How God Delivers the Desperate and Heals the Hopeless

Broken Chains continued

  Finding Peace for the Raging Soul

The Story of the Demoniac

2 of 2

Possessed Pigs

   The demons, now resigned to their fate, knew Jesus was about to evict them from the body and the mind of their victim. They knew the authority of Jesus’ word is supreme. But in a pathetic lust for self-preservation, they hoped to convince Jesus not to cast them into abysmal nothingness. In a loud voice, unified wail, they entreated, “Please do not cast us into the deep. Let us enter the pigs.”

   Just up the shore from the cemetery, a large herd of two thousand pigs foraged along the hillside, grunting and wallowing in the meadow’s muck. Their keepers, painfully aware of the madman’s threatening habits, always tried to track his location and maintain a safe distance. Today they were huddled together, straining their eyes to see what was transpiring with their nemesis down by the lake.

   Glancing first at the pigs and then back at the man before Him, Jesus said just one forceful word to the possessors: “Go!” With that, the wretched man gave one final, mighty convulsion-as if vomiting a cyclone from his belly-and then fell in a heap at the feet of the Rescuer.

   Then the horde of demons that had ravaged the man fell like hail onto the mass of pigs. Instantaneously, the entire herd was awash in panic and pain. Squealing and shrieking with a deafening roar, they began to stampede toward the cliffs rising above the lake. The horrified keepers, huddled behind a tree for protection, could do nothing but watch as the suicidal avalanche of scavengers plunged over the cliffs, tumbled down the sharp rocks, and splashed into the water.

   Then all was quiet and still, save for the stunned keepers. They crept cautiously to the bluff’s edge to peer in disbelief at the churning, crimson water below. They watched as the last few pigs twitched and then disappeared beneath the surface. Not even one survived.

   The keepers returned their gaze to the man they had feared-and to the One who had stood unwavering before him. They watched as Jesus let the now calm soul to the water’s edge and cleansed him. They saw that the shackles and chains that had once encumbered him were now, mysteriously, broken open and stern on the beach.

   Only when they saw Jesus take off His outer robe and place it over the naked man’s shoulders did they finally understand that the demons had gone from him-destroyed in their herd. Terrified and amazed, they fled to the surrounding towns and cities to recount the supernatural event they had witnessed.

   Before the morning was spent, nearly every person in the region gathered on the small beach to see firsthand the transformed man and his Benefactor. Still, an unexplainable fear kept them from venturing too close, so they gazed in amazement from afar at their visitors.

   The disciples, having brought the boat back to shore, sat with Jesus and earnestly spoke to the former demoniac, still robed with Jesus’ clothing. The man, who sat near his Savior’s feet, had a new glint of awareness and intelligence in his eyes, from which tears of gratitude fell, leaving joyful streaks on his cheeks.

   For more than an hour, the thousands of gawking spectators gaped at the small contingent gathered around the little fishing boat. The disciples, always wary, were unsettled by the menacing looks from some people in the crowd. They watched as a discussion between what appeared to be several prominent leaders from the surrounding communities grew increasingly animated. Though they could grasp only a few words being exchanged, because these people spoke Greek, they soon made out that the politicians were more upset than grateful. To them, the economic catastrophe brought about the death of two thousand pigs outweighed the redemption of the man who had terrified them all for so long.

   With disbelief they watched as the small contingent of leaders awkwardly approached Jesus and, in broken Aramaic, made their simple request: “Please leave our territory.” The eyes of the disciples flared with indignation-such rudeness in this ungrateful request! For years, this crazed lunatic had harassed and haunted the entire region. Now they were unharmed only because Jesus had acted. But instead of thanking Jesus or inviting Him to a banquet to honor Him for His miraculous deed, these Gentiles insulted Him!

   The hurt on Jesus’ face was all that expressed His disappointment-He offered no argument and launched no rebuke toward them. Jesus, knowing human hearts, simply stood up, dusted off His sandals, and motioned to the disciples that they should prepare to launch the boat.

   Then the man, whom Jesus had liberated, the man He had freed from the devilish horde, dived to the feet of the Savior and clutched His ankles. He pled, “Lord, let me go with you.”

    With understanding love and tenderness, Jesus answered warmly, “Return to your own house, and tell what great things God has done for you.”

   As the disciples rowed out into open water, this man-the free man of Decapolis-stood on the shore, gazing at his Redeemer until the vessel had disappeared over the distant horizon.

Panorama of Salvation

   Friend, the incredible story you have been reading is my retelling of arguably the most dramatic and profound example in Scripture of total deliverance. This story is the catalyst for everything else you will explore in this study.

   In several ways, the story of Jesus’ encounter with the demonic stands apart from every other story in the New Testament. It is essentially a microcosm of the entire blueprint of redemption, illustrating the devil’s ultimate, cruel designs for humanity contrasted with God’s loving plan for our future. 

   It demonstrates in a disturbing way the reality of evil forces working to destroy our lives. But it also shows how the Lord can deliver us regardless of how hopeless our situation might appear. Indeed, it is a wonderful demonstration of God’s power to cleanse and forgive any man or woman who has sunk to the murkiest depths of sin. And ultimately, it represents how the Lord can save an entire world.

   In the following study, we will mine together the deeper lessons found in this fantastic story, and we will glean a few nuggets-some perhaps obvious, others below the surface.

   I have divided this study into three sections: “Perfectly Lost,” “The Deceptive Devil,” and “The Divine Deliverance.” These sections present the problem, the cause, and the answer. We will consider each fully before moving on to the next.

   Like the story of the demoniac, the Bible’s central message revolves around salvation from sin. It employs three primary characters to tell its story: the Savior, Satan, and lost souls-or Jesus, the devil, and us human beings. If you have a Bible available, I think you will find it handy to keep it within reach as you read this complete study.

   I have combined the account’s of the demoniacs story that appear in the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke. By overlapping the various versions, we can see the whole picture in one pass. This complete picture of the story will be the springboard for the rest of our safari into the science of salvation. I encourage you to read it very carefully because, as you will see, every detail adds a new dimension to understanding God and His wonderful plan of salvation.

   They came to the other side of the sea, to the country of the Gadarenes. And when He had come out of the boat, immediately there met Him out of the tombs a man with an unclean spirit, who had demons for a long time…exceedingly fierce, so that no one could pass that way. And he wore no clothes, nor did he live in a house but in the tombs.

   And no one could bind him, not even with chains, for it had often seized him, and he was kept under guard, bound with chains and shackles; and the chains had been pulled apart and broken in pieces by him; neither could anyone tame him. And he was driven by the devil into the wilderness. And always, night and day, he was in the mountains and in the tombs, crying out and cutting himself with stones.

   When he saw Jesus from afar, he ran and worshipped Him. And he cried out with a loud voice and said, “What have I to do with You, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I implore You by God that You do not torment me before the time.” For He said unto him, “Come out of the man, unclean spirit!”

   Then Jesus asked him, “What is your name?” And he answered, saying, “My name is Legion; for we are many.” Also he begged Him earnestly that He would not command them to go into the abyss.

   Now a large herd of many swine was feeding there near the mountains. So all the demons begged Him, saying, “Send us to the swine, that we may enter them.” And at once Jesus gave them permission; He said to them, “Go.”

Then the unclean spirits went out and entered the swine (there were about two thousand); and the herd ran violently down the steep place into the sea, and drowned in the sea. So those who fed the swine fled, and they told it in the city and in the country and told everyone, including what had happened to the demon-possessed man. And they went out to see what it was that had happened.

   Then they came to Jesus, and saw the one who had been demon-possessed and had the legion, sitting at the feet of Jesus, clothed and in his right mind. And they were afraid. And those who saw it told them how it happened to him who had been demon-possessed, and about the swine. Then they began to plead with Him to depart from their region.

   And when He got into the boat, he who had been demon-possessed begged Him that he might be with Him. However, Jesus did not permit him, but said to him, “Go home to your friends, and tell them what great things the Lord has done for you, and how He has had compassion on you.” And he departed and began to proclaim in Decapolis all that Jesus had done for him; and all marveled. So it was, when Jesus returned, that the multitude welcomed Him, for they were all waiting for Him.*

   *Taken from Mark 5: 1-20; Luke 8: 26-40; and Matthew 8: 28-34, NKJV. Please note that the gospels of Luke and Mark tell this story about one demoniac, while Matthew recounts two demon-possessed men. The apparent discrepancy likely comes from the fact that Mark and Luke saw the second demoniac as passive and thus irrelevant to the story. For simplicity and to avoid confusion, this study will use Mark’s and Luke’s accounts as its foundation.       

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