Angels & Demons: possessed
Mark 5:1-20
The Gospel of Mark portrays Jesus doing ministry at an intense pace with powerful results: healing the sick, empowering the lame to walk, and raising the dead to life. Wherever he goes, Jesus inevitably changes their lives, forever, fully aware of the unseen spiritual forces that surround him. Our Scripture today is perhaps Jesus most profound and powerful encounter yet, delivering a man possed by a demon. The story unfolds as Jesus takes the boat carrying himself and the disciples after surviving the storm on the Sea of Galilee to the “other side” of the Sea of Galilee. As they approach, they hear shrieking sounds in the darkness echoing across the water. Jesus takes them to a place where Jews were thrice forbidden. First, this is a Gentile land and Jews were forbidden to step foot in. As they get closer, they see that the one who is shrieking is naked which they were forbidden to see. And to make matters worse, he is in a cemetery and Jews have issues with tombs. As the boat finally reaches the shoreline and the bow wedges into the stony shore, Jesus is the only one who gets out.
The demoniac or demon-possessed man immediately engages Jesus. Now in the lands surrounding Palestine, demonic possession was not uncommon. Demon worship and even dedicating one’s child to the Devil was not unheard of. Thus, this no-name person may have been demon-possessed for quite some time and he is not a pretty sight. His arms and legs are most likely ringed with layers of scar tissue from repeatedly contesting the chains that others used to try and confine him to this place of the living dead. Now free of those chains, he tortures himself by gashing his body with stones, his recent wounds still oozing puss and blood. From both a physical, emotional and spiritual perspective, he is nauseating and repulsive. His being and personality are under the mastery of an evil power.
For most of us, our only exposure to demon possession is the movie, “The Exorcist” with the floating above the bed and heads spinning in a 360 direction. But the Gospels report a lot of demon possession and this is not Jesus’ only encounter with demons. The Bible tells us that one of the chief jobs of the demons is possession. But what is possession? A demons seeks to take possession of that which rightfully belongs to God. And do you know that means for you and me? The Bible tells us that we were bought with a price, that we are not our own, that we belong to God. So, the demons’ goal is to take possession of us from God.
Possession can occur anywhere evil has control on our life. It may not be our whole life. It may just be this one small piece that we haven’t been able or willing to give over to Christ’s Lordship yet or just something we’re struggling with. Possession can include bad habits we struggle with, the addictions that have claimed us, the negative attitudes or unhealthy thinking that control us. These are all demons that possess us. They take possession of that which rightfully belongs to God and wants us to live in God’s will. Now, the Bible also tells us that if we name these demons, if we can call them out, we know who they are and how they work; they begin to lose some of their power over us. So let’s do that today. Will you help me name some demons that people are struggling with? What are some of those demons? Just yell them out. Fear, yes. Addiction, yes. Gambling, yes. Greed, yes. Anger, definitely. Envy, Alcohol, Mistrust. Folks, there are 1000’s of demons we struggle with. The first thing is we need to do is to name them.
There are several insights we learn from our Scripture today about demons and winning the battle for our hearts and our minds. First, demons are always looking for a doorway into our lives. A doorway is that thing which is displeasing to God. Maybe it’s fear or pride, or anger or stress or whatever…we leave that doorway open, and usually for most of us it’s just a little crack. But it’s wide enough for demons to enter and take possession of our lives. And when they get hold of you, we just “lose our mind.” We’ve all had those “maniac moments” where we go crazy or we make a decision and after we wonder how we ever could have done such a thing because that’s not who we are. Here’s the key, a demon just needs a toehold in your life. They creep in through those small cracks and take possession of who we are. And it only starts out small, right? It is just one drink. It’s just one lottery ticket, just one hand at the casino, or just one more click on the computer. And we’ve all used the one “just this one last time.” But before we know it, those issues we have become issues that have us.
Second, there is power in demon possession. Don’t underestimate the power of possession. In Mark 5:3-4, the Bible describes this possessed man with superhuman strength, the strength of ten men, because they tried to chain him up and he kept breaking those chains. He had this incredible power that came with his possession. Now, any of us who have ever struggled with addiction know the “power” of possession, how it overwhelms us, grabs onto hearts and minds and won’t let go no matter how we try to shake its grip on us. You can’t shake it on your own. It’s why we not only need God but we need the body of Christ to shake off the bonds of that which has laid hold of us.
Third, demons cut us off from community. This is how they maintain their power over us. We are always much weaker and easier to control when we stand alone. The demon-possessed man didn’t live in town. It was in a graveyard outside of town. It was in that unclean place. See, this guy had long since been kicked out of town. Over the years, this demoniac had accumulated PhD’s in abandonment, humiliation and rejection. How worthless and hopeless does that feel? What might years of absorbing that kind of pain do to your psyche and your soul? He is not even a nobody. In the eyes of his culture, he’s sub-human being. So, these demons had taken possession of him and systematically isolated him from his family, his friends and his support system, the people who could have helped him and cared for him. And he become isolated. Persons who are wrestling with their own demons say over, and over again, “I just feel so alone.” This is the demon’s strategy – to get us alone. We’re so much easier to pick off when we are by ourselves. When lions hunt, they do so in a pride or group. They will search for a herd of water buffalo and pick out the weak and vulnerable ones. The lions then try to separate them from the rest of the pack and when they do, they attack. Have you ever been there…cut off from your community? Folks, that’s why community is so critical. This is our “herd,” right? This is our support system and our protection to walk the path of Jesus. These are the people who will protect me, who will love me. We cannot do it by ourselves. We are vulnerable. Demons cut us off from one another, and in the end if we remain individuals, we’ll fall victim.
Fourth, the demons recognize Jesus. Part of this series is to awaken you to the Spirit world that is all around. The demons know it. They know exactly who He is: Yeshua, the Lord’s Rescuer. And they know they are out of their league with Jesus. So they try to “cut a deal” and plead with Jesus not to command them to go away into the abyss. Rather, permit us to enter those boars on the hillside (swine is a word that Western translators have used to help us relate to this scene). Jesus consents to their request. As a result 2,000 boars run down the only slope into the Sea and drown. Now everyone in Jesus’ day knows that boars are good swimmers. The fact that all 2,000 of them drown is stunning! What’s going on here? Well, that leads us to our fifth point.
Fifth, the Evil One has a backup plan. He has not given up yet! If his frontal assault with “The Storm” on the Sea of Galilee wasn’t successful in keeping Jesus out of his territory, he goes to his backup plan. If he can wreck a major piece of the local economy by destroying a herd of 2000 boars and make it appear as if Jesus is the cause, maybe the people will force Him to leave. And that is exactly what happens. Rather than being overjoyed that a demoniac has been freed in what was an off-the-charts Richter scale of exorcism miracles, the town’s people are angry with Jesus over the loss of their boars. It is part of the continuing legacy of the Fall that boars can be more valued than a miraculously rescued human being. There is another dimension to this drowning of 2,000 boars. Josephus, a first-century Jewish historian, tells us that the Roman Tenth Legion is occupying Palestine at the time of Jesus and their mascot is the boar! Thus, there is a prophetic statement by Jesus in the drowning of these animals that even Rome and it’s legion of armies fall under the power of Jesus.
Here’s the Good News in the midst of this nightmare for the demoniac: Jesus has the power to overcome any demon and possession. This demoniac was chained in a cemetery wailing and screaming day and night, nothing could hold him back even his chains and he was cutting himself with stones. But then he encounters Jesus and he is rescued and restored. The word gets out about what has just happened, the town’s people come out to see for themselves. As they arrive, they find a fully clothed former demoniac sitting at the feet of Jesus, the posture of a disciple. At this point in the story, The Gospel of Luke tells us this man was in his right mind (8:35). He has not only been rescued, but he has been restored to health and wholeness. That’s the way it always is with Jesus. You don’t just get rescued, that’s where the work of Jesus starts; you also get restored to wholeness in every part of your being.
Second, we are restored with a purpose. God never just rescues you or delivers you from something, He always rescues, delivers and restores you to something. When Jesus is about to leave and sail back to Capernaum, this rescued and restored ex-demoniac wants to get into the boat with Him. Who can blame him from wanting to by to Jesus’ side. He is forever indebted to Jesus. But Jesus tells him no and gives him this purpose: ““Go home to your own people and tell them how much the Lord has done for you, and how he has had mercy on you.” (verse 19). So what did this newly rescued person do? Exactly what Jesus told him to do. He told his story to anyone who would listen. He told his story morning, noon and night. Ever wonder what the fruit was of his obedience? When Jesus returns to this part of the area several months later (see Mark 7:31), 4,000 people come out to see Jesus and we have the feeding of the 4000. All because one person was obedient to Jesus’ direction for his life and just told his story. A person who once was viewed as a sub-human person by his culture, is rescued by the compassionate and merciful heart of God. And he becomes the first missionary of the New Testament to the Gentiles.
Jesus rescues and restores this demoniac but you know what? He is still possessed, only now he is possessed by Jesus. He’s got a new driver in the seat. He’s got a new purpose on life. He’s got a new direction to go in. He’s been given his humanity back, his dignity back, and his life back and now he is possessed by Jesus. Folks, I don’t know about you but that is what I want to be. I want to be possessed by Jesus! We need to share our story of faith, morning, noon and night with anyone and everyone who will listen. Your life and your story may be the only Gospel or Good News that a person ever reads or hears! Your story is powerful! People can argue with your philosophies, your theology and your politics but they cannot argue with a changed life. In Jesus Christ, God has rescued you and now is sending you on a mission.
Third, Jesus can rescue and restore you. Jesus said, “I have come that they might have life and have it to the fullest”. A full life. If Jesus can rescue and restore the demoniac, he can rescue and restore you. When Jesus stepped foot out of the boat, right, the demons come running to him and fall down on their knees and beg him, “Please, Son of God, don’t torture us…. “Send us among the pigs; allow us to go into them.” Notice what Mark says, “He gave them permission, and the impure spirits came out and went into the pigs.” Did you hear that? Jesus GAVE them permission. There is power in possession but Jesus has power even greater power. His name is Legion which was 6000 soldiers in the Roman army so we believe the demoniac is possessed by 6000 demons. But Jesus’ power is greater than 6000 demons! The demons know they’re beat! They know Jesus has power over evil. Luke gives us no clues that this demoniac knows who Jesus is and that being miraculously rescued is even possible. Yet rescued and restored by Jesus he is! “Take heart,” Jesus says. “For I have overcome the world.” Whether you are wrestling with one demon, 60, 600, or 6,000, it doesn’t matter! There is nothing too big for God. There is no distance that you can run that is so far away from God that God cannot bring you back. There is no hole that you can dig so deep that God’s Hand cannot pull you out of. There is no such thing as an evil grip on your life that is too great for God. There is no darkness so dark that the Light of the world cannot shine into and make it as bright as day. This is the power of Jesus which is available to you, today, right now, in your life, if you just run to Him! Amen and Amen.
