Jesus Vs. The Forces of Evil

If you have a Bible with you, tonight we are in Mark 5:1-20 and I’m excited about tonight for a couple of reasons. The first is the topic that we are going to look at tonight is going to really help lead us into YC Week next week as we look at spiritual warfare and the Armor of God. The second reason that I am excited is because tonight is our last official night of YC until August 7th and that means for the first time in about 6 months, I don’t have to pick up my books and commentaries on Mark for at least a month and a half. I love this Gospel and my love for this book has only grown as we have been studying this book, but man am I excited to get to Ephesians 6 on Monday. Let me ask you this: Do you believe in the supernatural? Despite what many may claim, the world is obsessed with the supernatural. Whether or not people believe that there is such a thing as demons or not is not important when you look at how many people flock to the movie theaters to see films that focus on the demonic and supernatural. I remember being a college freshman when the first film of a now well-known horror franchise was released and seeing a movie known as The Conjuring. From that first movie, a franchise of 8 movies that has made a whopping 2.1 billion dollars and has become the highest grossing horror franchise of all time so it is clear to me and to 2.1 billion dollars worth of other people that we have a greater fascination with the demonic and supernatural than we might realize. As one looks at this franchise, it seems that it has progressed from a haunted house story to a series that is somehow finding ways to become progressively more demonic. Now I will be the first to admit that I absolutely love horror movies. The fall is my favorite season and that is partially because I know that I have reached the time when I can start getting ready for Halloween and start watching some of my favorite horror movies. However, a couple of years ago, Lora and I made the decision that we were going to get rid of the movies that we had in our house that focused a little too much on demons because we felt that it did not make sense for us to own those movies. The reason behind this was because we felt that as Christians, it did not make sense for us to spend time in that neighborhood. It came down to a decision of warfare. If you are a soldier and your responsibility is to destroy the enemy you are fighting, it does not make sense for you to spend your free time behind enemy lines. But not everyone feels that way because not everyone recognizes the danger of the demonic. Movies like The Exorcist, the Omen, Insidious, and Paranormal Activity continue to attract people and I think that it is partially because the world does not understand what it is wandering into, it does not see a risk in the supernatural world, or it simply does not care. In his book, The Screwtape Letters, C.S. Lewis writes, “There are two equal and opposite errors into which our race can fall about the devils. One is to disbelieve in their existence. The other is to believe, and to feel an excessive and unhealthy interest in them. They themselves are equally pleased by both errors, and hail a materialist or magician with the same delight.” What Lewis is pointing out here is that man has the tendency to look at the supernatural and demonic the same way that they look at someone performing a magic trick. So, what is really happening with the supernatural world? What do you and I need to be made aware of? And to sort of give a commercial for next week, I strongly urge you to be at YC Week because there we will talk in more detail on how we stand against the supernatural and demonic world. In Mark 5:1-20 we will see many things but the four things that I want us to look at is the existence of evil, how evil is connected to spiritual warfare, and how Christ definitively dealt with evil, and how we respond to what the Lord does for us. Let’s pray and then we will read.

Mark 5:1–20 NASB95

They came to the other side of the sea, into the country of the Gerasenes. When He got out of the boat, immediately a man from the tombs with an unclean spirit met Him, and he had his dwelling among the tombs. And no one was able to bind him anymore, even with a chain; because he had often been bound with shackles and chains, and the chains had been torn apart by him and the shackles broken in pieces, and no one was strong enough to subdue him. Constantly, night and day, he was screaming among the tombs and in the mountains, and gashing himself with stones. Seeing Jesus from a distance, he ran up and bowed down before Him; and shouting with a loud voice, he said, “What business do we have with each other, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I implore You by God, do not torment me!” For He had been saying to him, “Come out of the man, you unclean spirit!” And He was asking him, “What is your name?” And he said to Him, “My name is Legion; for we are many.” And he began to implore Him earnestly not to send them out of the country. Now there was a large herd of swine feeding nearby on the mountain. The demons implored Him, saying, “Send us into the swine so that we may enter them.” Jesus gave them permission. And coming out, the unclean spirits entered the swine; and the herd rushed down the steep bank into the sea, about two thousand of them; and they were drowned in the sea. Their herdsmen ran away and reported it in the city and in the country. And the people came to see what it was that had happened. They came to Jesus and observed the man who had been demon-possessed sitting down, clothed and in his right mind, the very man who had had the “legion”; and they became frightened. Those who had seen it described to them how it had happened to the demon-possessed man, and all about the swine. And they began to implore Him to leave their region. As He was getting into the boat, the man who had been demon-possessed was imploring Him that he might accompany Him. And He did not let him, but He said to him, “Go home to your people and report to them what great things the Lord has done for you, and how He had mercy on you.” And he went away and began to proclaim in Decapolis what great things Jesus had done for him; and everyone was amazed.

The Existence of Evil

Just by a quick show of hands, how many of you believe that there is such a thing as evil that exists in the world? Quite a few of you probably do. Why do you think that is? Is evil something that we have to learn or is it something that we just sort of assume exists? The reason that I ask this is because when we look at the Bible as a whole, we see where evil comes from, it comes from sin and Satan, but as we look at Mark 5, Mark does not do anything to explain the presence of the demons or the presence of evil, he simply assumes that it exists. He doesn’t make any effort to explain why this man is afflicted by such a great host of demons, he simply states that he is and then explains what they are doing in his life. I bring this up because I think it is important for you guys to be aware that evil exists. I’m sure that sounds pretty obvious to you but what might not be obvious to you is the fact that Satan does have so much influence on the world and it may go totally unnoticed but we know that it is there. The subject and existence of evil and the presence of Satan in the world is a huge topic and I don’t expect us to unravel everything about it in 20 minutes. Sitting on the bookshelf in my office right now is a book called What About Evil? by Scott Christensen that is well over 400 pages long that one day I will get around to reading so considering that his book is 400 pages long, what could I tell you about the existence of evil in 20? I can tell you quickly what the Bible says about Satan and his influence on the world. Just a few quick verses that we will highlight will tell you quite a bit about Satan’s work and his presence in the world. In John 12:31, Jesus refers to Satan as the “Ruler of this world.” Now this does not mean that Satan has sovereignty over the world as God does, but Satan is the one that is quote on quote leading this fallen world. In Ephesians 2:2 Paul refers to how believers lived before coming to faith and says, “in which you formerly walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, of the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience.” Not only is Satan the prince of the power of the air, it is the spirit of Satan that is ultimately working in the sons of disobedience. In 1 John 5:19 we read, “We know that we are of God, and that the whole world lies in the power of the evil one.” The world is not just slightly under the influence of the devil but the entire world lies under his power. The purpose of Satan is to make sure that mankind remains blind to the things and truths of God. 2 Corinthians 4:4 says, “in whose case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelieving so that they might not see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.” And then in 2 Timothy 2:26 Paul tells us that unbelievers are trapped in the snare of the devil. Without going to deep into these verses, we see that Satan is highly influential in the world and that unbelievers are subjects to him, and they submit to him willingly. Let’s turn back to Mark 5.

Evil and Spiritual Warfare

Because we are going to talk so much about spiritual warfare next week, we won’t spend too much time here but I want you to see that the man that Jesus comes across in Mark 5 is clearly impacted by what these demons do to him. As we look in the first few verses, we see that this man had been forced to live isolated from the surrounding towns and cities and is living among the tombs. Now is this a forced exile or does he choose to live there, we aren’t sure but either way, he is more or less cut off from the world. We see that at one point, people were wrapping him up in chains but he would just break them into pieces. We also see that not only was he physically tormented, he was mentally tormented. In verse 5 we read that day and night, he would scream among the tombs and in the mountains and he would cut himself with stones. James Brooks says, “The description emphasizes the destruction of his personality to the point of insanity by the demons and the ostracism and brutal treatment he had received from the people.” This reminds us that spiritual warfare is exactly what it says it is. It is a war. It is a war for the body, the mind, and the soul. We see that there is no benefit for us when the devil operates in our lives. We see that he does not give us anything good despite what the offer sheet may look like. Understand that there is a real battle for your soul. So, how then does Jesus deal with evil?

How Jesus Decisively Deals with Evil

I want you to notice that Jesus deals decisively with evil. We as Christians know that one day every wrong will be made right and that all that is evil and sinful will be judged and destroyed. We see a glimpse of this reality in how Jesus casts out these demons. While Mark gives us more information on this event than any of the other Gospel writers, Matthew includes one additional comment by the demons that is important for us to know. In Matthew 8:29, Matthew records that the demon says to Jesus, “What business do we have with each other, Son of God? Have you come here to torment us before the time?” Now what does this add to our understanding of the text? Well, a few months ago, we talked about how in Greek, there are two different words that are used for time. One is chronos which is where we get time like a 24-hour cycle. Then there is another word that is often used in Scripture for time and that is kairos. Kairos is different than just the time of the day but it means more like a definitive era. It is used to describe like a season. When Christ comes into the world, that is a set time. When Christ returns, that is a set time. What does this have to do with what the demon says in Matthew 8? He uses the word kairos to point ahead to the time when evil, Satan, and demons will be judged and cast into the lake of fire. What he asks Christ is basically, “are you here to do what we know is happening on the day of judgement?” Even the demons are aware of the fact that they will face certain judgement. What we also see in these verses is the certainty that not a single demon will escape Christ’s perfect judgement. The name or title that is given is Legion and it is emphasized that there are many demons in this man. In the first century, a Legion was a military term for a large group of Roman soldiers, sometimes up to 6,000 men. The exact number does not matter but what does matter is that Jesus casts these legion out just as easily as He casts out one. The authority of Jesus extends over the majority and the minority and one will not face an easier judgement over the other. One might be tempted to think that one man verses thousands of demons is a totally unfair fight. I think of a movie like Avengers Endgame when Captain America goes up on his own to fight Thanos and his army and we as the audience knew that there was no way that Cap could win that on his own right? But do we feel that way with Jesus? Absolutely not. No man could go up against one demon on his own let alone a legion. But Jesus casts these thousands out effortlessly. He doesn’t raise a finger, He speaks and they are gone. Despite the vast number of demons that are in this man, notice in verses 10 and 12 that they beg Jesus for a lesser judgement. Now a part of the story that a lot of people find odd is when Jesus sends the demons into the large herd of swine or pigs. After that happens, about 2,000 of these pigs all run off the side of the mountain and drown in the Sea of Galilee. Did anyone find that part kind of strange? Quite a few people complain about this part of the narrative because they think, “Aw those poor little piggies.” The well-known Atheist Bertrand Russell actually pointed to this section of Scripture as one of the reasons why he was an atheist. How many of you, be honest, hear of these 2,000 pigs running off into the ocean in drowning doesn’t seem right? Well, let’s ask this question: What is more important the life of 1 person or the life of a pig? It should be no question. If Jesus Himself says that our lives are more important than the lives of sparrows, surely the rescue and relief that is given to 1 demon-oppressed man is more important than the lives of a herd of pigs. God is sovereign over creation and He is sovereign over the animal kingdom. If our greatest concern as we hear these verses is about the safety of these creatures and not for the redemption and worth of one human soul, we are part of the problem. Imagine if I were to put it to you like this: How would you feel if the God of the Universe, the Savior of Man looked at you and said, “I would rather save the pig than save you.” Suddenly, the complaint shifts right? Man has value because we know that he is created in the image of God and the moment our concern shifts to the well-being of the pigs instead of the salvation of the person, we miss what it means to see through the eyes of God and love as He does. One of the possible reasons why Jesus does this is because He wants to show to the man that was demon-possessed that his problem has been dealt with in full. The destruction of these pigs, which I believe also destroys this legion of demons, is a visual reminder that God has acted decisively. Now in these verses, we see two responses to what man does when they see God move. What are those?

How Should We Respond?

Let’s start with the negative and look at the people from the city and the country that came to see what had happened. They get to Jesus and they see that the man that was once demon-possessed is clothed, in his right mind, and is sitting down calmly by Jesus. Now you would think that they would be overjoyed to see this happen. You would think that they would have been so happy that their neighbor was cured but in verse 15 it says that they were terrified. They are so afraid and they are so caught up over the financial loss of the pigs that they beg Jesus to leave. Instead of begging Jesus to stay, they plead with Jesus to leave. How do these people respond? By totally rejecting Jesus. John MacArthur summarizes the situation like this: “In their rejection of the Lord Jesus, the people stand as an instructive illustration of the power of unbelief. The astonishing miracle Jesus performed did not lead them to faith in Him as Lord and Messiah. In fact, it had the opposite effect. No one could deny that He had displayed divine power. Nor did anyone doubt the transformation of the former demon possessed man. Yet, in the face of such undeniable evidence, their hearts remained cold and impenetrable.” How about you? Have you seen and heard all about what Jesus has done only to ask Him to leave? Or are you like the man that was healed that begs to be with Jesus? One way that we can respond to Jesus is by rejecting Him and the other way is by longing to be with Him. Which one have you done? Has Jesus done such a monumental work in your life that nothing sounds better than being with Him? I hope that is where you are at. Better is one day in the House of the Lord than a thousand elsewhere. Better a single moment in the Lord’s presence than an eternity away from Him. Now where one serves the Lord will look differently for everyone and this is obviously true by how Jesus responds to the man’s request. Read Mark 5:18–20 again, “As He was getting into the boat, the man who had been demon-possessed was imploring Him that he might accompany Him. And He did not let him, but He said to him, “Go home to your people and report to them what great things the Lord has done for you, and how He had mercy on you.” And he went away and began to proclaim in Decapolis what great things Jesus had done for him; and everyone was amazed.” Why do you think Jesus tells this man to go home and tell them about the great things that the Lord did for him and the mercy that he was shown? It’s really important and you possibly missed it but it is a tremendous sign of grace. Jesus had just been rejected by this town. Jesus had just been asked to leave and He does but in His place is one man that has been so greatly impacted by Jesus that he can do nothing else but proclaim to the city what Jesus had done for him. Do you see what Jesus did? He leaves this man as a witness to Him. There is always a remnant chosen by grace. Despite this town’s rejection of Jesus, out of pure grace, mercy, and patience, He leaves this man here as a witness. Do you see why that is so important? Do you see how this may connect to your life? Jesus has you where you are for a reason. It is ultimately to be a witness. Sometimes He calls us as Christians to go and sometimes He calls us to stay but the work always remains the same. We are put in this position to proclaim the Kingdom of God and the great things of Christ. J.C. Ryle makes a great point when he says, “The place that Christians wish to be in is not always the place which is best for their souls. The position that they would choose, if they could have their own way, is not always that which Jesus would have them occupy.” Maybe you and I need to think about this when it comes to our own lives. Sometimes we are so eager to move onto the next thing that we miss out on why God has us here now. What does God have for you to do here? It’s to glorify Him. It is the same exact purpose that He would have for you if He calls you to go. Well, Christ’s ministry is just getting started in the book of Mark but we need to start wrapping up and I look forward to diving back into the second half of this chapter and second half of the Gospel of Mark with you all in August. Let’s go to the Lord in prayer and let me know if you have any questions.