Have you ever been in the presence of real evil? Now, I’m not talking about someone who cut you off in traffic or someone else who may have cheated you in some way. I’m not talking about that person on your friends list who’s a raging liberal (or ultra conservative, as the case may be) who’s always challenging everything you post or calling you out for being opposite of them in your thinking. I’m not even talking about regular ol’ sinful people who are simply doing what sinful people always do, which is sin. No. I’m talking about pure and unadulterated evil.
Have you ever been in the presence of the devil or one of his demons? Maybe the moment you walked through the door, or as soon as they entered the room a chill ran down your spine and a wave of fear threatened to overwhelm you with unspeakable terror. You immediately knew that something wasn’t right. The atmosphere in the area instantly turned from calm and normal to perverted, heinous, and despicable. There seemed to be a “presence” of something so incomprehensibly wicked that your very being screamed out to you to flee in terror, but your body refused to move. Your legs were paralyzed and all you could do was stand and face whatever it was that had turned its focus on you.
Have you ever experienced anything like that? I have, years ago in a prison in east Texas. It wasn’t an inmate, but a ranking officer of the prison staff. Now, I only had one encounter with this man, and brother, sister, I’m glad of that! I was a new Christian and was still ignorant to many spiritual things, but when I entered the same room as that guy, I instantly knew that I was in the presence of evil itself. It’s difficult to describe the weight of oppression I felt just being in this person’s presence.
Folks, the presence of a fallen angel is scary, and the fear he invokes within us can be difficult to overcome. When you come into the presence of evil, fear is a natural reaction. Even though the Bible tells us that 2Ti 1:7 …God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind. We will still experience it from time to time because that’s just part of the human condition and there is great wickedness in the world. Now, in Christ, we can overcome fear, but overcoming something does not mean that we’ve eliminated it. It is still there, but our faith in Christ gives us the confidence we need to press on and overcome. You cannot have bravery without fear. We call them heroes who despite their fear finish their task.
Our story today in Mark chapter 5 actually has its beginnings in the previous chapter. The Lord and His disciples were in Galilee. Jesus had been teaching the crowd from a boat on the edge of the sea of Galilee, and then when the sun had begun to descend, He and the disciples shoved off and began to cross over to the other side.
Well, that night, while they were still somewhere out on the sea, a great storm arose and threatened to swamp or capsize the boat. Now, because of its location and terrain, these storms are a common occurrence on the sea of Galilee. They would come up without much warning and they would be fierce and fearsome. Anyone, like fishermen, who made their living on the sea would know that the proper course of action would be to rush back to shore, but if you were caught out in the middle, and especially at night you might have to just ride it out and hope for the best.
On this night, though several of the disciples were experienced fishermen who were very familiar with these waters, the storm was so fierce that they feared the worse. Now, in the back of the boat, the Lord was asleep, so they woke Him up and cried out to Him, “Don’t you care that we are about to perish?” Mar 4:39 And he arose, and rebuked the wind, and said unto the sea, Peace, be still. And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm.
Now, you would think that when the wind died and the sea calmed the great fear of dying the disciples had would also have died down, but it didn’t. The Scripture says that Mar 4:41 …they feared exceedingly, and said one to another, What manner of man is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?
Friends, the disciples were in fear of the storm outside the boat, but that paled in comparison to the fear they experienced when they realized who or what was right there inside the boat with them. “What manner of man is this?” You know, it’s one thing to witness His miracles in healing the sick, and giving sight to the blind, but when nature itself obeyed His commands, why only God Himself could do such a thing. They feared the storm, but they feared the one who calmed the storm even more. Storms they had faced many times before, but they had never experienced anything like Jesus before.
“What manner of man is this?” It’s the question each of us is going to have to respond to one day. The disciples knew that Jesus was a man. They had spent time with Him, up close and personal. They ate with Him, went fishing with Him, and did all those other things that people do with each other as they live and travel together. But now they’re asking a deeper question about Him. They’re asking, “What manner of man is this?” What is His nature? He’s a man, sure, but He’s also more than any other man they had ever come into contact with.
This question they asked among themselves, we must also ask ourselves, and our response to that question will have eternal consequences. The disciples were still learning about Jesus as they followed Him, and along the way they would gather up new pieces of the puzzle. This incident on the lake with the storm was a huge piece to gather up and place in its proper place, but when they got to the other side of the sea, another piece would drop into their laps. We read about it in Mark 5:1-20.
Mar 5:1-20 Then they came to the other side of the sea, to the country of the Gadarenes. (2) And when He had come out of the boat, immediately there met Him out of the tombs a man with an unclean spirit, (3) who had his dwelling among the tombs; and no one could bind him, not even with chains, (4) because he had often been bound with shackles and chains. And the chains had been pulled apart by him, and the shackles broken in pieces; neither could anyone tame him. (5) And always, night and day, he was in the mountains and in the tombs, crying out and cutting himself with stones. (6) When he saw Jesus from afar, he ran and worshiped Him. (7) And he cried out with a loud voice and said, "What have I to do with You, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I implore You by God that You do not torment me." (8) For He said to him, "Come out of the man, unclean spirit!" (9) Then He asked him, "What is your name?" And he answered, saying, "My name is Legion; for we are many." (10) Also he begged Him earnestly that He would not send them out of the country. (11) Now a large herd of swine was feeding there near the mountains. (12) So all the demons begged Him, saying, "Send us to the swine, that we may enter them." (13) And at once Jesus gave them permission. Then the unclean spirits went out and entered the swine (there were about two thousand); and the herd ran violently down the steep place into the sea, and drowned in the sea. (14) So those who fed the swine fled, and they told it in the city and in the country. And they went out to see what it was that had happened. (15) Then they came to Jesus, and saw the one who had been demon-possessed and had the legion, sitting and clothed and in his right mind. And they were afraid. (16) And those who saw it told them how it happened to him who had been demon-possessed, and about the swine. (17) Then they began to plead with Him to depart from their region. (18) And when He got into the boat, he who had been demon-possessed begged Him that he might be with Him. (19) However, Jesus did not permit him, but said to him, "Go home to your friends, and tell them what great things the Lord has done for you, and how He has had compassion on you." (20) And he departed and began to proclaim in Decapolis all that Jesus had done for him; and all marveled.
The country of the Gadarenes was actually an area within the region of what was known as Decapolis. Decapolis gets its name from 10 cities of the region. The specific area where they landed has been called by several different names in the gospels depending on which town or village in the area they were closest to. Decapolis though, was mostly a Gentile region. So, as the Lord and the disciples got out of the boat and began to make their way to the village of Khersa, also known as Gerasene, they are immediately confronted by two crazy, demon-possessed, wild men.
1. The Demons’ Response
It had been both an exhausting and exhilarating night for the disciples. When they set sail, I’m sure they expected a quiet and peaceful journey across the sea. Instead, they encountered the most unforgettable storm they had ever experienced, and the most profound miracle by Jesus to date. No doubt the disciples were still in a state of shock and awe when they reached the other side of the sea and were immediately confronted by a raging lunatic who was racing toward them. Now, Matthew mentions that there were two men, but Mark and Luke focus on the one who probably made the most noise and whom spoke to Jesus, and said Mar 5:7 …"What have I to do with You, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I implore You by God that You do not torment me."
Now keep in mind that to our knowledge, the Lord and the disciples had not been to this area as yet. It’s possible that word of His ministry had reached here, but it’s unlikely that He would have been known by sight. So, what we have here is special knowledge by the demons who controlled these men. The men themselves wouldn’t have known Jesus, but the fallen angels who were speaking through the men knew very well who Jesus was. They may not have ever seen Him in the flesh, but they definitely knew His Spirit, and so these rebellious spirits bowed before Him.
They bowed, because they knew who He was, but there is a day coming when every created being, every demon, every human, every angel will also bow before Jesus Christ and call Him Lord! In the letter to the Philippians we read Php 2:10-11 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, (11) and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
Friend, you will either bow before Jesus willingly and lovingly in this life or you will be forced to do it when you come before Him in judgment, but you will do it. These demons recognized Jesus and they knew Him to be their judge. You know, it’s sad, but the demons of hell have a better theology than some preachers. They believe that there is one God, and according to James 2:19, they tremble from that knowledge. They know that their eternal destination is torment in hell, but there are preachers today who say that Jesus is just one of many prophets and that hell doesn’t exist. Oh friend, hell is so real and horrible that Jesus Himself told us that if it were possible to avoid it by cutting off a limb or poking out an eye, then do it. Cut off the limb. Poke out the eye. That is just how bad hell truly is.
These demons knew it. They knew all about hell and the pit where some of their buddies have been held captive because of their sins against the antediluvian daughters of men. Their crimes back before the flood were so great that they’ve been held in captivity since that time, waiting for the day when they are going to be cast into the lake of fire at the end of the age. So, when the Lord told them to come out of the men, they begged Him to let them go into the pigs that were grazing nearby.
Now, I don’t know why they wanted to go into the pigs. Maybe they thought it would be better than wandering around in the desolate places seeking rest like Jesus said in Luk 11:24. I’m sure they knew that the Lord would never allow them to enter into a man again, so maybe they thought the pigs would be a good temporary residence. But they didn’t know how temporary it’d be! Almost as soon as those devils entered those pigs, the whole herd of deviled ham ran down into the sea and drowned themselves. So, it would seem that even unclean animals such as these pigs had their own limits on what they could bear to live with. Though they were unclean, pigs are supposed to be an animal of high intelligence. They would rather die than suffer like these two men had for so many years.
The response of the demons was acknowledgement of the Lord’s authority over them, and obedience to His command. Which brings us now to…
2. The Peoples’ Response
The Scripture tells that around 2,000 pigs died that day. Now, think about that. That is a lot of animals. I don’t know if one family owned all these pigs, or if there was some sort of a conglomerate thing going on, or maybe everyone in the town or the surrounding region nearby had a stake in this herd, but one thing is for sure, the death of 2,000 pigs would be a devastating blow to the economy of that region.
I mean, think of it along these lines. As I was working on this sermon and thinking about the number of pigs involved here, I called and spoke to John Lieb about it. On a typical farm or ranch such as the Lieb’s have, in good years they might have maybe 300-400 cows on their ranch, and I’d venture to say that just about all of their land is either under fence or hot wire. But back in biblical times, farms and ranches would have to have been much smaller than today because they didn’t have the equipment and technology we have today for farming; and sheep, cattle, goats, or pigs instead of being under fence, would be watched over by herdsmen who would guide their stock to different parts of the range where they would find good forage.
So, when this herd of pigs committed suicide, the herdsmen rushed back to town to tell everyone the news. When they came out to see for themselves, they found these former demon-possessed men and local menaces in their right mind, cleaned up and wearing clothes and sitting at the Lord’s feet listening to His gospel message. They weren’t mad anymore, they were peaceful.
The fear these townspeople once had toward these men who terrorized the countryside was no longer directed at them but at the one who fixed them! Just like the disciples feared the storm and then feared the one who calmed the storm, these villagers who had lived in fear of the demon possessed now were fearful of the one who ran the demons off.
You would think that the countryside would break out in widespread revival at such a miracle, but the reaction was immediate rejection instead. Their fear motivated them. The demons implored Jesus to let them stay in that country, while the people implored Jesus to leave. The very thing that would bring others to faith in Christ had the opposite effect on these villagers.
We don’t really know why they wanted Jesus to leave. Maybe they thought He might cure others in the area, and they would lose even more livestock. Maybe they thought that He was a demigod like Hercules, Castor, or Achilles who might bring more trouble on them. We don’t know why people turn Jesus away when they should receive Him. But turn Him away they did, which was the opposite of…
3. The Demoniacs’ Response
In contrast to the unbelieving townspeople, the former demoniac didn’t want to live another day without Jesus! His tormented soul had been reborn and like the disciples before him, he wanted to leave everything behind and follow the Lord. He begged Jesus to let him get into the boat and go with Him wherever He went, but Jesus had another plan for this new believer. He told him, Mar 5:19 … "Go home to your friends, and tell them what great things the Lord has done for you, and how He has had compassion on you."
Instead of bringing him back to Capernaum with Him, the Lord commissioned him to be a missionary where he was. Just as Jesus said to the disciples earlier, Mar 4:21 …"Is a lamp brought to be put under a basket or under a bed? Is it not to be set on a lampstand? The dramatic testimony of the former demoniac who was well known throughout all this region, would act as a light placed on a tabletop, or like a city on hill for all to see. His testimony would shine brightly, and the glory of the gospel would radiate throughout that land.
So, the man faithfully submitted to the Lord’s command and obeyed. We’re told that Mar 5:20 …he departed and began to proclaim in Decapolis all that Jesus had done for him; and all marveled. He travelled throughout the region of Decapolis and did exactly what the Lord told him to do. He spread the good news of Jesus Christ far and wide, and the impact of his message is seen when the Lord and His disciples return to Decapolis sometime later. The end of Mark chapter 7 and the beginning of chapter 8 tells us that instead of being asked to leave again, they were met by a massive crowd who came to hear Him teach.
And friends, the same thing that the Lord commissioned this former demoniac to do, He has also commissioned us to do. We are told to go and tell our stories. Some will hear us. Others will not. As I said earlier, we don’t know why the same events or the same message that draws some people to Christ pushes other people away, but we do know that without regard to the outcome, we are to obey and Mat 28:19-20 Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, (20) teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age." Amen.
Have you been faithful to this commission? If you haven’t, are you ready to be now? In a moment I’ll be closing in prayer, and we’ll sing a song of invitation. If you are ready to obey without regard to outcome, you can come down and make that commitment today.
