Thirteen: SATAN EXPOSED. Mark 5.

In the previous chapter, (Mark 4) we read that Jesus had been teaching the crowds beside the lake of Galilee, He was obviously tired, and said to His disciples “Let’s go over to the other side”. He got into the boat and went to sleep. Then we read about the storm, how the Disciples woke Him. He calmed the wind and waves and rebuked His Disciples for their lack of Faith. (I think it’s important to get teachings in context, it helps us to understand situations and circumstances better.) Arriving on the other side at a town called Gerasenes, Jesus got out of the boat and was met by a man with an impure Spirit in him. He had run from where he lived among the the tombs to meet with Jesus and He fell at His feet. This tells us, he not only had heard of Jesus, but knew and believed what He could do for him. Verse 3 says this man lived in the cemetery and “No one could bind Him any more, not even with chains, 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. (Verse 5) “Night and day he would cry out and cut himself with stones.” Satan is often called “The Strong Man” in Scripture. Make no mistake, he is very strong spiritually as well as physically also very devious and cunning. He has a fascination with death, tombs, cemeteries and the dark side of life. It often amazes me the number of people, (even Christians) who have a sinister fascination with the dark side of life and like to watch such films, delve into books and things of that sort. Parents and grandparents beware! These things are not good for you or the children, we can never grow out of the wiles of the Devil who is “like a roaring lion wandering around seeking whom he may devour.” (That means he’s hungry for us, our children and grandchildren. Also pay attention when people or youngsters start cutting themselves, they will tell you it relieves pain, “It doesn’t,” I know, I’ve had an eighteen year old tell me they have been convinced to believe that it doesn’t hurt, but that’s not true or real it does hurt. He’s the father of lies. (If people you know are cutting themselves, get help immediately from your Paster, a trusted Christian or even civil authorities. V 6,7. “When He saw Jesus he ran and fell at His feet. Shouting at the top of his voice, “What do you want with me Son of the Most High God? In God’s name don’t torture me.” Now, the evil spirit in the man recognised The Son of God, and addressed Him as such as he spoke through the man. But Jesus’ ignored the demons request because His first response was to alleviate the suffering man. He said “Come out of him.” Notice Jesus’ first consideration was to free the man from the demon. Only then did He ask the name of the evil spirit, “My name is Legion, for we are many.” This may or may not be true because we know he is a liar. But just to let you know “Legion” is originally a Latin word meaning 6000 that’s the number of men in a legion of Roman solders. So this poor man could have accommodated and been harassed for a long time by thousands of demons. V10 “and he (the evil Spirit) repeatedly begged Jesus not to send them out of the area, but to send them into a large herd of pigs which were grazing on the hillside”, Why? I would think the demons had built a very comfortable home for themselves in that area. Also demons or evil spirits, need a body to live in to stay on earth, so as long as the people there were being controlled by Satan’s demons why would they leave? However, when Jesus gave them permission to go into the pigs v13 (even demons need God’s permission to act see Job 1.12.) they rushed down the bank into the lake and were drowned. Please don’t feel sorry for the pigs, Jesus was and still is in the business of saving the souls of people. He was there, not only for the Demon possessed man, but also for all the other people of the town who eventually rejected Him, He was there to make a way for them to confess their sin and come back to God. He is the God of second chances, we should recognise this and take the chances God gives us to return to Him, if we don’t one day it will be too late. After the herdsman went into the town and told the inhabitants what had happened the people came to see Jesus, and saw the previously possessed man sitting there, dressed and in his right mind. Jesus had cured him completely. V15 tells us the people were afraid and pleaded with Jesus to leave their town, Why? Scripture doesn’t tell us but these were probably Syrians, according to Josephus , and as such would have no knowledge of The God of Israel and people fear what they don’t understand. Additionally, 2000 pigs lost (that potentially were to be supplied to the Roman garrisons?), would have been a significant economic hit to the local economy. V18 Jesus will not stay where He is not wanted, so He was getting back into the boat when the Man who had been possessed came and begged to go with Him. But Jesus wouldn’t let this happen instead, He made him the very first missionary. He told him “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.” so the man went home and told all the people of the Decapolis (Ten Cities) how much Jesus had done for him. Perhaps we should sit down and think of all that Jesus has done for us, and tell someone in our own town about it. I want to give You seven ways we can know, see and recognise Satan when He’s at work in people we encounter. There are probably many more, but these will be very obvious. I would say, before looking for Him under every bush and around every corner, check your own standing before and with God, praying for the protection of the Holy Spirit. Here are the seven ways 1. These People have an unhealthy attitude towards the dark side of life. 2. They have unusual strength, and very often don’t look you in the eye when speaking with you. 3. They often cut and disfigure themselves. 4.They want to control you, or be the boss, the head person, or leader of the group or situation. 5. They are keen on destruction, “He comes to steal, kill and destroy.” 6. They quite often display insanity and or nudity. 7. Their power is limited, because they must get permission from God before they can act. Thank you for reading this very interesting chapter from Marks Gospel. May God protect and bless all of us. Phaline.