Can the Demonized Be Delivered?

I am convinced that when the man was cutting himself with stones, the demons in him were driving him to commit suicide. That judgment is supported by what happens now: “Then the unclean spirits came out and entered the pigs, and the herd of about 2, 000 rushed down the steep bank into the sea and drowned there.” The volition of a human being made in God’s image is stronger than that of an animal. What Legion could not get107 the man to do was easily accomplished in a large herd of pigs. The pigs could not withstand the will of Legion, and they were driven to their death. Satan is a murderer of human beings, while Jesus is their Savior. Still, why did Jesus allow the demons to enter into this herd of pigs? William Lane provides a plausible explanation:

We can add two further observations. (1) The demons, not Jesus, destroyed the pigs. (2) The event demonstrates that God cares more for man, whom He created in His image and recreates in salvation, than He does for animals that do not bear His image.

Several important theological truths arise from this story thus far (Arnold, “Exorcism,” 58).

When it comes to our confronting the demonic, in the name of Jesus and by the power of His bloody work on the cross, we can see the demonized delivered and the spiritually captive set free.

Mark 5:14-20

Paul says in 2 Corinthians 5:17, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away, and look, new things have come.” Never was this more real than in this man whom the Lord Jesus had delivered from a legion of demons. You would think there would be joy and thanksgiving all around. Sadly some of the people responded with fear. Still the focus is on this “new man” in Christ. What Jesus did in saving him from Satan and his sin He will also do for you if you simply come to Him in faith.

When the demon-possessed pigs plunged into the sea and drowned, the men who tended them ran off and reported it. The people came out to see what had happened. I’m sure they were shocked! “They came to Jesus and saw the man who had been demon-possessed by the legion” (5:15). But was this really him? Their confusion is understandable. He was simply sitting there, not running about wild and in a rage. And he was dressed, not half naked in ragged, dirty clothes. And even more wonderful, he was in his right mind! He knew who he was and who they were. He sat clothed, calm, and a new creature because of what Jesus had done for him.

Perhaps the man was smiling, rejoicing in his salvation and deliverance. Perhaps with gratitude and devotion his eyes were fixed on Jesus. However, the townspeople had something else on their minds, and they began to beg Jesus to leave. What a surprising and disappointing response! Jesus has just rid their village of a menace, and they’re concerned about the pigs!

Now to be fair, we should note, “they were afraid.” A combination of commercial concern (two thousand pigs) and fear of the One who can cast out demons by a word was more than they could handle. What else can this man named Jesus do? What demands might He make? If He can change109 and transform a demoniac what might He do with us? With me? Pathetically, they decide it would be best all-around if Jesus left.

The townspeople may not have cared for the demoniac’s soul, but the Son of God did. Jesus made him a new man. Heaven was glad, but his fellow humans wanted him gone. What a sad commentary on the wickedness and self-centeredness of the human heart void of the grace of God.

Jesus does not stay where He is not wanted. Whether out of ignorance, fear, or greed, the people in the region of Gerasenes had decided they had had enough of this miracle worker. However, one man felt altogether differently. He had met Jesus, and his life had been wonderfully transformed. No one had ever shown him such love and compassion, mercy and kindness. The townspeople may be begging Jesus to leave, but this man begged and pleaded with Jesus to remain.

If, however, Jesus would not stay, “Fine, then let me go with You,” he might have said. “I’ve never met anyone like You. No one has ever done, could ever do, what You did for me. I love You. I want to be with You. Where does not matter, as long as I am in Your presence, walking by Your side.” Somewhat surprisingly, though, Jesus denied his request. In gratitude this man wanted to follow Jesus. Our Lord, however, had an evangelistic assignment. Go and tell others what I, the Lord, have done for you. Start in your home and work from there. Go to your family and friends and share with them. “Tell them of My mercy,” Jesus basically tells the man. “Be My witness; give your testimony. You were lost but now you are saved. You once belonged to Satan, but now you belong to the Son of God.”

The Gerasenes might not have wanted Jesus, but Jesus still wanted them. He would not leave them without a witness. He commissioned the110 former demoniac to tell them how much the Lord had done for him, and what He may also do for them.

Unlike so many followers of Jesus, this man did not argue, complain, or refuse his assignment from his Master. He accepted his marching orders without question. “He went out and began to proclaim in the Decapolis how much Jesus had done for him” (5:20). And the response for those who heard was appropriate: “They were all amazed.” It is easy to imagine the scene as people who had only known Legion now met this new man who had been transformed by Christ and was consumed by His grace. I imagine he stopped friends and strangers alike to tell them how much Jesus had done for him. All the while, I am convinced, he was on his way to obeying the words of Jesus: “Go back home.”

Using a little imagination, one can sense the excitement building within his heart as he got closer to home. Perhaps he had a wife and children. How long had it been since he saw them, kissed his wife, and held his children? Is it possible they had been praying for him all this time?

“Lord, rescue the soul of my husband.”

“Dear God, please help my daddy and bring him back home.”

Finally, this man sees a home he has not seen for a long time. A little boy turns from playing in the dirt and sees his daddy. Running out the front door is his precious little girl. She stops in her tracks when she sees him, and with the excitement only a daughter can have for her daddy, she begins to scream at the top of her lungs, “Mommy, Mommy! It’s Daddy! It’s Daddy! He’s come home!” No longer walking, the man is now in a sprint, gathering in his arms his little boy and little girl who had run to him. Then, there in the doorway, stood a lady, his wife. With tears streaming down her face and a sweet smile, she is speechless, all caught up in the joy of the moment. Now they are all embracing and crying tears of joy. How could this be? What happened?

Wiping the tears from his eyes, the man looks at his wife and children and begins, “I met a man named Jesus. He is the Son of the Most High God. Let me tell you what He has done for me.” I imagine this was a wonderful story told many, many times. After all, those who are forgiven much, always love much (Luke 7:47).