An Intimate Moment with a Possessed Man (Mark 5:1-20)

Gire states:
"He is a man possessed with demons. They drive him to violence...There he froths about like a rabid animal, living on the ragged, outer fringe of humanity...His hair is a matted tangle of filth. His body is scarred white around his wrists and ankles where manacles once tried to restrain him. His haggard body is gashed with the self-inflicted punishment of stones. Barely a vestige of humanity remains...How did this image of God become become so marred and defaced?"

My heart takes pity on this man. Would I be afraid to be around him? Oh, yes. I don't think I could be. It would truly take the Lord moving my feet, my body to go see this man, in this condition. Gire asks, "Was he not once some mother's little boy?" I look at pictures of criminals, of someone who has murdered, etc. and as I stare in that face and those eyes, I do see a little boy who became someone twisted. I always wonder where, at what point in his life was the turning point? The point of no return. So often when I look at the eyes I ponder what potential there was in the mind and heart of that 'little boy.'

For me, this behavior shows that demon possession is not merely a sickness or insanity of a person but a desperate attempt by satan to distort and destroy God's image in man.

Once Christ was on the ground, this possessed man met Christ. The three things that jumped out to me indicating the man was fully aware of Jesus and His superior power and divine origin are:

1. The man knelt before Christ, not in worship but in paying Him homage.
2. He used Jesus' divine name (Jesus, Son of the Most High God) in an attempt to gain control over Him.
3. He was very brazen in his appeal to Christ not to punish him.

I shutter when I think of how many evil powers had control over this man. Mark 5:9 states, "...My name is Legion; for we are many." I find the interchanging of the pronouns (my, we) interesting. It shows me there was one leader over the combined forces. These demons did not desire to be sent to their final punishment but rather, preferred to stay in the area.

The word "Legion" denoted a Roman army regiment of about 6,000 soldiers...at least we know in this story it represented a very large number. I think this is a relatively Gentile area because of the large herd of pigs. Jews considered pigs unclean animals and would not partake of them.

Knowing that they were subject to Christ they made an appeal to enter the pigs. They desired this over the disembodied state until the final judgment. Jesus gave them what they asked. Can you imagine seeing a herd of pigs, minding their own business, suddenly turn and race off a cliff and drown in water? I think the original literally says, "one after another they drowned themselves."

After all this, the people desired Jesus to leave. Even after seeing the demon possessed man whole and clean again. I'm sure there was some fear of Jesus' supernatural powers but I think more likely they were afraid of financial ruin. They felt they couldn't afford to lose any more money if Christ turned around and did this same type of thing again. This truly saddens me because there is no record that He ever returned to that area.

I love how the clean man "implored" Christ to let him go with him, like in the same manner as the disciples. Yet Christ told him to go home to his family and report to them what all had happened with him and his meeting with Christ. Probably the reason Jesus didn't tell this man to keep silent about what had happened to him is because it was a predominately Gentile area where Christ was not welcome. So He allowed the man to be very vocal about what Christ had done for him and the mercy He had extended toward him.

This whole story very clearly shows how some people, no matter the miracle, will be repelled by Christ while others are so attracted to Him. One thing for sure, one man's storm is another man's dream come true!

What a picture of us before Christ! Not that we were possessed but we certainly were dead. We didn't even KNOW we were dead until God began to work in us. How thankful and grateful I am that He looked my way. Thank You, Lord, for giving me Life and giving it to me ABUNDANTLY!