(Luke 8:26-39) And they arrived at the country of the Gadarenes, which is over against Galilee. 27 And when he went forth to land, there met him out of the city a certain man, which had devils long time, and ware no clothes, neither abode in any house, but in the tombs. 28 When he saw Jesus, he cried out, and fell down before him, and with a loud voice said, What have I to do with thee, Jesus, thou Son of God most high? I beseech thee, torment me not. 29 (For he had commanded the unclean spirit to come out of the man. For oftentimes it had caught him: and he was kept bound with chains and in fetters; and he brake the bands, and was driven of the devil into the wilderness.) 30 And Jesus asked him, saying, What is thy name? And he said, Legion: because many devils were entered into him. 31 And they besought him that he would not command them to go out into the deep. 32 And there was there an herd of many swine feeding on the mountain: and they besought him that he would suffer them to enter into them. And he suffered them. 33 Then went the devils out of the man, and entered into the swine: and the herd ran violently down a steep place into the lake, and were choked. 34 When they that fed them saw what was done, they fled, and went and told it in the city and in the country. 35 Then they went out to see what was done; and came to Jesus, and found the man, out of whom the devils were departed, sitting at the feet of Jesus, clothed, and in his right mind: and they were afraid. 36 They also which saw it told them by what means he that was possessed of the devils was healed. 37 Then the whole multitude of the country of the Gadarenes round about besought him to depart from them; for they were taken with great fear: and he went up into the ship, and returned back again. 38 Now the man out of whom the devils were departed besought him that he might be with him: but Jesus sent him away, saying, 39 Return to thine own house, and shew how great things God hath done unto thee. And he went his way, and published throughout the whole city how great things Jesus had done unto him.
This really is a huge piece of text for me to cover in a short time. This passage is inexhaustible. There’s numerous things to cover and ways to attack it. So, I’m going to just focus in on just certain aspects. This poor Gadarene man is an excellent picture of a lost man. That is what I’d like to look at. But at the same time, let not types and pictures blind us from the reality of the devil-possessed. Demon possession is real and demons and devils are real. Like angels, we cannot physically see them, but we encounter their work every day. There is most likely alot more of it than we realize. Anyhow, let’s look at this fella for a few minutes.
Just a few thoughts…
He was unrestrainable and violent. The bible says (Luke 8:29) He was kept bound with chains and in fetters; and he brake the bands… He is described as (Matthew 8:28) exceeding fierce. When the devils got into those pigs, they ran (Luke 8:33) violently. The bible says he was (Mark 5:5) cutting himself with stones. What comes to mind are people that are under the influence of drugs and alcohol. They are usually alot stronger than normal. They are most definitely violent. They hurt other people and hurt themselves. It’s very easy to say that drug and alcohol addicts are devil-possessed. It’s very easy to make the obvious physical connections.
But remember these miraculous accounts in the New Testament of people of being changed at their encounter with Jesus are mainly spiritual lessons. Now drug and alcohol addicts can surely be delivered from their vice when they meet Jesus. Absolutely. But let me ask you this: Will a real blind man physically begin to see if he gets saved? Will a a real cripple begin to literally walk when he gets saved? Will someone at the point of death be raised from his death bed when he trusts Jesus to save him? I’ll answer the question for you. No. The answer is no. Yes Jesus opens the eyes of the blind, but spiritually. Yes Jesus makes the lame to walk, but spiritually. Yes Jesus can and does heal the sick, but the example set forth in the New Testament were given to demonstrate a spiritual truth and reality of being saved.
So that being said, beware of thinking that devil-possession will only manifest itself in an outward manner for all to see and take notice. Violent behavior does not just have to be physically hurting someone else or yourself. What about emotionally or mentally? Let me throw this out there: What about dietary? What about the unrestrainable appetite of a glutton? The bible says (Luke 8:29) He was kept bound with chains and in fetters; and he brake the bands. They have procedure now where they put a band around a persons stomach to keep him from eating. And even that doesn’t work. I’m just saying that the devil-possessed don’t just hang out in the graveyard. What about financially? There are all kinds of cheats and crooks out there hurting other people financially. There are all kinds of people hurting themselves financially with bad decisions, vices, toys, and such. Any type of unrestrainable behavior that hurts others or yourself may be devils and demons.
But like I said, this is a picture of a sinner; a picture of a spiritual reality. A sinner is a child of the devil. Jesus said (John 8:44) Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. I’m not going to go as far as to say that all sinner are devil-possessed. But I do believe that we have bible authority to say that all sinners are devil-influenced, and maybe devil-controlled. Eve was influenced by the devil, and she hurt herself, she hurt her husband, and she hurt the whole world. First-mention principle.
A mad man, possessed of a Legion of devils, crying and cutting himself, running around naked among the tombs? You say I’m not that bad. Oh yes you are. One must be mad to reject the loving call of the Savior. Legions of devils work day and night against the work of God, leading men, women, and children astray down the broad way that leadeth to destruction. There’s no peace and no rest for the soul that is estranged from God. Naked, poor, and destitute is your wretched condition. And the only home you know is the graveyard; dead in trespasses and sin. Yes, your are that bad. And only Jesus can help you. He’ll take the untamed and sit them at his feet. He’ll take the unclean spirits out of a man and put him in his right mind. He’ll clothe the naked. And the homeless, he’ll give a home everlasting.
This passage of the Gadarene hits very close to home for me. That morning of January 8th, 2005, the the Holy Ghost of God visited me and showed me the reality of my lost state. He gave me a glimpse into the wretched condition of my black soul. And I have no doubt as to what he allowed me to see. Devils. And just like those people of Gadara, I was afraid. And if that wasn’t enough, as I waited in the car to go to the preacher’s house, three or four little black pigs ran across our front yard. I lived there for about fifteen years, and never but on that day had I seen pigs. I saw those pigs and knew exactly what God was telling me and I had never known fear of this kind. I was a church member, a preacher, a dad, a husband; yet blind and deceived about my reality. But God had compassion on me and he did great things for me that day. Getting saved is a miracle.