Thursday, December 6, 2018

The Great Things of God!

(This message (download here) was preached at Covenant Reformed Baptist Church on Dec. 3, 2018.)


THESIS: God does his work among all people in even the very worst of conditions – He will get glory!

 How do we glorify the God we worship?
Scripture reading: Then 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 his dwelling among the tombs; and no one could bind him, not even with chains, because he had often been bound with shackles and chains. And the chains had been pulled apart by him, and the shackles broken in pieces; neither could anyone tame him. 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 worshiped 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.” For He said to him, Come out of the man, unclean spirit!” Then He asked him, What is your name?”
And he answered, saying, “My name is Legion; for we are many.” 10 Also he begged Him earnestly that He would not send them out of the country.
11 Now a large herd of swine was feeding there near the mountains. 12 So all the demons begged Him, saying, “Send us to the swine, that we may enter them.” 13And at once Jesus gave them permission. 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.
14 So those who fed the swine fled, and they told it in the city and in the country. And they went out to see what it was that had happened. 15 Then they came to Jesus, and saw the one who had been demon-possessed and had the legion, sitting and clothed and in his right mind. And they were afraid. 16 And those who saw it told them how it happened to him who had been demon-possessed, and about the swine. 17 Then they began to plead with Him to depart from their region.
18 And when He got into the boat, he who had been demon-possessed begged Him that he might be with Him. 19 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.” 20 And he departed and began to proclaim in Decapolis all that Jesus had done for him; and all marveled. (Mark 5:1-20)

I.                Background info (Mark 5:1-5)

A.  Matthew:

1.    That there were two “exceedingly fierce” men.

2.    What Christ said, “Go” Present active imperative;

B.  Luke

1.    Tells us the man was naked.

2.    He had been possessed for a long time.

As we begin to examine the account before us, I want to point out that this event is recorded in all 3 synoptic gospels, but the largest single account is here in Mark. 

Notwithstanding, both Matthew and Luke have some detail Mark does not have. Matthew tells us of 2 men – exceedingly fierce. Matthew also adds a bit to our dialog, one word really, telling us what Christ specifically said to permit the demons to depart to the pigs. Luke tells us the man was naked and that he had been demonized for a long time.
When we consider these things alongside of Mark, we see a very unique picture of a gentile, long possessed by demons, naked, with scars and other cuts on his limbs, perhaps even on his face. We see a sort of powerful wild man, running and screaming. Not the kind of thing you want to see after a long arduous sea trip. 
Let’s consider this a moment. Why did Christ go to the Gadarenes in the first place? Today we are really not sure exactly where this city is, but we know at least this – it was on the gentile side of the lake, known as Decapolis. The particular name of the city is textually in dispute as some earlier manuscripts have Gerasenes. This information does not help us identify the location however and so we are left only with a coastal city, on the eastern side of the lake.
That the people were gentiles is also shown in the herd of swine they were caring for. Pigs were an unclean food according to Leviticus since it divides the hoof but doesn’t chew the cud. So again I ask you, why did Christ even go here? I hope to answer this question this evening.

C.  Mark

1.               Described as a man with an “unclean spirit”

2.               Among the tombs.

3.               No one could tame or subdue him.

4.               Always he was cutting himself and crying out

Mark describes him as “a man with an unclean spirit.” This is a very interesting phrase. He is called a man with something. He’s not subhuman – though you might think that very thing – he is a man…with an unclean spirit. And the Greek here doesn’t reveal to us anything more than the English does. This man lived in the tombs. That’s a significant statement also, because – who lives in the cemetery? Only a crazy person right? Mark also tells us no one could bind him with chains telling us that he’s worse today than at the first when he was demonized. Mark tells us no one could even subdue him – some translations use the word “tame” like he was a wild animal.

II.              The incident itself (Mark 5:6-13a)

 A.  The man sees Jesus from afar – he comes and worships him. Here the NKJV translates the word as worship, but considering the actor as a man demonized, it might be also be translated knelt-down (as the ESV, NASB, CSB, and most others do). It depends on who is the prime actor – the man, or the demons. Luke in his account uses a different Greek word that means precisely to fall down.


B.  The Dialog: 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. Come out of the man, unclean spirit! What is your name? My name is Legion; for we are many. (All the demons) - Send us to the swine, that we may enter them. Go.


Notice the title this demon gives to Christ – he calls him “son of the Most High God.” The use the phrase “the Most High God” is almost exclusively used to refer to the God of Israel. In fact, we read it of Melchizedek the priest of Salem. It is also found in Daniel a number of times nearly 600 years before Christ in the mouth of Nebuchadnezzar. But this demon references not the Father but the Son. Jesus, the Son of the Most High God. We might not expect the high compliment from a demon – except for one fact; This adversary (from the demon’s perspective) had power over the demon and he know it! 
He starts immediately to plead his cause. He’s the enemy and he knows he is in the jurisdiction of Christ. Does he actually fear torment, or is he trying to defame Christ and his justice? We can only speculate. Christ commands him to come out and also asks him his name. Christ’s command is in the imperfect tense, almost as though the demon had in his first statement interrupted our Lord.
The demonic response of Legion for we are many is really revelatory. Until this admission we have no idea that there are more than one. In fact, as we read on in the account you will notice that Mark seems to struggle with the pronouns and plurality. Look at verse 10, “Also he begged Him earnestly that He would not send them out of the country.” Verse 12 is even more confusing as we wonder how it is Mark knows it is all the demons who ask to be sent into the pigs! Matthew agrees with Mark at this point. I can’t tell you how it was determined that the whole lot of them were asking, but I won’t argue with the Scripture. The best way to handle this is to simply consider those plural pronouns (send us…that we) as the verbal cues which the apostles used to discern this.

III.            The results therein (Mark 5:13b-20)

A.  The swine are destroyed.

B.  The swineherds tell everyone.

I don’t have too many comments on this except to say consider how it is that though these swine have real value both monetarily and from the standpoint of being a creature of God, Christ values the demonized Man so much greater that it seems a non-issue to him that these pigs will die for sake of this single gentile man. And note how it is no small issue to the swineherds so much that they tell of this event to everyone everywhere.

C.  They saw and were afraid.

1.        Mark now describes him as ‘the one who had been demon-possessed and had the legion’ literally  demonized.

2.        He was sitting, in his right mind, and dressed.

3.        They told how it happened – They were witnesses to the event

4.        They pleaded that he leave

Here now is a very interesting bit of information. Before the exorcism we read Marks’ description as “a man with the unclean spirit.” Now he is “the one who had been demon-possessed” or perhaps a better phrase – what I have been using, demonized. Why the change? Well think about the man and how he has changed. Seated, sane and clear minded. Wearing clothes… The demonized man is not demonized anymore. And it shows in his outward state. I wonder when it was that this man had a cogent conversation with anyone. Perhaps years – remember Luke said he’d been this way for a long time. 
And the swineherds who witnessed this event had spread the word – so now people are coming around from the city and asking Christ to leave. This is probably out of fear, Mark tells us they were afraid. We might speculate other causes – but why bother. The answer of fear makes good sense. Fear of the power of this unknown ‘Jesus’, fear of a further loss of wages, even perhaps fear that this ‘healing’ might not stick. They’d also seen this man for a long time in this horrible state.
But as I thought about the change in descriptors (from a man with an unclean spirit to him who was demonized) I was looking at the Greek words underlying it and came across a very curious form in verse 18. Depending on your translation you might note that in verses 15 and 16 the same phrase, “who had been demon-possessed” appears as in verse 18, but in 18 there is a change in the tense from present to aorist. Then it hit me. In my NKJV the partial phrase “who had been” was in italics. These are words supplied by the translators – but aren’t in the original. These swineherds saw this man as the demonized, not as the former demoniac. But Christ and the apostles knew this was the real deal.

D. The freed man who had been demon-possessed begs to go with Christ.

1.     This man had been marked by his former condition. He had physical scars from cutting himself. He had a reputation – remember how long a time he lived like this, naked, among tombs, screaming out at all times, untamable with superhuman strength to break his chains.

This man would always be ‘the demoniac’ who had been saved. He would always be that guy with all the crazy past and scars to prove it. Have you ever made a mistake, or committed a sin so grievous, you are always known by it in certain contexts? This was our man. And notice one thing further – we’re never given his name.

2.     Christ forbids him to come – and in an unusual twist doesn’t tell him to keep silent about the matter, but to go home and tell everyone.

        a)     About the great things the Lord has done

        b)       About the Lord’s mercy

3.     He left and began to tell them all that Jesus had done

Why does Christ go across the lake to a people forsaken, at least forsaken from the Jewish point of view, and to a man so helpless and unclean and help him? That was one of our questions in the beginning. Note how Christ forbids him to come in verse 19. “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.” Yet this is exactly the opposite of Christ’s usual request. An example – Upon healing a leper, “And He charged him to tell no one, “But go and show yourself to the priest, and make an offering for your cleansing, as a testimony to them, just as Moses commanded.” (Luke 5:14, See also Matt 8:4, 9:30)


We read of this in Matt. 12:15b – 21, “And great multitudes followed Him, and He healed them all. Yet He warned them not to make Him known, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Isaiah the prophet (Isa. 42:1-4), saying:
Behold! My Servant whom I have chosen, My Beloved in whom My soul is well pleased! I will put My Spirit upon Him, And He will declare justice to the Gentiles. He will not quarrel nor cry out, Nor will anyone hear His voice in the streets. A bruised reed He will not break, And smoking flax He will not quench, Till He sends forth justice to victory; And in His name Gentiles will trust.”

What did Mark (and the others) include this account in his gospel? Because it showed the world the amazing love of God. It glorified the Lord – the most high God! One thing that seems to strike me again and again. Marks audience was a primarily gentile audience. And we see Messiah presented again not as a Jewish Messiah only, but as the Messiah for all men.
So – what should this do for us? How do I translate such an amazing but unusual event into my life and sphere? How does this help me?
Yet the message we see here is that God does not forget those his children, who bear his name. He tirelessly seeks out his children and will spare no expense – 2000 pigs, nothing! Reputation, gone – they began to plead with him to depart from their region. 
Remember Matthew? A Jewish tax collector who had no good reputation among his own? Remember how his testimony of leaving all likely reached Zacchaeus? If Matthew was bad Zacchaeus was worse! And we read at the end of account (Luke 19:10), “For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost.” 
Men and women – children – have you lost it all? Have you no sacrifice to bring to the Lord for your great burden of sin? Do you know that God has provided a lamb for the sacrifice! He will indeed do whatever it takes to save his own – and you have nothing to do but to call upon him! He will in no way toss you aside. Truly those sins which define you now will be to the praise of his glorious grace! You who once were afar off, call upon Christ!
Amen.