No Chains He Cannot Break!

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As we begin our time tonight, I want you to think for just a moment. If I was to ask you, who would you say is the worst sinner you know? Think for a moment, the very worst sinner in your own acquaintance, the one person most unlikely to become a follower of Jesus Christ? Perhaps he or she is in complete slavery to sin, out of control, maybe self-destructive, violent, given to fits of rage and anger. Maybe that person has alienated everyone who cares about them and loves them. Perhaps even the unbelievers you know have sort of given up on them and written them off. Truly a hopeless case. Who would that person be if I were to ask you their name? Let me ask you, do you believe that Jesus Christ has the power to change that person? I'm not asking you if you know the right answer. Of course, I know you do. The right answer is yes. I'm asking you, do you believe? I'm asking you, in your heart of hearts, do you really believe that Jesus Christ can take that life and turn it on its head and make that person a true follower, a true disciple of Jesus Christ?

Peter's friend, Mark, who wrote this wonderful account of Jesus' life, wanted us to know, Jesus Himself through Mark wanted us to know, that there are no chains He cannot break. It's the message of Mark 5, verses 1 - 20. I'm not going to read it for you all at once, because I want you to catch the drama as it unfolds through this story, through this account. The thrust of the passage is that Jesus has the power. Jesus has the power to free men and women from any slavery, no matter how bad it may be.

Now in the first verse, Mark sets the scene for the story. Look at verse 1, Mark 5: "They came to the other side of the sea, into the country of the Gerasenes." Jesus and His disciples have passed some twelve to thirteen miles across the lake: from Capernaum in the northwest corner to the southwest corner. It would have taken approximately two hours in normal conditions. We don't know how long the storm delayed them, but that would've been, essentially, their route: from the northwest, up near Capernaum, down to the southeast corner. We can't be certain whether they arrived while it was still night. Remember, there was a storm. They started out in evening, and they were caught in the storm. Jesus stilled the storm. We can't be certain if they arrived while it was still night or if they arrived the next morning, but they arrived in this southeast corner of the lake in the country of the Gerasenes.

Now there's a great deal of debate about exactly where this is, and I'm not going to give you all the details of that. If you're interested, we can talk afterwords. I have it all in my notes. But there're essentially two spots. One is up on the side of the lake, on the eastern side about half-way up. It's a city called Kersey. There's a photo of Kersey taken from the north. You can see that all of the geographic features fit the story, if you're familiar with the story. It's the traditional spot on the eastern side of the lake. There was an ancient harbor here. Tombs have been found nearby with evidence that people actually lived in them from time to time. And there's a steep hill as you can see. So, many of the geographic features are met in this location.

Further south there's another candidate that I personally think is more likely, and it's this: Gedera, the Gedera harbor. Matthew, who wrote to the Jews who would've been most familiar with the land, says it took place in Gedera. The city is six miles inland, but they had a huge ancient harbor. In fact, the largest ancient harbor on the entire lake, the Sea of Galilee, was in Gedera. It was in the area of the Geresenes, and so it fits as well. While there is not a huge slope, there was a twelve-foot drop-off embankment at Gedera. And so, it also fits. We can't be sure, but along that eastern side, somewhere from the middle down to the southeast corner.

Now as Mark unfolds this compelling story from Jesus' life, he tells it in such a way as to highlight, I believe, three great spiritual realities. And I want us to work our way through the stories and see each of these spiritual realities as we go. The first reality is this: the enslaving power of sin and Satan. The enslaving power of sin and Satan. You see this in verses 2 – 5. You know, perhaps nowhere in the entire Bible is there a more graphic description of the power of evil in an individual life than in the life of this man. In verse 2 you'll notice that Mark mentions Jesus' encounter with the demoniac, and then in verse 6 He returns to that encounter and gives us a fuller explanation of it. But in between, in verse 3, really, and part of 2 down through verse 5, Mark paints the condition of this man. He paints a portrait in living color of this man who is a very tragic individual.

I want you to remember as we look at this story, it's a familiar one. And like all stories in the Scripture, it's easy to imagine for a moment that it's kind of like fairy tale or fiction because we never met this man. Most of you have never been to these places, and it's easy to assume that it's just not on the same level of reality as the people you know in your life. Understand, this was a real human being. This is not fiction. Here is an actual man who was in slavery to sin and to Satan.

Notice verse 2, "When [Jesus] got out of the boat, immediately a man from the tombs with an unclean spirit met Him." All three synoptic Gospels place this event right after the calming of the storm. We don't know, as I said, if it was night when they arrived or the next morning, but no sooner had the disciples got into the harbor and secured the boat, than immediately this man comes up to Jesus. Verse 6 says he had seen Jesus from a distance. Apparently, you know, he saw the boat coming to shore and ran from the tombs to meet them. If it was night, perhaps there was a full moon, and he was able to see them, or perhaps it was the next morning. We just don't know. Now, Matthew tells us that there were actually two men. This man was accompanied by another, but the other man is a lesser figure in the story and isn't brought out in either Mark's account or Luke's. They focus on the more troubled of the 2.

Verse 2 begins to paint the ugly picture of this man's tragic life. Notice it says he was "a man from the tombs." Notice verse 3 adds, "… he had his dwelling among the tombs…." That is, literally, "… a man [who was having his home among the tombs]." He lived in the subterranean caverns carved out of the rocky hillside that were used as graves. In that region archaeologists have found and discovered ancient rock-carved tombs like described here that were also used from time to time as dwellings. Sometimes the tombs were the only place for the poor, for the displaced, for the homeless. But this man wasn't there because he was poor. He wasn't there because he was homeless. This man was there for a particular reason.

Luke tells us that this man had at one point lived in the city nearby, but now he lives in the graves. It was fitting, because verse 2, notice, says he was "… a man ... with an unclean spirit." A man with a morally, unclean spirit in control of him, a demon in control. In fact, you'll notice down in verse 15 and 16 and 18 he's called the "demon-possessed" man: in the Greek language, the "demonized man"; the man under the control of a demon. We've already met Jesus' power over demons back in 1:23, the very first specific account. You remember in the synagogue there in Capernaum there'd been a couple, sort of, summaries that Jesus has cast out demons. But folks, this one tops them all. This account is unique. It surpasses every other person out of whom Jesus had cast demons.

Notice verse 3 continues, "And no one was able to bind him anymore, even with a chain." What's so remarkable about that phrase is in the Greek text there are three negatives in that brief expression. Listen to how it literally translates: and not even with a chain, no longer was no one being able to bind him. You get the point, the emphasis? "No longer" implies that his condition was getting worse, had gotten progressively worse. And verse 4 explains why, "Because he had often been bound with shackles and chains." The word "shackles" refers to chains locked around the legs at the ankles: leg irons. "Chains" refers to other metal restraints, probably for his arms and upper body. So, they chained this guy up.

The question is why? Why would they chain this man up like an animal? Well, there are a couple of reasons. One, because they thought he was mad and a danger to himself. The Jewish Talmud laid out four tests for madness in the ancient world: one was walking abroad at night, two was spending the night on a grave, three was tearing one's clothes, and four was destroying what one was given. This man passed the test with flying colors.

So, the best that they could do with him was to physically restrain him, so he wouldn't hurt himself. Now if that sounds barbaric, while we don't use chains, this still happens today. We have to, on occasion, tie the arms of certain patients to the bed. There are drugs used to restrain patients in psych wards and hospitals. Sometimes there're even physical restraints. It's done to protect them from themselves. And this man had been treated like that. He was a danger; he was a risk to himself.

But there was another reason they restrained him. It was because he was violent and a danger to others. In Matthew's account, in Matthew 8:28, it says these two men "were so [exceedingly] violent that no one could pass by that … [road.]" These men were out of control. People didn't even bother going that road anymore because of these two men who lived in this tomb. They were not only in danger of hurting themselves, they were always violent and a risk to hurt others. And because of the risk of self-inflicted injury and of violence to others, they had bound this man hand and foot with chains. It's all they could do, but it was unsuccessful.

Verse 4 goes on to say, "And the chains had been torn apart by him and the shackles broken in pieces, and no one was strong enough to subdue him." Notice that last phrase, "… no one was strong enough to subdue him." Literally, the word is "to tame him." The word "subdue" is used by James of taming wild animals. This man was like a wild animal, and no human attempts to control or tame his outrageous behavior had been successful. They all failed miserably. "No one was strong enough." File that little phrase away. So, since their efforts at restraint were futile, they just sent him away. The chains wouldn't work. He couldn't be held near town and still not be a risk to himself and others, and so they let him wander away and kept him chased away from the city. And he was only a risk to those who tried to pass the road near where he stayed in the tombs.

Verse 5 completes the tragic portrait of this tragic figure. Verse 5 says, "Constantly, night and day, he was screaming among the tombs and in the mountains and gashing himself with stones." At any time, night or day, sometimes in the tombs, sometimes wandering the hillsides, you could hear this man screaming. The Greek word for "screaming" describes a bloodcurdling, nightmarish scream. It's the cry of a man's soul who is in agony.

I've heard this a couple of times. One time was at Grace Church when I really do believe I encountered a woman who was demon-possessed. It was a bloodcurdling scream that filled the entire sanctuary, and it was a scream of terror. This man, night and day, screaming, wandering among the tombs. Mark adds that he was constantly gashing his body. Luke tells us that he hadn't put on any clothing in a long time. This man is naked, and he's taking sharp stones, flint-edged stones, and he's hacking away at his flesh: his body bleeding often, covered with dried blood and crawling flies, open wounds, scabs, self-inflicted pain and suffering.

Why would he have cut his body with stones? Well, there are a couple of possibilities. The most obvious one is that Satan and his demons, who are in control of this man, hate God. And since they cannot inflict any pain and suffering on God, they go after God's picture: man made in the image of God. So, to attack a man is to attack God, in whose image he's made. It's like today. If you see someone desecrating the photo of someone else, you know that they hate that person.

It's also possible that this man was engaged in the worship of idols or in the occult. From ancient times, you remember the encounter on Mount Carmel, the prophets of Baal, when they were worked up and trying to get Baal to answer them and to send down fire, they were cutting themselves? That was often associated with idolatry, and it's possible that this man was as well. We don't know. But this is the tragic picture of a condemned, enslaved soul at its absolute worst: no control, no restraint, sin and Satan rule. Kent Hughes writes,

He was uncontrollable and dangerous. Inside, he was totally wretched. At intervals during the night and day he would let out a preternatural howl, and then gash himself with jagged rocks. This poor, naked man was a mass of bleeding lacerations, scabs, infections, and scar tissue, living out a delirium of pain and masochistic pleasure.

This is the picture Mark wants us to see of the enslaving power of sin and Satan. While, not at this extreme, certainly all sinners aren't demonized as this man was; nevertheless, Mark intends this to paint a poignant picture of the controlling, enslaving powers of sin and Satan in the life. Our physical circumstances weren't identical to this man before we came to Christ. We were clothed. We probably lived in a home. We weren't demonized.

We didn't express the power of sin and Satan the same way, but understand this: our spiritual condition before Christ was really no different than this man, it was merely a matter of degree. We were enslaved by sin. We walked in lockstep with our spiritual father, Satan himself. Our lives before Christ were equally tragic from the perspective of God and eternity. We may have worn nice clothes and lived in nice homes and have driven nice cars, but spiritually, we were no better off than this man. We all knew too well and too personally about the enslaving power of sin and Satan. Our story was really written in the words of Psalm 107:

There were those who dwelt in darkness and in the shadow of death, Prisoners in misery and chains, Because they had rebelled against the words of God And spurned the council of the Most High. Therefore He humbled their heart with labor; They stumbled, and there was none to help. [Our condition wasn't exactly the same as this man, but our condition was equally hopeless. That's what Mark wants us to see.]

That brings us to the second spiritual reality that's important to see, and that is the freeing power of Jesus Christ, the freeing power of Jesus Christ. This man knew firsthand the enslaving power of sin and Satan, but he was about to discover a far greater power. Look at verse 6, "Seeing Jesus from a distance, he ran up and bowed down before Him." Now in verse 2 (Look back up in verse 2.) Mark had briefly mentioned their meeting. Now he's going to fill out the details of that encounter on the beach that day, either that night or early morning. We don't know why this man ran at Jesus. Maybe there was some kind of strange attraction. Maybe at first the demons failed to recognize who Jesus was. Maybe he simply saw these men getting off this boat as more travelers like the ones he had terrorized before. Probably at a distance, as verse 6 says, he had seen them land in the boat. And perhaps he ran with no other intention than to terrorize them.

Can you imagine? Imagine the disciples now. They've just had a rough night on the lake, and you know they've already been frightened because of the storm and because of all that's happened, because of Jesus' power over the storm. And finally, with great relief, they tether the boat to the dock. And all of the sudden, running down the hillside is this naked man screaming with all of his might, possibly at the top of his lungs as he often did. And here he comes.

But, if initially, his motive was to terrorize them, (which I'm certain, the disciples, he did) when the man got closer, at some point the demons controlling this man recognize who Jesus is. And so, in complete control of this man's body as the demons were, they force him to fall down before Jesus. The Greek word is "worshiped". That's how "bowed down" what's it's translated from: they "worshiped". He worshiped before Him. But this doesn't mean willing worship. It doesn't mean the worship of an adoring person. It simply means they recognized they were in the presence of one vastly superior to them. As a subject to a king, they bowed down before Him.

Now verse 7 tells us what came out of the man's mouth. "And shouting with a loud voice, he said, 'What business do we have with each other, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I implore You by God, do not torment me!'" Now remember, this man has never met Jesus, and he certainly doesn't know His true identity. So, this is a demon speaking. Mark says that he was screaming these words out with a, literally, a "mega voice," a great voice. So, you can picture this scene.

He falls down as if he's subjecting himself to Jesus and then screams, literally, "What to me to you?" In other words, "What do we have in common?" Notice that the demon speaking knows both Jesus' human identity (It calls Him Jesus.) but more importantly, the demon knows His divine identity. Notice he screams out "Jesus, Son of the Most High God." The name Most High God occurs often in the Old Testament. It's used by gentiles to distinguish the one true and living God of Israel from all the non-existent gods of the nations. Jesus, the demon says, is the unique Son of the One True God, the Most High One. So, this demon immediately knew who Jesus really was.

And then he does something fascinating. He asks Jesus to take an oath. This language "I implore you" is actually, "I put you under oath, I … [adjure] you by God." Let me put it, kind of, in the vernacular. He said, swear to me by God, that You will not torture me. Kind of a strange thing for a demon to say, wouldn't you think? Matthew adds he said, swear to me by God, that You will not torture me before the time. Demons know their time is limited. They know what's coming. They realize they are completely under God's authority, so this demon asks not to be tortured before the proper time.

Now why did the demon say this to Christ? Why did he say don't torture me? Well, verse 8 explains. Notice verse 8 says, "For [Here's why.] [Jesus] had been saying to him, 'Come out of the man, you unclean spirit!'" Jesus had already commanded this demon to leave the man. The demon knows he has to leave in response to Jesus' order, so his concern is where is he going to go, where is Jesus going to send him?

In response, notice, to his request ( I, swear to me by God, that You're not going to torment me.) verse 9 says, "[Jesus] was asking him, 'What is your name?' And he said to Him, 'My name is Legion; for we are many.'" Now that is an amazing response. On most occasions it appears that people who were demonized were inhabited and controlled by a single demon. Later in chapter 16:9, we'll learn that Mary Magdalene, one of the followers of Christ, had been inhabited by seven demons. But this man had many demons, "We are many." So many, that the demon in charge, apparently speaking for the rest of them, calls them "Legion."

Now the Greek word for "legion" comes from a Latin word that was used most often to describe a Roman legion. It was the largest grouping of Roman troops. In a Roman army a legion was composed of about fifty-six hundred men, a hundred and twenty cavalry, and various support personnel. The name Legion here, though, doesn't necessarily mean that there were five thousand, six hundred demons. In the first century this expression had come to describe a large number. It is interesting, however, that when these demons exit this man and enter into the pigs in just a moment, they enter into two thousand pigs. That would seem to imply that there were at least two thousand demons in this man. We just don't know, but they were legion. This man was not controlled and indwelt by one demon but by an army of demons. The image of the Roman army implies there was complex organization, and there was invincible power. Certainly, he'd already proven that with no one able to restrain him, no one able to tame him.

So, the leader or the commander of demons within this man has a request of Jesus. He knows they have to leave. Jesus has commanded that they leave, but he has a request about what Jesus does with them. Notice verse 10, "He began to implore Him earnestly not to send them out of the country." Now what does that mean? Does this mean demons are territorial? Well, you know, you-there's a sense in which that's true. You go back to Daniel, and you see a little of that in the interplay between the demons there and the angels there. But I think there's a different point here. The demon's concern, spoken through their leader, is not just with being forced to move somewhere else. Notice Matthew 8:29, "… they cried out saying, 'What business do we have to do with each other Son of God? Have you come here to torment us before the time?'" In other words, are You going to deal with us now, when we're expecting it later? In Luke 8: "They were imploring Him not to command them to go away into the abyss." There's the concern.

Their concern is, You're not going to send us now to hell, are you? it's not time, you're not going to send us out of the country and send us into the abyss! You know, it's-it's really an irony, isn't it, that these demons are so aware of God's power and God's plan, that they are appealing to Jesus based on God's plan? It's not God's time yet. It isn't the Father's time to send us out of the earth, Jesus, Son of the Most High. So, in verse 11,

"Now there was a large herd of swine feeding nearby on the mountain. The demons implored Him, saying, 'Send us into the swine, so that we may enter them.'"

So, there on a nearby hillside (You saw the photograph earlier, a little bit of what this scenery was like.) there was a large, a very large herd of pigs. So, the demons make a request of Jesus. It's clearly, by the way, the fact that they request this, is a demonstration of their submission to Jesus Christ. Don't forget that. Here are a legion of demons asking one man if He will give them permission to do something. They acknowledge that He will send all two thousand of them, plus, somewhere. They want to go into the pigs.

Notice verse 13, "… about two thousand swine…." That is a "huge" herd of pigs. I don't know if herd's the right word, but a huge grouping of pigs even by modern standards. This was a big business operation. So, verse 13 says, "Jesus gave them permission. And coming out, the unclean spirits entered the swine, and the herd rushed down the steep bank, into the sea about two thousand of them, and they were drowned in the sea."

Jesus agreed to their request, and the ensuing scene is described graphically in four verbs. In Greek, the verb tense Mark uses, it's like snapshots in freeze-frame action: the demons came out of the man; they entered the pigs; the herd rushed down the steep bank; the herd plunged into the lake. The last verb in verse 13 is more like a video. It's like watching all two thousand of these pigs floundering there in the ocean and watching them drown one by one by one.

Now, why did Jesus allow the demons to go into the pigs? Ever wondered that? I mean, what was that about? Certainly, Jesus knew what would happen. But we can't be absolutely sure, because the text doesn't tell us. But there's one fascinating possibility that several commentators bring up. Two thousand pigs is a lot of pigs. That is a big business. What were this many unclean animals doing that close to Israel? Well, several commentators point out that the eastern side of the lake was primarily Gentile, but there were also Jews that lived on the eastern side of the lake. It's possible that some Jewish entrepreneurs has started a big business raising and selling pork to the nearby Gentiles.

They couldn't deal with the pigs personally, because that would make them unclean ceremonially. So, they hired what amounted to pig shepherds: literally in the Greek text "pig feeders." These are people who are hired just to care for these animals. It's interesting that this happened even during World War Two. -Historians tell us that -during excuse me, during World War One, to supply the British troops with meat, enterprising Jewish and Muslim businessmen raised and sold pork. Since they couldn't touch it themselves, they hired workers to do it for them. But they made a slick profit. That may be why Jesus allows all these animals to be destroyed, but we-we just can't be sure.

Regardless, here's the point: with a word, Jesus freed this man who had been so long enslaved to sin and Satan. Do you understand the point of the story? It's that there is no power that Jesus can't subdue. There are no chains He cannot break: the habits of a lifetime, the enslaving patterns of sin, whatever they are in your life or in anyone else's. Whether it's anger or sex or alcohol or drugs or pornography or lying or stealing or pride or selfishness or lust—there are no chains that Jesus Christ cannot break. And when He rescued this man, the worst of men, farther gone than anybody you or I will ever meet, He demonstrated the freeing power that is resident only in Jesus Christ.

That brings us to the third spiritual reality in this passage. It's the opposing responses to Jesus Christ. First of all, you see the typical response of unbelievers. Notice verse 14, "Their herdsmen ran away and reported it in the city and in the country. And the people came to see what it was that had happened." Apparently, nearby was a small town, and near that town there were fields where people worked the crops and lived. And these pig keepers were eyewitnesses of all that had happened, and now they run to tell everybody exactly what it was. And everyone from the village and the surrounding area comes to see for themselves.

I mean, think about it for a moment. You know, it's a pretty boring life there on the eastern side of the Sea of Galilee in the first century. All you've got is a couple thousand pigs and some fields. So, when two thousand pigs drown all at once, they're floating in the Sea of Galilee; a man you knew all of your life to be a danger to everybody including himself, driven from the city, living on the outskirts, has somehow been changed; and there's this miracle worker there who accomplished it all, and so everybody comes out. Just like in a small town when word gets out something has happened, they all show up.

Verse 15, "They came to Jesus and [they] observed the man who had been [demonized or] demon-possessed sitting down, clothed and in his right mind, the very man who had had the 'legion;' and they became frightened." Notice the contrast. Instead of running in and out of the tombs and up and down the mountainsides and never at rest night or day, now this man's sitting calmly. Instead of a naked body for years decorated only in dirt and scars from cutting himself, now he's clothed. Perhaps one of the disciples gave him one of their outer cloaks. Instead of raging and screaming and cutting himself violently, attacking whoever came near, he's in control of his faculties, he's in his right mind. Instead of a demoniac, now he's a disciple sitting at the feet of Jesus Christ. And there was no mistaking it, because Mark adds at the very end of verse fifteen, this was "The very man who ... had the 'legion.'" This is the guy.

Verse 16, "Those who had seen it described to them how it had happened to the demon-possessed man, and all about the swine." There were a number of eyewitnesses. Remember, this was not done in secret. There were all of the men. And we don't know how many men there were keeping two thousand pigs, but it probably was a fairly large number. There were twelve disciples, and they all saw what happened. There was no doubt as to what happened. This was a miracle verified both by Jesus' friends and by those who didn't know Him. And now the eyewitnesses are sharing with the crowd what happened.

How do you respond to that kind of miracle? Put yourself there on that hillside at the Sea of Galilee that day. How do you respond to that? Gratitude? Joy? Spiritual revival breaks out? You congratulate the man who's been freed from a lifetime of slavery? You ask this amazing man who's accomplished this feat to stay a little longer, and there're other people you want to introduce Him to? None of those were how they responded. Look at the end of verse 15 and verse 17. "… they became frightened.... And they began to implore Him to leave their region." Why? Kind of odd response, don't you think?

They were frightened because they knew this man. They had tried to restrain him, and now he was radically changed. They knew this could only be explained, how? Supernaturally. But why did they want Jesus to leave? It was clear that He had wielded supernatural power. It was equally clear that His presence could be a benefit among them. But folks, at the same time, it didn't take them long to connect the dots and to realize that this person's presence among them was going to mess up their plans and their lives.

William Hendriksen writes, "These men were scared of Jesus. Besides, they resented Him. Had He not deprived them of their property? Was He not a disturber of their familiar way of life?" Kent Hughes writes, "This Jesus would demand some changes that would cost, and He'd already ruined a pretty profitable business." One commentator writes,

"Such is the response of the human heart to Jesus. Most people, if they were asked, would probably say they would like to see a manifestation of God: 'Ah, I'd love to have an interaction with God.'" [The author goes on to say,] "But this story is a cold shower on such religious pipe dreams. When God manifests Himself in Jesus, most people ask Him to leave."

That's the typical response of unbelievers to Jesus. It was on the northwestern side; the same response on the southeastern side of the lake.

But look in verses 18 and 20 at the typical response to those Jesus has freed. Verse 18, "As He was getting into the boat, the man who had been demon-possessed [as Jesus was getting into the boat] the man who had been demon-possessed was imploring Him that he might accompany Him." It's remarkable that Jesus had agreed to these people's request to leave. So, He's getting into the boat.

And this man is now healed and forgiven. He's pleading with Jesus. And you know what he asked Him? He said it like this. Literally, he said-he was asking "that he might … [be with] Him." Jesus, I just want to be with You. That's the response of a believing heart. I just want to be with You. It's like the song the choir sang this morning: in all of life's troubles and difficulties, just give me Jesus. If I know He's with me, if I know I'm going to be with Him, that's OK, that's what I want.

Verse 19: "[Jesus] did not let him, but He said to him, 'Go home to your people and report to them what great things the Lord has done for you, and how He had mercy on you.'" And that's exactly what the man did. Look at verse 20: "And he went away and began to proclaim in Decapolis what great things Jesus had done for him; and everyone was amazed." This man became an evangelist with his own people, that is, his own family and friends, then in his city. Luke 8:39 says, "… He went away, proclaiming throughout the whole city what great things Jesus had done for him." And eventually his ministry spread through the entire region. Notice what verse 20 says, "He went away and began to proclaim in [the] Decapolis."

The Decapolis was a league of ten cities. (You see that yellow area in the middle of the map identified as Decapolis. Here.) One of the major "one of the Decapolis" simply means "ten cities" in Greek, "deca" meaning ten, "polis", city. Ten cities. One of the cities was here on the eastern side of the Jordan River, the other nine were on the, I'm sorry, on the western side, the other nine were on the eastern side. I've been to one of those cities.

And this man now has a mission. He is going among this Gentile area spreading the Gospel, and as a result everyone kept on being amazed. No doubt some of the people who heard him came to genuine faith in in Christ through the testimony of this man. Listen folks, this tragic man, enslaved for so many years, became the first gentile missionary to the Gentiles sent by Jesus. It's an amazing story, isn't it?

So, what are the implications for us? There really are some powerful ones. The first is the infinite value of human life over animal life. I mean, you can ask a moral question, why did Jesus let two thousand innocent animals die? I asked my girls that, and their response was because they weren't cute. I don't think it had anything to do with the fact that the pigs weren't cute. Matthew 12:12, in a different setting, Jesus says this, "How much more valuable then is a man than a sheep?" To Jesus, the rescue of one human life was worth the death of two thousand pigs.

Edwards, one of the commentators, writes, "In the eyes of Jesus, the rescue and restoration of one person is more important than vast capital assets. Compared to the redemption of a human being, the loss of the swine herd, considerable though it is, does not even rate mentioning." Don't buy into the mindset of our age that a cat is a dog is a rat is a boy. The infinite value of human life.

A second implication for us is the international scope of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Here is the first, really the second implication that Mark gives us that the Gospel is going to reach much further than the Jewish people, much further than the borders of Palestine; because here Jesus goes into a Gentile, a primarily a Gentile area, and He sends this man to spread the Gospel throughout this Gentile area. It becomes clear that that's God mission. Remember who Mark is writing to. He's writing his Gospel to the Romans. It becomes obvious to the Romans early as they read this Gospel that Jesus intended His kingdom to spread way beyond the Jews and include the nations of the world.

Folks, that's our mission as well, as I mentioned this morning. Jesus intends that His name be known; that people from every tribe and tongue and people and nation would come and worship before His throne. There may be people here, there may be young people here, who need to give your life for the name of God to be known among the nations. It's to be international in its scope.

Thirdly, we learn the priority of personal evangelism is the tool for that message is spread. Don't miss that Jesus, in this story, had just granted two requests. He granted the request of the demons to go in the pigs, and He granted the request of the people of that region to leave. But He refuses to grant this new disciple's request to be with Him. Why? Because He wants him to spread the Gospel. This man was an expression of Jesus' grace to his community. They'd asked Him to leave, and Jesus does. But He leaves them with a missionary. I can't miss the comparison to us. You know what? We'd like to be with Jesus, wouldn't we?

Wouldn't that be nice? Wouldn't it be wonderful to be out of the troubles of this life and to truly be in the presence of Christ, to be all that He intends us to be, to be pure and holy and to have worship that is without taint and perfect, enjoying all that He's prepared for us? We want to be with Jesus, but you know what? We're here—by His order, by His command. Why? Because Jesus, like that man, has a mission for us. Let me just ask you, have you exhausted the opportunity that you have with those who knew what you used to be to tell them of the great things God has done for you?

Number four: this account points to the true identity of Jesus Christ. You remember the question on the lake just a few verses before, right before this account? In fact, look at verse 41 of chapter 4. The disciples are on the lake in the middle of a storm, the storm quiets, "They became very much afraid ... they said to one another, 'Who then is this?'" Matthew says they said, "What kind of a man is this?" The answer comes in the very next story, but it comes from the mouth of Jesus' worst enemy. A demon acknowledges Jesus' true humanity. He calls Him Jesus, Jesus' human name, Jesus of Nazareth. And then in the same breath, that same demon is forced to acknowledge Jesus' deity: "Son of the Most High God." The unique Son of the one and living true God.

Did you notice as you worked your way through the story that Jesus was in complete control? He tells them to go, they go. They ask His permission to where to go, they go into the swine. They admit there is coming a time when Jesus will torment them, and they acknowledge that He will personally send them into the abyss, into hell itself. They know their final judgment is coming and that this man Jesus, who stands before him-before them is at the same time the Son of the Most High, and He will be their judge and executioner. Jesus is one unique person.

Did you notice in verse 19 Jesus said, "Go home to your people and report to them what great things [Watch this.] the Lord has done for you, and how He had mercy on you"? This is a reference to God. He's saying, go tell them what God has done in your life. And notice what the man did. He got it.

Verse 20,"… he went away and began to proclaim in [the] Decapolis what great things Jesus had done for him." He had come to understand who Jesus really was. Jesus is God. This story punctuates that more powerfully than any other story we've encountered yet. Because this man was possessed by an army, a legion of demons, and with a word Jesus sends them away. And they fall down before Him in terror.

But the main point, the main implication to take home from this story is this: Jesus has the power to free from any slavery. It doesn't matter what you have become; it doesn't matter how bad your situation is; it doesn't matter how long you've been enslaved or by what, Jesus has the power to free you. Whatever your condition I can promise you this, it's not as bad as this man's was. You, if you're here tonight, or you can offer to any of your friends (that friend you started with this evening when I asked you, that person in your acquaintance who seems hopeless) listen, Jesus has the power. There are no chains He cannot break.

One last lesson. I think Mark also intends that we who have been freed, remember. Not only are we to rehearse to others what great things God has done for us and the mercy He has shown on use, but it's become a source of praise, a source of thanksgiving, a source of rejoicing. When's the last time you spent some time with Christ in prayer, and you just poured out your heart in genuine thanksgiving for the great things He has done for you, for the mercy He has shown to you? There are no chains He cannot break.

Let's pray together.

Father, we are amazed at Jesus Christ. We long for the day when we can be with Him, when we can see Him in His glory. We now see Him, really, through a veil darkly, but we look forward to the day when we see Him face to face, we see His majesty and His beauty and His glory. Father, we thank You until that day that You have given us Your Word that paints such a powerful picture of who He is. Father, may the portrait we see in Your Word drive us to adore Him and love Him and follow Him. Thank You, O God, that in Your love toward us in Christ, You have freed us from the slavery of sin, and the slavery in which we lived; and You've made us Your own beloved children.

Lord, don't let us get over that. Don't let that become pedestrian, Father. Don't let that become simply an everyday matter of truth. But Father, captivate our hearts day and night with the reality that He broke the chains. He can break any chains.

We pray in Jesus' name, Amen.