The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who dwelt in a land of deep darkness, on them has light shone. Jesus is entering into Satan’s territory and about to take one of his most enslaved people.
Then they sailed to the country of the Gerasene’s, which is opposite Galilee. The disciples had just gone through an intense storm and now were on their way opposite Galilea. A predominately gentile territory, so we are not surprised when later we find pig farming here.
When Jesus had stepped out on land, there met him a man from the city who had demons. This was a man who was possessed not just by a demon, but by demons. Again, we are confronted here with an enemy that is great—as bad as it can get. The battle of the ages between the seed of the serpent and the seed of the woman is coming to a head. Here is the Lord of creation, who has power over the physical world, now being confronted by the worst of the spiritual world.
But, dear church, the spiritual world is real—and it is powerful. If God had not been on our side, we surely would have been swallowed up alive.
The Lord of all redeems the most shackled slaves of Satan army.
- The enslavers of humanity meet Jesus, the Son of the most high God!
- The world reacts to freedom
The enslavers of humanity meet Jesus, the Son of the most high God!
For a long time he had worn no clothes, and he had not lived in a house but among the tombs. And in verse 29 is says, “(For many a time it had seized him. He was kept under guard and bound with chains and shackles, but he would break the bonds and be driven by the demon into the desert.) This was real demon possession. We see this in the man's behavior. The relationship of this story with genesis three is remarkable. Adam was driven away from relationship. Out of the garden. Into the wilderness. In naked shame, and death was result. Here was a man who was isolated without relationship, in naked shame driven out into the wilderness and living among death – the tombs. This is Satans "ideal" for humanity—the exact opposite of all that God wants for us. This slave represents us when Jesus finds us. It is a picture of humanity. The real picture.
What a picture of a degraded and mangled humanity lost and in darkness under the prince of darkness and his minions.
Will Jesus restore what humanity lost the day they bowed the knee to Satan. Satan and the powers of darkness love to shame, isolate, and worship death. This is the punishment for sin.
But beloved when we look at the second Adam we also again see the parallels. He is the one that takes the shame on himself. He is isolated, driven away from the presence of God, in naked shame, dwelling among the dead, so that he might take our punishment and clothe us..
Yet in the middle of this description there is a comforting terror. The darkness trembles. It says, "When he saw Jesus, he cried out and fell down before him and said with a loud voice, “What have you to do with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I beg you, do not torment me.”
The terror is the demons and the comfort ours. The terror of demons is the hope of the church. By an invisible hand this demon is forced to show submission to the sovereign they so intensely hate and despise. Even the powers of darkness cower and beg before this man and recognize him for who he is! At this point beyond the angel Gabriel, and the voice from heaven at his baptism, only the demons have confessed him as the Son of God.
What have you to do with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I beg you, do not torment me.” .The way this is phrased is almost exactly parallel to the angel’s announcement to Mary. What the angel announced in private to a humble virgin in Nazareth is now being screamed in terror by the powers of darkness in a Gentile graveyard. It shows that while the disciples are still asking, "Who then is this?" (Luke 8:25), the spirit world has known the answer since before He was born. Demons are confessing him and recognizing him as the son of the most high God!”
But they want nothing to do with him. They beg him not to torment them, because he had commanded the unclean spirit to come out.
We read, For he had commanded the unclean spirit to come out of the man30 Jesus then asked him, “What is your name?” And he said, “Legion,” for many demons had entered him. At the time, a Legion was the largest unit of the Roman army. To a person living under Roman occupation, this word was a daily reality of power and force. This is war imagery. And although he roman legion was the most feared fighting force of that time, this legion doesn’t attack but begs and cowers. One little words shall fell him
The Prince of Darkness grim,
We tremble not for him;
His rage we can endure,
For lo! his doom is sure,
One little word shall fell him.
Our ancient, strong, hateful, enemy will fall by just one little word. You see the power of Jesus! yes, the power that bound this man was great, very great. But the power of Jesus is infinite.
The Worlds reactions
No wonder we read, And they begged him not to command them to depart into the abyss. Again look at this horde beg like dogs. Jesus can do whatever he wants. They know it. He knows it. And they live in terror of his judgement. Satan and his horde are assured of judgement. This is not some kind of ying and yang. Eternal struggle between light and darkness this is about the guarantee of the victory of light!
Now a large herd of pigs was feeding there on the hillside, and they begged him to let them enter these. So he gave them permission. Then the demons came out of the man and entered the pigs, and the herd rushed down the steep bank into the lake and drowned.
Naturally the text stirs up lots of questions. Can animals be possessed? Why would Jesus allow such use of animals? What happened to the demons? Why did the spirits feel compelled to dwell somewhere rather than roaming the earth. The text gives no answer. What we do know is Jesus is in absolute control and that it was the end of that herd of pigs, and I imagine also the end of that legion.
The Reaction
When the herdsmen saw what had happened, they fled and told it in the city and in the country.
You can imagine the herdsmen. One second, they had a large herd of pigs, the next second all of them run into the lake and drown, and there is one man sitting in his right man.
Fear? anger? Wonder? What was their reaction. We don’t know. All we know is that it says they fled and spread the news all over. In city and country. Soon everyone was hearing about it. And you find a group of people coming out to see what happened. Not to worship, not to ask questions, but to ask Jesus to leave.
Then people went out to see what had happened, and they came to Jesus and found the man from whom the demons had gone, sitting at the feet of Jesus, clothed and in his right mind,
Jesus has transformed this man. Are you filled with shame, fear, do you feel isolated. Come! Don’t let the prince of darkness deceive you into thinking that you cannot escape those chains. There is one who has come to deliver us. He has taken our naked shame and clothed it with his righteousness. Taken what was in insane rebellion against the creator God and allowed him to sit at his feet sane. To enjoy fellowship with him. We have here the God of Eden who pursues Adam clothes him and restores him. in communion with him. In the gospels to be at Jesus feet is one of the greatest places to be.
and they were afraid. And those who had seen it told them how the demon-possessed man had been healed. Then all the people of the surrounding country of the Gerasenes asked him to depart from them, for they were seized with great fear.
They looked at the wholeness, that quietness, that submission, that sanity and they were afraid. Then they heard who had done it and they were seized with a great fear! There is fear that may draw you to Jesus (v25) and there is fear that may drive you from Jesus (v35) This is the second sort of fear. They heard the news and the whole crowd asked him to leave. Did they fear that Jesus would wreck the pig industry and the whole local economy? Did they love money more then Jesus? Did they fear that God would also judge them in that moment for all they had done? And were overcome with fear! Luke does not expressly say.
But I think he does want us to get a sinking feeling in our heart! NOOO… don’t tell Jesus to go away! Luke want the sadness of people that Ask Jesus to leave to sink into our souls… and Jesus listens, which should grip us with greater fear. Sometimes if you reject him he leaves.
So he got into the boat and returned. The man from whom the demons had gone begged that he might be with him, but Jesus sent him away, saying, “Return to your home, and declare how much God has done for you.”
Previously, the demons who possessed the man spoke to Jesus, begging him not to torment them (v. 28, 31). After his healing, the man himself speaks to Jesus, begging to be with him, which implies that he is seeking to be Jesus’ disciple. Rather than granting the man’s request, Jesus commissions him to return to his city to testify to what God has done for him (vv. 38–39). The man obeys and widely proclaims how Jesus changed his life.
Here is a heavy layer of irony. JC Ryle sums it up, “The Gerasene’s begged Jesus to leave them and their request was granted; and yet the man from whom the demons had departed asked that he might be with Jesus and his request was denied. Jesus continues to baffle us, but also instruct us. Clearly there is more then one way in which to serve Christ, and sometimes our place is bearing witness exactly in the place where we are.
And in one sense, and this is the deeper irony, even Jesus himself left, He did not grant their request for him to leave. He left a testimony of his grace there in that man. . O, to be sure he himself left, yet he sent his own single evangelist back among them.
It reminds me of a story of missionary who wanted to take the gospel to the Gofa region in Ethiopia. The evangelist, along with a team, moved, rented land, built houses, and planted crops. Invited neighbors and shared the gospel. Some received the good news, and prayer houses were built, worship began. But also, people stopped going to witch doctors, no longer paid the priest tax to the orthodox priest, no longer bribed government officials. Lots of the economy was lost. So the government arrested the evangelist and tied his feet together so he had to hop through town, and he was paraded in front of all to show what would happen if you believed in Jesus. Then he ordered him to go back and to take his Jesus with him.
The missionary hopped forward and said, “sir listen, please listen. I can go but the gospel will stay. By the power of God, I have planted Jesus the true vine in Gofa. He is planted in hearts and souls of the Gofa people. I can go but Jesus will stay. That is the gracious defiance of the gospel to all people and rulers that say that Jesus must go. We see it in controls all around the world.
And he went away, proclaiming throughout the whole city how much Jesus had done for him.
They could ask Jesus to go, which is heart rending, but he also stays, because there is loose in the territory of the Gerasene a demon-deprived evangelist who can’t stop talking about what Jesus has done for him.
A couple things in conclusion: First, Do you see that this demon posses man is a picture of humanity without God. Of us without Jesus. Enslaved to the prince of darkness. Alone, naked before the eye of the creator. Dead isolated. Alone. If you find yourself enslaved today. Don’t believe satans lies that his power is too great for the word of the gospel the word of freedom. Here this story today and be healed. Be restored. I don’t know what addiction, what enslavement you have that you have fought against so hard. It is nothing to Jesus.
Second You see Jesus comes to a people and to a country at a cost. That cost was too much for the Gadarenes. They could bear to have Jesus upset their way of life. He will. What is the cost to us? If it cost us our culture or way of life, or language, would that be too much? If it cost our livelihood, would we ask him to finally leave?
Third Do you see that when Jesus heals this person, he knows that he will take his place. That he will hang on that cross for you and for me. That he will be reject by heaven and earth, that he will be numbered among the dead. So that you and I can live.
O church it is only when you see what he has done for you that you will respond. Then there is no question that he is better! Infinitely better that anything you may have to give up. In fact you will consider it all rubbish in comparison with knowing him. Lets return into our work, our school, our world and declare how much Jesus has done for us!
Amen.