Jesus Delivers a Demon-Possessed Man (Mark 5:1-20)

Story of Jesus calming the sea (Mark 4:35-41)

[storm inside this man]

4th sermon in our series called “Encounters with Jesus”

Mark 5:1–20 ESV

1 They came to the other side of the sea, to the country of the Gerasenes. 2 And when Jesus had stepped out of the boat, immediately there met him out of the tombs a man with an unclean spirit. 3 He lived among the tombs. And no one could bind him anymore, not even with a chain, 4 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. 5 Night and day among the tombs and on the mountains he was always crying out and cutting himself with stones. 6 And when he saw Jesus from afar, he ran and fell down before him. 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.” 8 For he was saying to him, “Come out of the man, you unclean spirit!” 9 And Jesus asked him, “What is your name?” He replied, “My name is Legion, for we are many.” 10 And he begged him earnestly not to send them out of the country. 11 Now a great herd of pigs was feeding there on the hillside, 12 and they begged him, saying, “Send us to the pigs; let us enter them.” 13 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. 14 The herdsmen fled and told it in the city and in the country. And people came to see what it was that had happened. 15 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. 16 And those who had seen it described to them what had happened to the demon-possessed man and to the pigs. 17 And they began to beg Jesus to depart from their region. 18 As he was getting into the boat, the man who had been possessed with demons begged him that he might be with him. 19 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.” 20 And he went away and began to proclaim in the Decapolis how much Jesus had done for him, and everyone marveled.

How many know this morning,

that before any victory,

you must first have a battle?

Mark articulates this battle between the Kingdom of light and the kingdom of darkness.

Mark’s describes that as soon as Jesus is out of the boat, (immediately)

a demonized man comes out of the graveyard to confront Jesus.

(immediately met with opposition)

[Ask am I in the right place?]

I have learned over the years,

that we as believers have many times,

a misconception,

that God leads on paths that are always easy and smooth.

In other words,

if we do the right things, God will lead us away from opposition,

leads away from storms,

leads us away from the battle field,

but that is really not true is it?...

Psalm 23:3b–4a ESV

He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake. Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me;

Most of us avoid conflict like a plague,

but what if God is in the conflict,

and able to bring glory to His name.

In our text we see that,

Jesus is following the mission of the Father,

and this mission leads him to be on a boat where experiences a physical storm...

now right after the physical storm in the boat,

Jesus gets out of the boat and experiences a spiritual storm...

(Opposition)

Opposition is normative for Jesus,

because when light enters into an area that used to being in darkness,

light is not always accepted.

Being effective in bringing light into dark area’s,

will be met by opposition.

As Jesus was led by the Lord and faced opposition,

so if we are led by the Lord we are going to face opposition.

If you want to be effective in helping grow the kingdom of God,

you have to be willing to engage in the battle.

We all know that passive Christianity is not effective Christianity...

But we also know,

that being effective does come at a cost of facing opposition...

Example of myself…

Wine and complain about opposition...

Lord promptly corrects me with,

sorry I thought you wanted to be effective for the Kingdom...

Jesus said

John 15:18–19 ESV

18 “If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you. 19 If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you.

When you face opposition,

remember that Jesus faced opposition first.

And Jesus faced opposition because he was a threat to the enemy.

The devil wants to disrupt what is a threat to his kingdom,

thus,

opposition is the enemies strategy to distract you from walking out your God given mission.

This conflict with Jesus and this demonized man in our text,

is ment to be a distraction to Jesus.

(Distractions)

Versus 3-5 describes the demonized man as being completely out of control.

People tried to bind him with chains but he would break free.

It appears that being demonized has given him some kind of super strength.

Mark describes the life of this demonized man,

living in the tombs crying out night and day.

and also he would cut himself.

The mission of the kingdom of darkness,

is to destroy that which God created.

This man’s life is being completely destroyed.

If anyone seems to be too from becoming clean,

it is this man...

(Jewish context… graves were considered unclean… demonized men were considered unclean… and he is am unclean Gentile...)

Jesus is met by this man who seems hopeless.

So in the natural he is beyond any hope of being made clean,

but how many know that with God all this are possible?

When reading this text it is important to remember that Jesus’ mission was and still is today,

a mission to set the captives free.

So Jesus was not as concerned about the activity of satan,

But rather Jesus’ concern was he saw a man held in bondage.

Therefore,

when Jesus is met by this opposition that is ment to be a distraction,

he turns it into a Kingdom opportunity.

And he is able to do this,

because he does not identify this man in his current state,

but rather identity’s this man as someone created in the image of God…

Jesus addresses the demons who are holding this man captive,

and says “what is your name”

The demon's reply by saying my name is Legion for we are many.

and it says that they begged Jesus to enter into the pigs.

So Jesus gave them permission to enter into the pigs,

and it says that there was about 2,000 pigs that they entered,

and all of them rushed down a steep bank and fell into the sea and drowned.

The herdsmen see this a fled into the city to tell the people what just happened.

And a group of men return to see the man who had been demon possessed,

sitting next to Jesus and in his right mind.

Now this moment calls for a response...

It calls for a response from the group of men,

and it calls for a response from the man who was demonized.

The group of men respond in fear,

and Mark says that they begged Jesus to leave their region.

Mark describes there posture is that they are greatly afraid.

(In there fear they ask Jesus to leave)

They are afraid because this Jesus is costing them a great deal....

Jesus disrupting their economy, 2,000 pigs… great cost… Jesus is costing them too much…

I have learned that people may like the idea of Jesus,

but are not willing to except the cost of Jesus.

(In other words… Want to reap the benefits of Jesus, but not except the cost Jesus)

[Jesus called for a life of sacrifice] Selfish to Selfless

As this group comes to beg Jesus to leave,

it hit me just how little these people cared for this man who was delivered.

Here this man who has been tormented for great deal of time,

is now in his right mind and fully clothed.

And they don’t even think to step back to reflect on this moment.

This moment that God’s power has been revealed to them.

This moment where God in the flesh has stepped into their world,

to set the captives free.

They are only concerned about the fact that this Jesus is effecting their bottom line.

This Jesus has cost them way more than what they ever wanted to give up.

So in fear they beg Jesus to leave,

and as he leaves the man who has went from unclean to clean,

begs Jesus to allow him to go with.

But it was not apart of the will of God for this man to go on the boat,

So Jesus says to him....

V19b-20 “Go home to your friends and tell them how much the Lord has done for you, and how he has had mercy on you.” 20 And he went away and began to proclaim in the Decapolis how much Jesus had done for him, and everyone marveled.

(Sometimes God calls us to move away.… But sometimes he calls us to go back home)

[Everyone marveled because they were witnessing the power of God in this man… out of his mind to in his right mind]

Close with this...

Last week we saw Jesus use an unlikely individual in the women at the well to be an evangelist to the Samaritans.

Now we see Jesus uses another unlikely individual to be an evangelist to the Gentiles.

Decapolis was a gentile area of about 10 cities.

1 Corinthians 1:26–31 ESV

26 For consider your calling, brothers: not many of you were wise according to worldly standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth. 27 But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; 28 God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are, 29 so that no human being might boast in the presence of God. 30 And because of him you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, righteousness and sanctification and redemption, 31 so that, as it is written, “Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord.”

God is in the business of using unlikely, unqualified, despised and rejected individuals to further his kingdom....