Mark 5:1-20, CEB - Jesus and his disciples came to the other side of the lake, to the region of the Gerasenes. As soon as Jesus got out of the boat, a man possessed by an evil spirit came out of the tombs. This man lived among the tombs, and no one was ever strong enough to restrain him, even with a chain. He had been secured many times with leg irons and chains, but he broke the chains and smashed the leg irons. No one was tough enough to control him. Night and day in the tombs and the hills, he would howl and cut himself with stones. When he saw Jesus from far away, he ran and knelt before him, shouting, “What have you to do with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? Swear to God that you won’t torture me!”
He said this because Jesus had already commanded him,
“Unclean spirit, come out of the man!”
Jesus asked him, “What is your name?”
He responded, “Legion is my name, because we are many.” They
pleaded with Jesus not to send them out of that region.
A large herd of pigs was feeding on the hillside. “Send us into the pigs!” they begged. “Let us
go into the pigs!” Jesus gave them
permission, so the unclean spirits left the man and went into the pigs. Then
the herd of about two thousand pigs rushed down the cliff into the lake and
drowned.
Those who tended the pigs ran away and told the story in
the city and in the countryside. People came to see what had happened. They came to Jesus and saw the man who used to
be demon-possessed. They saw the very man who had been filled with many demons
sitting there fully dressed and completely sane, and they were filled with awe.
Those who had actually seen what had
happened to the demon-possessed man told the others about the pigs. Then
they pleaded with Jesus to leave their region.
While he was climbing into the boat, the one who had been
demon-possessed pleaded with Jesus to let him come along as one of his
disciples. But Jesus wouldn’t allow it.
“Go home to your own people,” Jesus said, “and tell them what the Lord has done
for you and how he has shown you mercy.” The man went away and began to proclaim in the
Ten Cities all that Jesus had done for him, and everyone was amazed.
Of the three gospels (Matthew, Mark, and Luke) that include
this story, Mark’s is the longest account.
This is curious, because Mark, who is usually known for his brevity (his
gospel is the shortest) includes the most details.
There is a grab-bag of emotions present in this story told
by Mark. First, Jesus and his disciples, fresh off the boat following the storm
that Jesus calmed, are still tired. They
came over to the far shore to get from people.
They get out of the boat and find more people. The tortured possessed man shows up and the
spirits within him plead with Jesus to leave them alone, for Jesus had already
begun to cast them out of the man. The demons
fear Jesus, because they know who He is and they fear He will harm them.
Jesus asks for their name and they basically reply that they
are many (legion, which means 1000). Realizing
Jesus is going to rid the tortured man of them, they ask to be cast into the heard
of pigs. Surprisingly, Jesus allows it
and the pigs are promptly destroyed.
Implied here is that there are farmers who now have just lost part of
their livelihood. They are upset and
eventually most of the people in the region are upset because it might be their
livelihoods that Jesus starts messing with next. But before they are upset, they are in awe
that the demons obey Jesus.
Then, of course, we have the man who was exorcised of the
demons that had made him suffer for so long.
He is grateful beyond words and wants to devote his life to following
Jesus. But Jesus redirects him to tell
his own people about what God has done for him.
The man spends the rest of his life doing just that. So in this story, we have exhaustion, fear, extreme
suffering, anger, awe, gratitude, calling, rejection, and other emotions all
mixed in.
It seems that the emotions in the various people correspond
to what they care about the most. The people of the region are impressed with
the authority Jesus has over demons, but they are more worried about how Jesus’s
compassionate action (healing the man of demon-possession) will affect them
financially. The demoniac is nothing
more than a nuisance to them. The supernatural
authority displayed to them was lost on them because what they cared about was
their financial bottom line.
The fear that gripped Legion speaks to the fact they know
their tyranny over their poor host is coming to an end.
The gratitude and devotion of the man delivered from Legion
stems from the suffering and self-harm has been cast out.
Jesus still threatens institutions and communities that care
more about their bottom line than the suffering of real human beings around
them.
Jesus is still a terror to demonic forces that terrorize human
beings for whom He has compassion.
Jesus is still the deliverer of those tortured by the
darkness in their souls. He still calls
people out of the darkest shadows and makes them a witness to what the Lord can
do.
Questions: How does
this story hit your emotions. Does that
suggest anything about your own priorities?
Prayer: Lord, show us
our true allegiances. Help us to see
those who are suffering in the shadows for who you care. Make us witnesses to what You have done for
us.
Prayer Focus: Pray
for people who struggle with mental illness.
Song: Run, Devil, Run
– David Crowder
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