A Supernatural Conversation

A Demoniac Man of the Gadarenes

As the fourth chapter of his Gospel comes to an end, Mark reports that Jesus launched a short missions trip from Capernaum, which lies on the northern edge of the Galilean Sea.  Overnight, His team travelled to Gadara, at the southern point of the Sea, 14 miles away.  The harrowing trip on the open sea had deep spiritual implications, as we learned previously. ( Jesus Takes a Missions Trip ) In chapter five, Mark reports yet another incredible spiritual event which occurred at the very moment the team made landfall.

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Mark 5:1-2
“Then they came to the other side of the sea, to the country of the Gadarenes. And  when He had come out of the boat, immediately there met Him out of the tombs a man with an unclean spirit…

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The group departed Capernaum in the evening and struggled through harrowing travel conditions during the night. When He steps out of the boat, Jesus is immediately greeted. But wait….. who is the first one to meet Jesus?  Is it the Chamber of Commerce?  Maybe a brass band and a welcoming committee?  Or the elders from the local synagogue?  No, sorry…

The greeting committee was a single, demon-possessed man.  The Bible then describes this frightening individual….

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Mark 5:3-5
“…who had his dwelling among the tombs; and no one could bind him, not even with chains, because he had often been bound with shackles and chains. And the chains had been pulled apart by him, and the shackles broken in pieces; neither could anyone tame him. And always, night and day, he was in the mountains and in the tombs, crying out and cutting himself with stones.”

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Notice how carefully the Bible describes this man’s horrible condition:

• demonically possessed (with an unclean spirit)
• self-mutilating
• cave-dwelling
• tormented
• fiercely strong
• miserable
• untamed

He is a complete outcast – unfit for civil society.  Yet this man is the one who immediately greets Jesus and calls Him by name.  Why?  For what reason?

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Mark 5:6-7
“When he saw Jesus from afar, he ran and worshipped Him. And he cried out with a loud voice and said, ‘What have I to do with You, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I implore You by God that You do not torment me.‘”

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This crazed, demon-possessed man rushes up to Jesus, falls at his feet and begins to worship!  No one else came to greet Jesus except this wild, miserable man who lived alone in a cave. He immediately declares that Jesus is the son of God and asks for mercy.  But how does this he have such insight into the Lord’s authentic identity?  The disciples only knew Jesus as a rabbi, a master of Mosaic law. They were not present when Jesus was born of a virgin. They didn’t hear John the Baptist declare: “behold the Lamb of God which takes away the sin of the world.”  Frankly, at this stage, they are still wondering whether Jesus is simply an inspirational teacher or perhaps the future king of Israel.  Only a very few are coming to realize that He is the promised Messiah.  After all, they just passed through a storm and marveled at His ability to prevent the boat from capsizing.  Still uncertain of the Lord’s identity they asked each other: “Who can this be, that even the wind and the sea obey Him?” Yet, this pitiful, possessed man apparently knows His actual identity from the moment He steps out of the boat.

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INSIGHT:  WORSHIP ACKNOWLEDGES JESUS’ IDENTITY & ACCELERATES THE CONVERSATION

Let’s reflect on the contrast.  What does it say when Satan’s hordes recognize and worship Jesus as the Son of God, but mankind doesn’t?  These demons quickly acknowledge His power to condemn them all to permanent torment. They yield; they submit; then they cry out for mercy! 

Mark provides us with an astounding report.  Notice that the spiritual realm moves at exceptionally high speed.  Jesus has barely set foot on the land, yet three things have already occurred:

1. The demon-possessed man met Him immediately
2. His identity has been confirmed; He’s been greeted as “the son of the most high God” – (a term reserved for the Messiah)
3. He’s quickly involved in a deep spiritual conversation with demonic forces which implore Him to show them mercy.

Jesus clearly understands the spiritual warfare that underlies this conversation; He responds accordingly. He’s unmoved by the emotional drama of the man’s wretched physical condition and his tormented intellect. He begins speaking directly to the demons.  He deals with the deceivers, the unseen tormentors, not the man who is deceived.  Perhaps Jesus realizes this man has a destiny that provoked these demons to possess him.  The maturity of Jesus’ faith is being tested once again.

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Mark 5:8-9
“For he said to him, ‘Come out of the man, unclean spirit.’  Then He asked him, ‘What is your name?’ And he answered, saying, ‘My name is Legion: for we are many.‘”

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He commands them to leave and then asks their name.  They reply: “Legion (for we are many).”  In those days a Roman Legion included a significant cohort of battle-hardened, disciplined soldiers – usually 5,000 armed men.  At His trial, Jesus said to Pontius Pilate, “Don’t you know that I simply have to ask my Father and He will send me 12 legions of angels?”  Imagine 60,000 supernatural, 7-foot warriors armed with flaming swords coming to release Jesus from captivity.  Now that’s Biblical drama!  A legion is a vast cohort of enemy combatants — regardless of their actual number.  The demonic infestation in this Gadarene man made him suffer an intense level of spiritual agony.

So the demons begin by worshipping Jesus, but there’s something unusual about this conversation.  It’s not a prayer; it’s more of a negotiation.  The evil spirits beg through this man to stay in the region.  They seem to have a reason to remain locally even if they have to leave this tormented man.

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Mark 5:10-13
“Also he begged Him earnestly that He would not send them out of the country.  Now a large herd of swine was feeding there near the mountains.  So all the demons begged Him, saying, “Send us to the swine, that we may enter them.” And at once Jesus gave them permission. Then the unclean spirits went out and entered the swine (there were about two thousand); and the herd ran violently down the steep place into the sea, and drowned in the sea.“

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Imagine the dramatic impact of this story. Knowing they are being cast out, 2,000 demons beg for mercy, asking to stay in the region.  Jesus has the spiritual power to cast them into the swine which then run down the hill and drown themselves in the sea. The economic value of this loss is astounding.  At $100 a pig in modern value, that implies a loss of $200,000. 

But hold on…what’s Jesus doing in a region that raises pigs?  Let’s take a deeper look at the territory.  Jesus wanted to go over to the countryside of the Gadarenes which must have been inhabited by Gentiles.  How do we know?  Because no Orthodox Jew is going to be in the business of raising pigs.   So perhaps when Jesus said “let us cross over to the other side” (Mark 4:35) He wasn’t just talking about geography. He might’ve been referring to “other nationalities” or “other cultures”.  Formerly, His ministry had been exclusively focused on the Jews of the region, but now it seems He’s on assignment to visit a Gentile people.  And if there’s one thing the devil hates it’s when people of different cultures and nationalities start living together and worshiping God in a spirit of unity.

The demons ask, “If we must leave this man, please don’t make us leave the territory.”  Jesus casts the demons into a herd of swine.  These demons didn’t care about the man they were possessing.  They didn’t mind leaving the man.  They just didn’t want to leave the territory.

LESSON:  That demon you’re wrestling against isn’t interested in you; he’s interested in your territory. You have something that he wants. You’re an agent of God and an ambassador of the kingdom. Stop taking this fight so personally. Realize that the enemy is trying to reconquer territory which you have been assigned to take for God’s kingdom.  He’s not after you, he’s after the territory you’re conquering for God.  The storm you just fought through was meant to deter you from activating your ministry in the territory you’ve been assigned.