Tag: demons

Posted in Through the Bible Devotions

Why did Jesus let the demons go into the pigs?

Posted on by William Douthwaite
Photo by Pascal Debrunner on Unsplash

Some “through the bible” thoughts from Mark 5.

In the Gerasenes, Jesus encounters a man possessed by a legion of unclean spirits. The spirits beg Jesus to allow them to enter a herd of two thousand pigs. The possessed pigs rush down a steep hillside into the sea where they all drown (Mark 5:1-20).

Before you know it, the man is dressed and in his right mind. But here’s my question: Why did Jesus let the demons destroy the herd of pigs?

I did a little reading and came up with a few possibilities.

  • We’re definitely in a Gentile region. There’s no way you’d find a herd of pigs anywhere near Jewish town and villages. Pork was forbidden by Old Testament dietary laws. Jesus, a Jewish man, would have no problem getting rid of a herd of pigs, keeping with Jesus law and life.
  • Once the demons entered the pigs, we see exactly what they wanted to do to this man. Their objective was to destroy not simply possess him. The number showed the severity of this possession. Nevertheless, though outnumbered, Jesus has complete authority over the unclean spirits. They could only do what he allowed them to do. And he didn’t even break a sweat.
  • Spiritual freedom comes at a cost. Ultimately, Jesus will pay the price with his life on the cross to defeat Satan and all his minions. This day, though, the price was a couple thousand hogs.

In the end, the people were more afraid of the one who had authority over the demons than the possessed man who lived among the tombs, who could break any shackles and chains that bound him. They begged Jesus to leave. And Jesus did. But not until he commissioned the man to make sure everyone knew what Jesus had done for him.

Posted in Life, Ministry

Scary stuff

Posted on by William Douthwaite

A few months ago, a woman who somehow knew I was a pastor came up to me and asked if I had ever helped people who had spirits in their homes. Immediately I could feel the hair go up on the back of my neck as I replied, “Not really. Why?” She explained that they had built their home a few years ago, so no one else had ever lived there but their family. Still, she had eleven pages of notes recording all the strange phenomena she had observed in her house. Interesting, huh? Yes, but scary, too. While we can explain away a lot of things scientifically and medically, there are still things going on that defy explanation and suggest that spirits and demons may still be alive and well like they were when Jesus was on the earth.

In this week’s gospel lesson, which I’ll be preaching on, Jesus and his disciples come meet a man possessed by multiple demons (Luke 8:26-39). Pretty scary stuff. But then Jesus shows that he has complete command of unclean spirits. Even scarier, right? For some, yes!

Now, with that truth in our mind, how will we deal with the demons we encounter? We may not encounter anyone completely possessed by demons, but I’ll bet you’ve met people who in some way seemed to be under their influence. Addiction, abuse, self-destructive behavior and hateful words could all be the product of our depraved, fallen state. But perhaps someone or something drives those behaviors in some. If that’s true, then you better take good notes when Jesus exhibits complete and total authority over those someones or somethings. You better not go out there without your armor, either.