The Man from the Tombs
Red Letter Conversation #12 • Sermon • Submitted
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1 And they came over unto the other side of the sea, into the country of the Gadarenes.
2 And when he was come out of the ship, immediately there met him out of the tombs a man with an unclean spirit,
3 Who had his dwelling among the tombs; and no man could bind him, no, not with chains:
4 Because that he had been often bound with fetters and chains, and the chains had been plucked asunder by him, and the fetters broken in pieces: neither could any man tame him.
5 And always, night and day, he was in the mountains, and in the tombs, crying, and cutting himself with stones.
6 But when he saw Jesus afar off, he ran and worshipped him,
7 And cried with a loud voice, and said, What have I to do with thee, Jesus, thou Son of the most high God? I adjure thee by God, that thou torment me not.
8 For he said unto him, Come out of the man, thou unclean spirit.
9 And he asked him, What is thy name? And he answered, saying, My name is Legion: for we are many.
10 And he besought him much that he would not send them away out of the country.
11 Now there was there nigh unto the mountains a great herd of swine feeding.
12 And all the devils besought him, saying, Send us into the swine, that we may enter into them.
13 And forthwith Jesus gave them leave. And the unclean spirits went out, and entered into the swine: and the herd ran violently down a steep place into the sea, (they were about two thousand;) and were choked in the sea.
14 And they that fed the swine fled, and told it in the city, and in the country. And they went out to see what it was that was done.
15 And they come to Jesus, and see him that was possessed with the devil, and had the legion, sitting, and clothed, and in his right mind: and they were afraid.
16 And they that saw it told them how it befell to him that was possessed with the devil, and also concerning the swine.
17 And they began to pray him to depart out of their coasts.
Retell
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Discussion
Discussion
Request #1: Do Not Torture Me! – vs. 1-7
1 And they came over unto the other side of the sea, into the country of the Gadarenes.
2 And when he was come out of the ship, immediately there met him out of the tombs a man with an unclean spirit,
3 Who had his dwelling among the tombs; and no man could bind him, no, not with chains:
4 Because that he had been often bound with fetters and chains, and the chains had been plucked asunder by him, and the fetters broken in pieces: neither could any man tame him.
5 And always, night and day, he was in the mountains, and in the tombs, crying, and cutting himself with stones.
6 But when he saw Jesus afar off, he ran and worshipped him,
7 And cried with a loud voice, and said, What have I to do with thee, Jesus, thou Son of the most high God? I adjure thee by God, that thou torment me not.
How might the man have known Jesus was coming?
How might the man have known Jesus’ name?
Does the Bible say how this man became possessed with demons?
Describe the effect demon possession had on this man, based on these verses.
What were his struggles and pains?
What were his losses?
What were his interactions with society?
What were his mindset and thoughts?
What power did the demons have over this man?
What did they cause him to do?
This man was severely possessed by demons. Describe some other less-severe forms of spiritual bondage that may be more common.
In what ways does spiritual bondage affect our lives?
Request #2: Send Us To The Pigs! – vs. 8-13
8 For he said unto him, Come out of the man, thou unclean spirit.
9 And he asked him, What is thy name? And he answered, saying, My name is Legion: for we are many.
10 And he besought him much that he would not send them away out of the country.
11 Now there was there nigh unto the mountains a great herd of swine feeding.
12 And all the devils besought him, saying, Send us into the swine, that we may enter into them.
13 And forthwith Jesus gave them leave. And the unclean spirits went out, and entered into the swine: and the herd ran violently down a steep place into the sea, (they were about two thousand;) and were choked in the sea.
Verse 8 (“come out of the man”) comes before verse 7 (“torment me not”) in the timeline of events.
What did the man do immediately prior to Jesus telling the unclean spirit to come out? (v. 6 - worshiped Jesus)
What power does the Devil have over our worship?
Why did Jesus ask the man for his name?
Did Jesus already know who he was?
What is the importance of us knowing our identity?
What name did the man give to Jesus, and what might the name mean?
What was the request the demons made when they realized they were about to be cast out?
Why might the demons have wanted to be sent into the herd of swine instead of an alternative?
Why would they need permission from Jesus to go into them?
How long did this miracle take?
What happened to the swine after the demons left the man?
Why do you think Jesus agreed to the demons’ plan?
Minutes before, the pigs were alive and the man was spiritually dead. What was the scene now?
What does this portion of the story tell us about Jesus’ authority in the spiritual world?
How could Jesus’ authority in our lives be beneficial in our struggle against evil influences?
Request #3: Leave Us Alone! – vs. 14-17
14 And they that fed the swine fled, and told it in the city, and in the country. And they went out to see what it was that was done.
15 And they come to Jesus, and see him that was possessed with the devil, and had the legion, sitting, and clothed, and in his right mind: and they were afraid.
16 And they that saw it told them how it befell to him that was possessed with the devil, and also concerning the swine.
17 And they began to pray him to depart out of their coasts.
Is there any way to know what happened to the demons after the pigs died?
How quickly did word spread about the demon-possessed man’s miracle?
How long might it have been between the time of the man’s miracle and the time when the people came to Jesus?
When the people arrived, what did they see?
Describe the entire scene.
How did the man’s condition now contrast with his condition prior?
What was the emotion of the people when they came to confirm what had happened?
Why would they have this feeling?
How does this feeling also affect people today who need change from Jesus?
What did they ask Jesus to do in response to this miracle?
Why?
Jesus came to bring life, but what did the people choose?
Jesus came to bring freedom, but what did the people choose?
Jesus came to bring light, but what did the people choose?
Describe an example in your life when God did something good, but people were not happy about it.
Why weren’t the people as concerned about the man’s wellbeing as for the pigs?
Have you ever pushed Jesus away when He made you uncomfortable?
Explain?
When Jesus comes in to our life, what must go out?
Request #4: Let Me Go With You! – vs. 18-20
18 And when he was come into the ship, he that had been possessed with the devil prayed him that he might be with him.
19 Howbeit Jesus suffered him not, but saith unto him, Go home to thy friends, and tell them how great things the Lord hath done for thee, and hath had compassion on thee.
20 And he departed, and began to publish in Decapolis how great things Jesus had done for him: and all men did marvel.
As Jesus entered the boat, what did the man do?
What was Jesus’ response to the man’s request?
Jesus granted the request of the demons, and granted the request of the townspeople, but why didn’t he grant the request of the man?
What does this tell us about our unanswered prayers?
What good would come from the man staying behind?
Who would benefit from this?
What did Jesus tell the man to do for his friends?
What do you think Jesus expects us to do when he performs a miracle for us?
Can this story of the demon-filled man happen today?
Can you think of an example of a changed life, where Jesus stepped in and changed everything?
Please share.
Next Week’s Scriptures
Next Week’s Scriptures
The Man Who Would Be King: Jesus Speaks to the Problem of Frivolous Curiosity – Luke 23:1-12