Power over Spirits
Halloween on a Sunday, this should be fun. I am actually really excited about this because our text today is perfect. We are in Luke 8:26. I didn’t plan this it just so happened that in our text this morning we are dealing with a demon possessed man. What a perfect text for a Halloween Sunday. Now our culture has developed a bit of an unhealthy interest in the spiritual realm. Ghosts and demons are popular subjects for books and movies. Some people even get obsessed with this unseen world. Now as a pastor I have had to deal with this, it is not my primary ministry and I don’t like to talk about it very often but I have dealings with demonic spirits and I will tell you there is nothing fun or exciting about it. It is creepy and it is it is exhausting.
This particular encounter is pretty unfortunate. If you remember Jesus temptation in the wilderness came after Jesus had been fasting for forty day and was weak. This is a similar problem, Jesus is already exhausted. He has been very busy touring from town to town around the Sea of Galilee and finally completely wiped out Jesus and His disciples get in a boat and sail across the lake. Jesus needs a day off. He needs some time to rest and recover from the ministry He was doing.
They probable left Capernaum around 7:00 pm probably just after sunset. Then due to the storm it would have taken several hours to cross the lake putting their arrival likely just before midnight. Jesus and the disciples arrive at a small city named Gerasa which was only about a half mile from the shore. This is the only place on the lake where the cliff is close enough to the water for pigs to rush down and drown. The other side of the lake across from Capernaum is Gentile territory. These are not Godly people, they are pagans which is seen in the fact they are farming pigs. This Gerasa area has a narrow bank along the lake that runs into tall limestone cliffs which were full of caves. Many of these caves would be used as tombs for burying the dead.
Lk 8:26 They sailed to the region of the Gerasenes, which is across the lake from Galilee. Lk 8:27 When Jesus stepped ashore, he was met by a demon-possessed man from the town. For a long time this man had not worn clothes or lived in a house, but had lived in the tombs.
So here is the deal: this man is being controlled by evil spirits. Now Jesus talks about and deals with demons so we know they exist. From this text we know they can take control of, or possess people. That does not mean that every person in your life who you don’t like is possessed by a demon. The two errors of the Western Christian mindset are to either reject the existence of demons entirely or to see them everywhere. What we know is that demons do exist. For anyone who is not a true believer, for non-Christians it is possible for them to open themselves up to be taken over by an evil spirit.
Satan is real. He is opposed to God. He is evil. He is controlling. He is absolutely destructive. Satan is a liar whose greatest work is deception. This guy’s life was not made better by his connection to demons. He stayed alone outside of town, living among the dead, sleeping in tombs. The people were so afraid of him that they tried chaining him up but when that didn’t work they just stayed away from him. He inflicts pain on himself and others if he can and he runs around naked.
This is where we get our formula for bad horror movies: something scary, something supernatural, something hard to explain, tombs, and people running around naked. It has all the right ingredients. So we have this nudist demoniac who runs up to Jesus and falls at His feet. The man is naked with no regard for personal dignity, he is socially isolated, and yet he recognizes Jesus deity. What we see throughout Jesus ministry is that when He comes in contact with a demon the demons tend to freak out. Demons see what the religious people don’t: that Jesus is the Son of God.
Lk 8:28 When he saw Jesus, he cried out and fell at his feet, shouting at the top of his voice, “What do you want with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I beg you, don’t torture me!” Lk 8:29 For Jesus had commanded the evil spirit to come out of the man. Many times it had seized him, and though he was chained hand and foot and kept under guard, he had broken his chains and had been driven by the demon into solitary places. Lk 8:30 Jesus asked him, “What is your name?” “Legion,” he replied, because many demons had gone into him. Lk 8:31 And they begged him repeatedly not to order them to go into the Abyss.
This man possess by a demon does not have control of his own actions. What he does and says are a result of the demons that control him. The man runs and falls at Jesus feet and is essentially asking Jesus: what do you want with me? What is the meaning of their encounter? The spirits fear of Jesus power is readily apparent.
The demons address Jesus as: Son of the Most High God. This was an appropriate title used by God’s people for Jehovah. By recognizing that Jesus is the Son of God they are recognizing His authority. If Jesus is the Son of God then Jesus wields the same power and authority as God. It seems a little odd come from the mouth of demon. They are freaking out. God has stepped into human history and the demons are like: “Woah, what are you doing here?” They know who Jesus is but like some people just because they know Jesus doesn’t mean they love Him.
This demon’s name is legion. A legion is a platoon of Roman soldiers typically consisting of 6,000 men. So this guy has a lot of spirit. Despite the fact that these spirits have Jesus outnumbered significantly they are terrified of Him. They know His authority. They know His power. They know He could send them prematurely to torment in the Abyss and they beg Him not to.
Abyss means bottomless. It often refers to a prison for evil beings. These demons know what their future holds. They know they are going to hell. They are going to place of eternal, just torment. One thing that these demons understand that many people don’t is that hell is a real and they are going there. So many people today say: I don’t believe in hell. Then the devil has already one a battle in your heart. He has gotten you to believe a lie. Hell is real. Jesus talks more about it then anyone else in the Bible. You cannot believe in Jesus without accepting the reality of hell. These demons are not asking Jesus to pardon them, just to allow them more time before their judgment.
Lk 8:32 A large herd of pigs was feeding there on the hillside. The demons begged Jesus to let them go into them, and he gave them permission. Lk 8:33 When the demons came out of the man, they went into the pigs, and the herd rushed down the steep bank into the lake and was drowned.
This herd would have around 2,000 pigs. The spirits go into the pigs and they run off a cliff and the pigs drown, which is bad news for the pig farmers. This does not mean that Jesus killed these pigs. Don’t miss the point of this text: Jesus values the life of one man over 2,000 pigs. Take that vegans.
It might seem odd that the demons would run their new founds hosts to their death so quickly. It really isn’t out of the ordinary. Demons tend to destroy whatever they can get their hands on. God is the creator, Satan is the destroyer. These demons might also have known that destroying the pigs would create problems for Jesus and hinder His ability to minister in the area. Satan likes to abuse people and then convince them that it was God’s fault. Little did the demons know that Jesus would actually use this situation for the advancement of the kingdom of God. Of course that doesn’t mean it worked out right away.
Lk 8:34 When those tending the pigs saw what had happened, they ran off and reported this in the town and countryside, Lk 8:35 and the people went out to see what had happened. When they came to Jesus, they found the man from whom the demons had gone out, sitting at Jesus’ feet, dressed and in his right mind; and they were afraid. Lk 8:36 Those who had seen it told the people how the demon-possessed man had been cured. Lk 8:37 Then all the people of the region of the Gerasenes asked Jesus to leave them, because they were overcome with fear. So he got into the boat and left. Lk 8:38 The man from whom the demons had gone out begged to go with him, but Jesus sent him away, saying, Lk 8:39 “Return home and tell how much God has done for you.” So the man went away and told all over town how much Jesus had done for him.
Remember it is around midnight. The pig herders watch as their flock charges to their death and so they run back to town and inform the people what has happened. When the town heard about the pigs they came out to see what was going on. When they arrived at the shore they see the demoniac chillin’ out, dressed, sane. Never has a fully clothed man been so scary to these townspeople.
Hearing about the pigs made the people curious. Seeing the previously demon possessed man made them afraid. What scared the villagers was when they realized that Jesus had power over the spirits. They knew how powerful the demoniac was as they had been unable to control or restrain him even with chains. Jesus power goes beyond anything they know and that scares them. So they ask Jesus to leave and instead of submitting themselves to Him, they turn away from Him in fear.
Jesus is not a bully. As sometimes we forget in our evangelistic efforts when we try to shove Jesus down people’s throats. When we try to force people to accept Jesus or as we argue angrily because people don’t accept Him right away we are not honoring Him. This village asked Jesus to leave and He does. Jesus does not force Himself on anyone, but He offers Himself to everyone. The town turns away because they are afraid.
The ex-demoniac wants to go with Jesus for two reasons: He loves Jesus for what Jesus has done for Him and he wants a new identity. If he stays in Gerasa he will always be the ex-demoniac and the people of the town will blame him for the loss of their pigs. He will never really overcome his reputation. Jesus turns him down because his testimony is more powerful then starting off with a new identity.
A lot of times we are like this: our lives are changed as so we want to go someplace new where we can get a clean start. After having a reputation getting a clean start is always easier but not always better. In starting over we lose the power of the transformation of God in us. When Jesus saved this man He didn’t just get rid of evil spirits but set up a powerful testimony to witness to the lost people of this village. Allowing the man a fresh start would erase the significance of the transformation.
Jesus gives the ex-demoniac the message of evangelism: tell people how much God has done for you, and tell them about His grace, about His love. We make evangelism too complex. This man goes back to his village and to some of the surrounding cities and just tells his story. As a result the next time Jesus returns to this area He is welcomed by a crowd of 4,000 people. 4,000 people come to hear Jesus because one man shared his testimony instead of just trying to start over. Later two churches would be developed in this area because of the transformed life of this one demoniac. Jesus may have only healed one person here, but that changed the lives of thousands.
These demons knew who Jesus was, all demons know who Jesus is. As Christians sometimes we think that is what saves us. If you know who Jesus is then you are saved. No, that is not enough. It is not about just knowing who Jesus is. Even the demons know that and they are just buying time before their torment. Hell is real. Hell is not just a place for wicked, evil people. Hell is not just a place for people who don’t know who Jesus is. Hell is a place for people who do not truly love and follow Jesus.
The first question we must ask is: who is Jesus. We need to know who Jesus is. But it doesn’t stop there. The next question we must ask is: do we love Him? It is not enough to just know who Jesus is. If we don’t love Him we are no better then demons. The difference is demons have no hope, we do. Jesus has power over spirits. He is the ultimate authority in this world. Jesus is the Most High God. Everything is about Him. Sin, evil, wickedness, pain, lies, and deceit these are the tools of the devil designed to separate us from God. Satan knows he is going to hell he wants to take as many of us with him as possible. Our sin makes us captives of the devil. We are chained to him and headed on a path to destruction.
Jesus came to overcome that hold. He came to set us free from our sin that by His death on the cross we might be delivered from our sin and from death. Jesus came to spare us the punishment of eternal torment so that we could enjoy eternal life with Him. He gave up everything so that we could have a relationship with Him. Jesus triumphed over Satan. He has power over the spirits. Through the cross Jesus frees us from darkness and death and offers to fill us with the power and presence of God. Jesus makes salvation possible for all who will turn to Him and love Him.
Evil spirits are powerful. They can be scary but the truth is: 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. Jesus has the power to overcome, so whether your trial is sickness, suffering, sin, or spirits Jesus has conquered them all. He and He alone offers life to all who will follow Him.
