Satan can possess the minds of people.
Do you remember back in Mark 3:21 (NIV) when Jesus' family was saying,"He is out of his mind?"And in Mark 3:22 (NIV) the teachers of the law were saying about Jesus, "He is possessed by Beelzebub!"
We throw these same accusations around when someone is behaving badly. We jokingly say things like,"He's out of his mind! He's crazy! What was he thinking?" In more serious situations we say things like,"She just hasn't been herself lately." Or, "What is she, demon-possessed or something?"
But these aren’t idle accusations. The truth is that Satan does indeed blind the minds of unbelievers. See 2 Corinthians 4:4. He works to confuse our senses, entrap us, and take us captive to do his will. See 2 Timothy 2:26. This is why 1 Peter 5:8 (NIV) tells us to, "Be self-controlled and alert."It’s because our enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour!
We are not talking about some mythical fable here. 1 John 5:19 describes how the whole world is under the control of the evil one. Satan controls people. He takes possession of people. He is powerful to manipulate us through the cravings of our sinful nature, and through our thoughts and desires. See Ephesians 2:3 (NIV).
In Mark 3:27 Jesus likens Satan to a strong man who has taken possession of men’s souls. The only way a person can be set free is if someone first enters the, "strong man’s house" and,"ties him up".Only after the strong man is tied up can his possessions be hauled off.
Jesus encounters a man who is out of his mind.
In Mark 5:1-5 (NIV) Jesus and his disciples encounter a man who truly is out of his mind andwho is possessed by Beelzebub."They (Jesus and his disciples) went across the lake to the region of the Gerasenes. When Jesus got out of the boat, 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."
There are a few things Mark wants us to know about this man. First, he lived in a Gentile region, far across the lake. This was an unholy land, filled with herds of pigs and demons. For the Jew, it was a forgotten land, a no-man’s land, and a wasteland. But this is where God takes the initiative to search out a man who had never searched for or thought about turning to God.
A second detail is that the man himself was considered unclean. He lived among the throngs of dead people who were buried in a vast network of caves and tombs.
Third, the man exhibited all the characteristics of insanityaccording toJudaism. He ran around at night, sleeping in cemeteries, tearing his clothes off, and destroying everything given him by others. He would inflict wounds on himself in hopes of relieving the inner torment caused by his demons. His screams, accompanied his self-destructive behavior, rang out from the tombs and hillside day and night. He was a wretched man who was in a deplorable state of being.
Fourth, no one was able to tame him. Something far stronger than human chains and iron stocks had possessed this man’s soul. Efforts had been made to control him, but without success. As a last resort, he had been driven out into the cemetery by the townspeople. Matthew’s gospel tells us that no onecould pass through the area safely without fear of harm.
To make matters worse, it’s nighttime. It was believed, and still is believed even to this day, thatevil spirits exercise their greatest power at night. But Jesus is undeterred. He is unafraid.
Despite the man's behavior, Jesus was not afraid of him.
Mark 5:6-8 (NIV) tells us,"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? Swear to God that you won’t torture me!' For Jesus had said to him, 'Come out of this man, you evil spirit!' "
The mere sight of Jesus triggers an immediate reaction from the man. He comes running at Jesus, naked, bleeding, yelling, scarred, and scared. The demon within him shows respect because he recognizes that he is being confronted by one greatly superior to him. But the thrust of his statement isn't, "What do you want with me?"He's essentially saying, "Jesus, mind your own business! Leave me alone. This is my turf."
And then, in bizarre fashion the demon appeals to the name of the Most High God, Yahweh, and beseeches Jesus by saying, "In the name of the Most High God, swear that you won’t torture me!"What’s ironic about this, is that back in Mark 3:22, Jesus was accused of driving out demons in the name of Beelzebub. Here, the demon is trying to appeal to the Father to drive out the Son! But as Jesus says in Mark 3:24 (NIV), "If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand."
Like many today, the man didn't have an identity apart from his inner demons.
Mark 5:9-10 (NIV) says, "Jesus asked him, 'What is your name?' 'My name is Legion,' he replied, 'for we are many.' Andhe begged Jesus again and again not to send them out of the area."
There is a lot of controversy about Mark 5:9. Was Jesus asking the name of the man, or the name of the demon? Ibelieve that Jesus was asking this man his name. This man who was possessed by demonsandrelegated to the wasteland had a name. He had an identity apart from the evil presence that indwelt him. He wasn’t a demoniac, but he was someone's son or someone's brother. He was a human being created in the image of God, loved by Jesus, loved by the Father, forgivable, and redeemable.
This is an important point. Jesus doesn’t know us or value us by the labels we assign each other. He doesn't value us by the labels we assign to ourselves. Jesus doens't know us as sinner, tax collector, Jew, Gentile, demoniac, schizophrenic, lunatic, felon, druggie, murderer, adulterer, thief, liar, pedophile, gay, lesbian, or divorcee. Jesus asks, "What is your name?"
The man’s response reveals the extent of his shattered identity. Like many today, he did not have an identity apart from his inner demons. " 'My name is Legion', he replied, 'for we are many.'" A legion represents a cohort of 6000 men! This man didn’t have just one identity-- he had 6000 identities. It was not to be.
Jesus drives out the demons.
Mark 5:11-17 (NIV) says, "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. 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."
The massacre of 2000 pigs vividly illustrates the intention of the demons. Their intent was to kill and destroy. What they were unable to do to the man, they were able to do to the pigs. But the massacre served another purpose. The massacre was to demonstrate Jesus' authority to drive out Satan and reclaim this man’s soul as his very own possession.
The fact that the people pleaded with Jesus to leave their region showed that they cared more about their economic interests than about the restoration of this man, who wasnow dressed and in his right mind.
The man now has a new purpose for his life.
Mark 5:18-20 (NIV) continues, "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 family 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."
With this man’s restoration came anew purpose. Jesus told him to,"Go to your family and announce to them how much the Lord has done for you, and how he has had mercy on you."No longer forgotten among the dead, this man was given the same purpose as Jesus’ closest disciples— to preach and announce the good news of Jesus.