Introduction
We all go
through times in our lives when we do or say things that family, friends,
neighbors, classmates, or co-workers would say are uncharacteristic of us. When
I was younger, I used to over-indulge in alcohol. Ok that was so sanitary—I got
drunk all the time. It was all I saw growing up and I was too immature and
selfish to take personal responsibility for my actions. It wasn’t until I was
in my late-twenties that I realized I was perpetuating my father’s abusive
behavior. That was also when I recommitted my life to being a more faithful
follower of Christ. However, there were days before that, quite a few days,
when the drinking made me into something I was never intended to be and I am
thankful that Jesus set me free from that destructive behavior. In the nearly
thirty years since I gave up alcohol, I have had to face many other ugly reflections
in the mirror—anger that often crossed the line of rage, hatred that seemed
almost second nature, a vengeful spirit, dishonesty, unkind words and actions,
greed, envy, and manipulation just to name a few. There have been times when I
have loved my wife and kids well; times when I have served my neighbors without
motive other than love; times when I forgive easily; times when I have the
courage to be honest; times when kindness comes so easy; times when I am
generous; times when I can rejoice in the abundance enjoyed by others. At such
times, I feel free—free to be the person God intended me to be from the beginning.
However, some of the ugly faces of me still show up from time to time in my
words and in my actions and I inevitably manage to hurt someone I love or a
neighbor or even myself and ultimately I offend God above all else. I can look
back at those times and I don’t even recognize myself sometimes and I feel like
I have to fall at Jesus’ feet and ask for forgiveness and healing.
Unfortunately, I experienced one of those times this week and it immediately
made me think of the man possessed by demons who encountered Jesus who
identified himself as Legion because he was possessed by many different evil spirits.
When I read the account again, I had to shake my head because sometimes I feel
like I Am Legion. Maybe you feel
that way too sometimes. But like the demoniac, there is hope for healing and
restoration at the hands of Jesus. Let’s look at the story together.
Subject Text
Mark 5:1-17
1They went across the
lake to the region of the Gerasenes. 2When Jesus got
out of the boat, a man with an evil spirit came from the tombs to meet him. 3This man lived in the
tombs, and no one could bind him any more, not even with a chain. 4For
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. 5Night
and day among the tombs and in the hills he would cry out and cut himself with
stones. 6When he saw Jesus from a distance, he ran and fell on his
knees in front of him. 7He shouted at the top of his voice, “What do
you want with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God?
Swear to God that you won’t torture me!” 8For Jesus had said to him,
“Come out of this man, you evil spirit!” 9Then Jesus asked him,
“What is your name?” “My name is Legion,” he replied, “for we are
many.” 10And he begged Jesus again and again not to send them out of
the area. 11A large herd of pigs was feeding on the nearby hillside.
12The demons begged Jesus, “Send us among the pigs; allow us to go
into them.” 13He gave them permission, and the evil 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. 14Those tending the pigs
ran off and reported this in the town and countryside, and the people went out
to see what had happened. 15When 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. 16Those who had seen it told the people
what had happened to the demon-possessed man—and told about the pigs as well. 17Then
the people began to plead with Jesus to leave their region.
Context
It’s
important to remember the state of mind the disciples must have been in for our
Subject Text. Our Subject Text starts off by telling us
that the disciples and Jesus had just crossed the lake (the Sea of Galilee). Because
of its geographical location surrounded by mountainous terrain, the Sea of
Galilee was particularly susceptible to violent storms late in the day. And
that’s exactly what has occurred on this day. We learn that Jesus and His
disciples are faced with the very real possibility of drowning because their
small fishing boat is being swamped by the waves. Well the disciples believed
that was a real possibility. Jesus, on the other hand, was comfortably asleep
on a cushion in the back of the boat. You can almost picture the disciples
straining their oars into the teeth of the dark storm while constantly peering
back at Jesus only to see Him sleeping peacefully. They had to be incredulous
that Jesus could be sleeping and seemingly didn’t know or care that they were
staring death in the face. Consequently, they woke Jesus up to express their
incredulity. In my mind, I picture the scene of Jesus waking up from a deep,
peaceful sleep to the sight and sound of grown men frightened like little
children. I imagine Jesus looking at the fear in the disciples’ faces and then
looking around at the crashing waves and just rolling His eyes thinking:
Really, this is what you’re worried about? And with a few words, “Quiet! Be
still!” the storm stopped and the sea was calm. However, the storm didn’t just
die down. The English doesn’t do justice to the Greek language of abrupt
cessation. Imagine it this way if you can: The instant Jesus spoke the words,
the storm ended in the same way we would turn a light off with a light switch. We
often take the spectacular nature of this miracle for granted. Close your eyes
and imagine yourself in the midst of the most violent storm imaginable at one
moment and then the storm stops instantly. It didn’t go from raging wind and
pounding rain to a slight breeze and drizzle and eventually to no wind and no
rain. It went from raging wind and pounding rain to being completely calm and
clear in an instant! How would you have reacted? Probably not unlike the
disciples who have now gone from being frightened by the violent storm and
raging sea to being terrified by the One who controls them both! Hopefully you
have a good grasp of the frame of mind the disciples where in when they finally
reached their destination because Jesus is about to rock their world again.
Text Analysis
We start
with a bit of textual controversy in v. 1 where we learn that Jesus and
disciples put ashore in a place called the “region of the Gerasenes.” Some
biblical manuscripts say it is the region of the Gadarenes and still others say
it is the region of the Gergesenes. Some point to this as one of many Biblical
inconsistencies. I’m pretty sure Jesus would roll His eyes at this too. Anyway,
the inconsistency is not worthy of losing any sleep over. Let me offer you the
technical background that supports the use of “Gerasenes” in Mark’s Gospel and
how the other two usages have been considered. “Gerasa was a city of the
Decapolis (modern Jerash in Transjordan) located more than thirty miles to the
southeast of the Sea of Galilee and, as Origen perceived [Origen: 182-254 AD,
scholar and Christian theologian] is the least likely of the three places
[Decapolis = Ten cities in the eastern region of the Roman empire in Jordan,
Syria, and Israel. The cities are: Gerasa, Gadara, Pella, Philadelphia,
Capitolias, and Raphana in Jordan. Canatha and Damascus in Syria. Scythopolis
and Hippos in Israel.]. Another Decapolitan city was Gadara, about five miles
southeast of the Sea of Galilee (modern Um Qeis). Although Origen also objected
to Gadara (which, he says, was read by a few manuscripts) because neither lake
nor overhanging banks were there, Josephus [Josephus: 37-100 AD, Roman-Jewish,
scholar, historian, and hagiographer] refers to Gadara as possessing territory
‘which lay on the frontiers of Tiberias’ (= The Sea of Galilee). That this
territory reached to the Sea may be inferred from the fact that ancient coins
bearing the name Gadara often portray a ship. Origen prefers Gergesa, not
because it occurs in manuscripts—he is silent about this—but on the dubious
basis of local tradition (it is the place ‘from which, it is pointed out, the
swine were cast down by the demons’) and of the still more dubious basis of
etymology (‘the meaning of Gergesa is ‘dwelling of those that have driven away,
and this the name ‘contains a prophetic reference to the conduct shown the
Savior by the citizens of those places, who ‘besought him to depart out of
their territory’). Of the several variant readings the [committee analyzing the
texts] preferred [Gadarenes] on the basis of (a) what was taken to be superior
external attestation…, and (b) the probability that [Gergesenes] is a
correction, perhaps proposed originally by Origen, and that [Gerasenes] (which
is supported only by versional evidence) is a scribal assimilation to the
prevailing text of Mark (5.1) and/or Luke (8.26, 37).”[1]
It’s easy enough to see how there could be confusion over the actual location
of the events of v.1. However, the confusion is only about where it occurred not that
it occurred—that it occurred is not
disputed which is ultimately what’s important here.
When Jesus
and the disciples reach the shore, they aren’t greeted by a happy welcoming
party. Instead, according to vv. 2-5, they are greeted by a man possessed by an
“evil spirit.” We learn that the man lives among the tombs like a wild animal
with the strength to break the chains that were used at some point in an
attempt to subdue him. In Luke’s account of this story, he says that the man
hadn’t worn clothes or lived in a home for many years. Mark tells us that all
day and night he would scream and cut himself on the sharp stones found among
the tombs. I’ve imagined this man many times and I’ve recently tried to look
past the image painted for us on the pages of the Bible. If you’re like me,
maybe you’ve tried to put yourself into this story. I’m sure we can all find
ourselves in this story in one way or another. But I want you to try for a
moment to see yourself as one of the unseen characters. What about this man’s
family—his mother or father; maybe he had brothers and sisters. I wonder, did
he have a wife and children, what about them? Imagine yourself as one of these
unseen characters standing on the outskirts listening to the man among the
tombs who screams wildly during all hours of the day and night; the man who is
your child; your brother; your husband; your father. How painful it must be for
you when you see him running wildly from place to place without clothing and
bleeding from self-inflicted wounds. How many years have you prayed for him;
for God to heal him; for God to bring him back home to you? I want you to
remember the possibility that these unseen characters are watching nearby;
hoping that maybe this time God has heard their prayers. “Mark painted a
picture of a man in a pitiable state. He could not live with his family, so he
lived alone (or with another demon-possessed person, according to Matthew) in a
graveyard. He was strong enough to break the chains that bound him, but not
strong enough to expel the demons from his body. His shrieking was heard
throughout the countryside. He was even violent toward himself and cut himself
with stones. He was naked and most likely covered with scars. Even after the Fall,
the image of God, the imago dei,
resided in humans. Demons, in this case and others, did what they could to
destroy the image of God.”[2]
The demon
possessed man had an interesting reaction when he sees Jesus from a distance in
v. 6. He runs to Jesus and falls on his knees in front of Him. What did you
focus on when you read this verse? It seems odd that the man appears to know
Jesus but that’s not what I want you to see. Mark is up to something in his
account of Jesus’ ministry that is subtle enough to miss if we aren’t paying
attention—it’s the small phrase, “fell on his knees in front of him.” You see,
there is a thread that weaves its way through Mark’s gospel that connects a
number of unrelated events that produce a tapestry of the divine and sovereign
Savior. This is the third of at least seven times that Mark uses this phrase.
The first was a man with leprosy who “begged him on his knees” (1:40). Then
there were various evil spirits who “fell down before him” (3:11). Our current
verse is the third time Mark makes note of someone falling at Jesus’ feet. Next
we find Jairus the synagogue ruler whose daughter is dying “fell at his feet”
(5:22). As Jesus makes His way to tend to Jairus’ daughter, He inadvertently
heals a woman suffering from a bleeding disease when she reached out to touch
His garment. When Jesus inquires of the crowd as to who it was that touched
Him, the woman came forward and “fell at his feet” (5:33). Then while in the
area of Tyre, a mother, a Greek, whose daughter was possessed by an evil spirit
heard that Jesus was nearby and ran to Him in a last ditch effort to save her
daughter. When she found Him, she “fell at his feet” (7:25). And finally, a rich
young man who, on the outside, was in want of nothing but an answer to a very
pressing question. This young man who seemed to have life all figured out, came
to Jesus and “fell on his knees” (10:17). I counted seven times that this
happened. Men, women, Jews, Gentiles, leaders, commoners, rich, poor, the seen,
and the unseen all recognize that it is Jesus who is sovereign over all of
creation. “The Greek verb for ‘fell on his knees,’ proskynein, denotes prostrating oneself before a person to whom
reverence or worship is due, even kissing his feet or the hem of his garment.
When demoniac meets divine, it is a no-contest event.”[3]
The way the
demoniac responds to Jesus in v. 7 seems a bit out of context until we read v.
8 and learn that he is responding to Jesus who has commanded the demon to come
out of the man. So now that we know why
the demon says what he does, let’s take a closer look at exactly what he says because it is very
revealing on many levels. “What do you want with me, Jesus, Son of the Most
High God? Swear to God that you won’t torture me!” I’m pretty sure Jesus wasn’t
wearing one of those goofy name tags we all cringe at that say, “Hello! My name
is _____________.” So how is it that the demon knows Jesus by name? Well, we
have to remember that although Jesus is fully man, He is also fully Divine and
as such was present with God at the creation of all things including the angels,
and demons are nothing more than fallen angels. Consequently, while humanity
may recognize Jesus in the earthly realm based on His physical presence. The
demons recognize Jesus from the spiritual realm from the time of their creation
where He was present and through whom all things were created. This seems
imminently clear when the demon addresses Jesus as the “Son of the Most High
God.” It is also noteworthy that the demon begs Jesus not to “torture” him.
Matthew records the event slightly differently when the demon, who in Matthew’s
gospel, also addressed Jesus as the Son of God, ask Jesus if He has come to
torture him “before the appointed time.” The demons seemed to know something
about their impending fate that no one at that time knew about. You see, from
the time of Satan’s rebellion when he and a third of the angels were cast out
of heaven, there has been a largely unseen spiritual battle between God and
Satan (who wants to be God), for control over creation. At the center of
Satan’s plan is the disruption of God’s restoration and salvation plan for
creation generally and humanity specifically. However, what Satan knows is that
God has already ordained that there would be a day of reckoning for him and
although the demons are not explicitly included in his final judgment, they are
implicitly included as his faithful servants. John gives us a picture of
Satan’s final judgment in the Book of Revelation when he says, “And the devil,
who deceived them [humanity], was thrown into the lake of burning sulfur, where
the beast and the false prophet had been thrown. They will be tormented day and
night for ever and ever (Rev 20:10).” Although I can’t be certain, I suspect that
the “torment” referred to in Revelation is the “torture” referred to by the
demon in our Subject Text. “The
demon’s first question was a request that Jesus leave them alone, showing the
demon’s ultimate rebellion. Jesus and the demons were as far separated as
anything could be. Jesus’ purpose was to heal and give life; the demons wanted
to kill and destroy…This demon tried using Jesus’ divine name to control him.
This demon referred to him as Jesus, Son of the Most High God. This is the
highest title used for Jesus in Mark’s Gospel and shows that the demons
recognized Jesus as God’s divine Son…The demon had the audacity to ask for
Jesus’ mercy so that he would not be tortured in hell! The word for torture is
graphic and correct. The Bible says that, at the end of the world, the devil
and his demons will be thrown into the lake of fire. The question revealed that
the demons knew their ultimate fate; they hoped that Jesus would not send them
to their fate early.”[4]
I don’t
know why but v. 9 really scares me. Jesus, now speaking directly to the demon,
asks for the demon’s name. There’s just something about the name “Legion” that
makes me uncomfortable. “Legion” seems so ominous because it is unquantifiable,
uncertain, and uncontrollable specifically because the demon describes himself
as “we are many.” Some claim that Legion was a proper name and some claim
Legion described the man’s demonic state. However, this is not a case of
either/or but of both/and. In the ancient world, a person’s name often
described them as a person or perhaps even described their perceived destiny.
“The function of the name in this narrative is to provide a graphic indication
of the multiple possession involved in this case, which in turn will explain
the following incident with the pigs. The significance of the ‘name’ [Legion]
need not focus on the actual number of troops in a Roman legion [usually
5,000-6,000], so much as on the character of a legion as a large body of troops
acting in concert; Jesus is not confronted by one demon, but by an army of
them.”[5]
Legion was
defiant to the end in v. 10 as he begs Jesus not the send “them” out of the
area. It is unclear why the demons wanted to remain in the region of the
Gerasenes. Perhaps it is because the region was predominantly Gentile as is
evidenced by the large number of pigs grazing on a nearby hillside according to
v. 11. Whatever the reason for their desire to remain in the region, vv. 12-13
make it very clear who is in charge and it’s not Legion. In v. 12 the demons
beg Jesus to “send” them into the pigs and in v. 13 Jesus gives them
“permission” to enter the herd of pigs. Clearly it is Jesus who is in control.
Jesus grants permission and the result was the destruction of the entire herd of
2,000 pigs who hurled themselves over a cliff into the Sea of Galilee. If a
grown man created in the image of God can be so destructive to himself as a
result of being possessed by a Legion of demons then why would a herd of pigs
be any less self-destructive? “What must be seen above all else is that the
fate of the swine demonstrates the ultimate intention of the demons with
respect to the man they had possessed. It is their purpose to destroy the
creation of God, and halted in their destruction of a man, they fulfilled their
purpose with the swine. The drowning of the swine was not an unforeseen
consequence in Jesus’ concession; it was the express purpose the lay behind the
request of the demons. Accordingly, the question why Jesus allowed them to enter
the swine must be faced. The answer would seem to have two elements. First,
Jesus recognized that the time of the ultimate vanquishment of the demons had
not yet come; his encounter and triumph over the demonic does not yet put an
end to Satan’s power. It is a pledge and a symbol of the definitive triumph,
but the time when that triumph will be fully realized is yet deferred. It must
await the appointment of God. Therefore Jesus allows the demons to continue
their destructive work, but not upon a man. The second element is related to
this: Jesus allowed the demons to enter the swine to indicate beyond question
that their real purpose was the total destruction of their host. While this
point may have been obscured in the case of the man, there was the blatant
evidence in the instance of the swine. Their intention was no different with
regard to the man whom they had possessed.”[6]
So what
could be more frightening than a wild man who is possessed by a Legion of
demons? Someone with the power and authority to rule over them and condemn them
to a destiny of eternal torment and torture. That person can be truly
frightening or awesome depending on one’s perspective. In vv. 14-17 we find
both perspectives. Those who were tending the pigs are frightened and no doubt in
shock at what just happened because they high-tail it back to town to tell
everyone what happened. Too bad, because they missed out on being among the
first to witness the awesome results of Jesus’ miracle. They seem to have
completely forgotten about the man who was at the center of this miracle to
begin with. It’s only when they return and find the previously possessed man
sitting quietly at Jesus’ feet, dressed and in his right mind that they realize
the extent of all that occurred in their midst by the power and authority of
Jesus. For as much as this man terrorized those in the region, you would think
that they would all rejoice that he has been liberated from the demons that
sought to destroy him. Instead, they are frightened by the power and authority
of Jesus and plead with Him to leave the area. A naked and crazed man can be
abandoned to a life of isolation among the dead—out of sight, out of mind. But
what do they do with One who can break the chains that bind our bodies, our
minds, and our souls? They handle Jesus the same way they handle the madman—out
of sight, out of mind. But let’s not lose sight of the man who got his life
back. “This man has been written off by others as a hopeless, terrifying, rogue
elephant…Evil has so completely taken over his life that it assumes a
personality of its own. It distorts his perception of reality. The man has no
sense of self-identity; he does not know who he is. But when he meets with
Jesus’ powerful mercy, he is restored to wholeness. His encounter with Jesus
makes him fully human again, with a family, a home, and a mission in life. How
is it that Jesus can transform this berserk derelict into a sane and
well-balanced human with just a word? The incident is a perfect illustration of
what happens in conversion. C. S. Lewis recalls the imagery of this story in
describing his life before his conversion as ‘a zoo of lusts, a bedlam of
ambitions, a nursery of fears, a harem of fondled hatreds. My name is legion.’
Mark goes into detail about how others tried to overpower this man and then
describes how those who converged on the scene begged Jesus to leave their
neighborhood. These details do not simply add color to the narrative but
indicate that this incident also has to do with Jesus’ encounter with the community.
It is a community that beats, chains, and dehumanizes other human beings. It
knows only how to use force, how to crack down on madmen, and how to protect
its property. But this community fears someone like Jesus, who wields a
different kind of power. It expresses total indifference to the restoration of
a human being to wholeness, particularly if they deem the cost too high. It
prefers pigs to the healing of individual demoniacs.”[7]
Application
Do you
notice something missing from this story? There’s not a single mention of the
disciples. What do you suppose they might have been thinking or were their
minds still reeling from their near-death experience at sea that quickly became
a supernatural mind-bending experience? Perhaps they were simply struck dumb at
the way Jesus walked on water one moment and then assumed authority of evil
spirits the next with the ease of only someone who had complete command over
all creation. They had to be wondering if there was anything this Jesus
couldn’t accomplish. You know, I’ve wondered that same thing at times.
Especially during the many times when I fall short of being the person God
intended me to be. I so easily see myself in this story as the deranged man
bent on destruction; hurting others; hurting myself. And then the next moment,
God mercifully restores me to that person He intended. Maybe you’re like me and
that ugly, sinful nature still rears its head and you revert back to that
person who is out of control when it comes to money, or sex, or power; out of
control when it comes to everything it seems. You’re convinced that you must be
damaged goods and destined to live among the haunted tombs of your past
mistakes. You’ve been hurt so many times that you have scars under your scars.
Day and night your heart, your mind, and your soul screams out for help but no
one hears; no one comes; no one cares. And then after the damage is done, you
fall on your knees before Jesus and He mercifully restores you as a loved child
of God. It can be a frustrating tug-of-war this good and evil within us. Dr.
Eugene Lowry describes it this way: “I feel like 6,000 soldiers inside
me…sometimes they march left, sometimes right…sometimes in different
directions. I’m pulled one way, then another. There’s an army inside me, and I
think I’m losing the war.”[8]
This describes me perfectly. Does it describe you? If so, there is hope for us
just like there was hope for the demoniac. Our hope is in the power and
authority of Jesus to lead us out of the tombs of our past mistakes; to heal
all our wounds; to come to us when we cry out. All that is required of us is to
submit to the authority of Jesus; to kneel at his feet in reverence and
confess, I Am Legion.
[1]
Bruce M. Metzger, A Textual Commentary on
the Greek New Testament, (Stuttgart, Germany: Deutsche
Bibelgesellschaft/German Bible Society, 1994), p. 19.
[2]
Rodney L. Cooper, Mark—Holman New
Testament Commentary, (Nashville, TN: B&H Publishing Group, 2000), p. 84.
[3]
James R. Edwards, The Gospel According to
Mark—The Pillar New Testament Commentary, (Grand Rapids, MI: William B.
Eerdmans Company, 2002), p. 156.
[4]
Bruce Barton, Philip Comfort, Grant Osborne, Linda K. Taylor, and Dave Veerman,
Life Application New Testament Commentary,
(Wheaton, IL: Tyndale House Publications, 2001), p. 162.
[5]
R. T. France, The Gospel of Mark—The
New International Greek Testament Commentary, (Grand Rapids, MI: William B.
Eerdmans Publishing Co., 2002), p. 229.
[6]
William L. Lane, The Gospel of Mark—The
New International Commentary on the New Testament, (Grand Rapids, MI: William
B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1974), p. 186.
[7]
David E. Garland, Mark—The NIV
Application Commentary, (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, 1996),
pp. 212-213.
[8]
Eugene L. Lowry, “Cries From the Graveyard: A Sermon,” in The Daemonic Imagination: Biblical Text and Secular Story, Robert
Detweiller and William G. Doty, eds., (Atlanta, GA: Atlanta Scholars Press,
1990), pp. 30-31.
