Demonic strongholds in a land – Mark 5:10

“And he besought him much that he would not send them away out of the country.” Mark 5:10

Jesus and His disciples came to the land of the Gadarenes where He delivered a man possessed of a legion of demons.  After delivering the man, Jesus cast the demons into the swine.

This passage teaches us a few very important things.

First in verse 2 is says, “And when he was come out of the ship, immediately there met him out of the tombs a man with an unclean spirit.”

While many look at this verse and say that he was possessed of an unclean spirit I want you to rethink it and consider that the man possessed an unclean spirit: meaning his spirit was unclean. 

When Jesus commands the unclean spirit to leave the man there is nothing for the demons to grab hold of.  It is as if the demons were fish and the man had dirty water.  When the dirty water is removed, the fish must go.

So the demons respond by asking Jesus, “What are you going to do with us?”

There was never a question of authority here.  Everyone knew that Jesus was in charge.

And they begged Him not to torture them… but to send them into the swine.

Why?  Because they didn’t want to leave the country.

The land was unclean according to the Law because of the swine, which were illegal for Jews to have. 

It was a safe place for the demons.  But hey needed an unclean person to go into. 

I wonder… did the man have an unclean spirit because the demons were in him, or were the demons in him because he had an unclean spirit?

I vote for the latter.  And I fully believe that when revival comes and people come to Jesus and are cleansed by the blood of Jesus  that cleanses us from all unrighteousness… and when the Word of God which washes us is preached, taught, and lived by…

The devils in my land… in my state (your state)… in my town (your town)…. In my house (you house)

Will be begging for a herd of swine.

If we focus only on the demons… we miss the point.

We need to focus on the people they are affecting as well… cleaning house so that the demons have to leave.

And then, to be sure that the demons don’t return with friends (Matt 12:45) we need to disciple them!

Let’s get the sign out… “Private Property Of the Most High God:  NO TRESPASSING!”

SDG