My Chains Are Gone
Message Transcription
SUMMARY
In this sermon, Barry Stephens delves into the powerful narrative of Jesus healing the demon-possessed man in Mark 5. He invites the congregation to imagine themselves in the shoes of various characters in the story, particularly the disciples and the healed man. Stephens draws parallels between the demoniac's experience and our own struggles with sin, addiction, and brokenness.
The pastor emphasizes two crucial responses to experiencing God's healing and grace. First, he stresses the importance of gratitude, reminding us that "our first response should always be gratitude." He supports this with Biblical examples and the idea that "gratitude always leads to joy." Secondly, Stephens highlights the imperative to share our testimony, just as Jesus instructed the healed man to "go home to your own people and tell them how much the Lord has done for you" (Mark 5:19). He concludes by asserting that if we truly believe in Christ's saving power, "silence is not an option."
TRANSCRIPTION:
Well, thank you Duane, for not only reading the scripture, but sharing the impact of a story like that in your life. There'a part of me that simply wants to pray and say let's go and let's share the good news of Jesus with others, just like this man in Mark Chapter 5. But if you will join with me for a few moments in reflecting on this story, this incredible story, not just the story of a demon possessed man, a man with an impure spirit, but a demon possessed man who tells Jesus that his name is Legion. And you probably know that word Legion. A legion was a unit of the Roman army with 6,000 soldiers.
And so I want you to get the picture. I had the privilege for a number of years of teaching a freshman level Bible course at LCU on the Gospels. And anytime I taught that course and anytime I teach from the Gospels today, it is not unusual for me to begin by saying, I want you to assume for a moment that you have the opportunity to go back to the first century, to the life in the ministry of Jesus, and you have the opportunity of choosing a moment from the life of Jesus where you could be present, perhaps standing off to the side watching the story unfold. In an audience of this size. No doubt there would be a number of stories that would be chosen.
But perhaps like you Dune, this story in Mark chapter five is the one that I would choose. So many interesting pieces of this story even before we step into the story. For example, we are looking at the story today from the gospel of Mark chapter 5. As you likely know, Mark’s gospel is the shortest of the four gospels. But especially important for this story, Mark is the shortest of the synoptic Gospels, Matthew, Mark and Luke, described as synoptic Gospels because when you lay those three side by side, they pretty well follow the same order chronologically of the life and the ministry of Jesus.
They include many of the same stories. And because Mark is the shortest of the three, it is an unusual for Mark's account of a particular story to be shorter than Matthew and Luke’s accounts With a few exceptions, and this is one of those exceptions, 20 verses in the gospel of Mark compared to 8 verses in Matthew, only 14 verses in Luke. In other words, Mark is going to give us some details regarding this demon possessed man, Jesus interaction with him. I'going to give us some details that we don't find in Matthew and Luke. And we are reading a story, a narrative.
And narratives have certain characteristics. Often there is a plot that is unfolding, building to a climactic moment, and maybe most importantly for our conversation today, narratives include characters. In this particular story, there are numerous characters. And so when I preached from a narrative like this one, I also find myself wondering, what would it be like to be in the shoes of the characters in the story? What would it be like to be in the shoes of Jesus?
What would it be like to be in the shoes of this demoniac? What about those who were tending the pigs? What about the owners of the pigs? What about the people who lived in the region? What would it have been like to have been in their shoes?
As this story unfolds, but in particular for today, what would it be like to be in the shoes of the disciples? Peter, Andrew, James, John, even Judas. The story begins with Jesus and the disciples in a boat crossing the Sea of Galilee. And again, because you know the Gospel story, you know it isn't unusual for Jesus and the disciples to be around the Sea of Galilee. Many times Jesus may be on the shore teaching.
Other moments where Jesus and the disciples are in abode, crossing the Sea of Galilee. You'll remember the story where Jesus on one occasion had gone up into the hills to pray, and he sends the disciples ahead of him to cross the sea. It is night time. The wind and the waves are against them. And in the early morning hours, while it is still dark, Jesus comes to them walking on the water.
They think he is a ghost. He tells them, no, it is I. Don't be afraid. Peter says, lord, if it is really you, tell me to come to you walking on the water. And Peter steps out of the boat, takes at least a few steps before he takes his eyes off of Jesus and focuses on the wind and the waves and begins to sink.
Or the story that immediately precedes this story. In Mark Ch. 5, again, Jesus and the disciples are in a boat crossing the Sea of Galilee. A furious storm arises. The disciples are terrified, thinking they're going to drown.
And Jesus is at the back of the boat, asleep. The disciples awaken him. Lord, don't you care that we're about to drown? He stands and speaks to the wind and the waves. Peace, be still.
And then to the disciples, why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith? That story leads directly into Mark 5. And so we're still in the boat. We're crossing the Sea of Galilee.
And now we are arriving at the region of the Gerasenes or the Gadarenes. What would it have been like to have been in the shoes of the disciples? And by the way, they are sailing to Gentile territory, the region of the Gerasenes, the Gadarenes. It seems like Jesus has had some interaction with Gentiles prior to this story. For example, back in chapter three, folks from the region of Tyra and Sidon, Gentile cities, actually, Gentile cities in this region.
They had come from that region to hear Jesus teach. To hear Jesus teach. But if I'm reading the Gospel of Mark correctly, this is the first time that Jesus has specifically made his way to Gentile territory. And so what was it like to be in the shoes of these Jewish disciples who had had little to do with Gentiles throughout their lives, Perhaps sailing to a region they've never been to before, sailing to Gentile territory. Israelites who had grown up with little regard for Gentiles, even to the point of avoiding Gentile territory in some respects, maybe like Jewish relationship with Samaritans.
As you will recall, Jews, as they traveled from the north to the south in the land of Palestine, would not even travel through the land of Samaria to avoid interaction with Samaritans. Well, compound that with Gentiles and the story begins. Again. Picture the scene. This man who is possessed by demons.
He lives in the cemetery. Folks have tried to bind him with chains. I assume to protect themselves, they have tried to bind him with chains. But he breaks the chains. This naked, raving, demon possessed lunatic who lives in the cemetery.
And the minute Jesus got out of the boat, this man came from the tombs to meet Jesus. Put yourselves in the shoes of the disciples. They're stepping out of the boat into Gentile territory. And the first person, the first person they encounter is this raving, demon possessed lunatic who has come from the cemetery to see them. I think if I had been in their shoes, and I always think of Peter as the one who speaks first.
I think if I had been in their shoes, I probably would have said, Jesus, let's get back in the boat and let's head to another region. We want nothing to do with this man. As mentioned earlier, Mark's account is longer than Matthew and Luke's accounts. He goes into greater detail to describe the man. The man lives in the tombs.
No one could bind him anymore, not even with a chain. He had often been chained hand and foot. But he tore the chains apart, he broke the irons on his feet. No one was strong enough to subdue him. Night and day he is roaming in the tombs and in the hills, crying out, cutting himself with stones.
Picture the scene. I don't know what your history is, but I grew up Hearing very little about demons and demon possession. Yes, there are these stories in the Gospels where Jesus cast out demons, but we kind of leave that conversation in the first century, don't we? Most of us assume that demon possession doesn't exist in today's world, at least, certainly not in the way it did in the first century. But I want you to picture the scene.
This man who is possessed by demons, who lives in the cemetery. Folks have tried to bind him with chains. And I want you to picture the scene. You and me controlled by our demons, by our addictions, our sins, our failures, our pride. Remember, in this story, you are standing off to the side.
You are watching the story unfold. And there is this incredible conversation between Jesus and this demon possessed man. Initially, when the man saw Jesus from a distance, he ran and fell on his knees in front of Jesus and he shouted at the top of his lungs, what do you want to do with me, son of the Most High God? In God's name, don't torture me. Isn't it fascinating that the demons not only recognized but acknowledge that Jesus is the son of the Most High God?
I'm reminded of the words of James when he talks about faith and works, and he says, even the demons believe and tremble. And Jesus asked, what is your name? My name is Legion, for we are many. And he begged Jesus again and again not to send the demons out of the area. I'm not sure I've got a good answer here.
Why did he not want Jesus to send the demons out of the area? Maybe it's the demons speaking. As we'll notice in just a moment, maybe they do not want to relinquish control of that region. I don't have a good answer there. What I do know is this man is living a tortured life.
Legion, as I mentioned earlier, the word that is used to describe a unit of the Roman army. 6,000. Whether we understand that literally 6,000 demons or figuratively, nonetheless, it is obvious this man has lived a tortured life, tortured by these demons, living in isolation from family and friends, roaming the cemetery, harming himself, longing for release from the demons and the chains and the misery and the loneliness. And just maybe, just maybe, you and I have been at that place, or we know folks who are living in that place, living in isolation from family and friends, at least symbolically roaming the cemetery, longing for release from our demons and the chains that bind us, longing for release from our misery and our loneliness. And then another incredible piece of the conversation between Jesus and this man, even more specifically between Jesus and These demons.
Mark tells us that there was a large herd of pigs, about 2,000 in number, that were feeding on the nearby hillside. And the demons began to beg Jesus, send us among the pigs. Allow us to go into them. And Jesus gave them permission. These impure spirits, these demons came out of the man and went into the pigs.
And they rushed down the steep bank into the lake and were drowned. Picture the scene again. You're in the shoes of the disciples, watching what is going on. You're off to the side watching what is going on. I don't know if you've ever been around pigs very much.
You see, it's one thing to talk about a pet pig. It's another thing to talk about 2,000 pigs that are now filled with demons. 2,000 pigs. Demons that had tortured this man perhaps for years, to the point that he broke all of the chains that had ever been used to bind him. I grew up on a dairy farm in south central Kentucky.
But at one point, when I was just a youngster, maybe eight or nine or 10 years of age, my dad had a few pigs, no more than eight or ten at one time. But I learned pretty quickly I did not need to crawl over the fence into the pen with the pigs, especially if they were hungry, because they could become pretty vicious pretty quickly. So picture the scene again. 2000 pigs rushing down the hillside into the lake where they are drowned.
Hit the pause button for just a moment. What was it like to be in the shoes of Those who were. ###tending the pigs? I don't know what pigs were going for at Market that day, but can you imagine them having to go report to the owners of the pigs what had just happened? Can you imagine the reaction of the folks who live in that region when they learn what had happened?
Well, Mark does tell us that ultimately those folks will come out and plead with Jesus to leave their region. Too many questions that I don't have answers to. Why does Jesus send the demons into the pigs? Why do the people plead with Jesus to leave? Kind of reminds me of the story in Luke chapter five where Peter and his companions have been fishing all night and have caught nothing.
They pull the boats up on the shore. Jesus asked for permission to step into the boat in order to do some teaching. And after he has finished teaching, he tells Peter, shove your boats out into the lake, let down your nets for a great catch. Peter agrees to do so. And it isn't the just a moment when the nets are so full of fish that the boats begin to sink.
And Peter has to call his companions to bring the other boat. And then we see Peter on the shore on his knees before Jesus, begging Jesus to leave.
Had I been Peter, I probably would have said, Jesus, how about you becoming my next fishing partner? I'll just let you go with me every day with this kind of catch. But no, it is Peter saying, go away from me. The fear that is there, the confession on the part of Peter that he's a sinful man. I've got questions with Mark, chapter five.
I don't have answers to all of those questions, and so I'll leave some of those for you to ponder as well. And then maybe the most important question, what was it like to be in the shoes of the man who had been possessed by all of these demons? When the people from the town arrived, they find the man sitting there dressed and in his right mind. And so picture the scene again. This naked, raving, demon, possessed lunatic who lives in the cemetery now released, set free from his bondage, set free from his chains.
Picture of the scene, you and I controlled by our demons, our addictions, our sins, our failures, our pride. And Jesus, by His grace and mercy and power, brings freedom to our lives, restores us, blesses us, rescues us, redeems us, heals us. And we find ourselves here today, sitting in our right mind. What's our response when Jesus brings healing? What's our response to his grace, his forgiveness?
Well, might I suggest that our first response should always be gratitude. One reason that I chose this story for today was knowing that this Sunday is the last Sunday before the Thanksgiving holiday. Our first response should always be gratitude. But the reality is many times we find ourselves not being a very grateful people. I'm reminded of Paul's words in Romans chapter one.
He said, since the creation of the world, God's invisible quality it his eternal power and his divine nature been clearly seen being understood from what has been made so that people are without excuse. For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to Him. Our first response should always be gratitude. Did you notice as Paul describes the degradation of humanity? He says the first thing is they neither glorified nor gave thanks.
I'm reminded of the story in Luke chapter 17 where Jesus heals 10 men who had leprosy and only one returned to say thanks. And so Jesus asked, where are the other nine? We're not 10 cleansed. Our first response should always be gratitude. I'm reminded of Paul's words in Philippians chapter 4.
Do not be anxious about Anything. But in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your request to God. Instead of worry and anxiety, Paul says, be filled with gratitude. In fact, I'm reminded of words I heard at a conference a few years ago, a message that was titled want to be happy, be grateful. With the point of the message being gratitude always leads to joy.
And so the challenge, just like this man in Mark 5, for us to stop and to look and to listen. We are sitting here today in our right minds, healed, forgiven, redeemed, restored. Our first response should always be gratitude. And I'm confident that's exactly what this man was feeling. But the people from the region don't feel gratitude that this demon possessed man is now in his right mind.
They are afraid. They begged Jesus to leave. And then notice as Jesus was getting into the boat, the man who had been demon possessed begged to go with him. Put yourselves in the shoes of the disciples again. Again.
Because Peter is the impetuous one, I tend to wonder what Peter would have said. I'm prone to wonder. And imagine if Peter might have said something like, lord, that doesn't need to happen. You don't need to let him go with us. Jesus, I know you've got all kinds of power.
I know you've just cast out a bunch of demons, but what if we get to the middle of the lake? After all, you sent those demons into a herd of pigs that were drowned in the lake. What if we get halfway across the lake and those demons come back? Jesus, there is no way that you should allow this guy to go with us. But you see, Jesus is already ahead of us.
The man begged him, let me go with you. And Jesus said, no, you go home to your own people and you tell them how much the Lord has done for you and how he has had mercy on you. And so the man went away and he began to tell in the Decapolis, a region of 10 cities in that area. He began to tell in the Decapolis how much Jesus had done for him. And all the people were amazed.
I think right here, maybe the primary reason I would have wanted to have been there for this moment, for this part of the conversation. Jesus, I want to go with you. And Jesus says, no, you go tell. You see, the first response is to be grateful, to soak up the love of Jesus, to be embraced by God. But it doesn't stop there.
The second response is to tell the story. Not only to soak up God's love and mercy in your life, but to go tell the story, tell how much Jesus has done for you. In fact, I would suggest that we aren't showing our gratitude like we should if we don't go, if we don't tell the story. You see, the one who has been set free wants to tell the story, just like the one who has been set free is filled with gratitude. And evidently the man did exactly what Jesus told him to do.
As you put the parallel Gospel accounts together, the next time that Jesus shows up in this region, the region of the Decapolis, is when he feeds 4,000. You know that Jesus fed 5,000 on one occasion. That's in a Jewish context. He feeds 4,000 a bit later. And if you read the text closely, it is in Gentile territory.
It is in this region. How did 4,000 people come out to hear Jesus? Because of the testimony of this man. You see, when we have experienced the impossible healing and forgiveness and freedom and release from our demons, you simply cannot keep quiet. Silence is not an option.
Some of you who are my age and even older may remember the story tied to the beginning of the Peace Corps. It was after a day of campaigning for the presidency when Senator John F. Kennedy arrived at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor on Oct 14, 1960 at 2:00am to get some sleep, not to propose the establishment of an international volunteer organization. Members of the press had already retired for the night, believing there was nothing significant that was going to happen when Kennedy arrived. But 10,000 students at the university were waiting to hear this presidential candidate speak.
And it was there, on the steps of the Michigan Union, that a bold new experience in public service was launched. Kennedy ask how many of you who are going to be doctors are willing to spend part of your days in Ghana? Technicians or engineers, how many of you are willing to work in the Foreign Service and to spend part of your lives traveling around the world for the sake of others? Bottom line, his question was, how many of you are willing to serve your country and the cause of peace by living and working in the developing countries of the world? Following up on that idea, after he became president, March 1, 1961, he signed an executive order establishing the Peace Corps.
Volunteers began serving in five countries in 1961, and just under six years, programs had been developed in 55 countries with more than 14,000 volunteers. Since 1961, a quarter of a million Americans have responded to this enduring challenge. For Kennedy, a three minute speech just after 2am to 10,000 college students. In fact, he closed by saying, this is the longest short speech I've ever made. Therefore, I'll finish it.
Let me say in conclusion, this university is not maintained by its alumni or by the state merely to help its graduates have an economic advantage in the life struggle. There is certainly a greater purpose. And that purpose, I would remind us today, pales in comparison to the greatest purpose ever. Our response to the good news that has saved us begins with gratitude. And that gratitude calls us to go and to tell.
Let me invite the Praise Team to come ahead and join us again. If we really believe that Jesus Christ is the only hope for humanity, then silence is not an option. If we really believe that Jesus Christ died on the cross to save us, to bring healing and reconciliation to our world, then silence is not an option. If we really believe that Jesus was raised from the dead and that He's coming again, then silence is not an option. And so we gather today as God's people in this place, grateful for the redemption we have experienced, declaring amazing grace, my chains are gone, and relishing this amazing grace of God that is in our life.