Two Men and a Herd of Pigs
Notes
Transcript
Intro
Intro
Before we jump into Mark this morning, I want to tell you about something that is not in the news:
We know what is in the news
two more spy balloons were shot down this week, one over Alaska, one over Canada
Turkey’s earthquake now has a devastating death toll of 27,000+ some experts say it could double
and much much more
But what is not in the regular news cycle
Since Wednesday of this week at Asbury (which is a Christian college in Kentucky) Students have been gathering and praying & confessing sin. The Holy spirit has fallen on that place in an amazing way and people just keep going to Kentucky to see this
There has been continuous gathering in the chapel there since Wednesday! Revival is breaking out
And I want to take a second and pray for this because, Revival tends to spread and grow.
This is what we need! It starts in the church. God does something amazing in his church and just reveals his presence a little more and his church is forever changed
So lets pray...
Lets pray for the students of Asbury, lets pray for churches around the would…lets pray that God sparks something...
Because no matter how hard we try we can’t make revival happen, it is a move of the Holy Spirit.
The New International Version Chapter 64
64 Oh, that you would rend the heavens and come down,
that the mountains would tremble before you!
2 As when fire sets twigs ablaze
and causes water to boil,
come down to make your name known to your enemies
and cause the nations to quake before you!
Father that you would send your Holy Spirit, not Just on Asbury but on us too oh God
That you would bathe your church in your personal presence
That you would convict us of our sin and cause us to worship
Lord that you might make us new again and use us to reach this would
Lord we pray for the students of Asbury, that this revival would spark a movement that we can not contain or control that it would spread like wild fire across the country
Lord Send revival to the churches of Sacramento, We need you Lord
Amen
What would you do if you weren’t afraid?
What would you do if you weren’t afraid?
I hate this question because it assumes I am afraid and I am not, I am brave
But I hate this question because it is insulting, the inclination is that just maybe you are holding back due to fear…Then maybe you can get to some really great places in life
So, what would you do if you weren’t afraid?
Would you climb Everest?
Would you retire?
Would you finally run that marathon?
Would you pop the question?
Start having kids?
Quit your job?
Now the point of asking this question is that if your faith is really settled in Jesus then fear ought to be foreign to us…
But the reality is that our faith, no matter how strong it is…it wavers because of our frail humanity
I think jesus knew this and wanted to confront his disciples with opportunities to deepen their faith and to overcome their fear
So flip with me to Mark 4:25-41 as we dive into God’s word this morning:
Jesus Calming the Storm
Jesus Calming the Storm
That day when evening came, he said to his disciples, “Let us go over to the other side.” Leaving the crowd behind, they took him along, just as he was, in the boat. There were also other boats with him. A furious squall came up, and the waves broke over the boat, so that it was nearly swamped. Jesus was in the stern, sleeping on a cushion. The disciples woke him and said to him, “Teacher, don’t you care if we drown?”
He got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, “Quiet! Be still!” Then the wind died down and it was completely calm.
He said to his disciples, “Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?”
They were terrified and asked each other, “Who is this? Even the wind and the waves obey him!”
This text starts with “That day when evening came”…Last week we were looking at some parables of Jesus and if you remember he was teaching on a boat…all day long, The crowds were so large that instead of going ashore they went across the lake.
If you have ever been to the Sea of Galilee you would know that this is a massive lake.
It is below sea level surrounded by mountains and cliffs.
It is a beautiful part of Israel
But the distance the disciples had to go on the lake to get to where they eventually ended up is about 5-7 miles give or take
And when you have a lake this huge that is below sea level and you have high mountains around you, Hot air and cold air mix and you get some amazing storms that happen right over the lake. The sea of Galilee is known for its legendary storms
But what is this story trying to tell us
We have Jesus sleeping in a boat and chaos is happening all around him...
There are two Old Testament points that if we get these references then we will really see what is happening in this story
1. Genesis 1:1-2
In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters.
If you were here over the summer we did a series called “words” and what we did was break down some Hebrew and Greek words and show how they go from the first pages of the Bible to the very last pages of the Bible and everywhere in between
The reason why we do stuff like this is that I want you to see just how interconnected the Bible is and how crazy it is that the 66 books of the Bible can be so interwoven and threaded together…It is almost as if over the thousands of years of Biblical constriction the same author was present!
So The story of the Bible open up with this scene
And if you read it in Hebrew you get some of my favorite words of all time...
In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth…The earth was Tohu and Bohu or Tohuwabohu
Tohu and Bohu in the Hebrew mind are the twin forces of chaos…It means wild and waste...
Tohu and Bohu are there at the beginning but not to worry because the spirit of God the Ruakh of God the spirit of God is hovering over the waters
And God takes this chaos and he separates and creates life out of it...
and if you remember literally everywhere in the Bible where there are chaotic waters there somehow is the spirit of God
Noah’s ark: The world goes into de-creation..The Tohu and Bohu are flooding the earth…But what do we see…A dove over the waters…the waters recede and new life is formed
The red sea seems like it is going to eat up israel but the spirit of God takes the chaotic waters and blesses his people
Now Jesus is literally living out Genesis 1:1-2....He is sleeping in a boat…He is literally hovering over the water in a boat
And the twin forces of chaos, wild and waste…The chaotic waters are being stirred up but who is there?
Jesus is there! And more specifically Mark tells us that at the Baptism of Jesus the Holy Spirit came onto him…It was the dove that floated down from heaven...
Mark wants you to see that Jesus is the Spirit of God hovering over the chaotic waters just like Genesis 1:1-2
Mark wants you to see that Jesus is the Spirit of God hovering over the chaotic waters just like Genesis 1:1-2
In Jesus the twin forces of Chaos are done away with!
But there is yet another Old Testament Story that is going to help you get this story and the next one:
Think about it for a second…Is there a story in the Old Testament where there is a crazy storm at sea that is calmed?
Oh yeah; Jonah...
And if you were in church in the early 2000’s then you know that Jonah is an Asparagus, Larry the cucumber is there and Bob the Tomato…The whole veggie tales cast is there...
My favorite quote from the veggie tales Jonah movie by the way
Jonah : We're going to be digested! Do you know what that means?
Khalil : Of course! Digestion runs very deep in my family.
I don’t know why I remember that but oh man, fun memories
Ok the story of Jonah is about a prophet (from near the sea of Galilee by the way) that is called to go to a pagan land, Ninivah...
But instead runs away, He jumps on a boat and heads to Tarshish which is the furthest port that can go to
And if you remember the book of Jonah, there is a fierce storm and the captain of the ship comes up to Jonah and is like yelling at him:
How can you sleep, Get up and call on your God, maybe he will save us!
Just like the disciples: Jesus you’re sleeping!!! don’t you care if we drown?
But if you remember in that story Jonah actually doesn't call on his God but instead the other pagan people on the boat call out to God as they thrown Jonah overboard and guess what the storm is calmed...
But Jesus isn’t Jonah, Jonah has to be thrown overboard for the storm to Stop...
Jesus just has to say the word an the storm is stopped
And what Jesus says storm is “Quiet, Be still” It’s actually a very interesting thing that Jesus says because its like he is talking to a person but he is addressing wind....
And at this point the disciples are shocked...
They knew Jesus was powerful
They had seen him heal and cast demons out....and that shows that Jesus is powerful
But you have to understand that there were other faith healers around…There were other exorcist around…So while Jesus was yes the most amazing of all of them…It had been done before
But now rebuking the wind and the waves!
There isn’t even a category for this in the mind of the disciples…Jesus is now doing what only God can do.
and I love the question that Jesus asks
Jesus says to them
Mark 4:40
“Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?”
I love that Jesus doesn’t rebuke them for not knowing enough, Because knowing your word, knowing the Bible is key, but thats is not what he rebukes them for…The rebuke was that when times get tough why aren't you looking to me?
I feel like we are on this boat with Jesus all the time in life and the waters get rough and we look everywhere else other than to Jesus
Fear reveals our lack of faith
But what I love that happens in this story and the next…Is that their fear was the storm…But then when Jesus calmed the storm they had a new fear...
It is the simotaniously terrible and wonderful fear of being in the presence of God
In many ways, Jesus is still a stranger to his followers…Because his closest followers ask, who is this man?
What is not always easy to see is that this story actually sets up the next story really well:
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 anymore, 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.
Just as Jesus calmed the storm on the lake, he now finds a man with an equally violent storm inside him
Just as Jesus calmed the storm on the lake, he now finds a man with an equally violent storm inside him
and what is so key to understand here is that when they went to the region of the Gerasenes
This is a non-Jewish region
For good Jews, this was not a place where you went, it was unclean…
In fact thousands of years before this when the Jews took the promise land they would push seven pagan nations off to this region
This turns out to be a really significant point because all through Mark’s Gospel Jesus will go out of his way to reach out to the pagan nations who were displaced at the conquest of Canaan
He is not Just the Jewish Messiah…He is the Messiah of all...
And this is the first instance where we see Jesus go into pagan land
Now like the Bible says the man had been chained
He is violent
He is demon possessed
and he is harming himself
Now the agenda of Satan is to harm the family of God…
God made us in his image which is to say that all of your are immensely valuable to God
So the plan of Satan is to slowly strip the image of God out of you…He doesn't care what image you conform to, as long as its not your creator
When Satan Temps Jesus the first thing he says and then will repeat is “if you are the son of God” The first temptation of Jesus was to his identity
and we read that this man was so tormented by these demons that he was harming and cutting his body...
trying to destroy the image of God
This is what is happening in this story
And again…what Mark wants you to see is that the same violence that was on the lake…is now in this poor human
When he saw Jesus from a distance, he ran and fell on his knees in front of him. He shouted at 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 this man, you impure spirit!”
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 demons 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.
So the demonic forces that are in this man are intent on stopping Jesus from entering the region...
What is at play here is Jesus taking territory for the kingdom of God
So this man runs up to Jesus and falls on his knees. The greek term here is actually really significant because it is the term for prostrating yourself in worship before someone else
what You are supposed to see is that when the demonic meets the divine it is a no-contest event.
Jesus wins ever time...
The demons have no other option but to bow down before Jesus
This is not an insignificant point…Next week there are two other stories of Jarius and a woman who have been bleeding for 12 years and they all bow or fall at the feet of Jesus in worship but also to request....
This is your next fill in
worship must to be at the heart of our relationship with God
worship must to be at the heart of our relationship with God
Worship is an act of faith saying that Jesus is God and I am not!
Jesus is worthy of all my worship and I am not!
So is worship at the heart of your relationship with God?
What does it look like?
It means your bowed down
It means your heart is bowed down
It means your economic life is bowed down
It means your family is bowed down
All to the kingship of Jesus
Then the Demons say...”Son of the most high God”
Now I don’t mean to split hairs here but this again is super significant
In Jewish territory the demons just called Jesus the Holy one of God....
“What do you want with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are—the Holy One of God!”
But here they say something slightly different they say
He shouted at 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!”
the Phrase “Most high God” is a Jewish phrase that is only used to emphasize God’s majesty over all of the other pagan Gods…Its actually really close to a phrase used in Deut 32...
That God is the most high over all the pagan world
So not only in this phrase do we see the uniqueness of Jesus but we also see the universality of his power
And I want to focus on this right now because my fear for the church is that we only talk about Jesus to other christians
I am afraid that many christians believe that Jesus is only powerful within christian circles
Sometimes we only ever have spiritual discussions while at life group, while at church, while we are with other christians
But the name of Jesus is universally powerful outside of these walls
The name of Jesus is powerful with your muslim friends
The name of Jesus is powerful with your atheist friends
The name of Jesus is powerful with your co-workers
The name of Jesus is powerful with your family
Jesus went on a mission to those who do not believe and he confronted the hell that they were living in
we live in a climate right now where to tell your non christian friends about Jesus might be called out as discrimination
We live in a climate right now where telling others about Jesus just seems like oh "they are not tolerant of me”
Well let me flip the question from the beginning around and ask
Who would you tell about Jesus if you were not afraid?
If a name comes to mind, then go tell them
This story is trying to reveal to us the universal power in which Jesus wields so much so that the demonic even recognizes it
And the demons are afraid of his power
So then very famously Jesus allows these demons to go out of the man into a herd of pigs about 2000 in number
this is kind of the crazy part of the story right?
Well first and foremost it just shows to the extent that this man was possessed...That is a lot of demons
But why pigs right?
Let me show you this graphic (Standard of the 10th Roman Legion)
Let me show you this graphic (Standard of the 10th Roman Legion)
this is the Standard of the 10th Roman Legion
Wait…what did the demon say the name was? Legion for they are many
This may look like a bull but it is actually a bore or a wild pig
The 10th Legion forces are the forces that conquered all of Palestine and in this area there was a Decapolis, which you can still visit today, I know I have been there and the 10th Roman Legion would have been all over the place there
I mean for an instant here Jesus is the exact type of Messiah that they want…Pigs into the sea! Thats what everyone in Palestine wants! The Romans gone back to where they came from
But you have to realize that the demons did that on their own initiative....Jesus just casted them out, and they ran the pigs into the sea
and what Jesus did on his own initiative was to heal the man
Even though this might look exciting on the surface for the Jews and they could easily misinterpret this
Jesus is showing what it looks like to be the messiah…He cares for people, he heals them, he frees them from the kingdom of darkness
He is not a messiah that is going to wage war with the Romans
But it is another impotrant note in Jesus’ ministry. He is more powerful than the 10th roman Legion!
So lets finish this story off
Those tending the pigs ran off and reported this in the town and countryside, and the people went out to see what had happened. When they came to Jesus, they saw the man who had been possessed by the legion of demons, sitting there, dressed and in his right mind; and they were afraid. Those who had seen it told the people what had happened to the demon-possessed man—and told about the pigs as well. Then the people began to plead with Jesus to leave their region.
As Jesus was getting into the boat, the man who had been demon-possessed begged to go with him. Jesus did not let him, but said, “Go home to your own people and tell them how much the Lord has done for you, and how he has had mercy on you.” So the man went away and began to tell in the Decapolis how much Jesus had done for him. And all the people were amazed.
Just like Jesus calming the storm
Both stories end in fear...
And not the fear of a storm or the fear of the demonic
The fear of the power of God being actually near to them
One of the commentators of this story has said that Most people want an experience of Jesus they want to see a manifestation of God, but “this story is a cold shower for such religious pipe dreams: When God manifests himself, most people ask him to leave”
In Just the same way both stories end in fear…Both stories end in calm as well...
The sea is calm
This man is dressed and in his right mind.
And the man asks to be with Jesus but instead, Jesus sends him as a missionary to the heart of the Roman cities…to the Decapolis (10 cities)
The first missionary that Mark tells us about is not a Jew…its not a disciple
But its a man who thought all was lost but in Jesus all was found
Wrapping it up
Wrapping it up
As we wrap this up today and the band comes there are a few obvious points that I want you to see
1. There are storms of life that you I am sure are experiencing today…and how can Jesus deal with them when you are busy with all of the ways that you are handling them?
The forces of Evil in this world want you to believe that you are not a child of God…
What would you do if you were not afraid?
How would you answer the call of God if fear didn live in you
In awe of the presence of God
Just as the man came and fell at the feet of Jesus....All of this starts with that…It all starts with the acknowledgement in faith that Jesus is the son of God
It starts with bowing your life before him and asking that perfect love to cast out all fear!