This is a profound, provocative passage of scripture – in the event of a maniac (madman) from Gadara.
Look at this man – wiry, bristly, clumpy hair. A beard to his chest, ribboned with blood. Furtive eyes, darting in all directions, refusing to fix. Naked. No sandals to protect himself from the rocks of the ground. No clothing to protect his skin from the rocks of his hand. He beats himself with stones. And bruises blotch his skin like ink stains. Open sores and gashes attract flies from the nearby Galilean slums. Hostile. Abandoned. Burdened. Bruised.
He is aloof and detached, separated and isolated from proper and typical society, chief of which his address is the Paradise of his day – cemetery. His home is a limestone mausoleum, a graveyard of Galilean shoreline caves cut out of the cliffs and clefts. Apparently he feels more secure among the dead than the living. Which pleases the living. Do you see the cracked shackles on his legs and broken chains on his wrists? Simply put, they can’t control this boy. Nothing holds him – nothing. After all, how can you manage chaos? The Bible tells us (Matthew 8:28) that travelers skirt the area of the Gergesenes (Matthew’s name to ascribe the location) out of fear. Those going to bury their family members were afraid. The villagers were left with a problem, and we are left with a picture – a picture of the work of Satan.
After all, how else do we explain our bizarre behavior as humanity? The violent rages of a father/husband who would kill his pregnant wife – a mother/wife who would drown her five children in a middle-class Houston community – the sudden rebellion of a teenager – lying, cheating, stealing, domestic abuse, molestation, rape, etc. It is clear that Satan does not sit still.
I. The Demonic World is as Real as the Divine
The Devil is no fairy tale. The Demonic World is not folklore or myth. It is as real as it is terrible, and it happens every day.
• Not only from without but also from within
As real as are the Father, Son, Holy Spirit and angels, just as real are the Devil, the Antichrist, false prophets and demons.
It is said that the greatest accomplishment of the Devil is the convince people that he doesn’t exist. (he would try to convince you that some of the events in your life were accidental, happenstance, fate – because he knows if he can convince you to believe that lie, then you are only a step closer to killing yourself – which is really the abortion of God’s own plan > in you as well as through you…not because of you.) He is more than a man in a red suit with a pitchfork, the Devil is real. And you only deceive yourself by scoffing at the reality of Satan and the demonic forces who do his bidding.
- Deny it at your hurt
- Ignore it at your own detriment
- Reject it at your own loss …… but the Devil is real.
Note: Everything is not the Devil’s fault. Obsession with the demonic is just as obsessive as the denial of it.
• You cannot read the Bible without seeing the presence of Satan from start to finish.
- he was in the Garden of Eden
- he brought disaster into Job’s life
- a demonic spirit afflicted King Saul
- Satan moved King David to sin against God by counting his victorious army
- The answer to Daniel’s prayer was delayed because a demonic spirit fought against Gabriel and Michael
- Throughout His ministry on earth, Jesus was constantly rebuking and casting out demons. The pattern continued with the apostles in the Book of Acts.
- Thankfully, the closing chapters of the apoclypse, Revelation, tell of Satan’s final defeat.
Until then, Peter speaks of the reality of the demonic world in his first letter chapter 5:8-9, “Be sober, be vigilant because your adversary the Devil is as a roaring, prowling lion seeking whom he may destroy. Resist him, firm in the faith.
The word SOBER is SOPHRONEO, meaning sound thinking without circumstantial, psychological or ethical block. In a nutshell – the devil is real.
James exhorts us, “Therefore, submit to God, But resist the Devil and he will flee from you.” (James 4:7)
It is not uncommon to hear people refer to their bad habits or emotional hang-ups as ‘my demons.’ What o you think the Gerasene demoniac would say about that expression if he were here today? Likely something like this: “Man, don’t even talk to me about having demons! But if you’ve got one, I know who can set you free!
If you don’t believe that the Demonic is real back up to chapter 4, Jesus has just finished his teaching – He then constrains His disciples to get into a boat and go to the other side. During their venture, the encounter a mighty storm, boisterous waves, clamoring wind, etc. They are fearful,,,Jesus is asleep on a pillow. They awake Jesus and query, “Master, do you not care that we perish?” He says, “peace be still.” None the less, the waves are quiet. “What manner of man is this?….” They are in a place of utopia, euphoria. But as soon as they hit the shore, the Devil is there.
* Isn’t that just the way life is? Just when we prepare to anchor our ships and rejoice, when our feet hit reality, the devil comes? We all must face the devil. The demonic will come at times when we are most vulnerable which is usually at the end of a victory.
II. Without God, even the Strongest are helpless before Satan
I said earlier that this is a provocative passage. For it shows me a picture of many of our people, namely our young men. I would imagine that he is young, bright, full of potential – but somehow he went astray. He began to flirt with some ideals of sin and carnality. * You may think you have sin, but one day sin will have you.
I see so much in this man….he’s in the cemetery. Note: He’s in a place where ain’t nothing going on.
He ain’t at home, school, work, church. Sounds like a brother! What is it that makes us seek fulfillment in all of the wrong places?
• You are better than where you’ve been hanging out!
Men had forged chains of iron. Men had done all they could to bind the raging forces that drove this demon-possessed boy, but he snapped the shackles apart like paper ribbons at a child’s birthday party. And how? By his own human power? NO. Just as Samson did what he did with God’s power so this boy does what he does with Satan’s power. The greatest physician is helpless without the power of Christ before the power of Satan.
- Some people who have become flippant and glib about the Devil….stomp on him, etc. You are in trouble if you try to jump on the Devil without Jesus.
• This boy is in a place where ain’t nothing happening (drug house, club, streets, prison…..)
Good news: No matter where we are, God’s got time for us. No matte where you are.
1. He’s wearing Jewelry – he’s got on chains. (vs. 4 – bound with chains and fetters)
2. He’s making a lot of noise (vs. 5 – he’s crying)
3. He’s cutting himself (vs. 5 – cutting himself) i.e. – black on black crime/church folk cutting other church members
Coagulated blood from internal wounds
Coagulated blood from recent wounds
Let me pause here to say that even though he was a demon, there are some things in verses 6 & 7 we can learn about this boy ---
In verse 8 we see the power of Jesus – He says, “come out of the man”
Footnote – Hell and Hallelujah can’t occupy the same place at the same time
All of these people were fearful and afraid of this troubled man, this lunatic, maniac, madman on the streets --- but Jesus went straight to the point, He said, “Come out of the man, thou unclean spirit”.
• Jesus knew that is was a spiritual issue.
Matthew 11:12 “The kingdom of Heaven suffereth violence, and the violent taketh by force”. The word violence there is BIOZAMAI meaning forceful and aggressive without indifference and apathy. Jesus doesn’t act weak with a strong issue – no chit chat, no niceties. No salutations. Demons deserve no tolerance.
• the problem with the church is that we have become too casual and hospitable with the devlish and demonic. So much so to the point that when we speak a word of authority nothing happens.
Look at verse 9
“What is thy name?”
Jesus says, “if you knew who you were you wouldn’t be acting like this”.
(living on credit, getting high, lying, cheating, depressed, apathetic)
• What is your name? Women what do you call us men? Men, what do you call our women?
He says, ‘my name is legion’. This is a military term…taken from the company of 6,000 soldiers. The fact that he uses plural “legions”….shows us that there were atleast 12,000 demons in this one man.
• My name used to be legion ---
Jesus did some negotiating with the legions. Verse 10…The divine and demonic get together.
III. The power of Jesus in the only force greater than the power of Satan
The next we see him in this text, he’s a new man. He’s cleaned himself up. This speaks to the power of Jesus Christ and His ability to change and rearrange anybody.
I don’t know whether you know it or not, but in scripture whenever there was crisis, along came Jesus……..Do you remember……..
Jesus goes down where the people are in a crisis – and where there is a problem. And now in verse 15 we see a madman turned missionary. If the man could speak today he would say that God can use you. Yes, I know there were critics who continued to talk about what he used to be and used to do.
• There is not a person from Genesis to Revelation that would have pleased everybody. Abraham, Moses, Jeremiah..Rahab, etc. Jesus (Mary’s baby, Josephs maybe)
You may have been down but you don’t have to stay down….forget about what they may say or do….Christ says come out.
- There are some folks who’ve been down so long that getting up never even begins cross their mind.
He’s got a testimony….and so do you….He can talk about what Christ did the day He stepped on my shore. But what did he do for you? People always want to say what they were saved for….but what did He save your from.
Don’t forget where you came from. Guess what? This man is the first missionary recorded in scripture and history. When God wanted a missionary he went and found a lunatic.
You’ve been running and running and running. You may get by, but you won’t get away. He wants you. It is evident by all that you have been through that He wants you. And He will stop at nothing until He has the object of His affection, YOU, moving from level to level and from glory to glory.
