Mark 5:1–13 (ESV) —
1 They came to the other side of the sea, to the country of the Gerasenes. 2 And when Jesus had stepped out of the boat, immediately there met him out of the tombs a man with an unclean spirit. 3 He lived among the tombs. And no one could bind him anymore, not even with a chain, 4 for he had often been bound with shackles and chains, but he wrenched the chains apart, and he broke the shackles in pieces. No one had the strength to subdue him. 5 Night and day among the tombs and on the mountains he was always crying out and cutting himself with stones. 6 And when he saw Jesus from afar, he ran and fell down before him. 7 And crying out with a loud voice, he said, “What have you to do with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I adjure you by God, do not torment me.” 8 For he was saying to him, “Come out of the man, you unclean spirit!” 9 And Jesus asked him, “What is your name?” He replied, “My name is Legion, for we are many.” 10 And he begged him earnestly not to send them out of the country. 11 Now a great herd of pigs was feeding there on the hillside, 12 and they begged him, saying, “Send us to the pigs; let us enter them.” 13 So he gave them permission. And the unclean spirits came out and entered the pigs; and the herd, numbering about two thousand, rushed down the steep bank into the sea and drowned in the sea.
NOTE: We really don't understand the spiritual dimension. This man, or maybe I should say, these demons, were there soon after Jesus stepped off of the boat. They felt or were warned of his presence. They assumed that Jesus was there to torment them -- which is an extremely important insight into a fallen angel. They are probably tormented day and night by the fact that they revolted against God. And now seeing Jesus, they worry about additional torment. They understand, and at one time knew, God. They plead for mercy. I'm not sure what advantage going into pigs brought, or even, what was the alternative. In another passage, Jesus talks about a demon cast out and then coming back with seven others. Where do they go? When can they come back? We know their future -- the lake of fire, but how does it work today -- that we don't know.
What is the lesson? There is a spiritual dimension and there is a battle going on even now. We need to be very careful in these issues. The bible says to flee from sexual immorality and cultic practices. But for some reason, we prefer hanging around the campfire.
PONDER:
- Are there evil things in my house that need to be thrown away?
- Are there activities that I need to avoid?
PRAYER: Father, help me to be sensitive to evil. Help me to see the schemes of the evil one. Give me strength to say no when tempted to sin, as Jesus taught us to pray -- lead me not into temptation but deliver me from evil.
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