Mark 5 - A Healthy View of The Devil's Power!
Verses of the Day
A large herd of pigs was feeding on the nearby hillside. 12 The demons begged Jesus, “Send us among the pigs; allow us to go into them.” 13 He gave them permission, and the impure spirits came out and went into the pigs. The herd, about two thousand in number, rushed down the steep bank into the lake and were drowned.
Commentary
Jesus continued to do many more signs and wonders, showing that the kingdom of God had drawn near through him. The crowds continued to follow him, wherever he went. He healed a woman who had a bleeding condition, which could often be deadly in his day. The woman had this condition for 12 years, and the doctors could not do anything about it, which left her broke. But after hearing about Jesus, perhaps she thought, "I have one last hope." So while Jesus was surrounded by the mob of people, she managed to grab his cloak, and instantly she was healed. Now that's some power.
Jesus was on the way to a synagogue leader's house, whose twelve year old daughter was dying, according to her father. As it turned out, by the time Jesus got there, they had pronounced her dead. Jesus assured them she was not dead, and took her by the hand and said, "Little girl, get up!"And she did.
But I picked the story about Jesus delivering the Gerasene demon from a legion of demons for today's Daily Bread. This is one of the first times we have heard the number of demons being quantified. When we see the destruction the man did to everything around him, including himself, it explains why he had this supernatural power. Remember, the devil and his dark angels have power, but they are limited and subject to the authority of Jesus.
We also see in this story that the demons could talk and ask questions. And, they were some of the first to recognize Jesus. The man who had become a host of the legion of demons said to Jesus, "Jesus, Son of the God most high, don't torture me."
So the demon possessed knowledge about who Jesus was and where he came from. It is only when Jesus asks him his name, does he reveal that there are many other demons with him inhabiting this man's body. Interestingly, they start bargaining with Jesus about what he is going to do with them and where he is going to send them. It's kind of ironic that Jesus doesn't totally obliterate them. Maybe because they are spirits they have an eternal quality to them, though in the end times we know they will be destroyed and thrown into a lake of fire. But for now, we continue to contend with them.
As Paul says in Ephesians 6, our battle is not against flesh and blood, but principalities and powers of this present darkness. As I mentioned yesterday, Mark seems to mention the devil a lot more than the other gospels. Here are some distinctives of Mark relating to the demonic. He uses the name Satan rather than the devil, which Matthew and Luke use. Mark gives more detail on exorcisms, whereas Matthew and Luke focus on the nature of temptation by the devil. Mark focuses on the literal encounters Jesus has with Satan and the power and authority Jesus has over him which will ultimately be shown on the cross. It makes sense because the word "devil" describes Satan, who is the tempter. But Satan is his name.
Luke 10:18 quotes Jesus as saying, "I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven". This comes after the 72 disciples came back saying, "Even the demons submitted to us in Your name!"
1. There are two extremes the church has had over the years regarding the demonic. One is the idea that there is a "demon in every bush". These are people who overemphasize the devil rather than focusing on the power and authority we have in Jesus' name.
The other extreme says these passages are not literal. The devil and his demons just represent evil in general. These are often people who deny the literal resurrection and think it is just a theme of the victory of good over evil.
As you can see they are both in error. A healthy view regarding the spiritual forces of darkness acknowledge that the devil and his dark angels do exist. They do have some power, but it is limited. We can't blame the devil on our sins, as the comedian Flip Wilson said, "The devil made me do it".
Though the devil can tempt us to sin he can never override our free will not to do it. Also, we don't have to be afraid of the devil, which movies like the "Exorcist" created in people. I remember it. It freaked me out! But the devil does like to scare people. But if you realize yes, he is real, but greater is He that is in me than he that is in the world. Like Jesus' disciples, we can cast out demons and rebuke them when we sense they are afflicting a brother or sister in Christ.
I doubt Jesus gave his early disciples the power to exorcise demons, and then at some point said. "Well, that period is over, nobody else really needs to exercise dominion in that spiritual battle." We see plenty going on in our world that suggests that Satan and his minions are alive and well. But Jesus has given us the Armor of God to defeat him with just one WORD!
The Armor of God
10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. 11 Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. 12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. 13 Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. 14 Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, 15 and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. 16 In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17 Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God!"
Prayer
Jesus, we know you defeated our enemy Satan once and for all on the cross. In the meantime he still rages about trying to tempt us, afflict us, and try to get us to buy into his lies. Help us to put on the armor of God so that we might advance your kingdom here on earth as it is in heaven until you return to throw Satan and all of his angels in a lake of fire. Amen.
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