Doug Van Pelt

The Gerasene Demoniac

What would you do with a possessed person? I mean, what if he acted like this guy in Mark, Chapter 5? He would be bound hand and feet in chains ... and still break free. Now, he was getting stronger and couldn't even be bound any more. This would be frustrating.

I am amazed at how some school teachers deal with a problem child. I mean, some of the stories I hear are intense. Some kids have the strength of a couple men, and some of these kids openly defy any authority and bully those around them. These teachers (and fellow students) have to operate in a structure where nothing is done to this walking problem until they cross the line. Their second, third, and 400th chances are a real trial to someone's patience. The author here describes kind of a similar situation. This guy is out of control ... and he approaches Jesus just as He gets out of a boat after a journey.

I think it's cool that Jesus dealt with demon possessed people. He proved His authority by successfully casting out so many evil spirits from people. Some were sick, some were tormented, some were a danger to those around them. The words of Jesus commanded respect and obedience from these spirits. But a look at the Scriptures does not show Jesus being on some sort of campaign to rid the region of devils. He didn't go snooping around looking for demons, calling them out of hiding. No, they came to Him. When they did, He dealt with them consistently and with formidable power.

This particular spirit (or spirits, as the case was) spoke to Jesus a lot in this encounter. Even after Jesus told the spirit to come out of the man, the spirit persisted. I'm sure biblical scholars will debate this,* but I happen to think that Jesus operated within His self-imposed limitations as a man in this (and every other event in His life on earth), not grasping or using His God skills as God to identify exactly how many spirits were in this guy. I could be wrong and the spirit could have lied, too. Legion could just be one spirit and not many. We can never trust a demon at his word. Jesus could have been asking questions strictly for the benefit of His followers to hear and learn; but I believe that Jesus only knew supernatural stuff and supreme, divine knowledge when it was given to Him from His Father through the Spirit -- just as a Christian man or woman can do here on earth (when the Spirit gives us knowledge or power, then we can use it). This fits into my theology that Jesus was an example to us as a man living filled with the Holy Spirit. He talked to God and got His information from His Father just like we can. I think one of the purposes for His time on earth was to simply show us and lead us by example. "Do it this way," I think His life told us.

The demons begged Jesus not to send them out of the area. Hmmm. They must've liked this region. They asked Jesus to cast them into a herd of swine nearby. In an unusual move (or intriguing one, at least), Jesus granted these demons their request and let them enter the pigs. They all rushed over the hillside and drowned in the lake -- about 2,000 pigs. That's a lot of money. While the people in the area were amazed at seeing the Gerasene Demoniac dressed (not naked and freaking out) and in his right mind, they were impressed. I get the feeling, though, that they were not too impressed at the loss of their farm animals. They pled with Jesus to leave.

As He was getting in the boat to leave, the dude begged Him to let him come along. Jesus told him, "No." He instructed him to: "Go home to your family and tell them how much the Lord has done for you, and how He has had mercy on you." This guy obeyed and all those people listened and were amazed. It's a pretty cool story.

Once again, Mark writes an "action" chapter that moves along briskly.

On His way to heal a girl who was ill, Jesus walked through a crowd. Unknown to Him (apparently*), a woman was approaching Him with one thought on her mind, 'I must touch the hem of His garment, and then I will be healed.' When this very thing indeed happened, Jesus sensed power leaving Him. I have never experienced something like this; where I felt God's healing power leave my body. At least I cannot recall such an event. I have certainly prayed for people to be made well. And I believe some of those people have been healed; but I don't recall ever sensing power leave me. Anyway, so Jesus starts asking questions, to find out who did this. When He does, he calls her "Daughter" and tells her that her faith has healed her. "Go in peace and be freed from your suffering." That is intense stuff. I wonder if using the label "Daughter" has something to do with signifying that she was in a right spiritual relationship with her heavenly Father...?

I wonder if Jesus was "storing" or at least very aware of the spiritual/healing power in His body as He was marching to this man's house to pray for his ill child. Maybe that would explain why He sensed some of the power leaving -- that He was concentrating on that very power. On the way there they are informed that this man's daughter has died. Jesus ignored that report, telling those with Him, "Don't be afraid; just believe." When he came to the house, there was a lot of commotion there. I think this story is told in another Gospel (Luke 8), and we hear about these people mourning and wailing. A lot of biblical scholars agree that these were probably "professional mourners," whom a family would hire to give them empathetic sound effects to help the family and friends get into the process of mourning. It sounds weird to our culture, but it might've had some measure of emotional and mental health benefits to do something like that. Death is a time to grieve and cry and mourn.

Jesus seems very much in control, like a confident quarterback in a two-minute drill. He kind of knows what He's going to do, and He instructs a few of His disciples and the girl's parents to come inside with Him. He told the girl to wake up and she did! He raised this little 12-year-old girl from the dead. That is amazing.

I wonder if the professional mourners (and musicians?) changed their tune and launched into a jubilant, celebratory song once the girl had come outside. That had to be an intense experience for all present.

Posted by Doug Van Pelt at October 28, 2008 04:47 PM