Mark 5 Sermon – The demon possessed man

Welcome and introduction…

• Well todays sermon is going to be about Jesus authority and his power to transform us
• I often think about this… you know, what would my life be like if I hadn’t become a follower of Jesus…
• And how much has my life really changed. You know I’m a pretty fabulous guy… just ask my wife… haha!
• But actually I think my life is probably unrecognisable from what could have been without Christ.
• People used to come up to CS Lewis, the great author and intellectual. And they would complain that some Christian they knew… and I am paraphrasing was a bit of a jerk.
• And CS Lewis used to say to them… yes, but before he knew Christ he was a complete jerk.
• So you know… we are all works in progress!

Alright, let’s look at todays passage… Mark 5:1-20 (BTW this is week 19 of our series…)

They went across the lake to the region of the Gerasenes. 2 When Jesus got out of the boat, a man with an impure spirit came from the tombs to meet him. 3 This man lived in the tombs, and no one could bind him anymore, not even with a chain. 4 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. 5 Night and day among the tombs and in the hills he would cry out and cut himself with stones.

6 When he saw Jesus from a distance, he ran and fell on his knees in front of him. 7 He shouted at the top of his voice, “What do you want with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? In God’s name don’t torture me!” 8 For Jesus had said to him, “Come out of this man, you impure spirit!”

9 Then Jesus asked him, “What is your name?”

“My name is Legion,” he replied, “for we are many.” 10 And he begged Jesus again and again not to send them out of the area.

11 A large herd of pigs was feeding on the nearby hillside. 12 The demons begged Jesus, “Send us among the pigs; allow us to go into them.” 13 He gave them permission, and the impure 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.

14 Those tending the pigs ran off and reported this in the town and countryside, and the people went out to see what had happened.15 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. 16 Those who had seen it told the people what had happened to the demon-possessed man—and told about the pigs as well. 17 Then the people began to plead with Jesus to leave their region.

18 As Jesus was getting into the boat, the man who had been demon-possessed begged to go with him. 19 Jesus did not let him, but said, “Go home to your own people and tell them how much the Lord has done for you, and how he has had mercy on you.” 20 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.

So we are in a series in the Gospel of Mark… (slide on where we are…)

• Which is Mark’s biography of Jesus, written around 70AD… and it is his attempt at capturing the story of Jesus life…
• Mark was a companion of Peter – gathered the eye witness accounts…
• And the purpose of this biography is persuading us all that this Jesus is the Messiah.
• Central question… Mark 8:29 where Jesus asks his disciples “who do you say I am?”
• And we have just finished a little section of parables and are now in a section I would call authority stories!
• Last week Peter preached on Jesus authority over nature. Even the wind and the waves obey him.
• This week is about his authority over evil, particularly impure spirits that hold us captive.
• And next week will be his authority over sickness and even death!
• There is no one like this Jesus. 

We will get to this story that we have read in a moment… but I want us to be constantly making the links in Mark with what is happening (that’s why you need to be here every week!)

• Now we can’t cover it all today but I want us to see this theme of Jesus announcing and demonstrating the Kingdom and his authority to do so!
• Remember Jesus starts his ministry by announcing “the time has come, the Kingdom of heaven has come near.”
• And the crowds are struck by his authority… in other words he backs up his message with miracles, lending credibility to the claim he is the saviour!
• Right? I might claim to be the Messiah, but you could all rightfully say… no, you are just a naughty boy!
• But Jesus is preaching, that in him, God is establishing the reign of heaven on earth by casting out the dominion of darkness… and he has the authority or credibility to do so!

So he teaches and we read, they are amazed (Mark 1:22) by his authority…

• He heals the sick and they are amazed at his authority…
• He forgives and heals the paralytic lowered through the roof and they are astonished by his authority!
• At the name of Jesus, at his command, darkness and sickness and sin are dealt with… and new life emerges.
• That is why in Mark 3 (do you remember that fantastic sermon by Elise?)
• As this opposition to Jesus forms, he talks about his ministry as plundering a strong mans house. 

I know this is all a lot to get our heads around… not a lot of cute and funny stories today, sorry – but I want us to get this as we try to understand who Jesus is? 

• OK?

So in Mark 3:27 Jesus says, “no one is able to enter the house of the strong man to plunder his goods unless he first binds the strong man. Then he may plunder his house.”

• Now do you remember in our first week of this series I mentioned how Mark’s gospel is full of allusions and citations from the Old Testament, particularly the Prophet Isaiah.
• So in Mark 3… there is a lot going on…
• So Isaiah which prophetically points towards God acting through sending a suffering servant 
• This servant will actually redeem and save the whole world.
• But a lot of the language is about the fact that people are held captive and God wants to act to take back what belongs to him.
• Right? God wants to take back what belongs to him. (if you remember one thing)

So let’s just look at some of these key Isaiah verses… ok? 

• Written about 700 years before the coming of Jesus, reflecting on the state of God’s people…
• Isaiah 42:22 “this is a people plundered and looted, all of them trapped in pits or hidden away in prisons. They have become plunder with no one to rescue them.”
• Isaiah 49:24-25 “Can plunder be taken from warriors or captives be freed from the fierce? But this is what the Lord says; ‘Yes captives will be taken from warriors and plunder retrieved from the fierce. I will contend with those who contend with you, and your children I will save.’”
• Then verse 26… “Then all mankind will know that I, the Lord, am your saviour.”

OK you still with me… do you see the story that Jesus comes into?

• I was reading a best selling autobiography recently called “The Happiest Man on Earth.”
• In it Eddie Jaku tells his story of being a Jewish prisoner in Auswitz in the second world war. It’s a pretty horrendous tale and insight into human nature at its worst.
• He is held captive by the Nazis, starved, tortured and almost dies on numerous occasions. 
• But eventually the tide of the war turns and the Allies, liberate Europe including the holocaust camps.
• Eddie, who has the most remarkable perseverance and hope is set free and eventually settles in Australia and starts a new life. 
• But the point is that he is held captive by dark forces until someone stronger than the Nazi’s came to liberate him. 
• Now that is not a bad metaphor for how Isaiah paints the state of humanity. Plundered and captive and in need of rescue!

So the people of God, who were drenched in the expectations of the Prophet Isaiah are waiting for this. 

• Right? Aware that they have been plundered by dark forces and awaiting a saviour who can plunder God’s people from their captivity.
• So that is there state, but really it is no different to the state of the world today too!
• Christians believe that there are dark spiritual forces at work, and they are holding people captive. And behind this is the work of Satan and impure spirits. 
• When we hear of a massacre or the leader of a nation oppressing his people
• When someone has a psychosis and runs down a crowd in their car…
• When ordinary people get swept up in anti-semitism or any kind of mob.
• Think the Rwandan genocide… 
• Right we know that there are evil spirits and forces at work. This is the world we live in. 

And we know this even in ourselves… We are not as we should be… 

• We are captive to all kinds of things that diminish and ruin our lives…
• And behind that can be impure spirits and dark forces…
• Right? Addictions to pornography that leave you feeling yuck. Or to shopping, alcohol, drugs…
• Thought patterns that lead to self hate or self harm… 
• Its like the pure image of God that all of us have within us, gets plundered by evil and we are in need of rescue and freedom.

So along comes Jesus, and THIS is one of the lens through which we can understand who he is and what he has come to do!

• He is the stronger one of God who can rescue his people. 
• He can plunder the strong man’s house and bring us into the household of God.
• Right that is why Paul will say in Colossians 1:13 “He (that is Jesus) has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves.”

So are we now ready for today’s passage? 

• Jesus fresh off using his authority over nature by calming the storm on the lake arrives in the non-Jewish region of the Gerasenes.
• He’s unleashing the kingdom of God, not only on Israel, but over the entire planet. There is no corner of the earth that is immune to Jesus healing and life giving rule. 

And we meet a man for whom life could not have gone worse! Right, you think your life is tough, meet this dude!

• He has been afflicted by an impure spirit so he lives as an outcast amongst the tombs.
• In his anguish and affliction by the impure spirit that has possessed him, he can’t be contained by chains and it says (verse 5) “he would cry out and cut himself with stones.”
•  Now this man, quote, with an “impure spirit” is demonized, meaning he’s under the control and influence of an impure spirit…

On the surface, he’s crazy, right? He’s insane. He’s not right. 

• But in reality, behind the facade, the real problem is not insanity.  It’s an impure spirit.
• There can be no doubt that much, and I know I’m gonna step on toes here, but much of what we call extreme mental illness is in fact the demonic at work. Not all, but a chunk of it.
• We may rename the demonic as psychosis or chemical imbalance or schizophrenia or multiple personality disorder or genetic predisposition to violence…
• But at the root of some of this, not all, but some of this is a demonic power. 

Now what is this poor guy about to encounter?

• Jesus meek and mild?
• Jesus, just a misunderstood teacher?
• Jesus, that’s nice for you, but it is not for me… NO!
• He and we are about to meet the long awaited saviour that the Prophet Isaiah spoke about.
• He and we are about to meet the one who can tie up the strong man and plunder his house!
• He and we are about to meet the one with authority who can set us free!

Jesus says; “Come out of this man, you impure spirit!”

• Now let’s face it… it’s a bit of a hectic story from here… I don’t think this one makes the Children’s illustrated bible…
• The impure spirit identifies himself as Legion, for we are many. Think, deep, aggressive, loud voice yelling back in Jesus face!
• And legion is what a group of 6,000 Roman soldiers are called. In other words, there is a whole array of evil or impure spirits in this man.
• And Jesus using his authority sends the impure spirits out of the man, into a herd of pigs and they rush into the lake and are drowned. 

So let’s keep following the story.

• Because what happens is remarkable… news spreads and people come out to see what has happened and what do they find?
• The guys who had been (verse 15) possessed by the legion of demons is sitting there, dressed and in his right mind.
• And it says the people were afraid?
• Now we will get to the guy in a second but why are they afraid?

Do you remember our Easter service message? Haha… come on guys… you remember all the sermons in intricate detail right?

• But do you remember when the women encounter the empty tomb and run away afraid…
• It is the same word used here!
• In fact it is the same word used to describe the disciples from last week after Jesus demonstrates power over the wind and the waves…
• The Greek is Phobos – translated fear… They are afraid.
• And do you remember the conclusion of the Easter Sunday message as to why they are recorded as afraid?
• They are recorded as astonished and afraid as this is what happens when people encounter the immense power of God in Jesus. 

You see we domesticate these stories… we domesticate Jesus… familiarity breeds contempt…

• But face to face with the astonishing authority and power that Jesus demonstrates… the people were afraid. 
• Jesus isn’t your boyfriend or an accessory or a part of your entourage… 
• Jesus is the God of the Old Testament, Yahweh walking in our midst!
• He rebuked the waves “Quiet, be still.”
• He delivers the man “come out of this man, you impure spirit.”
• And this wretched man is set free.   

And now, here he is sitting there, right in front of them, in his right mind… and they were… afraid.

• This man Legion, had been terrorizing the area… chains couldn’t hold him, he would cry out and cut himself… and now he has been set free!
• The people are standing in the presence of Jesus, someone who has had the authority and power to do something that they had never experienced. 
• And they are afraid because they are in the presence of an immense power… 

Just as an aside… because all of this can be quite confronting, particularly if we encounter something like this in ourselves or around us.

• What do we do if someone manifests an impure spirit? You know this happened at Haberfield a few months ago…
• Or what do you do with someone having a psychosis or in the grip of an addiction. 
• Well, I just want to suggest that the name of Jesus is powerful.
• In fact, when I am praying for people, more and more I find myself only able to say the name of Jesus.
• There is nothing we can do in our own strength or wisdom… we just need to use the authority of Jesus. 

We don’t need to put on a funny voice, or be an expert Christian or wear a white suit…

• In the words of Peter in Acts 3 “Silver or gold I do not have, but what I have I give you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk.”
• Right? That is a great pattern for our prayers if it is healing or deliverance… 
• You can’t buy this power… you can only give them what you have received… and that is Christ in you.
• So call on his name and declare his name, because it carries the authority!

Ok, let me quickly finish with these two points… Jesus transforms us and Jesus sends us…

• So the man is found by the people of the town, and I love this line… “dressed and in his right mind.”
• Wow – what a picture of Jesus at work. 
• How many of you is like… gosh that is my story.
• OK, maybe you weren’t running around naked in the Manly graveyard…
• But wow, from darkness to light, from lost to found, from death to life… Jesus transforms. 
• He is found by people who had written him off, plundered from darkness and in the kingdom of light!
• What about you?

As I said at the start of the sermon… you may still be a bit of a jerk, or have a heart prone to wander…

• But compared to where you were before you followed Jesus… 
• What amazing mercy has the Lord had on you. 
• Now no one is a finished product. No one’s farts smell like roses…
• But what a picture of what the Lord can do in our lives… 

And yes, if you have met and received Jesus, you need to co-operate with the Spirit in walking out your transformation. 

• And sometimes it is instant and sometimes it will be a journey of transformation…
• But if you find yourself under the power or influence of a demonic spirit or inexplicable bondage…
• In Australia we might call this an addiction or a genetic predisposition… if you have voices in your head, or thought patterns of self harm
• Jesus can set you free. 
• If your life has been wrecked, your home is like a graveyard… because of sin… if your life is falling apart, Jesus can remake you from the inside out!
• That is the gospel – Our God is the one who will go into enemy territory on the other side of the lake to plunder you from darkness!

And finally today, what happens to this man?

• Well he begs Jesus to go with him… I guess to become one of his disciples…
• But Jesus has other plans for him. In one sense he becomes the first Apostle to the gentiles…
• Jesus says to him (verse 19) “Go home to your own people and tell them how much the Lord has done for you, and how much he has had mercy on you.”
• I love that! Because we can all do that.
• When God acts in your life… go tell people the good news.
• And we read that he does… and all the people (verse 20) were amazed. 
• So news spreads throughout this region of gentile cities and the people are blown away… 
• This man who was possessed and lost and scary… is now dressed and in his right mind!
• Surely this is good news – God has had mercy on him. God has had mercy on you!

Well that is enough for today.

Shall we stand?

If you remember one things, it is that God wants to take back what belongs to him!