Jesus the Exorcist

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Good morning Chapel family. I have to say: Night to Shine was absolutely beautiful, wasn’t it? I believe God was honored, and Jesus was represented well. So, a big thank you to Ingrid Flannery, our Director of Special Needs Inclusion, and her amazing team of volunteers who made that night so special. Let’s put our hands together and thank them.

So…we’re taking this winter to walk through the Gospel of Mark. And we saw back in chapter one that when Jesus started teaching, the very first thing he said was, “The kingdom of God has come near.” So we’ve been using the illustration of a WiFi signal, which is all around us—you can’t see it or touch it, but it’s there—and you can choose to connect to it and experience it. And it’s the same with the Kingdom of God—you can’t see it, but it’s real, and you can connect with it by trusting and following King Jesus. And when you do, there’s a whole new world that opens up to you, and a whole new power that’s available to you.

Now: maybe you hear all that, and you say, “Well, that’s nice, for people who want to be super spiritual. But I’m a simple person—I’m just trying to live my life and love my family the best I can. I don’t need all this ‘kingdom of God’ stuff.” But I’m here to tell you today that you do need it. Because here’s the reality: there’s another kingdom out there. You know how you open up your phone and it says there are multiple WiFi networks available, and you have to choose which one you want to connect to? It’s the same in the spiritual world. There’s another invisible kingdom out there, and it’s a kingdom of darkness. It’s a kingdom ruled not by Jesus, but by Satan. (If that sounds crazy to you, just stick with me—keep an open mind). And even if you say, “I would never choose to be part of that kingdom,” it influences you in ways you probably don’t even realize.

Do you have any issues in your life, that you’ve struggled with for years, and they just don’t seem to get better? Maybe it’s a phobia or an emotional struggle or an addiction. Maybe it’s a problem in your family or in your marriage. And maybe you’ve tried counseling; you’ve tried medication; you’ve tried self-help. But that problem is stubborn, and it keeps coming back. Could it be that the root of that problem is a spiritual battle that you can’t even see? So you’re trying to solve it with weapons of this world, but it actually requires a whole different kind of weapon.

So in the passage we’re going to look at today, we’re going to meet a guy with a serious problem that’s ruining his life. And he has no idea how to fix it…and then Jesus shows up. Mark chapter 5, verses 1 through 20. Let’s hear God’s Word…

1 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. This is the Word of the Lord.

This is the end of a very long day for Jesus. He started out teaching by Sea of Galilee, and the crowds were so suffocating that he got into a boat and taught from there. Then he headed across the lake with his disciples, and their boat was hit by a ferocious storm, which Jesus took care of. Mark tells us that it was already evening when they started across the lake, so by the time they go through that storm and finally reach the shore, it’s probably dark. Which makes this whole scene really spooky. They pull the boat onto the shore, and up on the hill, they can barely make out the silhouette of these tombs in the moonlight. And all of a sudden, this solitary figure comes running from the tombs toward them—wild, unshaved, looks like he hasn’t seen a bath in months. Can you imagine? I’m sure they got ready to defend themselves; I wouldn’t be surprised if Peter pulled out his sword, just in case. But instead of attacking them, the guy throws himself down on the ground and kneels in front of Jesus.

And in the interaction that follows, we learn three things about evil.

First, The Reality of Evil. Let me start with the obvious: Jesus believed in evil. Specifically, he believed in Satan and demons. Now, you might say, “But Pastor Dave, this was the first century. They knew so little about medical things. This guy could have had epilepsy, or maybe he was bipolar, and this was an extreme manic episode. These people didn’t know any better, so they just attributed everything to demons.” But that doesn’t give them nearly enough credit. Look what it says in Matthew 4:24…News about him spread all over Syria, and people brought to him all who were ill with various diseases, those suffering severe pain, the demon-possessed, those having seizures, and the paralyzed; and he healed them. Even in the first century, they knew there were many illnesses that were physiological: pain and seizures and paralysis. They didn’t say, “It was a demon of seizures!” No—it was probably some kind of epilepsy. But they also knew there were certain conditions that were clearly spiritual. Jesus knew the difference. And he knew that in this particular case, this guy didn’t need medication; he needed deliverance.

Jesus believed in Satan and demons. I find it so interesting that today, if you ask people, “Do you believe in an unseen, spiritual world of good beings called ‘angels?’” a lot of people say, “Absolutely! I think there are angels all around us.” But if you ask those same peole, “Do you believe in an unseen, spiritual world of evil beings called ‘demons?’” many of them would say, “Of course not—that’s

crazy!” Do you see the inconsistency? If we believe in the one, why not the other? Maybe we just don’t want to believe in the other.

So most people know that Jesus talked about Satan and demons a lot. But what about the rest of the New Testament? Let’s take a quick look…

Ephesians 6, verses 11 and 12…11 Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. 12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.

1 Peter 5:8… Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.

2 Cor 2:11…… in order that Satan might not outwit us. For we are not unaware of his schemes.

2 Cor 11:14b-15a…Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light. It is not surprising, then, if his servants also masquerade as servants of righteousness.

When you read the New Testament, you cannot escape the conclusion that angels are real, and Satan and demons are just as real.

One of the guys in my men’s group leads Bible studies in Otisville Federal Prison up in New York. And he said, “If there was any doubt in my mind that Satan is real, I have no doubt anymore. When you talk to some of these guys, and you hear what they’ve done, and you see the look in their eyes, there’s no way to describe it except evil.” He’s not saying the guys are evil; he loves these guys—that’s why he goes and spends time with them week after week. But he realizes they’ve been influenced, heavily, by evil. And it’s chilling.

A few years ago, Justice Antonin Scalia, the US Supreme Court justice, was interviewed by New York magazine. And he said he believed in the existence of the Devil. And the interviewer seemed surprised. He said, “Have you seen evidence of the Devil lately?” And Scalia said, “You know, it is curious. In the Gospels, the Devil is doing all sorts of things. He’s making pigs run off cliffs, he’s possessing people and whatnot. And that doesn’t happen very much anymore…It’s because he’s smart.” The interviewer said, “So what’s he doing now?” And Scalia said, “What he’s doing now is getting people not to believe in him or in God. He’s much more successful that way.”

You know, we talk a lot about how the world is getting darker, and there’s a dangerous rise in depression and addiction and hopelessness. And it’s so easy to blame the politicians or the entertainment industry or social media, or whoever your favorite villain is. But this passage reminds us that the real enemy—the enemy behind all those enemies—is Satan himself. It’s good for us to know that, because when you realize the battle is spiritual, you know you need to fight it with spiritual weapons. It changes how you look at things.

So…back to the man from the tombs. Verse 3 says no one could bind him anymore. So apparently they used to be able to control this guy, but his condition had gotten worse. Over time he got stronger and more violent, and verse 5 says no one was strong enough to subdue him. Here’s what that tells me: if Satan and his demons are still operating today, there could be issues in your life that no one is strong enough to solve. Even the best counselors and the best meds and the best education can’t dislodge the problem, because it’s spiritual, and it needs to be fought with spiritual weapons.

So…Jesus believed in Satan and demons; the New Testament affirms that belief. So even though you’re not living naked in the tombs, and even though you’re not an inmate at Otisville Prison, this could help explain some of the long-term struggles in your life.

Point number two: let’s talk about The Strategy of Evil. We already saw what Jesus winds up doing. He sends the demons out of the man and into a herd of pigs; the pigs run off a cliff and drown in the sea. One more comment from my men’s group (and by the way, we have a lot of dads in that group, so occasionally we hear some really bad dad jokes). So last week we were studying this passage, and one of the guys said, “Oh—this is the miracle where Jesus turned water into swine.” I know, it’s bad. That guy is no longer in the group.

But I believe the reason Jesus did that was to show this man: that’s what would have happened to you if I had not intervened. Because the goal of Satan is always to destroy us. Isn’t that what Jesus said in John 10:10? The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. The goal of Satan is always to destroy us. But here’s the thing: he’s not so blatant about it. He doesn’t tell you that up front. He’s way smarter than that.

Instead, he offers to give you things. Did the man in this passage get anything from Satan? Absolutely! He became the Incredible Hulk. Right? Superhuman strength. Can you imagine the feeling of power? Can you imagine—the first time they tried to chain him, and he broke the chains—what an adrenaline rush that must have been? Can you imagine the feeling of freedom—no one could control him; he could do anything he wanted. This guy definitely got something out of the deal.

But he lost so much more. And that’s the way Satan always works: he gives with one hand, but with the other hand he takes away twice as much. So yes—this guy got power. But look what he lost: he lost his dignity. He lost his connection with other human beings—he was totally isolated. And he was miserable—he hated himself. It says he was cutting himself with stones.

This is so relevant to 2024, isn’t it? I was talking with a therapist last week, and we were discussing this passage. And he said, “From my experience there are two main reasons people cut. The first reason is they want others to see their pain, and the second reason is they want to feel alive—they want to at least feel something.”

So I have to say this: if you are listening to my voice right now, and you’re cutting, or you’re doing some other kind of self-harm, Satan wants you to believe that God is disgusted with you, and that’s a lie. Jesus feels the pain with you, and he has his own scars, and his arms are open to you. Satan wants to isolate you in your shame. Don’t let him. Talk to someone about it. Talk to me or one of our other pastors; if you’re a girl, go to one of our female staff members. And if you come to us for help, we will not shame you; we will not lecture you; we will treat you with dignity and respect, and we’ll do everything we can to help.

Satan always takes away more than he gives.

If he lures you into having an affair, you’ll get the rush of pleasure that illicit sex gives, but you’ll be living in secrecy and shame and you’ll be cleaning up the damage in your family for years.

If he lures you into alcohol abuse, you’ll have some amazing nights of partying, but you’ll start to lose people’s trust; you’ll start to lose relationships and lose your health, and probably a lot more.

Satan always takes away more than he gives. So yes—this guy had incredible power, but he was living in a cemetery because he felt dead inside; he was cutting himself, maybe so he could at least feel something, and day and night he was crying out for help. That’s what evil always does.

And then Jesus shows up.

Last point: The Defeat of Evil. This past week I talked to a lot of people about this passage, and one of them was Pastor Charles Salinas from Paterson. He’s the guy who leads our monthly homeless outreaches, and he’s become a good friend. And he pointed out something I didn’t notice. He said, “Look at the very first line in the first verse: They went across the lake.” And Charles said, “Jesus was always crossing over. He crossed social boundaries. He crossed ethnic boundaries. He crossed geographical boundaries.” In fact, in this particular region, they were raising pigs. What does that tell you about that region? It was a gentile region! Because for Jewish people, pigs are unclean—they would never raise pigs. So Jesus crossed over to this gentile region because he loved all people. And he’s still crossing over. He’s still showing up in unexpected places to free people from the power of evil.

So picture the scene: Jesus and his disciples get out of the boat. It’s dark. Here comes this crazy-looking guy running toward him, but instead of attacking him, the guy falls to his knees right in front of Jesus. And he says, “What do you want with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? In God’s name don’t torture me!” Now: you have to read this passage carefully. Because sometimes, it’s the demons talking through this guy. But other times, it’s the guy, himself, talking. And in this case, it’s the guy talking. “What do you want with me, Jesus? Don’t torture me!” That’s such an interesting thing to say. Because if this guy were completely terrified of Jesus, he would have just stayed up in the tombs, right? He would have seen Jesus coming, and hid. But he doesn’t; he runs toward Jesus. Why? Because there’s something in him that’s drawn to Jesus. He’s attracted and intrigued with Jesus.

But at the same time, he’s guarded and suspicious: What do you want with me? You want to torture me, don’t you? It seems like he recognizes the holiness and righteousness of Jesus. He realizes that Jesus has the authority to judge sin. And all that is accurate. But he’s completely blind to the mercy and love of Jesus. Maybe because the demons have distorted his view.

I meet people like this sometimes. On one hand, they’re attracted to Jesus. They even say to me, “I like listening to you preach. I like hearing about Jesus. But I’m just not sure I can give myself to him. Because I don’t know what he wants from me. And I’m afraid he’s just going to make me feel guilty and afraid of hell. So I’m going to keep my distance. I’ll keep listening, but I’m not going to get carried away with this Jesus stuff.”

And Satan loves that. He loves to highlight the judgment of Jesus, but blind you to the mercy of Jesus.

That’s where this guy was: he ran to Jesus because at some level he knew this is what he needed, but when he got there he was terrified to give himself fully to Jesus. And then Jesus acts. He commands the demons to leave the man; they’re sent into a herd of pigs; and for the first time in who knows how long, the man is free. It turns out Jesus didn’t want to destroy the guy! He wanted to destroy the evil that was oppressing the guy; but not the guy. Because he loved the guy. And he had good plans for the guy’s future. Just like he has for every one of us.

I believe that what Jesus did to those demons on that day was a preview of what he would do on the cross. Look at this amazing verse—Colossians 2:15…And having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross. Follow me here. What Satan wants to do is to make you terrified of Jesus. He wants to make you feel so guilty for your sin that you keep your distance from Jesus. But at the cross, Jesus paid for your sin—he took God’s judgment completely on himself. Which means it’s all paid for. All you have to do is put your trust in him, and your shame is gone. Which means…Jesus took away Satan’s best weapon! He disarmed the powers and authorities—that’s talking about Satan and his demons—Jesus disarmed them, so now,

every time Satan tries to rub your sin in your face, you can say, “I will not be ashamed, because I’m covered by the blood of Christ.”

And when I do sin, I’m not going to say to Jesus, “Please don’t torture me!” Because I know that on the cross he was already tortured in my place. So I can just run into his arms.

And that’s what I want to leave you with today: if there are deep-seated issues in your life that you’ve struggled with for a long time, run into the arms of Jesus. Don’t be like the guy who ran toward Jesus, but then stopped and said, “What do you want from me?” Keep running, right into his arms, and give yourself completely to him. Because it’s his power that can overcome any dark power that may be influencing you. He’s the one you need.

Now: I know there are some people who will tell you that’s not enough. They’ll say, “No, no, no—you need to have an exorcism. You need to know the steps of confronting demons and casting them out.” And there may be a place for that, but please be careful. Because yes—you see Jesus aggressively commanding demons, because when Jesus walked this earth, demonic activity was at a fever pitch, trying to stop him. But when I read the New Testament epistles—which are letters to the churches, telling us how to live for Christ—I see a different emphasis.

For example, Ephesians 6:13…Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand.

1 Peter 5:8-9…8 Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. 9 Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that the family of believers throughout the world is undergoing the same kind of sufferings.

When I read the New Testament, I see less aggressive confrontation of demons, and more of a confident standing in the power of Christ. Knowing that he disarmed the powers and authorities at the cross; knowing that one day he will cast Satan and his demons into the lake of fire for eternity, and standing in the confident power of his name.

So run into the arms of Jesus.

Think of what we’ve seen already in Mark. When Jesus healed the paralyzed guy who came through the roof, he showed his authority over sickness. When he calmed the storm in the boat, he showed his authority over nature. And when he cast out the demons, he showed his authority over Satan. Mark keeps showing us, scene after scene, that he is the king; he is the Messiah; he is the one we need. So run into his arms.

Did you see what happens to this guy at the end? Word spread back in town about what had happened. So everyone comes out to the scene of the exorcism. And they see this guy who everybody knew was so antisocial; so out of control; so messed up. But now, he’s sitting there, clothed and in his right mind. He’s calm; he’s peaceful; he thought he had freedom before, but now he’s truly free. And that’s what happens when you run to Jesus, and allow him to overpower the darkness in your life. You will be calm, and peaceful, and unafraid. And you will finally be free.