Jesus and the demon possessed man

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. He lived among the tombs. And no one could bind him anymore, not even with a chain, for he had often been bound with shackles and chains, but he wrenched the chains apart, and he broke the shackles in pieces. No one had the strength to subdue him. Night and day among the tombs and on the mountains he was always crying out and cutting himself with stones. And when he saw Jesus from afar, he ran and fell down before him. 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." 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. 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 herdsmen fled and told it in the city and in the country. And people came to see what it was that had happened. 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. 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. - Mark 5:1‭-‬20 ESV

Rev. Dwight Yoo

The reality of satanic power

There are two errors that we coming fall into. 

There are those who do not acknowledge Satan or spiritual forces. Or if we acknowledge them, we don't take them seriously. If we do not acknowledge that we have an enemy, then we will not attempt to resist him. 

For some there is an unhealthy emphasis on Satan and demonic forces. They may be obsessed with Satan and his power.

Satanic and demonic forces are real. The passage here depicts it. The demon possessed man had super human strength. He could not be bound. The possessed man injured himself and likely terrorized his neighbors. Demonic forces are here to destroy what God loves. They are beyond human power to restrain. 

We are called to be watchful. To pray and be watchful for the enemy. Satan is prowling and looking to attack. Soldiers on guard keep watch for potential weakness. 

This current time during the covid 19 pandemic is one opportunity. We can slow down and spend sweet times with family and quality time with God. But these times can also be an opportunity for Satan. We are isolated and accountability is harder to find. Satan will fan the temptations in our lives. 

The reality of Jesus power

The demon possessed man came out to meet Jesus and acknowledged Jesus as the son of God. They spoke of Jesus coming to torment them. They were afraid that Jesus was coming to cast them into hell. But it was not time yet. The demon called themselves legion. This is a large army of demons. But Jesus is not fighting them. The demons within this man are fearful of the power of Jesus. They ask Jesus for permission... The demons are on a leash and God holds the leash. 

What does this mean? The devil and these temptations have no real power over the Christian. The devil whispers that we cannot overcome this sin. He says... Why even try? But this is Satan's scheme. Jesus can and will win over sin in our lives. We can find progressive victory over sin in our lives. And even when we stumble, the grace of God covers it all. We are worthy because God has made us so.

The right response to Jesus' power

When the townspeople saw this demon possessed man sitting quietly in their right mind, they were afraid. They knew that they were not in the presence of any ordinary man. The disciples had a similar reaction to Jesus calming the storm. But that's where the similarity ends. The disciples followed Jesus. The townspeople wanted Jesus to leave. Why? Perhaps the herd of pigs was more important to them than this man's life & restoration. 

There is a cost to following Jesus. Jesus is God and to acknowledge Him rightly requires us to submit our entire lives to Him. Knowing Jesus brings a healthy fear that drives out other fears.