"When God Steps In!"
Mark 5:1-20
Mark 5:1 And they came over unto the other side of the sea, into the country of the Gadarenes.
2 And when he was come out of the ship, immediately there met him out of the tombs a man with an unclean spirit,
3 Who had his dwelling among the tombs; and no man could bind him, no, not with chains:
INTRODUCTION: It is difficult for us to understand what happened at Gadara against the backdrop of our culture. In a sermon introduction by Doane Brubaker, (a Menonite pastor) he writes:
"Have you noticed how popular entertainment has made some pretty fearsome, terrible beings into loveable characters? Real pirates like Black Bart Roberts and Blackbeard were kidnappers, thieves, rapists, and murderers. Not the stuff heroes are made of. But in the "Pirates of the Caribbean" trilogy, Captain Jack Sparrow (Johnny Depp) and his crew are "heroes" who also make us laugh.
When I was a child, trolls were really ugly critters who terrorized innocent billy goats trying to cross a bridge but now they're these cute little dolls and characters in cartoons. Also, when I was a kid, aliens were terrifying beings determined to annihilate the earth. (I like Alien and Predator) But along came "E.T." who proved aliens really are loveable and kid-friendly. Of course we all know that dragons are born to incinerate or devour people but then we discover in "Shrek" what loyal and loving companions they can be." The trouble is we see Satan, demons and other dangerous characters from the spirit world depicted so often in books, movies and other forms of media that they have become commonplace and it's very seldom that folks are made uncomfortable by what they see and hear anymore. When I was much younger "The Exorcist" came out and created quite a stir but now this movie seems tame by comparison. We have been exposed to so much of this type of thing that we forget that it is a very real and dangerous thing. There is such a person as Satan and there are really demons and there is evil in this world. Two thousand years ago this kind of thing would have been frightening and a source of great fear! But I'm getting ahead of myself a little bit.
In chapter 4 we learn that Jesus is at the height of his popularity and He and the disciples have seen a "...great multitude..." of people. There have been so many in fact that the Lord got in a "ship" and taught "in the sea." The Lord teaches all day long and towards evening He gives the disciples a command to "...pass over unto the other side," and that's where I want to pick up this sequence of events.
I. The Directions of the Savior
a. God is inscrutable
All of us are familiar with the passage that says, "...for my ways are not your ways and my thoughts are not your thoughts..." and we usually quote this when we don't understand what God seems to be doing. Several things come to mind here along this line. First, the Lord is attracting huge crowds and His teaching ministry is reaching large numbers yet He leaves all this to cross the Sea of Galilee to visit a grave yard to minister to one demon possessed man. Second, He tells his disciples, many of whom were experienced sailors, to make this crossing after dark and sailors being what they are they probably anticipated rough weather. There is an old nautical expression that goes, "red sky at morning, sailor take warning, red sky at night, sailors delight!" Now the text doesn't say this but we could ask the question, why not wait until daylight, why take the chance, what is the hurry? But Jesus gives the disciples their instructions and then promptly proceeds to go to the rear of the little boat and to go to sleep!
b. God is intentional
I have asked this question before but this is a good time to ask it again. "Has it ever occurred to you that nothing ever occurs to God?" He never does anything "off the cuff!" Most of us would want to avoid this man and would go to great lengths to do so but Jesus left the multitude deliberately to visit this maniac! On another occasion, Jesus said that He needed to go to Samaria and it is there that He meets the women at the well and changes her life.
c. God is insightful
Did Jesus know that this man would be there? There is no doubt in my mind that the One who knows the number of grains of sand in the sea and knows the number of hairs on my head and sees a sparrow when it falls, also knows where you and I are at any given time in our lives. Believe me when I say that Jesus knows where you live my friend and what your circumstances are at any given moment in time!
II. The Desperation of the Sinner
a. His predicament
The Bible tells us that this man was possessed by "...an unclean spirit..." I mentioned at the beginning of this message that it is difficult for us to fully appreciate this man's situation because even many Christians are either not aware of the fact that there is an unseen world around where spiritual warfare is waged for the souls of men every day or our "sophistication" prompts us to scoff at the idea of demons and devils and dark angels! Mark uses the phrase "...unclean spirit..." which is a "fallen spirit" or perhaps "fallen angel" and that there is more than one for they are "...Legion..." A Roman legion was 6,000 in number and although there may not have been that many, there were enough that they went into a herd of 2,000 swine!
ILL -- MY NAME IS LEGION
"Within my earthly temple there's a crowd;
There's one of us that's humble, and one of us that's proud.
There's one that's broken-hearted for his sins,
There's one that unrepentant sits and grins.
There's one that loves his neighbor as himself,
And one that cares for naught but fame and self.
From much corroding care I should be free,
If I could once determine which is me!"
SOURCE: Written by: Edward Sanford Martin
b. His place
Where would you expect a madman to dwell but in a graveyard, right? This man made his home in the "...tombs..." which were natural caves or holes carved out of the hills and rocks where the dead were buried! We are also told that this man possessed super human strength and could not be bound and "...no man could tame him..."
c. His pain
Verse 5 tells us about the restlessness of this man's spirit, that night and day he would wander in the tombs and the surrounding hills, crying out and cutting himself with stones. How many of you know what a "cutter" is? Up until a few years ago I had no idea that there are many, especially many young women, who are cutters. They cut themselves with razorblades and other sharp objects. I can tell you that whenever this happens you can be certain that there is a person who is in pain, before they ever make the cut they are hurting!
III. The Deliverance from Satan
This demon possessed man runs to Jesus and "worships" Jesus. That should not surprise us for "...even the devils believe and tremble..." The Lord casts out the evil spirits and gives them "...leave..." to enter into a heard of swine and this herd of hogs panics and runs violently into the water and is drowned. That's a lot of bacon and sausage wasted, right! When we see the maniac next he is completely different. Notice his:
a. The transformation
We are told in verse 15 that when the people came out of the city "...to see what was done..." that they found the maniac "...sitting, and clothed, and in his right mind..." In other words he is calm, covered and composed, thanks to Jesus! One preacher said, "one of the first things that happens when you get saved is you put your clothes on!!!!!!" Next, notice his:
b. The testimony
In verses 18-20 we see the maniac whom the Lord has transformed giving evidence of the change in his life by requesting that he be allowed to accompany Jesus, he wanted to be with the One who had done so much for him, which by the way is the natural result of a genuine experience with Christ, you will want to be with Him! Jesus tells this man to "...go home to thy friends, and tell them how great things the Lord hath done for thee, and hath had compassion on thee..." He obeys the Lord's command "...began to publish...how great things Jesus had done for him..."
ILL -- There is an old gospel song that says "Thanks To Calvary, I Don't Live Here Anymore" and it reminds me of this story..."Jesus met the man in the tombs, healed him, cast the demons out. Now he is a sane man. Now he can take his place in society. I can imagine him coming home that evening after he met Jesus. His children look out the window and the cry out, "Mother, father is coming." She runs and locks the door. She tells the children, "Don't be afraid, the door is locked, He can't hurt you!" The children are still looking out the window. They say, "Mother that isn't like father at all. He isn't running and yelling and screaming. He's calm. He's walkning slowly. He's very quiet. "Keep still!" mother whispers. Their hearts beat faster as they hear his hand upon the latch. The door will not open, the man knocks gently. His wife does not answer the door. She remains still, hoping he will go away. Then he says, "Mary, open the door. I am all right. I met Jesus today and I am a changed man." She fearfully opens the door while the children shrink in the corner. The man says, "Don't be afraid children. I met Jesus today, and I am different." They approach timidly. He puts his arms around them and loves them. He speaks kindly to his wife and with a prayer of thanksgiving she prepares supper. When they sit down at the table he bows his head and says a blessing. They talk until bedtime then he gathers them around him and thanks God for the miracle that has happened. They put the children to bed. He sits with his wife beside the fireplace. He takes her hand. He says, "Thank God Mary, the old life is over. I met Jesus today and I'm a changed man."
And then I want you to notice one last scene, a scene so sad that it is almost beyond comprehension:
c. The tragedy
During the storm on their way to Gadara the disciples woke Jesus, "Lord, save us! We're going to drown!" Jesus helped them and they were saved. The maniac received the Lord's help and we have this record of what God did for him.
But in our story, the people of Gadara asked him to leave. They weren't moved by His power to say, "Wow! I have a problem. Maybe He can help me too." No. They said, "Leave us alone!" Why? Why didn't they seek the Lord's help? Why would anyone want the Lord to "leave them alone?" There are many reasons.
1. Perhaps they understood that if they received the Lord's help it will upset their equilibrium; because they would no longer had this insanity around them that made them feel pretty healthy by comparison. So don't disturb the status quo because it's familiar and it's comfortable.
STOP PAYING THE BULLY
In his book "Fuzzy Memories", Jack Handey writes:
"There used to be this bully who would demand my lunch money every day. Since I was smaller, I would give it to him. Then I decided to fight back. I started taking karate lessons. But then the karate lesson guy said I had to start paying him five dollars a lesson. So I just went back to paying the bully. Too many people feel it is easier just to pay the bully than it is to learn how to defeat him."
SOURCE: Sherman L. Burford in Fresh Illustrations for Preaching & Teaching (Baker), from the editors of Leadership.
Contributed by: William Neel
2. Sometimes we want to leave things alone because they provide an excuse for ongoing failure. I have found that we can get used to almost anything, even failure and mediocrity.
3. Pride and the concern about what others will say about us. This keeps saints and sinners alike from coming to the altar!
ILL - Michael Slater tells the story in "Stretcher Bearers" of a teen at the beach with his friends. He was in trouble in the water but didn't call out for help. A lifeguard noticed his struggle and rescued him. He asked, "You were drowning. Why didn't you cry out?" The response; "What would my friends have thought?"
My purpose in bringing up what might be something very painful for you is to say that at times we all find ourselves troubled and we fail to seek help from the Lord because of...fear; people will think things I don't want them to think...pride; I have to keep up an appearance...busyness; I don't have time to be sick...self-deception; I can handle it myself, it'll go away. Yes, it may -- in time. Meanwhile your trouble is prolonged and you deny yourself a chance to experience Jesus' help first-hand!
ILL - Doctors of old times tested the sanity of a mental patients with the following test: The patient was placed in a room with a sink. The faucet was turned on and a stopper was put in the drain until the sink overflowed. The patient was then handed a mop and the door was closed.
If the patient had enough sense to shut off the water, pull the plug, and then mop up the water, he was considered capable of going home. But on the other hand, if the patient mopped like crazy and never bothered to shut off the water and/or pull the plug, he was considered still insane and needed to be detained a little longer in the mental institution.
There are people in this world that are mopping like crazy...and they're not in mental institutions. They're people who we'd consider quite sane (pause). BUT they are plagued by their own personal demons, and they haven't figured out how to stop the flooding in their lives.
They know there's a problem they just haven't figured out where to go to solve it. They're like people who came and found the demoniac clothed and in his right mind. They see what Jesus can do in a person's life - but then they send Him away.
(From a sermon by Jeff Strite, "Dealing With Personal Demons" 02/01)
