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Mark 5:1-19
Being Really Normal

This incident of the deliverance of the demon-possessed man occurs immediately after a very eventful boat trip, a trip during which our Lord stilled the wind and waves, a trip because of which the disciples had a new and enhanced understanding of their Master's awesome Nature. It was with that new understanding that they witnessed the following events.

Matthew's tells us that two demoniacs met Jesus when he got out of the boat. Mark and Luke only mention one, though they don't exclude the possibility of two. The only thing proved by this difference in accounts is that the four Gospel writers wrote independently and that they didn't depend upon some mutual "source document," as some modern writers claim.

For good understanding of this incident we need to exercise a little insight and human understanding. The two demoniacs in this incident were, after all, human beings like ourselves.  But, as Mark tells us, they were "in a spirit of uncleanness." The original Greek doesn't tell us they were "possessed" by spirits, but that they were "in" spirits, and the meaning is that they lived in close connection with the evil spirits. In other words, they consistently and constantly focussed on the things these spirits tempted them to think about and do. Such thoughts became obsessions, constantly occupying their miunds, in a way similar to the way in which many who are obsessed by alcohol or drugs in our own day.


Psychologists today might say these men had an "obsessive-compulsive disorder," but Matthew tells us they were "demonized," meaning that real evil spirits were constantly working in their minds. Luke says they had "had demons a long time," so their condition was of long standing. It came upon them because of their own fallen inclination to wrong activities, and it was made worse by the spirit's constant, frenzied activity. We need to keep in mind that these men willingly focussed upon the kinds of activities to which the demons tempted them – they were not forced to do so.

Their relationship with evil spirits is not unusual in human history. As a result of our rebellion against God, we're all an easy mark for the Devil's persuasiveness. As various choices are placed before us, he sees to it that sinful ones are perceived as beneficial, as gratifying to our senses, or as "necessary," and his lies hide their harmfulness.  Then, by our own volition we act "in connection with" the demons and their temptations.

Of course, when anyone desires to do something sinful, the Devil always makes sure there's ample opportunity. If his first temptations are successful, he supplies more and more. Soon the person is "demonized" and, for practical purposes, under the control of one or more evil spirits. The two men here in Mark were like that. It's likely that they had some years previously experienced some particular desires of the flesh, and Satan had put the thought in their minds that they should indulge themselves at least a little. Then, when they did so, one thing led to another until they were possessed by a "legion" (2,000) of unclean spirits!

By that time, even though these men became increasingly aware that their behavior made them outcasts, yet they still couldn't give up the little gratification they received. Little by little they became convinced that they absolutely had to have it. To throw the blame off themselves, they acted "crazy" - the hope being that this would cause others to feel sorry for them and consider them "victims" instead of sinners. And, being trapped by their inability to admit guilt, and being constantly bombarded by the evil suggestions of more and more demons, they became entirely hopeless. They found companionship in each other, departed from society, and lived where we find them in this incident. But, still finding it necessary to convince themselves and others that they were only victims, they wildly displayed their "emotional illness" to any who came their way.

The behavior of these men was very physically and emotionally self destructive. They cruelly cut themselves day by day so that they would appear gruesome to all who saw them. They went about naked day after day, exposing themselves to the elements, to insects, to sharp stones, etc. In all likelihood, their nutrition was wholly inadequate, and they would therefore be constantly influenced by the physical and mental anguish of their deficiencies. Since they avoided the companionship of other human beings, they must also have experienced a complete lack of fulfillment of the need to give and receive love and care. All this was in large part due to the constant temptations and lying of evil spirits in conjunction with the men's own gullibility and self-seeking nature.

When Jesus came to these men He completely delivered them from their awful condition! At last they could see clearly their true place in the world, their right relationship to their Lord, and the blessedness of loving, caring relationships with other people! What a relief! What a deliverance! What a demonstration of the mercy of our Lord! Is it any wonder that afterward they went into the Decapolis to proclaim what their new Lord had done for them? Jesus Himself departed from these shores, but He left behind powerful preachers of His Messianic Lordship and Saviorhood! Oh that we too would be grateful enough to our Lord to preach like that!

Before their wonderful deliverance, our Lord never once spoke to the men themselves. It would have been useless. They were so much under the influence of demons that they wouldn't have understood. Our Lord could see that. He didn't wait for the men themselves to express their needs, but instead He rid them of the demons. Of course the men knew, as all men know, what the sinful practices were that had brought upon them this awful oppression. And they had learned an awful lesson. They would not soon return to those practices!

There's an extremely valuable lesson for us here. Salvation begins and ends with Jesus Christ. It doesn't wait on our own rational understanding. It doesn't wait on our reasonable decision to do the right thing by calling upon the Savior. It entirely depends on the mercy, wisdom, insight, and loving choice of our Deliverer. He always finds us, as He knows He will, as totally helpless slaves of sin - and He alone is to be thanked for delivering us and bringing us into His kingdom.

That doesn't mean, or course, that He deals with us as though we were devoid of rational faculties, but it does mean that our deliverance isn't dependent on them, because even those faculties are in need of deliverance. Though the incident before us is an extreme example, because these men were not in their right minds, yet in our naturally fallen condition we too are much more irrational than we realize. We are just as incapable as they were of entering the kingdom by means of our own right choices. Oh how we need to thank our Lord for His intervention in our otherwise lost condition!

Besides the encouragement we can receive by observing our Lord's wonderful, intervening love, it's also comforting to know that He is complete master of the spirit world. When this multitude of spirits became aware of his presence, they immediately drove the men to fall before Him in terror. Through the men, they screamed out, "What do I have to do with You, Jesus, Son of the most high God? I implore You by God not to torment me!" Paraphrased, they were saying, "What do we have in common? What are You doing here?" These spirits were in absolute terror before One Whom they recognized as supreme Lord! They could do nothing but beg in terror. Considering their response to Him, should we not, in our prayers, seek His protection against these evil and crafty beings?

We naturally wonder why our Lord permitted these spirits to destroy apparently innocent swine. It seems like such a waste of good livestock! But there are three immediately apparent reasons. The owners were likely Jews who ought not to have been keeping flocks of "unclean" animals and were therefore violating God's law on a grand scale (Leviticus 11:7). Our concern is not to know why God placed this regulation upon them, but our concern is to see that the owners of the swine were disregarding God's law 2,000 times over, and that Jesus was therefore carrying out His Father's righteous judgement upon them as rebels against God.

Secondly, there was the deserved judgement of the spirits themselves.  The "escape" of these spirits into the swine, though it was their own choice, didn't save them from the disembodied condition they dreaded! The swine were immediately destroyed. God often punishes men and spirits by giving them exactly what they desire.

Thirdly, the expulsion of the spirits from the men, their entrance into the swine, and their subsequent destruction was all a highly visible demonstration of Jesus' sovereign and merciful deliverance of the men.

In considering God's righteousness in this judgement, it is important for us to observe how the herdsmen themselves reacted to the destruction of their swine. The narrative doesn't tell us that they raised a great cry about Jesus' destruction of legitimate property, but merely that they besought Jesus to leave their land. Perhaps they desired to be free to break the law without observance! Is not our own thinking often similar to theirs? Oh how foolish we are to think it's ok to break God's laws as long as nobody sees us! God sees our hearts, while man can only observe our actions.

The second thing we should notice here is the desperate condition of the unclean spirits themselves. They pled with Jesus not to send them "out of the country."  It's the natural expression of their terrible fear of being sent to final Judgement. They pled with Jesus instead to let them enter the swine, assuming that in that way they could stay in this world and perhaps at least temporarily put off their final Judgement. Upon being given permission, however, they thereby sealed their own fate.

Evil spirits are naturally disruptive and destructive. Upon entering the swine, therefore, they caused these otherwise peaceful animals to be extremely agitated to the point of self destruction. Thus, when the swine perished in the lake, the spirits succeeded only in destroying their own hope of finding at least a temporary home in this world!

Rebellion against God is always frustratingly self destructive. That self destructiveness always lies waiting in sinful rebellion. As we saw in chapter three, ". . . if a house is divided against itself, that house will not be able to stand. And if Satan has risen up against himself and is divided, he cannot stand, but is finished!" That's the way it always is. Satan's house, by its very nature, is always divided against itself. Every device of Satan will therefore be finally frustrated, and, though he makes many attempts to overcome his failure, yet he remains filled with dread because he knows he's just marking time before God's final judgement. And it's no different for all who "live in connection with" these spirits.

The scene of Satan's frustration is always the scene of God's glorification! The drama of the spirits' expulsion from these men, their entrance into the swine, and their ultimate destruction in the lake all are a great exclamation point to Jesus' claim to be God's Deliverer!

The immediacy of God's presence and power became obvious to all who observed or received word about this incident. The former demoniacs especially were filled with awe and with new love and devotion to their Deliverer. The herdsmen and townspeople, on the other hand, were filled with fear. Finally, the memory of this powerful deliverance would be indelibly impressed on the minds and hearts of Jesus' own disciples, so much so that even after many years, Peter (or Paul) was able to repeat it in great detail to Mark.

We on our own part may read and be sufficiently impressed to place our hand in Jesus' hand as we battle the Devil in this world.

One more thing is noteworthy here. Mark tells us that, after the expulsion of the unclean spirits, the former demoniacs were "sitting clothed, and in sound mind." Modern psychology tells us there is no such thing as "normalcy," since the idea of normalcy is a "relative" idea. They tell us that what is "normal" for you may not be "normal" for me.

The incident before us, however, defines "normal" quite definitely. "Normal" equals "sound mind." In the context, it obviously amounts to a realistic view of self and environment, a view that deals with things and people in appropriate ways. If we begin with an absolute Creator who created real things and governs real events, then "normalcy" may be defined as living in relationship to that Creator and to His world in well-defined and appropriate ways. Jesus our Savior delivers us from irrationality and abnormality! Christians are actually becoming more and more "normal" all the time!