His
condition excluded him from ordinary human society.
From what we are told later it seems that he was
running around naked.
He
had his dwelling among the tombs, among the graves
of dead people. Their tombs were out of the cities,
in desolate places. Perhaps the devil drove him to
the tombs. The touch of a grave was polluting, Num
19:16
. The unclean spirit drives people into company that
is defiling, and so keeps hold of them. Christ, by
rescuing souls out of Satan's power, saves the
living from among the dead.
He
was very strong and uncontrollable. No man could
bind him which was necessary for his own safety, and
for the safety of others. Even chains and fetters of
iron could not hold him. Some sinners are like this
man. Their capacity for evil is evidence of the
power of the devil in them.
He
was a terror and torment to himself and to all those
around him, v. 5. The devil is a cruel master to
those who are in his clutches. People out of their
mind, for whatever reason, are often prone to wound
and hurt themselves. Self harming is not a new
phenomenon although it has recently come back into
prominence in our day. The worshippers of Baal in
their fury cut themselves, like this man (1Kings
18:27
-28). The voice of God is, Do thyself no harm (Acts
16:28
). It is the voice of Satan that encourages people
to do all the harm they can to themselves and others
yet God's word is despised, and Satan's is heeded.
When he saw Jesus coming ashore, he ran, and
worshipped him. He usually ran upon others with
rage, but he ran to Christ with reverence. What was
done by an invisible hand of Christ could not be
done with chains and fetters. His fury was suddenly
curbed. Even the devil, in this poor creature, was
forced to recognise the power of Christ, and bow to
him. The poor man came, and worshipped Christ,
sensing the need he had of his help to overcome the
power of Satan in him.
The word of command Christ gave to the unclean
spirit, to quit his possession (v. 8); Come out of
him, thou unclean spirit. He put the desire for
relief into the man when he enabled him to run, and
worship him, and then put forth his power for the
man’s relief. If Christ works in us to pray for
deliverance from Satan, He will work for us the
deliverance for which we have prayed. Here is an
instance of the power and authority with which
Christ commanded the unclean spirits, and they
obeyed him, Mark 1:27. He said, “Come out of the
man”. The purpose of Christ's gospel is to expel
unclean spirits out of the souls of people so that
the Holy Spirit may enter. He will take possession
of the heart, and have dominion in it for Jesus.
The man ran, and worshipped Christ; but it was the
devil in the man, that cried with a loud voice
(making use of the poor man's tongue), “What have
I to do with thee?” v. 7. Just as that other
unclean spirit in Mark 1:24.
He
calls God the most high God, above all other gods.
God was known among the Phoenicians, and the other
nations that bordered upon
Israel
by that name the devil calls him.
He
owns Jesus to be the Son of God. It is not unusual
to hear the best words drop from the worst mouths.
There is such a way of saying this that can only be
attained by the Holy Spirit (1 Cor 12:3); yet it may
be said, after a fashion, by unclean spirits. Do not
judge people by their pious words but by their
fruits you shall know them. Piety from the teeth
outward is an easy thing.
He
deprecates his wrath; I adjure thee, that is,
"I earnestly beseech thee, by all that is
sacred, I beg of thee for God's sake, by whose
permission I have got possession of this man, that,
though you drive me out of him, yet do not torment
me. Don’t stop me from doing mischief somewhere
else.
Christ
asked him, “What is your name?” Christ demands
this, so that those around Him might appreciate the
vast numbers and power of those malignant spirits.
“My name is Legion, for we are many”. A legion
of soldiers among the Romans consisted, some say, of
six thousand men, others of twelve thousand, five
hundred but the number of a legion with them, like
that of a regiment today, was not always the same.
Now this suggests that the devils are,
Military powers;
a legion is a number of soldiers in arms. The devils
war against God and his glory, Christ and his
gospel, men and their holiness and happiness. We are
to resist them and wrestle against them. Eph 6:12.
They are numerous;
he boasts “We are many.” There are multitudes of
apostate spirits all enemies to God and man. Here
was a legion posted to keep garrison in one poor
wretched creature’s life. There are many enemies
that rise up against us.
They are very powerful.
Who can stand before a legion? In our own strength
we are not a match for our spiritual enemies, but in
the Lord, and in the power of his might, we shall be
able to stand against them, though there are legions
of them.
The request of this legion is that Christ would
allow them to go into a herd of swine that was
feeding in the nearby mountains (v. 11), those
mountains which the demoniacs haunted, v. 5.
Their request was, that he would allow them to enter
into the swine, an unclean animal to the Jews.
Christ gave them permission to enter into the swine,
and this led to the immediate destruction of the
swine. He gave them leave (v. 13), he did not forbid
or restrain them, he let them do as they had a mind.
He would let the Gadarenes see what powerful
spiteful enemies devils are so that they might be
induced to make him their Friend. He alone was able
to control and conquer unclean spirits.
Immediately
the unclean spirits entered into the swine, which by
the law were unclean creatures, and naturally love
to wallow in the mire, the fittest place for them.
Those that, like the swine, delight in the mire of
sensual lusts, are fit habitations for Satan, unlike
those habitations of the Holy Spirit who delight in
Godliness. The consequence of the devils entering
into the swine, was, that they all ran mad
presently, and ran headlong into the adjoining sea,
where they were all drowned. The number of them was
two thousand.
The news of this immediately spread through the
whole countryside. Those who fed the swine, hurried
to the owners, to give them an account of what had
happened to their pigs v. 14. This drew the people
together, to see what was done: and,
When
they saw how wonderfully the poor man was cured,
they were afraid.. They saw the man that was
possessed with the devil. They knew him well enough,
because they had many times been frightened at the
sight of him. Now they were surprised to see him
sitting clothed and in his right mind. When Satan is
cast out, he came to himself, and was his own man.
Those who are grave and sober, and live by rule and
with consideration, thereby make it appear that by
the power of Christ the devil's power is broken in
their souls. The sight of this made them afraid; it
astonished them, and forced them to own the power of
Christ, and that he is worthy to be feared.
That is a striking name for a man, "he that had
been possessed with the devil" Mark
5:18
. It would stick to him as long as he lived, and it
would be a standing sermon wherever he went. He
would be asked to tell the story of what he used to
be, and how the change came about. What a story for
any man to tell! It would not be possible for us to
describe his life while he was a demoniac-the
midnight scenes among the tombs, the cutting of
himself with stones, the howling, the frightening
away of all the travellers that went near him, the
binding with chains, the snapping of the manacles,
the breaking of the fetters, and a great many
details that he alone could enter into when he told
the story among his own familiar friends. With what
pathos would he tell how Jesus came that way, and
how the evil spirit forced him to confront him! He
would say, "That was the best thing that could
have happened to me, to be brought to the Master of
that desperate legion of demons, which had encamped
within my nature, and made my soul to be its
barracks." He would tell how, in a moment, out
went the whole legion at the word of Christ.
There are some people who could tell a story very
like this man's, a story of slavery to Satan, and
deliverance by the power of Christ. If you can tell
such a story, do not keep it to yourself. If Jesus
has done great things for thee, be ever ready to
speak of it, till all men shall know what Christ can
do. I think that great sinners who have been saved
are specially called upon to publish the good news,
the gospel of the grace of God. If you have been
valiant against the truth, be valiant for the truth.
If you were not lukewarm when you served Satan, be
not lukewarm now that you have come to serve Christ.
He owned that he was possessed with the devil once;
and he glorified God that he had been delivered by
the Lord Jesus.
We find in the seventeenth verse that, "they
began to pray him to depart out of their
coasts" Mark
5:17
. In the eighteenth verse, "he that had been
possessed with the devil prayed him that he might be
with him" Mark
5:18
. The people wanted Christ to go away from them; the
man whom he had cured wanted to go wherever he might
go. Which class do you belong, my dear friend?
When they found that their swine were lost, they
decided that, in spite of His power, they did not
want Jesus staying around those parts. They asked
him to depart, for they cannot think of any good He
can do them to make up for the loss of so many
swine. It may be they were fat swine and ready for
the market.
Then there is an account of the conduct of the poor
man after his deliverance.
He wanted to go with Christ (v. 18), perhaps for
fear the evil spirit should again seize him. It may
be that he wanted to receive more instruction from
Jesus and was unwilling to stay among those
heathenish people that desired Jesus to depart. When
we are freed from the devil’s power we covet
fellowship with Christ.
Christ would not allow him to go with him, so that
he might learn that Christ could protect him and
instruct him at a distance. Besides, Jesus had other
work for this man to do. He must go home to his
friends, and tell them what great things the Lord
had done for him.
The man, in his joy, proclaimed all the country
over, what great things Jesus had done for him, v.
20. This is a debt we owe both to Christ and to our
brethren that he may be glorified and they edified.
Notice the effect of it. Many marvelled but few went
any further. Many that wonder at the works of Christ
still do not wonder after him.
