5 They went across the lake to the region of the Gerasenes.[a] 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[b] how much Jesus had done for him. And all the people were amazed. (Mark 5)
33In the synagogue there was a man possessed by a demon, an impure spirit. He cried out at the top of his voice, 34“Go away! What do you want with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are—the Holy One of God!”35“Be quiet!” Jesus said sternly. “Come out of him!” Then the demon threw the man down before them all and came out without injuring him.
36All the people were amazed and said to each other, “What words these are! With authority and power he gives orders to impure spirits and they come out!” 37And the news about him spread throughout the surrounding area.
41Moreover, demons came out of many people, shouting, “You are the Son of God!” But he rebuked them and would not allow them to speak, because they knew he was the Messiah. (Luke 4)
Thoughts: These are two unusual passages. In both of them, a person who we would say was mentally ill confronted Jesus. The first when he got off the boat and the other while he was in the synagogue worshiping in his adopted home town of Capernaum. This also often happened to Jesus' followers- like Peter and Paul. The demoniacs seem to be attracted to the good. It seems that evil is attracted to good in some ways in order to destroy, distract, or discourage the work of the Lord. In both cases Jesus healed the sick person. In ancient days everything was spiritual. In over-reaction to that, in our day nothing has a spiritual root or influence. I believe evil spirits are real as surely as I believe the Holy Spirit is real.
In the second case- and echoed by many cases according to Luke 4:41, the demons testified to Jesus being the Son or Holy One of God. It is amazing that these spiritual beings would testify to his identity while many others were not. The other part of this is that the people didn't know how to handle these mentally ill people. One group had put them in chains and left them in an isolated place of death (the cemetery) where they would just fizzle out their lives. When the demoniac (there may have been two of them there according to Luke) was healed, the people got angry at Jesus. He had told the demons to go into the pigs. This was their income and investment, and they were mad about losing the money more than they were about healing the person. Money is a gift not a god. People are always more important than money. If we have money, it should be used- not to hoard- but to help. Truth is, as Jesus' followers, we are called to love the mentally ill, mentally hurting, and those overwhelmed by evil. Paul says, "Do not be overwhelmed by evil, but overwhelm evil with good." Loving those mentally ill is a challenge but also a responsibility.
In the second case- and echoed by many cases according to Luke 4:41, the demons testified to Jesus being the Son or Holy One of God. It is amazing that these spiritual beings would testify to his identity while many others were not. The other part of this is that the people didn't know how to handle these mentally ill people. One group had put them in chains and left them in an isolated place of death (the cemetery) where they would just fizzle out their lives. When the demoniac (there may have been two of them there according to Luke) was healed, the people got angry at Jesus. He had told the demons to go into the pigs. This was their income and investment, and they were mad about losing the money more than they were about healing the person. Money is a gift not a god. People are always more important than money. If we have money, it should be used- not to hoard- but to help. Truth is, as Jesus' followers, we are called to love the mentally ill, mentally hurting, and those overwhelmed by evil. Paul says, "Do not be overwhelmed by evil, but overwhelm evil with good." Loving those mentally ill is a challenge but also a responsibility.
Prayer: Lord, help me to be merciful to those who need mercy. Give me a heart to help those who are crushed by the circumstances of life or even worse evil influences or spirits.
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