Mark 5:1-20
Introduction
In this story we see a man tormented by the forces of hell bringing chaos to his life and we see Jesus conquering those forces and restoring order.
We also see throughout the story, multiple instances of begging. Can you spot them? There are four in total.
Bear this in mind as we make our way through this passage.
Verse 1
After the storm was calmed in chapter 4, Jesus and the disciples arrive on the Eastern shore of the Sea of Galilee. They come ashore in the region of the Gadarenes otherwise known as the Gerasenes, depending on which translation you are reading.
The Gadarenes were Gentiles. There is a big clue to this in verse 11. They kept pigs.
Verse 2
An unclean spirit is another name for a demon. We learnt about this when we looked at the story of Jesus preaching in the synagogue in Capernaum in Chapter 1. To be unclean means to be defiled by something. Someone who was unclean under the Law of Moses was outside the reach of the presence of God.
There were a number of reasons why this man was unclean:
• He was possessed by demons
• He lived among burial tombs
• He lived in a gentile region
• He lived in a place where pigs were raised
All of these things made him unclean.
Verses 3 to 5
These verses describe this man’s life as a result of being possessed by many demons.
In verse 4 we are told that no one was strong enough to ‘subdue’ him. However, instead of ‘subdue’ a better translation would be ‘tame’. Like a ferocious wild animal, he could not be tamed.
In verse 5 we are told that, because of the demons inside him, he cut himself. It is not unusual for young people to cut themselves these days. It’s called self-harming. Could this be down to demonic activity? Just a thought.
This man’s life was a living hell. He lived a life of chaotic torment. Try to put yourself in his shoes.
Verses 6 to 8
Now we see this wretched man running to Jesus. In verse 6 we are told that he ‘bowed down’ before Jesus. In other words, he worshipped Jesus. That’s what worship is.
In verse 7, it is the demons who are speaking. The demons are begging Jesus not to torment them. Notice the hypocrisy here. The demons are tormenting the man but they don’t want to be tormented.
Notice how the demons know who Jesus is. He is the ‘Son of the Most High God’. We’ve not seen this title before in Mark’s Gospel.
Remember the question that the disciples asked in Mark 4:41. “Who then is this…” In chapter 5 verse 7 they get their answer.
Verse 9
In this verse Jesus asks the demon what his name is. This is something that we can do when helping someone affected by a demon. The demon answered, “My name is Legion; for we are many.”
In the Roman army a legion consisted of 5,600 men. But this does not mean that the man was possessed by 5,600 demons. It just means that he had a multitude of demons. This was an ‘extreme’ case of demonisation.
Verses 10 to 12
It’s time to negotiate. Notice how one of the demons talks to Jesus in order to negotiate the fate of all of the demons.
The demon asks Jesus to send the demons into a nearby herd of pigs. In order to fulfil its purpose a demon needs to inhabit a body.
Verse 13
How did Jesus respond to the request of the demon? He granted the request and the pigs drowned in the sea. By sending the demons into the pigs Jesus caused their death. He could have cast the demons into the pit of hell instead.
Does this mean that Jesus was cruel to these pigs? Some people claim that Jesus sinned when He did this. No, it doesn’t mean that Jesus was cruel to the pigs. Let me explain why. Jesus as a man has dominion over the earth, including the animals. He rules over them. Incidentally, we too have dominion over the animals. One of the roles we have over the animals is to tame them and use them for our benefit. We are allowed to kill them for food and clothing or for any other beneficial purpose. And it was this principle that Jesus was exercising when He sent the demons into the pigs.
What lesson do we learn from this verse? That humans are more valuable than animals. Jesus was prepared to sacrifice 2,000 pigs for the sake of one man. Only man is made in the image of God. We should never treat animals as being more important than humans.
Verses 14 to 16
In verse 15 we see, in the man who had been demon-possessed, the fruits of the redemptive work of Christ. And those fruits are that he was stilled, dignified and in his right mind.
Notice how the locals reacted to what had happened. They were afraid. This was because they were in the presence of a holy God.
Verse 17
Now we see the response of the locals to what had happened. They begged Jesus to leave. Why do you think they did this?
Verses 18 to 20
In verse 18 we see the man who had been demon-possessed begging Jesus to let him go with Him. He wants to follow Jesus. But Jesus responded to the man by refusing his request. Instead, Jesus tells him to go home and give his testimony to his people. The man obeyed Jesus.