Note: This sermon was introduced with the drama "The Price of Pigs"
Today we’re going to look at a story that’s likely to make us uncomfortable. It’s the story described in the drama, the story of a man who was delivered from demonic possession. It’s a story of demons being sent into a heard of pigs. In fact, I thought about calling today’s sermon "Deviled Ham."
It’s a story that troubles us as modern readers, because we don’t know quite what to make of this story. We wonder if this story is describing what we now know of as mental illness? Or is there such a thing as demonic possession today? If so, what’s the difference between demonic possession and mental illness?
These are some of the questions we’re going to try to answer as we look at Jesus’ excursion into occupied territory. We’ve been in a series through the New Testament book of Mark called Following Jesus in the Real World, and today we’re going to talk about "Occupied Territory."
1. Setting The Scene (Mark 5:1-5)
Let’s look first at the setting of the scene in vv. 1-5. At the close of chapter 4 of Mark Jesus got into a boat to cross the sea of Galilee to journey to the other side. When Jesus finally arrives at the other side of the sea of Galilee, he’s immediately met by a deranged man who Mark describes as "a man with an evil spirit." Now you need to know that in Jesus’ lifetime, this side of the Sea of Galilee was exclusively Gentile, with not one Jewish settlement. This territory was part of the "Decapolis," or the "Ten Cities," and all ten of these cities were non-Jewish. To a devout Jewish person, this entire area was spiritually polluted by pagans who engaged in practices that were detestable to good, religious Jewish people.
This "man with an evil spirit" appears like a guard, a sentry, a demonic junkyard dog strategically placed to stop Jesus from entering this area. In fact the Greek word "came to meet" in v. 2 is often used as a military term to describe a person who goes out on a battlefield to meet an opponent for battle. This is occupied territory.
Mark’s description of this tormented man is graphic. He lives in a graveyard, sleeping among the cave-like tombs where dead bodies are buried. Now to a devout Jewish person, this type of setting would be repulsive, because coming in contact with a corpse would make you spiritually unclean. This the kind of setting you’d find in a Wes Craven film or a Stephen King story, yet here we find Jesus standing there, standing in occupied territory.
This man lives isolated from all human contact. He’s violent and out of control. People were unable to restrain him. In fact the word for "subdue" in v. 4 is the Greek word for "tame" and it almost always refers to "taming" wild animals. This guy was as out of control as a wild animal. He’s so tormented that he howls and wails day and night. He also mutilates himself with stones, slashing and cutting himself.
It’s an incredible picture of misery and torment.
And although Mark tells us that this man "has an evil spirit" many modern readers wonder if that’s really the problem. We wonder if perhaps this is something else, some kind of terrible mental illness. And as Christians many of us struggle to reconcile this picture we see here with modern psychology. We wonder: Is demon possession just an ancient way of describing mental illness?
Some people answer, "Yes." These people conclude that what we’re reading about here is how primitive people used to explain what we now know to be mental illness. Dr. Michael Cuneo is an example of this (American Exorcism [Broadway Books, 2001]). Dr. Cuneo is a professor of sociology and anthropology, and he spent a year investigating demon possession and exorcism in America. His book American Exorcism recounts his experiences in riveting detail. Dr. Cuneo says he started his study open to the possibility that demonic spirits might exist and that exorcisms might be real. But his conclusion at the end of his study was that there was nothing he saw that couldn’t be explained in terms of mental illness. Many others agree with Dr. Cuneo, even many Christians.
As some of you know, I worked in the mental health field for over ten years. Most of those years were spent working in a private psychiatric hospital here in southern California. (I often tell people that working in a psychiatric hospital was great preparation for working in the church!). In my years working as a psychiatric professional, I witnessed all the symptoms Mark uses to describe this man among the mentally ill. Isolation from people, violence, extraordinary strength, wailing and howling, and self mutilation. I’ve seen those things among the mentally ill numerous times. So it’s tempting to agree with Dr. Cuneo.
However, if we conclude that demon possession was merely the way primitive people described mental illness, we end up with Jesus being one of those primitive people. We end up with Jesus being wrong about what was wrong with this guy. And if Jesus was wrong about that, what else might he be wrong about? Might he have been wrong about who he was? Might he be wrong about the power of his death to bring us God’s forgiveness? You see, if Jesus was wrong this, it’s like one domino falling in a whole row of dominos, and once the first domino falls, it’s hard to prevent them all from falling. So I’m reluctant to come to the same conclusion as Dr. Cuneo.
Others answer, "No!", demon possession is not an ancient way to describe mental illness. These people argue that both demon possession and mental illness are real, but that they’re different. An example of this would be a Harvard trained psychiatrist named Scott Peck. Although Dr. Peck is a Christian, during his 15 years of clinical practice as a psychiatrist, he tended to explain everything in terms of mental illness. But then he came across several cases where psychiatric treatment was unsuccessful, and began to wonder the possibility of demonic involvement. Peck comes to the conclusion that demon possession is real. In his 1983 book People of the Lie, he devotes a whole chapter to demonization. I would agree with Dr. Peck (not just because of his name!) that we shouldn’t reduce demonic possession like we see in this story to psychological explanations.
But this raises another issue among Christians who believe that demonic possession is real: Is what people today call "mental illness" merely demonic possession?
Some Christians answer this question, "Yes." Christian author Dave Hunt would be an example of this approach. Christians like Dave Hunt believe that psychology and psychiatry are pagan and anti-Christian. Dave Hunt goes so far as to claim, "Today the church is being destroyed from within by ’Christian psychology.’"
Other Christians answer this second question, "No." An example of this would be Dr. Gary Collins, a Ph.D. in psychology who used to teach Trinity International University, the same school I received my doctorate from. Although Dr. Collins and others like him believe that there’s such a thing as demonic possession, they’re quick to differentiate this from mental illness.
This is a very difficult question to grapple with as a Christian. I’ve struggled with this question myself. On the one hand I want to be honest with my experiences working in the mental health field, but I also want to be faithful to the teaching of the Bible. I believe that demonic activity exists. I’ve witnessed it personally in a number of different contexts. I’ve seen demons manifest themselves on several different occasions. I know people who’ve been freed from demonic oppression in their lives. I don’t think the Bible is primitive, but I think it’s describing a very real phenomenon. Interestingly according to a Barna survey two years ago 56% of Americans believe that demon possession can occur.
But on the other hand I believe that mental illness exists as well, and that it’s distinct from demonic activity. I believe that things like schizophrenia and bipolar disorder are real psychological disorders; I believe that depression and anxiety disorders are real. I’ve witnessed most of these things firsthand, and I’ve had family members who’ve struggled with mental illness. And I for one appreciate many of the things psychology has helped us understand about the human mind and human behavior.
I’ve personally benefited from counseling and therapy in my own life. Once fifteen years ago, and once about three years ago. Both times, a Christian marriage and family therapist helped me make sense out of things in my life and helped me learn to adapt in a more healthy, Christ-centered way.
I find most arguments against psychology to be naïve and simplistic. It’s certainly true that there are certain theories and practices in the field of psychology that are unbiblical. But that’s true of every field of study: It’s true of biology, sociology, anthropology, chemistry, history, political science, and virtually every other field of academic field of study you can imagine. Rejecting psychology as pagan because of that would be like refusing to go to the doctor because most biologists are evolutionists, or refusing to take medicine because most chemists who work for pharmaceutical companies don’t believe in God. So although there’s certainly bad psychological theory out there, the remedy is better psychological theory, not rejecting the entire discipline of study as pagan or unbiblical.
But on the other hand, if psychology is the only category we consider, we’re apt to miss out on the spiritual dimension of people’s problems. If the only tool you have is a hammer, it’s amazing how every problem looks like the kind of problem you can fix with a hammer. I’ve come to believe that our personal problems in life are never purely psychological and never purely spiritual. We need to be holistic in how we deal with our problems, looking at the physical factors, the spiritual factors, and the psychological factors.
Now I know I’ve spent a really long time on this, but I feel like it’s an important topic.
What we learn in from Mark setting the scene is this. THE POWER OF EVIL CAN SOMETIMES TAKE A PERSON OVER.
This can still happen today, and it’s distinct from mental illness. People become oppressed by the power of evil in a variety of ways. Sometimes it comes through involvement in the occult or hallucinogenic drugs. Other times it comes because family members were involved in the occult. Other times it seems to happen for no apparent reason.
We don’t know how this man came under demonic influence. Evil can dominate a person’s life.
2. The Encounter (Mark 5:6-13)
Now let’s look at this demonized man’s encounter with Jesus. Everything in this encounter shows the subservience of the demons to Jesus. The demonized man falls down at Christ’s feet in an act of submission. This is also the only time in the New Testament where Jesus asks a demon to identify itself by name. The word "legion" referred to a contingent of 6,000 Roman soldiers. So what we have in this poor man is an entire army of demonic spirits, which explains why he’s so tormented.
The demons beg Jesus not to send them out of the area, which is another indication that we’re dealing with occupied territory here. Apparently the demons would rather live in an animal host than be banished from the Ten Cities region where they had such free reign to wreak their havoc. So Jesus allows them to go into a herd of pigs, but of course the irony is that the presence of evil in the pigs drives them into a frenzy that ends in their death.
Mark’s point in this encounter is this. JESUS CAN DELIVER PEOPLE FROM THE POWER OF EVIL.
It’s interesting that Jesus here doesn’t do what other exorcists in his generation did to expel demons. Most exorcists back then would use formulas and incantations, rituals and other methods to try to expel demons. But Jesus merely commands the spirits to leave, and they leave.
Let me say a few words about "deliverance ministries" today. Deliverance ministries are Christian ministries designed to help people find freedom from demonic oppression. I’m afraid a lot of so called deliverance ministries are sensationalistic and overly dramatic, a lot like the way demonic activity is presented on TV and in the movies. However, there are some reputable deliverance type ministries that are very sound both biblically and psychologically. One example is Neil Anderson’s Freedom in Christ ministry, and I’ve recommended some of his books on your Growth Guide for further reading.
Jesus still today has the power to set people free from their captivity to evil.
3. The Reaction (Mark 5:14-17)
Now let’s look at the reaction of those around to this incredible act of deliverance. Now those tending the herds of pigs lost the most in this thing. As we saw in the drama, they lost their livelihood, and Mark never tries to resolve the ethical dilemma. The reason is probably because in Mark’s mind, one human being’s life is worth far more than 2,000 pigs. But I’m sure the pig herders would dispute that.
As the people from the Ten Cities gather at the graveyard to see Jesus and the local community madman, they’re amazed. There he is sitting calmly instead of running and shouting . He’s dressed instead of naked. He’s in his right mind and rational rather than screaming and wailing.
But instead of rejoicing in this man’s newfound freedom, they’re filled with fear. Who is this guy who could do what no local exorcist or witch doctor could do? Who is this guy who didn’t need to use incantations or rituals to command the very forces of evil to leave? If he can command the powers of evil with a simple word, surely he can also see the darkness in my heart. He can see the dark and evil practices that had a grip on the people of this community, the hatreds and shameful secrets.
So instead of begging him to stay and bring them freedom, they beg him to leave. "Please go away, don’t bring God’s power to us," they cry out.
Here we find another principle. CHANGED LIVES DON’T ALWAYS PERSUADE PEOPLE OF THE GOOD NEWS.
Some people prefer to remain blind rather than risk the blinding light of God’s truth. The Christian faith is in the people changing business. If Christianity has a "product"--if I can put it that crudely--it’s the transformation of people into followers of Jesus who reflect Christ’s character. Jesus is in the people changing business. That’s why we exist as a church: not only to help unchurched people experience Christ, but also to help Christians grow into fully devoted followers of Jesus Christ.
And sometimes it amazes me the alternate explanations people come up with to explain the change that happens in a person’s life when they encounter Christ. Non-Christians often chalk it up as a phase, the power of suggestion, or psychologically. I know one person who thought I was faking my conversion for years; she just couldn’t believe that I could change that much from when she knew me in high school to the person I’d become.
Just because a person’s life has changed doesn’t guarantee that everyone will rejoice or even admit that God has done something remarkable.
4. The Commission (Mark 5:18-20)
Now let’s look at Jesus’ commission to this transformed man. As we can all identify with, this man wants to attach himself to Jesus; he wants to become a follower of Jesus. In fact, just as the demons begged Jesus to send them into the herd of pigs, and the people of the Ten Cities beg Jesus to leave, this man begs Jesus to take him along.
But Jesus refuses. Why does he refuse? Well one reason is probably because this man is a Gentile; he’s not Jewish. And up to this point all of Jesus’ followers have been Jewish. Jesus knows that the time will come for non-Jewish people to come into the fold, but he knows his followers aren’t yet ready for that.
But I think Jesus also knows that this man can make a huge impact as a living testimony among the Ten Cities. So he sends him back to his family, so they can rejoice in his freedom and transformation. The man begins to proclaim Christ freely throughout the Ten Cities, sharing what Jesus has done for him.
Here we find a final principle. PEOPLE WITH CHANGED LIVERS CAN SOMETIMES MAKE THE BIGGEST DIFFERENCE RIGHT WHERE THEY ARE.
After I came to faith in Jesus Christ, I wanted to do whatever Jesus wanted me to do. I was willing to go to the ends of the earth, willing to die if necessary. I’d like to think I’m still willing to do those things. In my passion, I started praying about becoming a missionary. My wife Chris and I started meeting with our missions pastor here at LBF Church back then, Pastor Michael. He started us on a process of training to become missionaries, reading books, learning how to share our faith, and so forth. I was ready to go; I just needed to find out where.
But then God started showing me that I could make an impact right here in Upland. Here in the very same community where I had lived as an atheist and a drug abuser during my teenage years. Here where people knew me, where police officers remembered me, where teachers remembered me. If I remained here and ultimately pastored a church here, my life change could be a testimony.
Now that’s not to say God will keep me here forever. But this is where God wants me right now, and I’m content to make a difference here. Often it’s right where we already are that we can make the biggest difference.
Conclusion
Jesus didn’t just come to help religious people become more religious or to help good people get better. He came to invade occupied territory, to cross into places where evil had long held a stronghold on people’s lives and to give them freedom. Jesus’ brief journey into the Ten Cities reminds us of this, and this story reminds us that sometimes evil can take a person over, that Jesus can bring freedom, that not everyone will believe it, and that sometimes the biggest difference we can make is right where we are.
When I read this story, I couldn’t help but think about a convicted murderer named Rusty Woomer (Charles Colson, The Body). If there was anyone who had been taken over by the power of evil it was Rusty Woomer. He’d gone on a crime spree that left several people dead in South Carolina. Rusty Woomer was sentenced to death in the electric chair and was waiting on death row for his date with the executioner when he met Bob McAlister. Bob McAlister was a speechwriter for the Governor of South Carolina who in his spare time volunteered on death row at the Central Correctional Institution in Columbia, South Carolina. That’s when Bob saw Rusty Woomer. Listen to his own description: Rusty was
"sitting on the floor of his cell, looking like a pale, dirty shrimp. The concrete floor was strewn with papers, half-eaten sandwiches, toilet paper…[and pornography]…The cell stank. The man stank too, his long, dirty, blond hair and beard matted and greasy…And all over his cell, all over the man, crawled dozens of cockroaches. He didn’t even move as they swarmed over his shoulders, his hair, his legs" (The Body 393).Bob knew he was looking at a person who had been taken over by the power of evil, and although he’d never encountered demonic activity before in his life, he verbally called on the name of Jesus to drive out the powers of evil from that cell. He said, "Rusty, just call on Jesus. Just ask Jesus to change you." And that’s what Rusty did.
That was a Friday, and when Bob visited again on Monday Rusty sat clean-shaven, with his cell scrubbed clean, and in his right mind. Rusty was a transformed man from that day forward, and in the time between that experience and his execution a few years later Rusty and Bob became the best of friends.
Jesus can still deliver people from the power of evil.
