CLOTHED AND IN HIS RIGHT MIND – RELEASED AND FREE
UNDERSTANDING THE DEMONIC
VERSE 27
{{Luke 8:26-27 “They sailed to the country of the Gerasenes, which is opposite Galilee, Luke 8:27 and when He had come out onto the land, He was met by a certain man from the city who was possessed with demons and who had not put on any clothing for a long time, and was not living in a house, but in the tombs.”}} Luke now lifts the veil on another aspect of the Lord’s powerful ministry as he introduces us to the case of the violent tomb dweller. This person is only designated as “a certain man”. No one wanted to know him, or to have anything to do with him, thus his presence was shunned and even his name was withheld. He was the full picture of society’s rejection, and ostracism had driven him into the seclusion of the tombs, into the place of the dead. Indeed, dead he was - dead to the light of the glorious gospel with its life-changing power. Luke adds the small aside, “and was not living in a house”. This is to highlight the contrast; the house signifying acceptance, normalcy and correct disposition; and the tombs signifying rejection, an unbalanced state and mental torment.
His presence dominated the most deserted graveyard in all Israel for it characterised his supernatural power, and his abnormal strength was known through the whole region. People could not be ignorant of his presence, for Mark adds that constantly, day and night, he cried out and gashed himself with stones. He was avoided like the plague. It was impossible for chains or any other restraints to hold him. Chains were torn apart and shackles were broken into pieces. Even guards were of no use, for no one was strong enough to subdue him. The world had concluded him beyond all earthly help. And it is at that point, that the Creator of the universe can take up a human being and set that person in the place of the warm love of God. Many a hopeless drunkard or desperate criminal can testify to the saving power of the Saviour in the creation of the new person after society had given them up.
The text tells us that Jesus was met by a certain man. (Mark says, “immediately”) What compulsion had led this man to the water’s edge for that encounter with the Saviour? I hardly think the demons would have led him into the presence of the One who had cast them from heaven. He did not know that the Lord was coming at that time; in fact he was not in his right mind, so what had caused him to track his aimless way to be at that specific place at that specific time? It could only have been the direct leading of God that nothing could have prevented, to demonstrate the grace of God towards one counted beyond human reach. If God could meet this man’s needs He can meet anyone’s needs.
He had no clothing but was totally naked and undone before his creator. In that way he resembled Adam and Eve, who through sin were undone before Him, guilty and with no way to overcome it. Adam and his wife made a feeble attempt to cover their nakedness, to hide their guilt. This man made none. He had been in that state for a considerable period, as Luke adds he had not been clothed for a long time.
Was there something in this man crying out for deliverance? Luke says the man was possessed by demons. Multiple possessions gave the afflicted, supernatural strength and other demonic powers, and this man was strongly possessed. How this man came under demonic control we do not know, but it seems to me that demon possession can only happen when one willingly allows oneself to engage in the occult in the multiplicity of ways that we find outlined in Kurt Koch’s books such as “The ABC of the Occult”. It can happen with demonic songs and bands and computer games, using tarot cards and many other ways.
Here, we remember a question Jesus was asked of a blind man, “Master, who did sin, this man or his parents that he was born blind?” Jesus attributed no blame or wrong doing, either to the blind man or to his parents, but used this affliction to demonstrate the mighty healing works of God. In no way can demon possession be thought of in the same way as an affliction such as blindness, and the only point of similarity lies in the fact that in both, the gracious power of God is mightily demonstrated.
JESUS WAS QUESTIONED
Verse 28
{{Luke 8:28 Seeing Jesus, he cried out and fell before Him, and said in a loud voice, “What do I have to do with You, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I beg You, do not torment me,”}} The man’s encounter with Jesus resulted in a calling out in a loud voice and a falling down. We must understand this verse as being spoken on behalf of the demons, “What do I have to do with You, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I beg You, do not torment me.” It is they who are in control, not the man.
Their address to the Lord as “Jesus, Son of the Most High God” is most significant. They will not address Him as Lord, because Satan is their Lord. The next verse indicates that He had been commanding the unclean spirits to leave the man. This pluperfect tense is interesting. The evil spirits were not going to leave readily. I don’t believe the man recognised Jesus as the Person He was - the demons on the other hand, know Him only too well. It would be reasonable to conclude that demonic activity was heightened in Israel during the Lord’s time there, as part of Satan’s attack to thwart the whole purpose of God. The demons of the Gospels are powerful and evil.
Then the word “torment” was used. The demons know what awaits them, the torment of judgment in the Lake of Fire, and this they did not want.
DEMONIC STRENGTH OF THE DEMONIC
Verse 29
{{Luke 8:29 “for He had been commanding the unclean spirit to come out of the man. It had seized him many times, and he was bound with chains and shackles and kept under guard, and yet he would burst his fetters and be driven by the demon into the desert.”}} This verse specifically mentions the Lord’s address to the unclean spirit, the singular form of address. The Lord was speaking in probability to the leader of the mob, and it was this leader that responded to the order to come out of the man.
The text then continues with a short historical background of the man. There is the indication in the verse that demonic activity with associated demonic power, is intermittent in a possessed person. There must have been quieter periods broken by the outrush of demonic energy, and at those times the man possessed supernatural strength, and no human bonds could contain him. Demon possession takes many forms, and expresses itself in varied manifestations, even to having no readily detectable signs of possession. This is the subtlety of the crafty Evil One, and his demons so readily deceive the world with man-made philosophies and humanism.
LEGION’S DEMONS FEARED THE ABYSS
Verse 30
{{Luke 8:30 “Jesus asked him, “What is your name?” and he said, “Legion”, for many demons had entered him.”}} The man’s name was descriptive of his possessed state - “Legion”. In Mark the demon answered, “My name is Legion, for we are many.” A Roman legion consisted of 6 000 soldiers but whether there were that number of demons in him we can’t say. In any case he was possessed by a multitude of them.
Verse 31
{{Luke 8:31 “They were entreating Him not to command them to depart into the abyss.”}} The strong entreaty of the evil spirits was that they might not be consigned to the abyss. They knew their final abode and did not want to be put there. The abyss is the Lake of fire prepared for the Devil and his angels in which nothing but torment is awaiting them (it may also be an intermediate state before the lake of fire). (The abyss may also be the holding pen for the worst of the demons, the one of Revelation which is opened and the demons come forth). It is the dread of this place that motivates the demon spirits under Satan to continue to work with every effort to overturn the purposes of God. It is for this reason that all the evil was directed towards destroying the “holy seed” of Israel. Thus it was evident in the slaying of Abel right through to the ruthless exploits of Pharaoh, Haman, the Herods, Hitler, Nasser and the Devil himself in Luke four (as we saw), and accounts for every effort to frustrate God’s will being done, especially in regard to the chosen sons of Abraham.
We see that constant effort, even in the plea to come down from the cross and in the stoning up of the Lord’s burial tomb in a vain attempt to prevent the resurrection. Definitively the cross work victory, and the triumphant resurrection have sealed the destiny of the demonic hosts. The victory is as certain today as it ever was.
In 2 Peter 2:4, it speaks of the fallen angels being committed to pits of darkness (NASB) or (NIV). This verse could be understood in a metaphorical sense - that is, not literal, not now physically “held” in hell but understood in a general sense of accountability and absolute surety. Their place there is reserved, and one day will be realised. It is to this place the demons from Legion did not want to go. It could be possible that Peter is talking about a specific class of fallen angels who are actually being held now.
THE DEMONS ARE DESTROYED
Verse 32
{{Luke 8:32 “Now there was a herd of many swine feeding there on the mountain and the demons entreated Him to permit them to enter the swine and He gave them permission.”}} There just happened to be a herd of pigs feeding in close proximity, and the demons requested leave that they enter the pigs rather than a delivery to the abyss, or Lake of Fire. Pigs were unclean to the Jews, so unclean animals and unclean spirits would have suited each other. One observation not to be missed in this verse, is that the demons could do nothing without the express permission and sovereign control of the Lord. Satan’s power has been crushed at Calvary so there is nothing any child of God needs fear from the occult activity. As Paul said, “Greater is He that is in you than he that is in the world.” All the saints nestle securely in the hollow of His hand and there are under His full protection.
Child of God, nothing on this earth, under this earth, above this earth; nothing here now, or nothing to come, will ever touch you because you are secure in the greatest relationship in this universe. {{“And I give eternal life to them, and they shall never perish; and no one shall snatch them out of My hand. My Father who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand.” (John 10:28-29)}}.
DESTRUCTIVE DEMONIC INFLUENCE AND SATANIC ROCK MUSIC
Verse 33
{{Luke 8:33 The demons came out from the man and entered the swine and the herd rushed down the steep bank into the lake, and were drowned.”}} Having been granted leave, the consequences are inevitable. The whole swine herd is destroyed in a headlong rush to death. The pigs died, all two thousand of them, but what happened to the demons? They are probably still active, but their doom is sealed. Their work of destruction was seen. They had destroyed the life of the possessed man for many years, and they destroyed the swine herd.
Destruction is the work of evil. While Satan has the permission of God, he will try his best to bring ruin to the entire creation of God, but absolute ruin will never eventuate, because God has given Satan as it were, free rein at the end of a leash. In our generation the workings of destruction can be seen in the family concept. Marriage was a God directed institution, but the promotion of anti-family relationships to hold the same status as traditional marriages, is to destroy the family unit. Homosexuality in every one of its perverted forms, is the work of destruction. In this modern day the values of societies built up through the preceding few centuries through the Christian ethic, are under severe attack. Among these areas of attack are the discipline of children, sexual values, ethics of honesty, and business dealings, corruption through governments and business, and the violent demands of selfish pressure groups, the gender distortion of children and the family unit. Whether it comes under the banner of affirmative action, or the rights of the individual all had been carefully orchestrated to break up the mores (values) of the Christian foundation.
Humanism is the promoter of its own values and will always be in conflict with the biblical stance. People are more selfish, more self conceited, more demanding than they have ever been. The demanded rights of the individual are paramount, but responsibilities are little considered. Paul’s lists of the state of the human heart in the prophetic passages for the last days in (Timothy) are the symptoms of a humanistic society that is bent on its own destruction.
Children and teenagers have been programmed and brainwashed by possibly the most destructive influence in our society - rock music. This cacophony of noise punctuated by electronic gimmickry is riddled with sexual licence, drugs, rebellion and reactionary suggestions, and is heavy with Satanism and the occult. The activity of demons is bent on destruction, and now the second and third generations have been exposed to this most encompassing aspect of demonic infiltration. Christian parents just can not allow their children to be encouraged to listen to rock. Christian rock music – heavy metal, etc. is not promoting the purposes of God; indeed it can’t. One can not take a facet of the demonised world music and make something Christian out of it. Elijah did not use the altar of Baal after the demonic priests had had their time. He built his own altar in absolute separation, and in contrast to what the majority thought was right. And before God, he prevailed.
NEWS SPREAD FAST AND OUT THEY CAME!
Verse 34 {{“Luke 8:34 “When the herdsmen saw what had happened, they ran away and reported it in the city and out in the country,”}} The swine keepers had witnessed much of what had happened, and no doubt Legion was known to them as he was to all the town’s folk. With alarm they had watched the unstoppable charge of their herd to its watery death. One moment a quiet feeding of the pigs, the next a charge in unison down the steep slope. All that was too much for them. They ran with urgency, reporting the events as they went through the countryside until they reached the city.
There, their report was of such significance and so unbelievably unlikely, that the townsfolk flocked out without delay to see for themselves whether these alleged momentous events were true.
Verse 35 {{Luke 8:35 “and the people went out to see what had happened, and they came to Jesus and found the man from whom the demons had gone out sitting down at the feet of Jesus, clothed and in his right mind, and they became frightened.”}} The curious people did not know quite what to expect on that hillside, but the sight that greeted them was not according to common logic. There was Legion sitting at Jesus’ feet, and what’s more, sitting calmly. They must have approached cautiously, bearing in mind the man’s reputation, but of even greater wonder, he was sitting clothed. That indeed was the proof that something had happened. Seeing this man sitting in a normal mental state, and subsequently clothed in garments not his own, was enough to generate fear in all the observers.
There was now a shift from the man to Jesus, and the dawning realisation of what had happened, began to focus attention on this “powerful and strange” Man. That was too much for human comprehension, and they became more frightened.
The transformation in the man is a beautiful picture of regeneration in the soul of any person the Lord has put his hand upon. Without God, all the human race is living in the tombs of rejection and death, aliens to God’s family and hostile to His perfect will. When deliverance is wrought through the mighty power of God, a person is renewed in his right mind, and clothed in the garments of the Lord’s providing - His own clothes of righteousness. He is found associating with the Lord’s own disciples, and learning and worshipping at the feet of the Lord.
All this had happened to the man, and it certainly had not been his plan, but it was a mighty demonstration of the grace of God in working power to one so alienated from the kingdom of heaven. As is often the case, the world, and the fellow companions of a new convert cannot understand what has happened, and will withdraw in fear, somehow acknowledging the change but becoming fearful, lest that change has some affect on them by becoming “religious”.
MISUNDERSTANDING AND FEAR DRIVE THE TRUTH AWAY
Verses 36-37 {{Luke 8:36 “Those who had seen it reported to them how the man who was demon-possessed had been made well,
Luke 8:37 and all the people of the country of the Gerasenes and the surrounding district asked Him to depart from them for they were gripped with great fear, and He got into a boat and returned,:}}
The Gerasenes and all the surrounding inhabitants then made a decision, but rarely has a community made such a grave mistake. Word spread quickly of the great miracle that had been done, but the deliberate choice of the people was to have nothing to do with it. They lost their greatest opportunity because the Lord could have performed mighty, compassionate miracles among them, but it was not to be. They rejected the Lord of wisdom, of power and of life, and chose to remain in their ignorance, their weakness, and their death among their unclean animals. The Gerasenes hardened their hearts through fear, and requested the Lord’s departure. The receding boat was their last memory of the Saviour.
A REQUEST TO ACCOMPANY JESUS
Verses 38-39 {{Luke 8:38 “but the man from whom the demons had gone out was begging Him that he might accompany Him, but He sent him away saying, Luke 8:39 “Return to your house and describe what great things God has done for you,” and he went away, proclaiming throughout the whole city what great things Jesus had done for him.”}}
Just before the Lord left with his disciples, the new convert was earnest in his pleading that he be allowed to join the select group of disciples who were then getting into the boat. The verb indicates that he kept on pleading, so strong was his determination or his desire. That was a most commendable attitude as he wanted to join with his Lord and continue learning in his presence. It was not to be, for the Lord had a work for him to do.
It is often the case that new converts want to aim high, that the experience of the overwhelming life might continue on a perceived plane, but the reality of the situation is that the Lord has another direction for them. There is a time to learn at Jesus’ feet, and there is a time to work for Him. This man was required to bear his testimony throughout the region, and do there, the work that the Lord was not able to do with His presence, because the people had rejected Him. He was to begin his testimony at his own house, a place not visited for a long while, that is, with those of his own family and closest acquaintances as they were in the past. He now had a powerful testimony and it was to be used for the glory of God. He was truly saved.
The Lord had given him the more difficult opportunity. In some ways it is easier to associate with fellow Christians, isolated from the demands and trials of the world, in a place and time of retreat in the Lord’s presence. However this man was required at the work face. The Lord had a job for him.
The last part of verse 39 tells of the man’s obedience, for he went at the Lord’s bidding to spread the powerful message of deliverance, and his own powerful testimony added great weight to the witness. He proclaimed through the whole city the works of God, and no one could dare refute him because he was living proof of the regenerative power of the living God. Mark says the area was the ten city complex of Decapolis, and adds that everyone marvelled. Well, they could not do otherwise! Not many of us would have such a mighty message accompanied by such a dramatic salvation but we are all called on to proclaim that message or to assist in its proclamation.
Mark adds one word not found in Luke, “Go home to your people and report to them what great things the Lord has done for you, and how He had mercy on you.” This was to be the central theme of his message - deliverance through mercy.
Let us trace mercy back to first principles. Here we look at a verse in {{Ephesians 2 v 4, “But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us,...”}} God is love. Love came first but the love of God could not find expression only in itself. It found that expression only in the fact that it worked through mercy, and God was rich in mercy. The love of God in isolation is a characteristic (attribute) of God, but is of no transcending value to His creation unless vehicles could be found for its expression. Mercy is one of these; grace is the other as Ephesians 2 v 5 declares, “(by grace you have been saved)”. Grace then works its own end which is kindness, “in order that in the ages to come He might show the surpassing riches of His grace in kindness towards us in Jesus Christ.” (Ephesians 2 v 7)
Thus Legion, as he had been known, was now a new creation, and testified to the kindness of God, wrought by grace and mercy, all activated by the overwhelming love of God. Amen!
ronaldf@aapt.net.au
