Can the Demonized Be Delivered?

103

In his classic fable The Screwtape Letters, C. S. Lewis provides a glimpse into the strategies of Satan’s demons. An older and wiser demon named Screwtape is mentoring the younger Wormwood. In his preface to the imaginary correspondence, Lewis writes,

There are two equal and opposite errors into which our race can fall about the devils. One is to disbelieve in their existence. The other is to believe, and to feel an excessive and unhealthy interest in them. They themselves are equally pleased by both errors, and hail a materialist or magician with the same delight. (Lewis, Screwtape, 3)

Lewis is right, and the human race has fallen into both errors. The materialists of the “Age of Reason” or Enlightenment were fooled into disbelieving in the existence of demons or any spirit beings. New ageism and postmodern mysticism have been enamored with angels, demons, and spirits beyond this world. Beginning in 1969 with Rosemary’s Baby and in 1973 with The Exorcist, Americans have been engaged in a peculiar fascination with the occult and the demonic. Simply surveying Hollywood since then reveals this trend: Hostage to the Devil (1976); The Omen (1976); The Possessed (1977); Exorcist II: The Heretic (1977); The Entity (1982); My Demon Lover104 (1987); The Blair Witch Project (1999); Bedazzled (2000); The Little Vampire (2000). Likewise, television series like Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Charmed, and Touched by an Angel are ever before us. Add to this the hotly debated issues of SRA (Satanic Ritual Abuse) and Halloween, and you have a significant element of our culture awash in spiritism and the occult.

We need a good dose of biblical balance and sanity. Mark 5 provides an excellent starting point. Yes, Jesus believed demons were real, and that should settle for all of us the question of their existence. Yet beyond this fact, we see in our Lord’s encounter with the Gerasene demoniac the power, mercy, and authority of the Son of God, who commands the demon with merely a word. In this text we will see the purpose of Satan to destroy and the power of the Savior to deliver. Whether it is a demonic man (5:1-20), a diseased woman (5:24-34), or a dead little girl (5:21-43), Jesus has the power to save.

Jesus Confronts the Demonic

Mark 5:1-5

Jesus has just calmed the sea, rebuking it and commanding it, “Silence! Be still” (4:39). The sea immediately became calm, provoking the disciples to ask, “Who then is this?” They are about to get their answer but from an unlikely source.

Satan Attempts to Defile the Image of God in Man (Mark 5:1-2)

Crossing a now-calmed Sea of Galilee, Jesus and the Twelve arrive in the area of the Gerasenes. Gadara was a major city in the region (cf. Matt 8:28; Luke 8:26, 37). South of the town called Gerasa was a steep slope only 40 yards from the shore. Two miles from there were cavernous tombs.

As they got out of the boat, a man with an unclean spirit came out of the tombs to meet Jesus. Because he was possessed, this man was defiled. Additionally, a Jew would view the touching of a dead body as an act of great defilement, and here was a man living among the dead. Satan had taken him down and was close to delivering a knockout blow.

Satan Attempts to Deface the Image of God in Man (Mark 5:3-4)

It is heart wrenching to think the Devil could so deface one who was created in the image of God. This man lived in the tombs. He often had been bound with shackles and chains but had snapped them off. Deranged and utterly depraved in his behavior, this man was not a maniac but a demoniac.

The people of his town had driven him away. Defiled and defaced, he descended into a life of filth, loneliness, and terror. People feared him105 because of his Herculean strength, but they did not respect him. It is shameful to see what Satan had conquered and captured.

Satan Attempts to Destroy the Image of God in Man (Mark 5:5)

Jesus says in John 10:10, “A thief comes only to steal and to kill and to destroy,” and in John 8:44, “[The Devil] was a murderer from the beginning.” Peter adds, “Your adversary the Devil is prowling around like a roaring lion, looking for anyone he can devour” (1 Pet 5:8). This was the plan the Devil had in mind for this poor demon-possessed soul. He was howling like a wild animal and cutting himself against the jagged rocks of the land. Some believe this is depraved pagan worship. Others see wild but futile attempts to drive out the demons. I believe it is a failed attempt to end his pain and suffering by suicide. Running about wild, naked, and unkempt, he was by now a mere shell of cuts, bruises, lacerations, scabs, and infected tissues. He tried again and again to end his unbearable existence in death. This was the agenda of the demons inside him. Perhaps the only thing that prevented his death was the last vestiges of the image of God in him and the common grace of God about him. Defiled and defaced, he was daily staring death in the face. A more miserable existence could hardly be imagined.

But something happened that would turn things upside down and reverse the course of his despair: this man met Jesus.

Jesus Conquers the Destructive

Mark 5:6-13

The Jewish Talmud gave four signs of madness: (1) walking about at night, (2) spending the night on a grave, (3) tearing one’s clothes, and (4) destroying what one was given. This man met these criteria and more. His situation appears hopeless until he meets “Jesus, Son of the Most High God.”

Our Savior Is a Liberator (Mark 5:6-13)

Seeing Jesus from a distance, this madman did something surprising. He knelt down before Him. However, kneeling was not an act of worship but an acknowledgment of authority. He then yelled, “What do You have to do with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I beg You before God, don’t torment me!” The demons reacted this way because Jesus had told them to “come out of the man.”

This spiritual encounter is completely one-sided! The demon-possessed man must drop to his knees. The demons always confess Christ accurately and truthfully (cf. 1:24). Their knowledge of Jesus’ identity is superior to106 the disciples’ knowledge, at least at this point in their journey. The demon’s confession in 5:7 answers the disciples’ question in 4:41. The demoniac knows who Jesus is, and he knows his existence is at stake. His time has run out.

The title “Son of the Most High God” is nothing less than a recognition of deity. Still, “The full address is not a confession of Jesus’ dignity but a desperate attempt to gain control over him or to render him harmless, in accordance with the common assumption of the period that the use of the precise name of an adversary gave one mastery over him” (Lane, Mark, 183-84). The demon actually appeals to God for protection, though his request will certainly not receive a positive response. Jesus has commanded him to come out, and come out he will.

The full impact of the control and horrifying grip this demon had on this man now becomes painfully evident (vv. 9-10). The demon gives his name as “Legion ... because we are many.” A legion is a contingency of 6, 000 Roman soldiers. This man was not possessed by just one demon but by thousands of demons working as one evil force. Captured by this alien army, his natural mind, will, and emotions had all but been destroyed. These soldiers of Satan had trampled his soul. His only hope was in a Liberator whose power and authority were greater than what now possessed him. That Liberator was Jesus Christ, the Son of God.

In a microcosm of the battle between good and evil, Jesus gives a preview of the fate of Satan and his demons. The demons, through the voice of the man, keep begging Jesus not to send them out of the region. The tormentor is now the tormented as he contemplates his destiny. Luke 8:31 is more specific: “They begged Him not to banish them to the abyss,” a place of spiritual confinement before final, eternal judgment.

The demons attempt to bargain with Jesus. A large herd of pigs was there, feeding on the hillside. The demons begged Him, “Send us to the pigs.” Jesus complied, giving them permission to transfer hosts. The tormented man had met his Savior, his Liberator.

Satan Is a Murderer (Mark 5:13)

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:

First, Jesus recognized 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 the pledge and the symbol of that 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. (Lane, Mark, 186)

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).

1. Demons are real and dangerous. A demon (or many demons!) can inhabit and take possession of a person.
2. Demons can make themselves known by speaking through people and even taking control of their bodies.
3. Demons are fallen angels and powerful spiritual beings. They can exhibit enormous strength through a person under their control.
4. Demons can inflict serious personal injury to the one possessed and to others, with the ultimate goal of that person’s death.
5. Demons can move or be transferred from one host to another.
6. Demons can resist leaving their host. They may even beg, out of self-interest, for their own well-being.
7. Demons recognize and are subject to appropriate spiritual authority.
8. If demonic spirits attempted to resist the incarnate Christ, we can be sure they will also attempt to resist us.
9. Jesus spoke directly to the demon, even asking for his name. This may provide a pattern for us to follow.
10. 108Jesus, unlike the exorcists of His day that used elaborate rituals and incantations, simply gave the command, and the demons were forced to obey.

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.

Jesus Commissions the Delivered

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.

Let Jesus Change You (Mark 5:14-17)

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.

Rabbi, be gone! Thy powers

Bring loss to us and ours.

Our ways are not as Thine.

Thou lovest men, we—swine.

Oh, get you hence, Omnipotence,

And take this fool of Thine!

His soul? What care we for his soul?

What good to us that

Thou hast made him whole,

Since we have lost our swine? (Hughes, Mark, 122)

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.

Let Jesus Command You (Mark 5:18-19)

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.

Let Jesus Consume You (Mark 5:20)

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).

Reflect and Discuss

1. If you were involved in a conversation about movies featuring demons, vampires, and even angels, how might you steer the conversation to a balanced, biblical view of demonic activity?
2. 111How would you respond to a Christian who questions, in this modern day, whether we still need to believe in angels and demons?
3. What were some of the ways the Devil debased this man? How do people these days end up being disgraced when they listen to the Devil’s lies?
4. Why do you think Herculean strength is often a characteristic of demoniacs?
5. Why does demonic activity ultimately lead to suicidal despair? Why is Jesus the only decisive answer to such despair?
6. Why do the demons know precisely who Jesus is?
7. How is Jesus’ command to the demons different from the way exorcism is portrayed in the movies?
8. Have you ever seen someone come to Christ, and the people around him or her are more concerned with trivial matters than with the salvation of souls?
9. In what ways can someone who has just been saved be a better evangelist than someone who has been a Christian and studied the Bible for a long time? How can the latter improve his or her message?
10. Describe a scenario where Jesus might change someone you know so that they would once again be in their right mind and come home. Pray for that person.