Tag Archives: Gerasenes

THE GOSPEL OF MARK – SEARCH AND DESTROY

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CHAPTER 5

SEARCH AND DESTROY

​1 They went across the lake to the region of the Gerasenes. 2 When Jesus got out of the boat, a man with an impure spirit came from the tombs to meet him. 3 This man lived in the tombs, and no one could bind him anymore, not even with a chain. 4 For he had often been chained hand and foot, but he tore the chains apart and broke the irons on his feet. No one was strong enough to subdue him. 5 Night and day among the tombs and in the hills, he would cry out and cut himself with stones. Mark 5:1-5

This story convinces me again the Jesus was far more concerned about the condition people were in than how they got into it. This man certainly didn’t become like he was overnight. If I read it in a disinterested way, it reads like another fictional horror story but, if I really think about it, I wonder what sort of life he lived to have become so deranged with demons.

We can compare him with so many of the animal rescue programmes we see on TV. Months of neglect and starvation bring them to a state of parasite infestation and emaciation. This man was spiritually emaciated and infested with demons because they had gradually taken him over through years of ungodly living, receiving and believing their lies until they could move into the strongholds they had created in his mind.

Satan cannot lead any sane-thinking person to a point of believing that he is lord by convincing him through a demonstration of his character. A sane-thinking person would turn from him in disgust if he were to reveal his true self. It has to be by deception and ensnarement. He lures people through the pleasures of sin without revealing the consequences. When the consequences begin to bite, guilt and shame drive the person deeper into sin and farther from God’s mercy. He becomes so ensnared by his behaviour and his beliefs that the next step is easy. Move in and control from the internal command post!

From that position, the next step is to destroy. Self-inflicted punishment, torment and violence isolate the person from family and friends and inflict physical damage that will eventually destroy that life. This is what the Father revealed to Jesus and this is what Jesus was en route to do – to repossess the tormented man’s mind and refocus his beliefs so that Jesus could take over the command centre of his life. He had the authority to do it and that was His immediate mission.

Devil-Mad Crazy

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DEVIL-MADE CRAZY

They went across the lake to the region of the Gerasenes. When Jesus got out of the boat, a man with an impure spirit came from the tombs to meet Him. This man lived in the tombs, and no one could bind him any more, not even with a chain. For he had often been chained hand and foot, but he tore the chains apart and broke the irons on his feet. No one was strong enough to subdue him. Night and day among the tombs and in the hills he would cry out and cut himself with stones. (Mark 5:1-5).

It seems that Jesus was on an assignment from the Father when He and His disciples set off across the lake. Was the storm devil-induced or was it just a natural phenomenon that happened when they were en route to the region of the Gerasenes? I am inclined to believe that it was the latter. Jesus and His disciples were part of the natural world. A storm could blow up any time as it often did. Why attribute to the devil what happened all the time?

On their arrival, they were met by a mad-man. They did not need to seek him out. He came to them. Was he drawn to Jesus in spite of the demonic inhabitants inside him? Not even the demons could resist Jesus even though they knew who He was and were hostile to Him. It was like that with Jesus. He drew people like iron filings to a magnet.

Mark took pains to describe the condition of the man. He was the local villain. People had long since given up trying to tame him. Not even chains and shackles could restrain his crazy and often violent behaviour. They left him alone in his wild misery and stayed away from the graveyard and the surrounding hills where he roamed. I can imagine how the children would taunt him from afar and run away when he raged against him.

This man was an example of Satan’s ownership. Wild, violent, tormented and suicidal. In his suffering he could not even destroy himself. All he could do was to inflict pain on himself continually. What did he look like? Filthy, unwashed, bloodied and scarred! I can imagine his body covered with infected sores where he had gashed himself with any sharp stone he could find. His screams would have echoed around the hills, striking terror into the hearts of the people.

How did he manage to stay alive? Did his family take pity on him and leave food for him each day? Was he sane enough to find it and eat it to keep himself alive? He was the picture of hopelessness, trapped in a situation of his own making and unable to release himself from his bondage and suffering.

Gentile thought he was, Jesus knew about him – no doubt prompted by the Holy Spirit – and went on a mission to rescue him. Mercy in action! No questions asked!

When he saw Jesus from a distance, he ran and fell on his knees in front of Him. He shouted on the top of his voice, ‘What do you want with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? In God’s name don’t torture me!’

For Jesus had said to him, ‘Come out of the man, you impure spirit!’ (Mark 5: 6-8).

Notice the interaction between the Son of God and the invading spirits from the dominion of darkness. Jesus did not waste His time trying to find out who they were or how they got there. That’s how it is with Jesus. He is more concerned about healing the sufferer than the reason for his suffering. He was pure authority and the demons knew it. They bowed to Jesus. They knew who He was. They knew their place. They did not resist Him. They could not.

Then Jesus asked him, ‘What is your name?’ ‘My name is Legion,’ he replied, ‘for we are many.’ And he begged Jesus again and again not to send them out of the area. A large herd of pigs was feeding on the nearby hillside. The demon begged Jesus, ‘Send us among the pigs; allow us to go into them.’ He gave them permission, and the impure spirits came out and went into the pigs. The herd, about two thousand in number, rushed down the steep bank into the lake and were drowned (Mark 5: 9-13).

What’s in a name? There was an important reason for asking the man his name. His name was who he was. He had to acknowledge who he was – a man possessed by a devilish nature, full of uncleanness. His confession was his key to freedom.

Pigs were a fitting place for them to go – unclean animals according to the Law. But even the pigs could not tolerate their presence. The demons turned them crazy and they fled down the steep bank into the lake. What a sight – two thousand bloated carcasses floating in the lake! That’s what the devil does – turns life into death!

Scripture taken from THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

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Free To Be Ensalved

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FREE TO BE ENSLAVED

“They sailed on to the country of the Gerasenes, directly opposite Galilee. As He stepped out onto land, a madman from town met Him; he was a victim of demons. He hadn’t worn clothes for a long time nor lived at home; he lived in the cemetery.

When he saw Jesus he screamed, fell before Him and bellowed, ‘What business do you have messing with me? You’re Jesus, Son of the High God, but don’t give me a hard time!’ (The man said this because Jesus was ordering the unclean spirit out of him). Time after time the demon threw the man into convulsions. He had been placed under constant guard and tied with chains and shackles but, crazed and driven wild by the demon, he would shatter the bonds.” Luke 8:26-29 (The Message).

However familiar this story is, one cannot read it without feeling pity for this tormented man. He was a victim of demons, according to Luke.

A victim of demons? How did they get in there in the first place? Demons don’t just walk in and take over wherever they feel like it. They can only gain access to a life when their lies are believed enough to let them in. It all begins when the unsuspecting person gives in to temptation, begins to do ungodly things that become a habit and then adopts ways of dulling the conscience because he cannot live with his guilt.

A young girl may run away from home, get involved in prostitution to make a living, and then turn to drugs and alcohol to dull the pain of her guilt and shame. It will not be long before she is so enslaved by this way of life that she is a candidate for demon possession. What she believed would be a way of escaping authority at home becomes a nightmare of the kind of control she was not bargaining for.

This man, who once made choices of his own, was now a victim of demonic control. What had led him into a lifestyle of sin so terrible that the demons took over? We don’t know but, once they were in, they were there to stay. He had made his choices to sin, time and again until the lies he had believed so often had opened the door for the demons to come in and take over. Once they were in, they showed their true colours and the real torment began.

How did Jesus know about him? Perhaps He didn’t but He went where the Spirit led Him. He went across the lake at His leading, and when He stepped off the boat, He knew why He had come. Although the man was inhabited by His arch-enemies, he was drawn to Jesus, both falling at His feet and screaming his antagonism. The human in him worshipped; the demons in him resisted.

Strange, isn’t it, that while humans refused to acknowledge who Jesus was, the demons were quick to identify Him as the Son of God. They knew who He was and they knew that their judgment was coming. This man was schizophrenic; there were two voices coming out of his mouth, the voice of a tormented man pleading for help and the voices of both terrified and defiant demons, knowing that their rule was temporary and their doom sure.

This story confronts us with the ugly truth of what happens to people when they venture into the realm of demonic deception, lured on by the promises of pleasure and “freedom”, only to be trapped by the consequences of their choices into a life of slavery far worse than the slavery they were trying to escape.

Jesus came to set us free, free to choose a life that leads us to peace and wholeness. The only source of peace is Jesus. His peace come to us when we choose to believe what He says and follow His way — the way of unselfishness, generosity and love.

“To the Jews who believed in Him, Jesus said, ‘If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.'” John 8:31, 32 (NIV).

Freedom is not doing whatever you please. Freedom is taking responsibility for yourself and choosing to live God’s way.

Do you know this kind of freedom?