He Knows My Demons
Scripture Reading: Mark 5:1-20
Meditation
Across the Sea of Galilee, on the east side of the lake, is the Gentile region of Gerasene. Nestled close to the shore is a small village, central base for the pig herders in the area and former home to the man possessed by a legion of demons.
South of the village is a cliff with a steep slope that runs a straight slant directly into the lake. A few miles from the slope are the cavern tombs, limestone beds reserved for the sleep of the dead. And living among the dead is the village madman, the Gerasene demoniac.
He wasn’t always deranged.
Before he was overcome by the demons, he was a respectable young man in the community. Responsible. Trustworthy. Willing to work hard. He loved his family, had a way with the children in the village, and was soon planning to marry.
His dreams were full of life and his life was full of hope.
But some time ago, as he was tending his father’s pigs, he was ambushed by a mob of rioting demons. Two thousand of hell’s henchmen jumped out of the shadows and assaulted him.
The more he resisted, the more they fought.
The more they fought, the weaker he became.
Finally and fully, they possessed him.
The mob of demons now owns him.
The legion has taken over every part of his life: speech, sleep, steps, moods, actions, emotions, dreams, and desires. Apart from the will and whims of the thugs that torment him, the man is unable to act. They have taken his life but have left him alive. He’s become one of the living dead. No hope. No will. No freedom. He’s a prisoner held captive in his own body. He’s alive and yet he’s dead. That’s why he lives among the tombs.
Though the demon possessed man used to live among the villagers, his friends and family now fear him. He’s become a danger to himself as well as to all of those in the area, especially the children.
Day and night they find him haunting the hills, screaming, slashing himself with rocks, harassing the herdsmen, raiding the pigs, and scaring the children. The elders of the village have tried to restrain him many times. But the demons that bind the madman are more powerful than the ropes and chains that the elders use. No one, nor any one thing, is strong enough to subdue him.
The elders finally give up. It isn’t flesh and blood that they’re fighting; it’s something stronger, darker, and more sinister. It’s the devil’s grip that they’re trying to loosen and only heaven can pry hell’s fingers off of the man.
Until further notice, everyone in the village is warned to stay out of the madman’s way. All they can do for him is hope for the best and pray that the worst doesn’t happen.
One afternoon, as the madman rants through the hills, he sees a storm-weary boat approach the shore. Earlier that day, as he stood on the cliffs, he had watched the sky rear its head in rebellion. Thunder and lightning were throwing a tantrum in the heavens and, as the madman stood open-armed in the downpour, the demons reveled in the turbulence.
What violence. Such agitation. Nature was mirroring the weather of the man’s soul.
But suddenly the rage stopped. Chaos went directly to calm. It was as if the tempest had been bound and gagged.
The boat that approaches the Gerasene shore had just rocked its way through the middle of that storm. In it are Jesus and his disciples. A few hours earlier, the winds had bullied the boat. They had blown the disciples across the lake to the brink of terror. During it all, Jesus, their Master, was fast asleep in the stern, head on a pillow, body at rest.
But after being shaken awake by his disciples, the Master stood up in the boat, rubbed the sleep from his eyes, raised his hands, spoke into the tempest, and shackled the storm.
“Quiet! Settle down!” The wind ran out of breath; the sea became smooth as glass.1
When Jesus spoke, wind and sea obeyed. They shut their mouths, bowed their heads in reverence, and submitted to the rebuke of the Son of God.
Nature knows the voice of authority.
Now, as Jesus sets foot on the Gerasene shore, it’s time for the supernatural to surrender to the Messiah. The mob of demons charge toward Jesus and a war begins. The madman’s body becomes the battlefield.
At first, the demons bow the man low in homage but then they begin to bellow in protest.
“What business do you have, Jesus, Son of the High God, messing with me? I swear to God, don’t give me a hard time!” (Jesus had just commanded the tormenting evil spirit, “Out! Get out of the man!”)2
Realizing that one more powerful is in front of them and that the battle is futile, the mob of demons tries to cut a deal of exemption. Though unwilling to show any mercy to the man they possess, they beg for mercy for themselves.
“Send us to the pigs so we can live in them.” Jesus gave the order. But it was even worse for the pigs than for the man. Crazed, they stampeded over a cliff into the sea and drowned.3
As suddenly as the demons had come, now they’re gone. The demons, bent on the man’s destruction, have been hogtied by the Messiah. Finally the man is free.
Having given the man his life back, Jesus also gives him a mission. He’s to go home and tell his story.
“Go home to your own people. Tell them your story—what the Master did, how he had mercy on you.” The man went back and began to preach in the Ten Towns area about what Jesus had done for him. He was the talk of the town.4
Reflection
Do you ever feel like one of the living dead? If so, what does it feel like?
What type of “rioting mob” torments you?
When you kneel before the Messiah, what parts of you bow in worship? What parts bellow in protest?
If Jesus were to tell you to go home and tell your family all that he had done for you, what would you say? What’s your story?
Prayer
Father,
I see so many other people living—really living—while I rant and rage among the tombs, keeping company with the dead. There are many days when I feel like the man possessed by the mob of demons—ambushed by Satan’s thugs, bound, gagged, and dragged away from my friends and family, harassed and tormented day and night by anxiety within and fears without, overcome by despair, locked firm in the Devil’s grip, dead and yet very much alive.
During this day, send your Son to confront the demons that own me. Though the rioting mob may bellow in protest, when they see the Messiah may they bow before him in worship. Just as your Son freed the village madman, may he hogtie my demons. Give me a clear mind, a pure heart, a mouth ready to praise, a free spirit, and a life possessed only by your Son. And when Christ pries hell’s fingers away from my heart, may he send me back home with a mercy story.
It’s in your Son’s name that I pray. Amen.
1Mark 4:39 2Mark 5:6-8 3Mark 5:12-13 4Mark 5:19-20
All Scripture references in the meditation are marked by italics and are taken from the Gospel reading for the day. Those verses quoted outside of the chosen reading for the day are noted. All Scripture quoted in this post is taken from THE MESSAGE: Copyright © 1993, 1994, 1995, 2000, 2001 & 2002. Used by permission of NavPress Publishing Group. All rights reserved.