DEMONS AND DELIVERANCE

There are four specific instances recorded by Luke where Jesus cast demons out of someone who had been previously possessed.

Why this emphasis upon the casting out of demons? If Jesus is the One who will remove the curse of sin and overthrow the forces of Satan, then He must be able to break the power of the supernatural world.

The initial confrontation between Jesus and Satan took place in the wilderness (Luke 4:1-2). Satan tempted Jesus. Luke told us in detail how Jesus overcame that temptation. But throughout the following chapters, it becomes evident that the power of Jesus goes far beyond just being able to resist the temptations of Satan. It is not what Satan can do to Jesus, but what Jesus can do to Satan.

The reason that Christ came to earth was so that He might destroy the works of the devil. The works of Satan began in the garden of Eden. They began when Satan tempted Adam and the woman and the human race plunged into sin. Jesus came to remove sin from man. He came to purchase men from their slavery to sin. He came to destroy the works of Satan. And in the casting out of demons, He was giving samples of this principle.

This chapter will contain four miracles. It will show the power of Jesus over nature over the supernatural and over life and death.

On the other hand, there is a much smaller town located on the eastern shore of the Sea of Galilee named Gergesa. Origen, one of the early church fathers, stated that this was the site of this miracle. It contains both the steep cliffs and the caves mentioned in the passage.

The previous paragraph ends with Jesus stilling the storm. This section now begins as their boat lands on the eastern shore. The coming of Jesus to this area would result in the lot of one man being made better and in the lot of many men being made worse.

As Jesus and his storm-drenched disciples depart from the boat, they are confronted with a terrifying spectacle. It is "a man from the city who was possessed with demons." Though he was from the city, he had not been living in the city for some time. Instead he had made his abode in the tombs.

This would be a good opportunity to review what the Bible has to say about the subject of demons:

1. Demons are real. They are described under a number of different terms.

(a) Demons.

(b) Unclean spirits.

2. They were especially evident during the ministry of Jesus.
3. They seek to indwell mankind. Many people like to make a distinction between being oppressed, obsessed, possessed, and influenced by demons; but the Bible never makes such distinction.
4. The Bible does not tell us of the origin of the demons, though some have seen Revelation 12:4-9 an allusion to their career. 2 Peter 2:4 speaks of angels that sinned and who were cast down to hell.
5. There seem to be many of them.
6. They are under the leadership of Satan. He is given the title of prince of the powers of the air in Ephesians 2:2.
7. Christ is superior to Satan and any of his demons.

It is interesting to note that of all the instances of demon-possession recorded in the New Testament, not one of them took place within Jerusalem. It seems as though most cases took place in rural settings. Why is this? Perhaps it is because Satan adapts himself to the sophistication of the level of society in which he is working.

Demon activity of this sort seems to be more frequent in the less sophisticated societies where pagan religions are honored. In more sophisticated settings, Satan usually uses other methods.

As we read through this passage, we are left with no doubt as to who is in charge. Even though Jesus may have been numerically out-numbered, He will demonstrate power and authority over the demons.

The demons begin by asking a question: "What business do we have with each other, Jesus, Son of the Most High God?" The implication is that, since Jesus is so very different from the demons, that He should ignore them.

Satan often uses that message. He tells the Christian, "What does the world have to do with you." And as a result, the Christian abandons the world to Satan. He says to the Christian, "What does the public school system have to do with you?" And soon the public school system is teaching only Satan’s lies. He says, "What does the government have to do with you?" And soon, the government is becoming atheistic in nature.

The people of Gergesa did not know who Jesus was. The multitude which Jesus had left back on the seashore had not recognized Him as the Son of God. Even the disciples were asking themselves, "Who is this, that the wind and the sea obey Him?" But the demons knew beyond question the true identity of Jesus. James 2:19 says that the demons believe in God. And they believe in Jesus, too.

There is a lesson here. It is that you can believe all kinds of facts about Jesus and it won’t do you one bit of good. You are not saved by believing facts about Jesus, although it is true that you cannot be saved without believing certain facts about Him. You are saved as you trust in Him and acknowledge Him as your Savior and as your Lord.

The demons have identified Jesus. Now He calls upon them to identify themselves. And he said, "Legion"; for many demons had entered him.

There were 6000 men in a full Roman legion. This does not necessarily mean that there exactly 6000 demons inside of this man, but it does mean that there were a lot of them.

According to Jewish tradition, there were three doors to Gehenna:

• The desert: So they and all that belonged to them went down alive to Sheol; and the earth closed over them, and they perished from the midst of the assembly. (Numbers 16:33).

• The sea: And he said, "I called out of my distress to the LORD, And He answered me. I cried for help from the depth of Sheol; You heard my voice" (Jonah 2:2).

• Jerusalem: "His rock will pass away because of panic, and his princes will be terrified at the standard," declares the LORD, whose fire is in Zion and whose furnace is in Jerusalem (Isaiah 31:9).

The demons did not fear Jewish tradition, but they did fear Jesus. They recognize His power over them and so they ask permission to enter into a nearby herd of pigs. The implication is that, without His permission, they would have been powerless to accomplish this. Do you see what this means? They were bound!

You might be thinking, "They don’t look very bound." And Satan doesn’t look very bound. But that is because he is out on bail. Jesus bound Satan with every demon that was cast out and with every soul that came to faith and repentance. He is still binding Satan today.

Pigs were considered by the Jews to be an unclean animal. The Jews were forbidden to eat pork and they had nothing to do with pigs. But these people are not Jewish. These people are from the cities of the Decapolis. They are Gentiles. Their culture is the culture of the Greeks. And the pig was a holy animal to the Greeks. The pig was to the Greeks what the lamb was to the Jew. It was the animal of sacrifice.

The miracle that Jesus performed in the casting out of these demons was witnessed by three groups of people.

We are not told the reaction of the disciples. I don’t think they had gotten over the miracle of the stilling of the storm. But we DO read of the reaction of the herdsmen. They ran back to report it to the people in the country and in the city. They told everyone.

This is a natural reaction to witnessing the power of God. The reason more so-called Christians do not witness is because they have never really experienced the power of God in their lives. They have nothing of which to witness.

The news brought out a crowd. The crowd saw Jesus and the disciples and the formerly demon-possessed man. And no pigs. Their response was one of fear. And because of their fear, they invited Jesus to leave.

This is not the kind of fear that is the beginning of wisdom. This is not a fear that draws men closer to the Lord. It is a fear which asks for a separation. It is a fear stemming from unbelief and from superstition. It is a sinful fear.

We have not been called to be superstitious. We have been called to be confident before the Lord. We need to replace fear with FAITH.

I think that there was a second reason that they had in asking Jesus to leave. They didn’t want to lose any more pigs. The loss of the pigs represented a significant dollar value and, if Jesus remained in the area, who knew what they might lose next? It made no difference to them that a man had been healed. It made no difference to them that One was in their midst that held that kind of power in His hands. They had lost their pigs. And they were more interested in pigs than in people.

Are there any pigs in your life? I’m not talking about someone with a messy habit. I’m talking about something in your life that is keeping you from Jesus. Maybe you wouldn’t say it the same way these people did, but do you secretly wish that Jesus would go away and leave you and your pigs alone?

What is it that you value more than people? Whatever it is, you need to know that it is only a herd of pigs and that it is going to end up some day in the depths of the sea. Ask the Lord to take your pigs, and He will give you something a lot more valuable in their place.

In contrast to the people of the area who were afraid of Jesus and who wanted Him to leave, there was one man who wanted to remain with Jesus and follow Him. It was the man who had been healed. Jesus refuses. The man will not be permitted to accompany Jesus. There is an interesting contrast.

The request of the demons was granted while the request of the man was refused. There is an interesting lesson here. An answered prayer does not necessarily mean that you are in God’s will. And an unanswered prayer is not necessarily as sign of God’s disfavor.

This man was given a commission. He will serve Jesus, but he will do so without leaving his home. He will be a witness of Jesus to his own people.

Here is the principle. You need not leave your home to be a missionary. Jesus had called the Twelve to leave their homes and to follow Him. But He told this man to stay home and spread the word. He will have a significant ministry right where he is.

The principle is one of obedience. When Jesus says, "Go!" then you go. And when He says, "Stay!" you do that, too.

Can I tell you the rest of the story? Luke doesn’t do that, but when we read Mark’s account, we find that this man became a missionary to the entire Decapolis - this region with its ten major cities. And the next time that Jesus came to this region, they did not act Him to leave. Mark 7:31 tells us of Jesus returning to the Decapolis. And this time the people are ready to listen. A crowd of 4000 people will gather to hear Him preach.

We are like that man. We have been cleansed from the impurity that once polluted us. And now, we have been left behind. Our job is to prepare the way so that, when Jesus comes this way again, people will be ready to meet Him.