1 Mark 5:1-20 The Power of Jesus and its Effects I absolutely love this story. This text, along with Jesus calming the storm and the next story where Jesus heals Jairus daughter, sits together with the purpose of showing the great power of Jesus. Earlier on in chapter two and three Mark focused on the authority of Jesus. Jesus had just calmed a violent storm. Now he is about to meet a man with an equally violent storm inside him. In both cases the power of Jesus prevails over chaos and destruction. Before looking at some truths from this encounter, let s consider the context for a few minutes. Context. In the morning Jesus and his disciples arrive on the eastern shore of the lake. Some manuscripts say Gerasenes while other say Gadarenes. Archaeologists have uncovered a city on the eastern shore of the lake called Kursi, which is very similar to Gerasi. Matthew says this took place in the country of Gadara. So, whether it is the country of the Gadarenes or the country of the Gerasenes, it is the same region. The importance of the place is that it is situated in a Gentile area where there were at least 10 cities in the region (see v. 20). In the life of Jesus, if it isn t one thing, it is another. From a wild sea to a wild man! Mark s vocabulary in describing this man is brutal. He says that immediately, as soon as he got out of the boat, a man with an unclean spirit who lived among the tombs came running to him. He had such great strength that the local people could not bind him; not even with chains or shackles. Every time they were able to hold him he broke the chains. Night and day, in the tombs and on the mountains he was always crying out and cutting himself. Mark s vocabulary is more fitting for a ferocious beast than a man. Now, let s try to view this story from a Jewish perspective. Almost every detail of this story speaks about uncleanness. It was a Gentile area that a Jewish preacher should never have any reason to enter. Unless a person was doing business, he probably had no business in the area. If that s not enough, a Gentile madman who lives in a graveyard approaches. His banishment to the tombs caused him to be unclean. According to OT law, anyone who failed to purify himself from the pollution of tombs must be cut off from Israel. Even coming into contact with a man who lived among the tombs would make Jesus and his disciples unclean. A few verses later we will see a bunch of swine. And, according to OT law (Lev. 11:7; Deut. 14:8), the Mishnah stated categorically, None may rear swine anywhere. Also, this area included a Roman stronghold where there were legions of soldiers. This pork was most likely sold to feed this Roman army that occupied this region. So, Jesus meets a man with an unclean spirit living among unclean tombs surrounded by people employed in unclean occupations, all in an unclean Gentile territory. Here is another interesting point. I believe Mark is trying to show that demonic powers are at work in prohibiting Jesus from entering this region. First, the demonic nature of the storm nearly capsizes their boat; now a demonic man powerful enough to break irons rushes at Jesus and his disciples. This is a place no one would want to go for any reason. But, contrary to all reason and expectation, Jesus goes there. This morning I have 5 truths with some applications at the end.
2 1. Jesus will be worshipped as God. Look at verses 6-7. 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? The action of the demoniac seems inconsistent. At one moment he is running wildly down the hill with malicious intent. Then, as he approaches Jesus, he throws himself at his feet and worships him, acknowledging him as the Son of the Most High God. As we have noted before in the book of Mark, the demons knew exactly who Jesus was. Think about this situation. There was a group of men getting out of the boat together. How did the demoniac know Jesus was the leader? This how surpasses human understanding. We aren t told how. The word Mark uses for fall down isn t simply a falling down, but instead a prostration in reverence and worship. In this instance Jesus doesn t stop him and say, Don t worship me. I m only a man. Instead, he allowed this demoniac to worship. 2. One of Jesus works in coming was to destroy the works of the devil. 1 John 3:8 says, The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil. The demons knew exactly why Jesus had come. Look at v. 7, And crying out with a loud voice, he said, What have you to do with me? and I adjure you by God, do not torment me. Another translation might be, Why do you bother me? He goes on to say, Swear to God that you won t torture me. Luke tells the same story and adds another statement, They begged him not to command them to depart into the abyss. Verse 8 says that even before the lead demon said anything to Jesus, Jesus was saying to him, Come out of the man. So, in the midst of this confrontation, and before he comes out of the man, he knows why Jesus had come. The world of demons knows that on the day of the final judgment, their relative freedom to roam about on the earth and in the sky above must cease forever, and that their final and most terrible punishment is destined to begin at that time. And, at that moment, they were standing before the very One to whom the final judgment had been committed, and he is afraid that even now (before the appointed time) Jesus might cast him and his partners into the abyss or the dungeon, that is hell, the place where Satan and his followers will be kept. 3. Jesus has complete power and control over Satan and his forces. First notice in v. 9 that Jesus asks the demon, What is your name? I am not sure why Jesus asked his name? He doesn t do this in other places when he encounters demonic forces. Maybe he wishes to reveal to his disciples that there are multiple demons inside this man because the lead demon answers, We are legion, which probably had the literal meaning of around 6,000 demons. But, we can t take this literally because the demon says, we are many. We only know for sure that the body of this man was possessed by many demons. It has also been suggested that, by asking his name, Jesus wanted to distinguish between the man and the demons themselves, reminding the man of the cause of this condition. Other possibilities have been given. In the end, I simply don t know and really don t think answering this question is important to the text. What is important is that Jesus has complete powerful authority over these demons. Verse 10 says, They begged him to send them into the pigs. For whatever reason, these demons did not want to go to
3 the abyss, but wanted to stay in that particular area. Maybe they felt at home near the terrain of tombs, skeletons, desertion, death, and destruction. Here is another mystery. Why the pigs? Was it simply a desire to destroy? Was it perhaps a hope that the owners of the herd, seeing their property destroyed, would be filled with anger toward Jesus? Again, the answer is not given. What is sure is that the demons are fully aware of the fact that without Christ s permission they will not be able to enter the pigs. What happens next? Jesus gives them permission to enter the pigs. And, what a sight that followed. They ran down the hill into the lake and drowned. We can only speculate as to why? Some say since pigs were unclean to the Jews, Jesus sent the demons into them. Others say that the owners of the swine were selfish in making too much money and needed to be taught a lesson. Again, we do not know. We must trust the sovereignty of Christ in this matter (and all other matters as well). Let s move on to the next part of the story and look at the reactions of those men who witnessed this great display of power. 4. Jesus has complete power to save. Look at verse 15. They saw the demon-possessed man, the one who had had the legion, sitting there, clothed and in his right mind... What a miracle! On the surface the change in this man accompanied by the swine heading down the hill into the lake must have been the greatest miracle these herdsmen must had ever seen. Whether they liked it or not, they were in awe at Jesus power. As I considered this man s miraculous salvation, I began to think of my own. No, I wasn t demon possessed. I wasn t living among the tombs, running wildly, and cutting myself. But, my heart was the same as that man s. Concerning his previous state before being miraculously changed by the grace of God, Paul writes these words about himself in 1 st Timothy. Though I was a blasphemer, a persecutor (of Christians), and violently evil... I received mercy... and the grace of our Lord overflowed for me with faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. This is a trustworthy saying..., Jesus Christ came to save sinner. In this aspect there is no difference today between you and that demoniac except the grace and mercy of Christ. Paul says to the Ephesians, you were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience... and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind. You are the same as this man in this aspect. The wages of sin is death. Satan has power over you mainly because of death. But, this death is not just physical. It is also spiritual. Today, if you are not protected by the power of Christ, although you may not be possessed by demons, you are under the power of Satan. You are dead in your trespasses and sins. But for those who are in Christ, Paul says, But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ--by grace you have been saved- -and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus (Eph. 2:4-7). Salvation is always a miracle and is the result of the mercy and grace of Christ that works in power to change the human heart.
4 5. The power of Christ works differently in the hearts of men. Notice the contrast between the demoniac and the other people of the region. Verse 14 says, The herdsmen fled and told it in the city and in the country. Those who were keeping the sheep ran quickly. They did not walk home. They were in awe! Then v. 14 says, And people came to see what it was that 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 they began to beg Jesus to depart from their region. They had never seen anything like this before and they were fearful of this man Jesus. At the least, under normal circumstances, if a man ruins a business, the owners would take him to court and sue him for damages. At worst, the owners with the mob of people who benefited from this business may have killed him on the spot. Instead, they continually begged Jesus to leave them. But, look at the demoniac s desire in v. 18: As he was getting into the boat, the man who had been possessed with demons begged him that he might be with him. He wanted to be with Christ. Today, this is a difference between a Christian and a non-christian. The Gerasenes of that region could not endure to have Christ among them. Although he had come to preach the gospel and save them; although they had seen a great miracle, they begged him to leave. Listen to the words of Paul concerning the preaching of the Gospel: But thanks be to God, who in Christ always leads us in triumphal procession, and through us spreads the fragrance of the knowledge of him everywhere. For we are the aroma of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing, to one a fragrance from death to death, to the other a fragrance from life to life. Who is sufficient for these things? (2 Cor. 2:14-16). I remember a time in Tatarstan travelling with a good friend of mine out to his village about 8 hours from home. I spent the night, and on the following morning, his family took me to an old graveyard way out in the countryside. I remember little about the graveyard itself. But, I ll never forget the most wonderful smell of wildflowers coming from the graveyard. And, at that moment, I thought of the verse I just read. To me, as I stood in that graveyard with death all around me, all I could think of was the aroma of the Gospel blowing powerfully into my heart. As they were taking food for the dead and chanting prayers with great fear I could only praise God in my heart for the aroma of the Gospel as it came powerfully into my life. And, the simple result of this Gospel working powerfully in my dead heart was the same as the demoniac. I simply wanted to be with Jesus. Today I want to be where He is. I want to go where he goes. I want to do what he does. I want to hang out with him. Today, do you desire to be with Jesus? If so, it will be because of his power over your heart. Applications 1. The Lord knows better than his people the right position for them to be in. Look at verses 18-19: 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. Sometimes, the place you want to be is not where you ought to be. God knows best!
5 2. Home is the best place above all others where the child of God ought to make his first efforts to do what is good. Jesus told the demoniac, Go Home. First and foremost, make disciples at home. 3. Salvation results in a right frame of mind. Verse 15 says the people of the town came and, saw the demon-possessed man... sitting there, clothed and in his right mind. Listen to the words of Paul in 1 Cor. 2:14-16, The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned. The spiritual person judges all things, but is himself to be judged by no one. For who has understood the mind of the Lord so as to instruct him? But we have the mind of Christ. When God saved me, I saw the world for what it was. I understood. 4. There is nothing worse than sending Jesus away. Look at verse 17. And they began to beg Jesus to depart from their region. The very man who came to save their souls, they sent away. What a shame! Today, do not send Jesus away. Receive him! 5. Jesus sends us to tell others. Verse 19 says, Go home to your friends and tell them how much the Lord has done for you, and how he has had mercy on you. As Christians you must simply tell others what Jesus has done and how he has showed you mercy. 6. Remember that God doesn t always work as we do. This man was the first missionary to the Gentiles. It wasn t Paul. It was a wild, naked, Gentile who lived in a graveyard.