The Delivering, Restoring Power of Jesus (Mark 5:1-20)
The Delivering, Restoring Power of Jesus
Mark 5:1-20
Introduction
· A story which needs no introduction. Memorable. Uncharacteristically detailed. Dramatically displaying the destructive power of the forces of darkness and emphatically highlighting the redeeming power of Jesus.
· We know that “the whole world lies in the power of the evil one” (1 John 5:19).
· Revelation 12:1-9 depicts this pre-historic battle as a great dragon who is the “deceiver of the whole world” who was thrown down from heaven along with his angels. Ezekiel confirms this when he said of Satan, “You were an anointed guardian cherub. I placed you; you were on the holy mountain of God;” but because of his rebellion, God turned him into “ashes on the earth” (Ezk 28:14, 18).
· At the fall, there was some way in which Satan became “the god of this world” (2 Cor 4:4). That does not mean that world ownership was transferred from Adam to Satan when Adam sinned, nor does that mean that Christ’s death was a payment to Satan to get Adam and the world back from him. But it does mean that there was some way in which from the moment Adam crunched the apple, this became Satan’s place.
o Ephesians 2:2 – “the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience.”
o Ephesians 6:12 – “cosmic powers over this present darkness.”
· We live in the “present evil age” (Gal 1:4), which is sometimes called “this present age” (Titus 2:12; 1 Tim 6:17; Hebrews 9:9)—the eon of the time of Satan’s domination over the world.
· Satan keeps his grip on the world primarily through deception.
o Rev 12:9 called Satan “the deceiver of the whole world.”
o Rev 20:3, 7-8 again emphasizes that, after the millennium, Satan will be released from the abyss to deceive the whole world once again.
o John 8:44 – “When he lies, he speaks out of his own character, for he is a liar and the father of lies.”
o 2 Cor 11:3 says that his goal is to lead us away from a “sincere and pure devotion to Christ.” And he does this (13-15) normally in the form of a suit and tie behind a pulpit. He disguises himself and has a doctorate in subterfuge.
· But from time to time, Satan manifests his influence in the world more directly, and no other manifestation is as dramatic, as graphic, as wicked, as direct as this example in Mark 5.
· Demon possession is a kind of twisted, dark, reincarnation of the indwelling Spirit. And these instances of possession are little illustrations of what has happened to the “present age”—it is demonic, possessed, influenced by Satan and his demons, bent upon the destruction of the image of God through the death and misery of man.
o As such, every one of Jesus’ exorcisms present the casting out of Satan, not only from the individual, but eventually from the very world itself.
· That’s who we are. While we still live among that world and during that age we have nonetheless been redeemed from that present evil age and belong to a new world, over which Christ is the head. We are the beginning kingdom of God.
· The primary way in which we fight against Satan’s deceptions is by faith. We “take every thought captive to obey Christ” by destroy arguments that raise themselves up against the knowledge of God (2 Cor 10:5). Every day we put on the armor of God, returning always to the gospel which renews our minds (Eph 6:13; Rom 12:2).
· But, our victory over the world is based on a prior victory which Christ has accomplished for us.
o John 12:31 – “now the ruler of this world is cast out.”
o John 16:11 – “the ruler of this world is judged.”
· Now, we know Christ’s kingdom only in spiritual and anticipated form. One day, we will know it in its full form first in Christ’s 1000 year reign, and then in the eternal state.
· This is why Mark is so interested in Jesus’ exorcisms. Mark has a lot to say about Jesus’ interactions with demons. Two texts particularly:
o Mark 1:21-28 – Jesus casts out a demon in the synagogue. This is his opening salvo in his earthly war on Satan’s kingdom, and by so doing, he establishes his authority to teach. His kingdom comes by his word, and his word has the authority to topple the kingdom of Satan. And his word is the gospel: the kingdom of God is at hand, repent and believe in the gospel. So, the precedent is that Jesus’ exorcisms are the dramatic indication—the symbol—of his kingdom’s arrival.
o Mark 3:22-30 – Jesus’ explicit explanation of the meaning of his exorcisms. The strong man is bound, and I am ransacking his house.
· Here we have another example of a dramatic exorcism: the ongoing domino effect of the fall of Satan’s kingdom under Christ’s feet.
o What is different about this story?
§ Not only a dramatic display of Jesus’ unquestionable power
§ Also a display of Christ’s Lordship over the nations.
· Gerasa was directly opposite Capernaum on the sea of Galilee. And it was Gentile. They raised pigs. Thus, there is powerful demonic influence over the darkened nations—confirmed by the severity of this case.
· Remember that his disciples are with him now. 3:7-6:13 is a section that revolves around choosing, training, and sending the 12 apostles to extend his mission. Among those things which Jesus is teaching them is the fact that Jesus’ kingdom is not only for Jews but also for Gentiles.
o The amount of detail in the story alone indicates a deep impact on Peter—this one really stuck with him.
· Yet this story shows us something of how missions operates, how the gospel invades and transforms a person’s life, how the glory of God shines to unblind the eyes of man and liberate him from the present evil age. And it also shows that, just like the Jews, the hearts of the Gentiles are hard.
· Two movements in the story—corresponding to two points.
o Jesus’s word comes to the nations on mission and powerfully casts down the dominion of Satan in every place.
§ Point: Jesus delivers us
o Jesus’ word restores us to our proper minds in loving discipleship.
§ Point: Jesus restores us
I. Jesus Delivers Us (5:1-13)
· First, Jesus delivers us.
· Gerasenes. No contradiction to the other gospels which calls it the Gadarenes because they are the same area—just different names.
o Today the town is called Khersa. It matches the account perfectly because there is a steep hill and cave-tombs carved into it.
· In this area there was a man. Mark takes pains to describe this man in painful detail. He is nothing short of what we would call a madman.
o He had “an unclean spirit.” Later we will learn that he has a legion of unclean spirits. Precisely the same language as 1:26f
o He lived among the tombs. Unthinkable for a Jew—death brought uncleanness. He lived in the abode of death. His home was there—it was his dwelling. A vivid, almost symbolic way of describing the living death to which he was enslaved.
§ Graveyards always associated with the horrors of the demonic.
§ Demons seek the death of human beings—albeit not always in direct manner as here.
o He was unnaturally strong. He could not be bound or restrained. Not even with a metal chain or shackles. He would wrench the chains apart and break the shackles in pieces. He was strong and wild and violent and could not be held back and restrained.
§ This is how you subdued a madman in those days. You bound him. Much like a strait jacket and a padded cell.
§ Mark is setting us up for later with the comment “no one had the strength to subdue him.” Nobody can control this man.
o Yet his wildness was a kind of torture, a mental anguish that led him to stay up night and day, always in the tombs and upon the mountains—an outcast, as though a dead man—screaming with demonic shrieks and seeking to end his own life with the stones that lay around—like the sharp flint or slate that is common in those areas.
o Other gospels tell us that this man was naked. Luke 8:27 – “for a long time he had worn no clothes.” This is likely tied to some kind of sexual deviancy.
o Matthew and Luke also add the detail that there were two men like this, and that they were so fierce and violent and wild and mad that nobody would dare pass that way. Not only would you get creeped out, but it very likely would endanger your very life
§ John 10:10 the thief comes to “steal, kill, and destroy.”
· Why does Mark go to such great length—in direct contrast to the other gospels—to describe this man? I think a couple reasons:
o The powerful distorting forces of Satan are at work in him. Demons are bent on destroying, distorting, desiccating the image of God. Everything about this man is backward and wrong. He lives with the dead, is cast out of human society, is naked, in anguish, and seeking to end his own life. All demonic activity—direct or indirect—is aimed at this same goal. Destroy life, humanity, dignity, sobriety of mind, and replace it with rampant death, destruction, shame, and wildness.
o The hopeless state of those who are subject to the power of Satan. Just like this man was under the subduing force of these demons, so also the whole world is under the demonic sway of the god of this world—being led astray by a web of lies that drags us away to do what is evil.
o To set up a contrast between the powerlessness of man to deliver himself, and the striking power of Jesus in the face of demonic intimidation.
· This man likely sees a boat from afar and he does what he would normally do—as with the sons of Sceva—fall on them and beat them senseless. This is his normal operating system.
· Wildly careens down the steep slope uttering a blood-curdling shriek.
· Then he sees Jesus from afar.
· Then the shriek of intimidation turns into the cry of terror. So, he runs to him and falls down at Jesus’ feet—a sign of submission to a higher power. Literally, he “worshipped,” not out of love but out of fear.
· He screams: “What have you to do with me?” —What are you doing here? Why did you come here? We don’t have any dealings with you yet.
o Luke 8:31 says that they were begging him not to send them into the “abyss.” This nearly universally refers to a kind of demonic prison that holds demons in punishment during this age but is not the same as the lake of fire. It is the entry way into the lake of fire—vestibule.
o Rev 20:3 says that there is coming a time when Satan will be thrown into the abyss for a time and imprisoned there and so his influence over the world will be curtailed during the 1000 year earthly reign of Christ, only to be released afterward to deceive the world one more time.
o The demons are saying, “It isn’t time for that yet! That’s not supposed to happen until your second coming. We still have time to play with our prey.”
o In the words of the man at the end of the verse, “I adjure you by God, do not torment me!” why? V8 he was saying or, better, “He had said to him, ‘Come out of the man, you unclean spirit!”
· But, most strikingly, and most characteristic of Mark’s ongoing message, they know exactly who Jesus is. He is the Son of the Most High God. We already know this, but to this point in the story, nobody but the demons can see it. Who is the Most High God? It is the name of the universal reign of God over heaven and earth and over the Gentiles. It is used first on the lips of Melchizedek in Genesis 14. They are saying, “You are his Son” You possess the same essence and power and glory as him.
· Now, Jesus has a point to make about himself to his disciples, to this man who is possessed and to us. So, he asks a question: “What is your name?”
· “My name is Legion, for we are many.” Legion is a Roman military unit of at least 6,000 infantrymen. This is no single demon. This is an army of demons.
· And this legion of demons, apparently with a spokes-demon, are begging him earnestly not to send them out of the country.
o Jesus has immeasurable power.
· What does that mean? He could send them to the abyss. He could banish them to another part of the globe. We don’t know the dynamics. But we do know that they wanted to stay there and continue to wreak havoc on the community of Gerasa.
· So, they begged him to go into a large heard of pigs nearby, numbering 2000. This was a huge business enterprise that maybe included the whole village. There were pig herders there, witnessing this whole encounter.
· Now, pigs are unclean animals to Jews, but ultimately we don’t know why they asked to go into the pigs. Jews would have read this story and seen the pigs being destroyed the way we look at rats being exterminated. Good riddance.
· The real question is why did Jesus give them permission and let them?
o First, the decisive fall of Satan did not happen until Jesus death and resurrection. That is not to say that Jesus did not have the authority to do so here and now, but that the fullness of the expression of his worldwide spiritual kingdom still had to wait until he had accomplished his cross-work.
o Second, isn’t it true that God has purposes for Satan? We know this from Job. We know that God could and will one day bind Satan in a moment. But we also know that Satan is merely a pawn in a grand chess game which God has been playing for thousands upon thousands of years. He has his purposes—and they aren’t done yet.
o Third, Jesus gave the disciples a graphic illustration of the destructive power of demons. 2000 pigs drowned. The very thing they would have done to the man. They seek death and destruction.
· Jesus delivers his people. He bends all his omnipotent power toward protecting them from forces greater than himself. He is a valiant husband who fights and slays the dragon to win his bride.
· While we might not have stories of being possessed by demons, each one of us when we were saved were delivered from the domain of darkness and transferred into the kingdom of his beloved Son. This is a dramatic illustration of what happens in miniature every time someone is born again.
· And, let us not forget that the display of power here is nothing in comparison to the display of power on the cross and the empty tomb—where sins were finally and forever forgiven and the back of Satan broken forever.
II. Jesus Restores Us (5:14-20)
· But Jesus’ deliverance does not merely consist in freeing us from the domination of Satan. He also seeks to restore us to our proper place. Jesus’ love is a restorative love—a regenerating love—a reordering love.
· The herdsmen saw all this unfold and they ran to the town to tell everyone of what had happened, not only regarding the town pig business, but also and especially to the demon-possessed man.
· And the whole town comes out to see. What they see astounds them: the demon possessed man, even this very one, “the one who had the legion” was sitting down, clothed, and sober-minded. He was still, subdued, controlled, normal, thinking clearly, learning. The one that no one had the power to subdue had been subdued—not through the power of restraint but through the deliverance of love. He has restored this man!
· And as they look in amazement, they listen to the herdsmen “recount in specific detail” what had happened. And what they hear astounds them.
· Yet they do not respond with faith. It’s a letdown in the story.
o Naturally, you would expect the townspeople to be interested in this person—you delivered this man? Who are you? How did you do it? Are you able to deliver us from these forces?
o Sadly, however, they beg him to leave. They have encountered a spiritual power greater than any they had ever met in the legion of demons, and it unsettles them.
o They would prefer to live with the demons than with Jesus. The demons begged to stay. The townspeople begged Jesus to leave.
o This is how it goes, isn’t it? The God of Israel, the God-Man Jesus comes to a nation, powerfully delivers some, and the spiritual power they witness terrifies them, and they seek to drive it away, quench it, or kill it. The darkness is dispelled by the light, and the darkness hates the light.
· So, Jesus leaves. “He was getting into the boat.”
· But while the townspeople begged Jesus to go, the man (whose name has now changed to “the man who had been possessed with demons”) begs to be with Jesus—a technical term for discipleship used in 3:14 of the apostles.
o This is the natural heart response of anyone delivered by Jesus. Let me be with you. Let me be your disciple. Let me learn from you.
· That he wants to be with Jesus is not surprising. That Jesus doesn’t allow him to be is what is surprising. Why? He allows the demons to stay, but he does not allow this converted man to leave.
· Instead, Jesus commissions the first Gentile missionary. “Go home to your friends and tell them how much the Lord has done for you.” Friends? What friends? Those possessed. The lowlifes. Those rejected by society. And, while you’re at it, family, acquaintances, and all others who will listen. Show them. Tell them what the Lord has done for you.
· Interesting to note is that Jesus tells the man to do what the herdsmen had done. The herdsmen as well had gone and proclaimed (literally “announced”) what Jesus had done in the city. So also the delivered man was to do—but he does so differently. He does so from loving experiential obedience. They do so from cowering, fearful unbelief.
· So he does. Yet, what does he proclaim? How much Jesus had done for him. Jesus is Lord. And they marveled—amazed by his story and by the power.
Conclusion
So should we be. Some concluding applications:
1) Jesus treads all the powers of darkness down. You don’t need to go around binding Satan, as though you could. You don’t need to be scared of what you saw in the dark. Martin Luther has been said to have been woken up in the middle of the night by an apparition of Satan. He reportedly laughed and said, “Oh, it’s only you,” and rolled over and went back to sleep. Greater is he who is in you than he who is in the world. Do not fear the darkness. Do not fear the devil. He is cowed, leashed, curbed, broken, judged, and will be cast out.
2) Jesus rescues us from the kingdom of darkness. All his omnipotent power is bent on delivering us from this present evil age—even at th cost of his own life. So, we should marvel at him. We should thank him.
3) Jesus restores us to our own humanity. We should sit at his feet, clothed, and in our proper minds. We should beg him we might be with him. This is what it means to be human—to be whole, restored, renewed.
4) Don’t be surprised when the Lord saves you and others around you prefer to remain in darkness. We are just like Israel.