Holy Spirit (1 Cor. 12:3) and therefore, he was truly a disciple, even if not permitted to follow Jesus literally.

You may be in a more similar circumstance to this man than you might think, If you have trusted Christ for you salvation. That through his death, resurrection, and exhaltation, he has paid for you sin. You are now righteous before God! The Lords has granted you mercy! The Lord has you where you are right now. GO home to your friends and tell them how uch the Lord has done for you, and how he has had mercy on you!

He went and proclaimed in the Decopolis how much Jesus had done for him and Everyone marveled.

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