UNCHAINED
Jason Grissom
MARK: THE SERVANT WHO WAS OUR SAVIOR • Sermon • Submitted
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Two extremes give Satan great satisfaction. Some fall into the trap of disbelief in his reality. Kenneth Woodward, for example, regards the Devil as merely a “trivial personification … hardly adequate to symbolize the mystery of evil.” Some, on the other hand, have an inordinate interest in the Devil and his dark world. In the preface to his famous Screwtape Letters, C. S. Lewis wrote:
There are two equal and opposite errors into which our race can fall about the devils. One is to disbelieve in their existence. The other is to believe, and to feel an excessive and unhealthy interest in them. They themselves are equally pleased by both errors and hail a materialist and magician with the same delight.
There is no doubt that people can go overboard in their fascination with the Devil and demons. It was not long ago that in the suburbs of one of our major cities a promising renewal took place among a number of professional families—doctors, lawyers, and business executives. It gave birth to a joyous, thriving Bible study. More of their friends came to Christ. Marriages were enriched, families restored, and the Church infused with new life. But some of the leadership became overly fascinated with the subject of spiritual warfare and took their eyes off Christ to become self-styled experts in demons and exorcism.
Things were clearly getting out of hand when one night they became convinced there were demons in the dining room chandelier and ended the “Bible study” by dissembling the light fixture so each could take a part of it and bury it in a different part of the city. The crowning embarrassment to the Christian community came later when one morning some of their children were seen by neighbors running down the street shouting, “The Devil is going to get us! The Devil is going to get us!” Responding, the neighbors found the group’s women in the backyard hacking a rosewood chest to pieces to dispose of supposed demons. The lesson? If Satan cannot pull you down, he will just as happily push you overboard.
As we study today’s text we will affirm the biblical reality of Satan and his host but we will refrain from promoting an unhealthy fascination of our enemy. Our goal is to reveal Satan’s purpose and then demonstrate Jesus’ power over Satan’s evil forces and His ability to heal the harm which they have done.
Verses 1 and 2 reveal that Christ’s encounter with the demoniac took place the morning following his calming of the great night storm on the Sea of Galilee. They had just survived drowning and now they are hearing the screams of a demoniac.
They came to the other side of the sea, to the country of the Gerasenes.
And when Jesus had stepped out of the boat, immediately there met him out of the tombs a man with an unclean spirit.
Jesus came straight from his confrontation with the storm in nature to confront an equally violent storm in human nature. The region of the Gerasenes was an unsavory place according to Jewish thinking.
JESUS CONFRONTS DEMONIZATION (vv. 3–10)
JESUS CONFRONTS DEMONIZATION (vv. 3–10)
Mark has given us an elaborate and frank picture of the demoniac. The story is pathetic and heart-wrenching, for this was a human being.
I picture his eyes black, shifty, darting around like lightening; his face grimaced, distorted, framed with a distressing look; his brow stuck in furrowed position; his hair unkempt, matted & mangled; his teeth brownish/orange from stains; breath that could melt a candlestick; body odor…not a stench to “high heaven”, but an aerosol from hell itself; his body naked with no dignity; nails over grown & curling like claws; arms bloody, scabbed, from self-mutilation; ankles adorning fetter anklets from previous botched attempts of chaining. His home…a cave w/a continuous smell of decomposing human corpses. No discipline, no authority, no restraint!
[A] man with an evil 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. (vv. 2b-5)
It is a vivid picture of what we look like without Christ. Everybody is going to be possessed by something or somebody. God did not design the human heart to be a vacuum but to be occupied by Jesus.
This man was “demonized.” Our text regularly speaks of him as being “demon-possessed” (vv. 16, 18), but the literal translation is “demonized”—that is, under the influence of one or more evil spirits. Demonization can vary in degree of influence. Here it was extreme.
The “evil spirit” is literally an “unclean spirit.” Typically, those under the sway of demons descend to filthy living, both physically and morally. This man lived in the “tombs,” rock-hewn caverns furnished with dead men’s bones and carpeted with filth and vermin.
The local townspeople had attempted to restrain him, but with terrifying herculean strength he had broken the fetters which bound him. He was uncontrollable and dangerous. Inside, he was totally wretched. At intervals during the night and day he would let out a unnatural howl, then gash himself with jagged rocks in an obvious attempt to drive out the evil spirits. This poor, naked man was a mass of bleeding lacerations, scabs, infections, and scar tissue, living in a delirium of pain and masochistic pleasure.
The man was running wild, naked, unkempt, and ill, and as a result all were against him. He was repulsive, unloved and, unwelcome. What misery!
Of course, not all demonization is so blatantly gross.
And no wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light.
So it is no surprise if his servants, also, disguise themselves as servants of righteousness. Their end will correspond to their deeds.
This teaches us that demonized men and women can appear utterly conventional. They can even be spiritual leaders in the Christian community.
tells us: “And no wonder, for Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light. It is not surprising, then, if his servants masquerade as servants of righteousness.” Demonized men and women can appear utterly conventional. They can even be spiritual leaders in the Christian community. I myself have known some whose bondage to evil was uncovered.
However, we must not foolishly think that human beings must be demonized to descend to the degradation of the Gerasene demoniac. Sin is native to the human situation:
But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire.
). As Turgenev said, “I do not know what the heart of a bad man is like, but I know what the heart of a good man is like … and it is terrible.”
Russian novelist Ivan Turgenev said, “I do not know what the heart of a bad man is like, but I know what the heart of a good man is like … and it is terrible.”
We need the theological wisdom and honesty of the little girl who had a terrific fight with her brother. When her mother came in and pulled her off, she said to her daughter, “Why did you let the Devil put it into your heart to pull your brother’s hair and kick him in the shins?” The little girl thought for a moment and said, “Well, maybe the Devil put it into my head to pull my brother’s hair, but kicking his shins was my own idea.” We are very capable of being evil all by ourselves!
Nevertheless, demons do drive men and women to the depths of depravity. Why? Because Satan and his minions hate God. They will do anything to attack him. Mankind was created in the image of God
So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.
There is nothing that brings God more glory than manifesting His image. Satan hates this. Thus, the demonic function is to distort and destroy the image of God in man. As Werner Foerster says:
and brings glory to him the more we manifest his image. Satan hates this. Thus, the demonic function is to distort and destroy the image of God in man. As Werner Foerster says:
…in most of the stories of possession, what is at issue is not merely sickness but a destruction and distortion of the divine likeness of man according to creation. The center of personality, the volitional and active ego, is inspired by alien powers which seek to ruin man.
If Tertullian was right that “The glory of God is man fully alive,” then it is true that the slaying of man (the distortion of the divine image through sin) is an attack on the glory of God. We must do everything we can, through Jesus Christ and the power of the Holy Spirit, to enhance the image of God in our lives.
Confrontation was inevitable, and “When he saw Jesus from a distance, he ran and fell on his knees in front of him” (v. 6). Jesus and the disciples beached the boat and made it secure, and the next thing they knew they were being charge by a naked, screaming maniac. Surprisingly, he cast himself on his knees in front of Jesus—animalized, filthy, bleeding. Then “He shouted at the top of his voice.” The tense here indicates that he screamed an inarticulate cry before speaking, a preternatural howl. When the scream subsided, the disciples heard this:
And crying out with a loud voice, he said, “What have you to do with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I adjure you by God, do not torment me.”
In accordance with ancient belief, the reciting of Jesus’ title was not a confession of his Deity, but a desperate attempt to gain control over him.
Jesus stood firm, addressing the spirit within the man:
For he was saying to him, “Come out of the man, you unclean spirit!”
And Jesus asked him, “What is your name?” He replied, “My name is Legion, for we are many.”
And he begged him earnestly not to send them out of the country.
It was a chilling admission. A Roman legion consisted of 6,000 foot soldiers, as well as 120 horsemen and technical personnel. To the Jewish mind, “Legion” brought an image of great numbers, efficient organization, and relentless strength. A host of evil spirits leered upon Christ from behind the poor man’s wild eyes. It was time for Jesus’ power to be seen in a most unforgettable way.
JESUS CONQUERS DEMONIZATION (vv. 11–15)
JESUS CONQUERS DEMONIZATION (vv. 11–15)
Mark gave us the details in verses 11–13:
Now a great herd of pigs was feeding there on the hillside,
and they begged him, saying, “Send us to the pigs; let us enter them.”
So he gave them permission. And the unclean spirits came out and entered the pigs; and the herd, numbering about two thousand, rushed down the steep bank into the sea and drowned in the sea.
The dramatic end of the swine was also powerful visual testimony to the ex-demoniac that he had been delivered.
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 evil 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.
The Greek tense graphically pictures the disappearance of pig after pig into the sea. Why did Jesus allow the demons to enter the swine? The presence of 2,000 swine indicates big business. It may very well be that the swine herders were compromising Jews who saw a great profit in selling pork (unclean to Jews) to the Gentile market on the eastern side of the lake. If this was so, then Jesus was taking a swipe at their secularization and materialism. In the process, the pigs became vehicles of judgment to the unsuspecting demons who pled to be cast into the swine. The swine stampeded unexpectedly, due to the shock of demonization, blindly charging into the lake to rid themselves of their new guests. Thus the demons were disembodied and, some scholars think, confined to the Abyss to await final judgment.
Whoever makes a practice of sinning is of the devil, for the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil.
The Greek tense graphically pictures the disappearance of pig after pig into the sea. Why did Jesus allow the demons to enter the swine? The presence of 2,000 swine indicates big business. It may very well be that the swineherders were compromising Jews who saw a great profit in selling pork (unclean to Jews) to the Gentile market on the eastern side of the lake. If this was so, then Jesus was taking a swipe at their secularization and materialism. In the process, the pigs became vehicles of judgment to the unsuspecting demons who pled to be cast into the swine. The swine stampeded unexpectedly, due to the shock of demonization, blindly charging into the lake to rid themselves of their new guests. Thus the demons were disembodied and, some scholars think, confined to the Abyss to await final judgment.
Satan seeks to destroy but Jesus seeks to deliver.
The dramatic end of the swine was also powerful visual testimony to the ex-demoniac that he had been delivered. For the rest of his life he would tell about this with all the relish of an Eastern storyteller. It would never be forgotten!
For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.”
For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”
Mark For the rest of his life he would tell about this with all the relish of an Eastern storyteller. It would never be forgotten!
For the rest of his life he would tell about this with all the relish of an Eastern storyteller. It would never be forgotten!
The fate of the pigs teach us what the demons were trying to do to the man. Demons want to destroy all of God’s creation. The dramatic destruction of the pigs, coupled with what happened to the man, formed a stupendous display of Christ’s power.
The dramatic destruction of the pigs, coupled with what happened to the man, formed a stupendous display of Christ’s power, as we see in verses 14, 15: “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.”
Did you notice the dignity that Jesus gives this man. In verse 8 he says “come out of the man”. Do you think anyone ever addressed or thought of him as a man? Sin made him anything but a man but Jesus sees us not for what we are but for what we can be by his power and grace.
The man was “sitting there” instead of roaming about purposelessly among the tombs as before.
Then people went out to see what had happened, and they came to Jesus and found the man from whom the demons had gone, sitting at the feet of Jesus, clothed and in his right mind, and they were afraid.
He was sitting at the feet of Jesus not roaming. He was dressed. This reminds me that Jesus does not require us to clean up before we can be converted. He converts us and then clothes us in His righteousness. He was “in his right mind.” Literally, he was of sound mind, self-controlled. Salvation gives us a new nature and mind. Salvation is a transfer of control.
says he was sitting at the feet of Jesus (8:35). He was “dressed” instead of naked. (Dr. Luke tells us it had been a long time since he had worn clothing. He was probably dressed in an extra cloak of one of the disciples.) He was “in his right mind.” Literally, he was of sound mind, self-controlled. He was smiling at the right times and was alert, laughing, and even devout.
This is the power of Jesus Christ! He completely blew away evil! Note, first, that his contest with the demons, despite all its seriousness, was almost comical. With a word, the pigs committed sui-suicide. With a word the swine were off to hog heaven and the demons into spiritual misery.
In delivering this demonized many Jesus displayed His passion for restoring his image in the life of the profoundly disfigured man. The ex-demoniac was now rational, controlled, at peace, and in communion with God. This is utterly amazing when we think of his wretched, loathsome existence. Such transformation is impossible—except for God.
Perhaps this needs to go directly to your heart. You have descended so low in sin and the marks are so profound that you cannot believe you can be made whole. You may have even been or are being “demonized.”
Some might say that I am naive to make such a statement. They might go on to say that; “you know nothing of the grip of evil upon me. You cannot feel my hopelessness and if you could you would not speak so confidently.” My response; I can speak confidently because of Christ testimony in His Word and in this world.
Are you deeply scarred? Do you have filthy habits—perhaps a mouth that is totally out of control, that has said little that is clean in years? Perhaps you are dishonest. It is your way of life. Maybe your scar is sexual, whether heterosexual or homosexual, and you feel you are beyond help. Not so! Jesus who calmed the stormy seas also calms the storm-tossed soul. He can do this with a word.
JESUS AND THE CROWD
JESUS AND THE CROWD
What was the reaction of the Gerasenes? Did they rejoice? Was there a revival? Hardly!
And they came to Jesus and saw the demon-possessed man, the one who had had the legion, sitting there, clothed and in his right mind, and they were afraid.
And those who had seen it described to them what had happened to the demon-possessed man and to the pigs.
And they began to beg Jesus to depart from their region.
“… 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” (vv. 15b-17).
The response of the people reveal a different type of demonization. The care more about their pigs than they did about people. They had been demonized through their pocket book. They needed to be delivered as much as the man. His demonization was obvious but they were oblivious to their own. The people did not recognize they were being controlled by the same Devil just in more dignified ways.
Bring loss to us and ours.
Our ways are not as Thine.
Thou lovest men, we—wine.
Oh, get you hence, Omnipotence,
And take this fool of Thine!
His soul? What care we for his soul?
What good to us that Thou hast made him whole,
Since we have lost our swine?8
How very modern! What do we value most? The delivered man stood in sharp contrast to his “friends.”
JESUS AND HIS COMMAND
JESUS AND HIS COMMAND
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,
As he was getting into the boat, the man who had been possessed with demons begged him that he might be with him.
And he did not permit him but said to him, “Go home to your friends and tell them how much the Lord has done for you, and how he has had mercy on you.”
And he went away and began to proclaim in the Decapolis how much Jesus had done for him, and everyone marveled.
Some years ago an ophthalmologist, just fresh from college, commenced business. Without friends, without money, and without patrons, he became discouraged, until one day he saw a blind man. Looking into his eyes, he said, “Why don’t you have your eyesight restored? Come to my office in the morning.” The blind man went. When an operation was performed and proved successful, the patient said, “I haven’t got a penny in the world. I can’t pay you. “Oh, yes,” said the doctor, “you can pay me, and I expect you to do so. There is just one thing I want you to do, and it is very easy. Tell everybody you see that you were blind, and tell them who it was that healed you.”
Understandably the man pleaded with Jesus to let him go with him. He was conscious of his weaknesses and was filled with grateful love. Who would not want to stay with Jesus? But the Lord turned him down, and this denial became the very avenue for the man’s grateful service.
Some years ago an ophthalmologist, just fresh from college, commenced business. Without friends, without money, and without patrons, he became discouraged, until one day he saw a blind man. Looking into his eyes, he said, “Why don’t you have your eyesight restored? Come to my office in the morning.” The blind man went. When an operation was performed and proved successful, the patient said, “I haven’t got a penny in the world. I can’t pay you. “Oh, yes,” said the doctor, “you can pay me, and I expect you to do so. There is just one thing I want you to do, and it is very easy. Tell everybody you see that you were blind, and tell them who it was that healed you.”
That is what the ex-demoniac did. He heralded the news in Decapolis (The Ten Cities), “and everyone marveled.”
This story is part of a trilogy of stories about Christ’s power. In our last message we saw Christ’s power over nature as he calmed the storm; this time we have seen his power over evil in delivering the demonized man; in our next study we will see his power over death and disease.
The point is: he can deliver you from anything if you will come to him.
Do you doubt God’s love for you? Jesus demonstrated his love for this man by traversing across the Sea of Galilee. And he has demonstrated his love for you and I by traversing the ethereal to earth. God, Omnipresent, confined himself to a human body. God, omnipotent, spread out his arms on a tree, that He created, so that His wrath against sinners could be satisfied. God, Holy and Perfect, the who had been sinned against taking the sinners place. God, High and Lifted up, condescends to rescue His creation held under the demonizing influence.
This God of mercy says to those who are Demonized “come and I will give you rest”. This God of mercy says to those who have been delivered go and tell how much the Lord has done for you and how he has had mercy on you.
Hughes, R. K. (1989). Mark: Jesus, servant and savior (Vol. 1, pp. 117–123). Westchester, IL: Crossway Books.