A Word about Spiritual Warfare on the Road to the Cross

Today I want to share a word about spiritual warfare on the road to the cross as I comment on Mark 5. Let’s begin by reading Mark 5:1-5. 

They came to the other side of the sea, to the country of the Gerasenes. 2 And when Jesus had stepped out of the boat, immediately there met him out of the tombs a man with an unclean spirit. 3 He lived among the tombs. And no one could bind him anymore, not even with a chain, 4 for he had often been bound with shackles and chains, but he wrenched the chains apart, and he broke the shackles in pieces. No one had the strength to subdue him. 5 Night and day among the tombs and on the mountains he was always crying out and cutting himself with stones.

Introduction:

Sometimes we lose what pilots call situational awareness.  That is, we just forget the situation we are in and lose sight of reality.  That was the way it was for a man who owned five dogs, and who had installed an “invisible fence” to keep them in his yard.  

An invisible fence is a wire buried in the ground around the boundaries of a property.  This wire emits a signal that can be received by a collar worn by a dog.  When the dog crosses the wire, it receives a painful shock. Following the principles of pavlovian conditioning, the dog is taught to stay at home and not to wander.

This invisible fence proved very effective, except when the man lost situational awareness.  Once when he was taking his dogs to the vet, he forgot to turn the fence off before he backed out of his driveway.  The dogs found that to be a shocking experience!

They say, “what goes around comes around,” and so it proved for this dog owner the next time he lost situational awareness.  He had a dog groomer to come to his house to groom his five dogs.  To do this the man had to take the shock collars off the dogs, and while he was holding them in his hand, he thought he’d go check his mailbox. The five shock collars activated the second he crossed the wire and reminded him of his mistake!

We, too, make a mistake when we forget that we are at war. I’m not referring to the war on terrorism or in Iraq. There has been a war raging since before time began. It is a spiritual war.  As Paul said in Ephesians 6:10-13:

Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm.

When we discussed how Christ controlled creation on the road to the cross, we observed that humans struggle to overcome even natural challenges, and therefore it is obvious that we are unequipped to fight in the supernatural realm. We are blessed, however, to know someone who not only can fight supernatural battles, but who also can win them, every time!

A Fearsome Spirit:

In the beginning of Mark 5, Jesus and His disciples were confronted by a fearsome spirit. This man was being used of Satan to strike fear in the hearts of people. People are afraid of Satan’s power as a supernatural being, and we are also afraid of his evil nature. Because we can’t see him, we are all the more afraid of him.

Truth be told, much of this fear is unnecessary for Christians. We regularly confuse fact with fiction. We have been conditioned by Hollywood horror productions. We have been deceived by hyped stories of Satan worship. Most of these tales are false and misleading.

At the same time, we should not discount Satan’s existence. He does exist, and he is evil and powerful. We ignore that reality at our own risk, and neither should we make light of evil, the way people do during Halloween and other cultural events which seem to celebrate evil. 

If we look at the subject of this story, we’ll see Satan at work. Satan had totally destroyed this man’s life! His existence was a living hell!

A Freeing Spirit:

Let’s continue by reading verses 6-13:

And when he saw Jesus from afar, he ran and fell down before him. And crying out with a loud voice, he said, “What have you to do with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I adjure you by God, do not torment me.” For he was saying to him, “Come out of the man, you unclean spirit!” And Jesus asked him, “What is your name?” He replied, “My name is Legion, for we are many.” And he begged him earnestly not to send them out of the country. Now a great herd of pigs was feeding there on the hillside, and they begged him, saying, “Send us to the pigs; let us enter them.” So he gave them permission. And the unclean spirits came out and entered the pigs; and the herd, numbering about two thousand, rushed down the steep bank into the sea and drowned in the sea.

What happened when the man saw Jesus? He immediately ran to Jesus and worshipped him, and he begged Jesus for help. This is an object lesson for us as well. When we are tempted or oppressed by the Devil, we should do the same!

Jesus, of course, knew exactly with whom He was dealing. The spiritual world is not hidden to Jesus. Satan has opposed God to His face on many occasions, and Jesus Himself had recently been confronted by Satan. The demons also knew who Jesus was, and they reacted with fear. But, how did Jesus react to this confrontation? Jesus acted to free the man from this horrendous situation:

• Satan oppressed him.
• Jesus released him.
• Jesus prevented the spirits from going into another person.
• The man ended up dressed and in his right mind.

This was a complete job! No plea bargain was accepted! The guilty were prevented from hurting anyone else and a complete restoration of the man was realized. In this way, Jesus showed His complete mastery over the demons and spiritual forces of evil!

A Fearful Spirit:

As we read in verses 14-17, this dynamic event caused a mixture of reactions:

The herdsmen fled and told it in the city and in the country. And people came to see what it was that had happened. And they came to Jesus and saw the demon-possessed man, the one who had had the legion, sitting there, clothed and in his right mind, and they were afraid. And those who had seen it described to them what had happened to the demon-possessed man and to the pigs. And they began to beg Jesus to depart from their region.

No one who meets with Jesus goes away unchanged. The townspeople reacted one way. The former demoniac reacted in an entirely different manner.

The townspeople reacted with a fearful spirit. They seemed to believe in the saying, “Better the devil you know than the one you don’t.” They did not know this Jesus and they rejected His power because of their fear. They would rather have the devil that they knew.

Even today, people are afraid of the power of Jesus in their lives:

• They are afraid to attend church because they might be challenged by God’s Word.
• They are afraid to release control of their lives to Jesus. 
• They are afraid to take risks on the behalf of God. 
• They give Jesus their broken lives to mend, but then they try to snatch then back.

Contrast that spirit of fear, with the new spirit possessed by the man who was formerly possessed by demons.

A Follower’s Spirit:

As mentioned before no one who meets with Jesus goes away unchanged. Finally, let’s see how the newly redeemed man’s spirit was transformed:

As he was getting into the boat, the man who had been possessed with demons begged him that he might be with him.  And he did not permit him but said to him, “Go home to your friends and tell them how much the Lord has done for you, and how he has had mercy on you.” And he went away and began to proclaim in the Decapolis how much Jesus had done for him, and everyone marveled.

The Bible tells us of many people whose lives were transformed by meeting Christ. This man was released from demons. Others were released from physical illness. Lazarus was released from death. Many, many others have been released from sin.

When our lives are changed by Christ, how should we respond? Our best response is gratefulness! We should be grateful about what Jesus has done for us. Sometimes this does not happen; Jesus once healed ten lepers but only one returned to Him, but it always should happen.

Although we can’t ever repay Jesus, we should be grateful to Him, and the best way to show that we are grateful is to follow Him. This is exactly what the former demoniac did, and this story ends with an example of what happens when we develop a follower’s spirit. People hear about Jesus and the power of God impacts people’s lives. People’s lives are changed, and abundant life in Christ happens!

Conclusion:

When Jesus sent out the twelve and then the seventy, they came back to Him proclaiming that “Even the demons were subject to us!” Because they followed Him and ministered in His Name, they saw first-hand that Jesus was the victor in spiritual warfare on the road to the Cross. He still is today.

If you are beset by spiritual oppression you can turn to Him and He will release you! Then, when you are released by the power of God, then you have the privilege and responsibility to help others be released.

Have you experienced the spiritual power of Jesus?  If not, you can today, if you will seek it!

Every blessing,

Dr. Otis Corbitt