There’s more to the world than we see. That is true in several ways. We only see a specific spectrum of colors and light. There is microscopic life all around us that we can’t see unless aided by a microscope. The jar of tomato sauce that seems to become invisible when our wife sends us to retrieve it. And there is a spiritual world with entities, holy, clean, and unclean. In our next section of Mark, Jesus encounters a legion of the unclean variety.
The narrative begins, “They came to the other side of the sea, to the region of the Gerasenes. As soon as he got out of the boat, a man with an unclean spirit came out of the tombs and met him. He lived in the tombs, and no one was able to restrain him anymore—not even with a chain—because he often had been bound with shackles and chains, but had torn the chains apart and smashed the shackles. No one was strong enough to subdue him. Night and day among the tombs and on the mountains, he was always crying out and cutting himself with stones.” (Mark 5:1–5, CSB) The entire event is covered in Mark 5:1-20
The man was demon-possessed. Throughout the passage, there is a continuity of things clean and unclean. Jesus identifies the spirits as unclean as He evicts them from the man. The pigs that the demons begged to enter were unclean according to Mosaic Law. The entire event demonstrates Jesus’ authority over the spiritual realms as the Son of God. And the transformation of the man reminds us that what is unclean can become clean and whole again.
Demons and unclean spirits are real. But so is God’s authority over them. We don’t have time in a short devotional to deal with deliverance and inner healing ministries. Demons are real, but neither are they under every rock or behind every thing that doesn’t go as we desire or expect. Demons are real, but not all who act erratically or sinfully are demon-possessed. One of the gifts of the Holy Spirit is the discernment of spirits. The best thing we can do when we wonder about circumstances and people’s behavior is pray for wise discernment. The root of the problem may be demonic, natural, or medical.
Let me give you an example. This past winter was difficult. It seemed that every time I was scheduled to participate on the worship team or speak, I’d get a painful attack of gout. When the pattern developed, I prayed for insight. Was it demonic? Was it medical? Was it God steering me in a different direction? Sometimes God uses pain as a megaphone to get our attention. The demonic used it to create doubt, confusion, and fear. God used it to deepen my reliance on Him. Ultimately, the root was genetic and solved by an inexpensive daily pill that lowers my uric acid.
Returning to the lakeside. Jesus permits the legion of demons to leave the man and enter a herd of pigs. Who then ran off a cliff into the sea and drowned. We see that self-destructive behaviors are both in the man and in the pigs when demon-possessed. The pig farmers looked for the cause of their loss and discovered Jesus and the healed man, now dressed and peaceful. Afraid, the pig farmers asked Jesus to leave.
“As he was getting into the boat, the man who had been demon-possessed begged him earnestly that he might remain with him. Jesus did not let him but told him, “Go home to your own people, and report to them how much the Lord has done for you and how he has had mercy on you.” So he went out and began to proclaim in the Decapolis how much Jesus had done for him, and they were all amazed.” (Mark 5:18–20, CSB)
This is a bit unusual. Often, Jesus would tell folks to keep their healing a secret. But here He’s commissioning a missionary to go into the region and proclaim about Jesus. Later, Jesus would return to that region to be welcomed by a crowd.
When thinking about the spiritual realities of our world there is one thing to remember. “You are from God, little children, and you have conquered them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world.” (1 John 4:4, CSB)
- Mark: An Unclean Legion - June 11, 2025
- Mark – Be Still - June 9, 2025
- Mark: An Insignificant Seed - June 4, 2025
