Authority over Demons (Part 1). Mark 5:1-6.
They came to the other side of the sea, to the country of the Gerasenes. And when Jesus had stepped out of the boat, immediately there met him out of the tombs a man with an unclean spirit. He lived among the tombs. And no one could bind him anymore, not even with a chain, For he had often been bound with shackles and chains, but he wrenched the chains apart and broke the shackles in pieces. No one had the strength to subdue him. Night and day among the tombs and on the mountains he was always crying out and cutting himself with stones. And when he saw Jesus from afar, he ran and fell down before him.
Dear Family,
So far, Mark has selected events and occasions in which Jesus demonstrated authority to forgive sins (2:5-12), authority over nature (4:35-41), and now, authority over the spirits.
Spirit (vv. 1-2). The region of the Gerasenes was on the Eastern side of the Jordan River. A lot of the people who lived there were gentiles, not Jews. The man who met Jesus was demon-possessed. That means the evil spirit controlled him and the things he did were dictated by the spirit. This is not to say that the man could not think. He could, but he was under the control of the unclean spirit.
Shackles (vv. 3-4). The demoniac lived among the tombs. The evil spirit gave him so much strength that he tore apart the chains and shackles people had bound him with. He was bound either to prevent him from harming himself, or harming others and destroying property, or both. But all had failed to tame him.
Suffering (v. 5). The spirit controlling the man was not kind. His “crying out” constantly is an indication that he was suffering. But the unclean spirit made the man cut himself with stones over and over again. The spirit is a servant of the devil, who only comes “to steal and kill and destroy” (John 10:10). There is no good that will come out of dalliance with Satan. We would be well advised to have nothing to do with him.
Submission (v. 6). The man who could not be bound or controlled “saw Jesus from afar. He ran and fell down before him.” This was an act that recognized the power and authority of Jesus. It is what ordinary people did before kings. It is also what people sometimes did when they approached the presence of God in worship. The man who could not be bound would prostrate himself before Jesus. The spirit controlling him had met a greater and more powerful person.
Your Loving Pastor Chris.