Pastor Scott Andrews | January 12, 2025
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Luke 8:26-33
Jesus had been in His Galilean ministry for some time now – maybe a couple years. He had called the Twelve to Himself and had begun to teach them the truths of the kingdom. They knew He was different from the beginning. When He called them, something in Him compelled them to obey, even though it didn’t really make sense. He was a carpenter turned itinerant preacher, yet when He called, they left all they had, all they were, to follow Him. They began to observe as He healed those who were sick, diseased, paralyzed, demon-possessed. It didn’t matter – He seemed to have power over everything that plagued humanity. And when He spoke, He spoke as One with authority, this Galilean carpenter. He frequently spoke to the multitudes in parables, hiding His meaning from those who would hear, yet later explaining them to His disciples in private. It seemed every time He opened His mouth, they were in awe at His words. In some gospel accounts, the teachers of the law were accusing Him of being empowered by Beelzebul, the prince of demons. And, while His own family thought Him out of His mind, the disciples were beginning to understand He was different.
After one particularly busy day in Galilee, a day of many miracles and much teaching, He said, “Let us go over to the other side of the lake.” The other side was the eastern shore of the Sea of Galilee. It had been a busy time – Jesus perhaps needed some rest away from the constantly present and growing crowds that followed Him, seeking Him to meet their needs. But, there was a spiritual purpose for the trip as well, both in the journey and upon their arrival.
They take off with a few other boats, making their way across the lake. Little did the disciples know they were in for yet another adventure they had never before experienced. We looked at this amazing story last week. After Jesus calmed the sea of raging waves and howling winds in an instant, the disciples were even more convinced Jesus was different. In fact, they were beginning to realize He was something other. Some of these disciples were experienced fishermen. They had seen storms on the sea before, but this one was of such great intensity they feared for their lives. The words indicate a storm of hurricane proportions as the winds swept violently through the narrow mountain valleys like a funnel, drawing the storm down with fierce suddenness.
And while the disciples feared for their lives, Jesus lay exhausted, asleep. This is the only reference in the gospels to Jesus sleeping – no doubt He had slept, but never before when His disciples needed Him. You see, while He had demonstrated His power over disease, it would seem this entire event was arranged to display His power over yet another realm, that of nature. In fact, through the rest of chapter 8, we see four miracles of a stupendous display of deity.
So, with one wave after another coming over the side of the boat, as it appeared they were in the process of sinking, they awaken Jesus. I find it interesting that the tossing of the boat, the howling of the storm, the crashing of the waves did not awaken Him. You see, since He was something other, He was in complete control of the situation. And while the elements did not awaken Him, the cries of those who needed Him did. He always hears the cries of His own.
They cried out to Him, “Master, Master, we are perishing.” If only they knew to whom they spoke. They had the Lord of the wind and the waves right in the boat with them, it didn’t matter that He was asleep. The story goes on to tell us He got up and rebuked the wind and the waves, and there was calm. The verb tense indicates an immediate response. It could not be mistaken the winds and the waves obeyed His voice. Neither the disciples thought, nor should we think the storm just started to subside, and after a little while, there was calm as is normal after storms. No, Jesus spoke, and there was immediate peacefulness. Last week, we saw He still has the ability to speak and bring peace in the midst of your storms.
As a result, the disciples were fearful and amazed. Mark says they feared a great fear. They had been afraid of the storm outside of the boat; but they were terrified of this One in the boat who could speak and the elements obey. They were becoming further convinced, He was something other. And they asked the question, “Who then is this?” In the same account in Matthew, the question is, “What kind of man is this?”
And that is the question many were asking and Luke is answering. Not only then, but now. Do you know who this Jesus is? Do you know what He is able to do? Does the text tell us? Those who knew Him, who spent time with Him, had a fearful respect for who He was and what He could do. This morning, I want us to go away with a renewed sense of awe. I want us to know Jesus a little better, and as such, reverence Him more. And we will do that by looking at the second amazing miracle found in Luke 8:26-33. Let’s read that.
What a great story. Again, it’s a familiar one – told in all three synoptic gospels – but it’s a great one. The outline goes like this – again, a familiar one since I used it in Mark’s gospel:
I. The Background (26-27)
II. The Battle (28-31)
III. The Bay of Pigs (32-33)
Yes, I used that 9 years ago, so I thought about changing it to the Setting, the Standoff, and the Swine-flu, but we’ll stay with this. As we begin, let me remind you the purpose of Luke’s gospel. He’s trying to confirm what is often weak and faltering faith. He’s trying to prove beyond doubt that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and so our faith in Him is well-placed. We can be convinced of that which we have believed. Moreover, believers are to be followers of Jesus. He said in His last stretch of teaching, he that has ears to hear, let him hear. Luke wants to help us understand who Jesus is and what real discipleship involves. This story actually ends with that, as we’ll see next week.
So, it’s in this context we continue. I want you to remember, based on the events of the previous evening, the disciples were somewhat terrified of who Jesus was and what He could do. He had exercised His power over the forces of nature. You’d be a little nervous too if you observed someone command a Kansas tornado to lay at his feet. It would sure beat closing your eyes, clicking your heels together and saying, “there’s no place like home.”
Amazing, but what we’ll see now is a large company of demons also laying down at the feet of Jesus. We’ve already seen Satan defeated in tempting Jesus; and, the first recorded miracle in this book is driving out a demon; and, there are other references to exorcism ministry, but none as spectacular as this. Power over nature, now, power over the forces of evil. This whole section seems to be exalting Jesus and His omnipotence, setting Him apart as something other. As we saw last week, this section shows His power over nature, demons, disease, and even death.
The text says they went across the lake to the region of the Gerasenes. That region lay on the southeastern shore of the Sea of Galilee. Gadara was one of the major cities of the region called the Decapolis. So, in Matthew’s account, he calls it the region of the Gadarenes.
Upon arriving, probably in the middle of the night or very early in the morning, we find a man possessed with demons came from the tombs to meet them. Verse 27 says the man is possessed by demons; verse 29 says it’s an unclean spirit – this whole story is filled with uncleanness – an unclean spirit, a demon-possessed man, living among the tombs, dead people and pigs all around. This would have been horrifying to any good Jew. But notice – Jesus wades into the uncleanness of life to provide cleansing through healing and forgiveness. He did that, by the way, at the incarnation, when He lefts heaven’s glorious and perfect splendor, and came to this broken earth.
We’re told this man lived among the tombs. At this time, tombs were burial places made up of natural caves or man-made caves carved out of the limestone rock. There were cells along each side of the cave that would hold the dead bodies, kind of like a mausoleum. If you could stand the stench and uncleanness, and if you weren’t bothered by dead people, it was a great place to live. The tombs were usually in a solitary place, away from the traffic and life of the surrounding towns.
Now, verse 27 tells us the man had not put on any clothing for a long time. Verse 29 gives a further description: somewhat reminiscent of the $6 million man, this guy was somehow able, under the influence of demons, to break the chains that bound him. Keep in mind we are not talking about high grade iron or steel, and the word torn apart in Mark carries with it the idea of violently rubbing the chains together to break them. It was still superhuman strength. No one could bind him anymore indicates his condition had gotten worse. So, his Herculean strength rendered any attempts to subdue him fruitless. Luke is getting a point across: no one could bind him, chains torn apart, no one was strong enough to subdue him. This was a strong man, unable to be contained by natural means. Having broken his bonds, he would head out to the desert, to the desolate tombs.
This, by the way, was the medical treatment of the day for insanity or possession – chain them to curb their violence. Psychology today would perhaps diagnose him as a depressive psychotic. But then, as with some psychological practices today, all attempts to heal the man had proven ineffective. And we find he wasn’t psychotic – he was demon-possessed. You may know that demons are fallen angels who sided with Satan in his rebellion, were cast out of heaven, and are now the avowed enemies of God – seeking to destroy His work. That’s is important. You see, there are two extremes we need to avoid regarding demons. One is that they don’t exist, the other is they exist under every rock. C.S. Lewis in his introduction to his famous, The Screwtape Letters, writes:
“There are two equal and opposite errors into which our race can fall about the devils. One is to disbelieve their existence. The other is to believe, and to feel an excessive and unhealthy interest in them. They themselves are equally pleased by both errors and hail a materialist and magician with the same delight.”
Now it is true, they seemed to be more prevalent in Palestine when Jesus walked the earth, as they seemed to gather and direct their evil intentions on Him. By the way, the story in Matthew tells us they were extremely violent; Mark’s account tells us that night and day, among the tombs and in the mountains, he would scream and gash himself with stones. Notice the self-destructive nature of the demonic possession. We’ll see it again when they inhabit the pigs.
The word screaming speak of inarticulate shrieks. The word is used of the crying of wild pigs or the loud croaking of frogs. He would yell at the top of his lungs, not really saying anything with what we would call blood-curdling screams. The text says he cut himself with stones. You can only imagine what this man looked like after years of cutting up his body. He was probably quite disfigured and covered with scars. Luke records the fact that he was naked as well. I told you this before when we looked at this story in Matthew – basically what we have here is a nude dude in a rude mood.
So get this scene firmly imbedded in your minds. When you think of horror flicks, what are some of the things that come to mind? Among these, no doubt, are cemeteries at night. Since they had left from the other side in the evening, it was probably in the middle of the night now. So here we have a genuine horror story – a demon-possessed man that no one was strong enough to do anything about, running around nude, screaming at the top of his lungs, and living in a cemetery. Matthew records the additional fact this man would not even allow people to pass by that way, which explains why he ran up to Jesus and His party. Little did he know he was about to face his worst nightmare.
Imagine the disciples’ impression of the event. They already had a rather draining night, to say the least. And as they’re getting out of the boat, this crazy, demon-possessed, naked, disfigured man comes streaking up to them, screaming the whole way. They’re probably scared to death, trying to decide whether it is better to jump back into the boat and face another boat ride or face this guy. Everyone present is on edge, emotions running high, everyone terrified, everyone except Jesus, who is in total control of the situation. Listen, what’s going on here? I believe Jesus is taking them deeper. From facing a storm to facing the forces of evil. He was taking them deeper. He was showing them, follow Me, and you’ll have storms. Follow Me, and you face the fiery darts of the enemy. But the fact is, I’m more powerful than storms, I’m more powerful than demons.
Bringing us to our second point: the battle. This man, seeing Jesus and His disciples landing on his shoreline, runs over, probably to harass them. However, as he arrives, Jesus, knowing all about the man’s problem, commanded the unclean spirit to come out of him. At this, the evil spirits recognized who Jesus was and fell down on their collective knees, crying for mercy. Now, this falling on their knees was not an act of worship, but an act of respect paid to a superior being. They were saying, “What business do we have with each other, Jesus, Son of the Most High God?
Which brings me back to the disciples’ question, who then is this man? It was the question the disciples asked after Jesus calmed the storm. It’s an important question – the most important question. Please note, even demons, as evil as they are, know who Jesus is. James 2 says they believe there is one God, and have enough sense to shudder at the thought of Him. Today, people not only refuse to shudder at the thought of Him, many refuse to even accept His existence. Or they have perverted God to be one they can stomach. When the disciples were beginning to realize who Jesus was, they feared a great fear. When demons came into His presence, they fell on their knees in front of Him. This is a proper response to Jesus.
Think about that. When the disciples were beginning to realize who Jesus was, they were feared a great fear. They were amazed. When demons came into His presence, they cried out for mercy. Luke says they fell before Him. Listen, it is true – at the name of Jesus, every knee will bow, and every tongue confess that Jesus is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. Even demons buckle at the powerful name of Jesus.
And, without an introduction, they called Him the “Son of the Most High God.” And there is the answer. That is who He is. That He was the Son of God asserts His identity of essence with God. He is deity. That He was the Son of the Most High God distinguishes the true God from false gods. There are no other gods but this God, no other Jesus, no other Savior. It’s interesting, the demons, serving one who wanted to exalt himself above God, were not confused as to who God is. It is both exciting and comforting to know that we serve a God who is over all – and even the forces of evil are subject to Him. Now listen, that doesn’t mean we should storm the gates of hell with a squirt gun, but it does mean we need not fear.
These demons served Satan, who wanted to exalt himself above God. But in the presence of the true God, they were not confused about who God was. It is comforting and empowering to know that we serve a God who is over all – and even the forces of evil are subject to Him. No matter how bad the storms get, He can calm them, or see us through them. No matter what demonic opposition we face, Jesus is in control. Demons buckle at the name of Jesus. He is always in control. He’s just taking us deeper.
So this legion of demons falls at the feet of Jesus, and their inarticulate shrieks become pleas for mercy. He says, “I beg you, do not torment me!” You see, verse 31 says they were imploring Jesus to not command them to go into the abyss – Matthew says, before their time. The abyss is a place of confinement and suffering for evil spirits. To this they are destined. They were fearing the final judgment was about to come upon them early.
At this point, Jesus asks the demon his name. Why would He do so? There has been much speculation. Some have suggested the ancient and current practice of discerning the demon’s name was necessary for a successful exorcism. I find it difficult to believe Jesus did not know what or who He was dealing with. And even if He didn’t know the demons’ name because of His humanity, I find it difficult to believe that would keep Him from exorcising the demons – it didn’t stop Him in all His other exorcisms in the New Testament. Others have suggested, more rightly I think, that the demon was identified to show the magnitude of the possession and the power of the miracle Jesus was about to perform. This was no small miracle.
You see, the demon’s name was Legion, for many demons had entered the man. A Roman Legion consisted of about 6,000 men. There were 2,000 pigs that rushed into the sea after being possessed by the demons. Exactly how many demons there were, we don’t know – just that there were many. The word legion by this time had come in the Jewish mind to be signify vast numbers, complex organization, invincible strength, and relentless oppression.
We do know it was not uncommon for a person to be possessed by more than one demon, and that they can be counted. Remember, at the beginning of this chapter we find that Mary Magdelene was possessed by 7 demons. And so, they beg not to be sent to the abyss.
Which brings us to our third point. Again, let’s get the picture here. We have 2,000 pigs feeding along the Sea of Galilee. This region of Decapolis was largely inhabited by Gentiles, who probably owned the pigs. The next thing you see is these 2,000 pigs rushing headlong into the sea and drowning themselves. Lots discussion about the morality of sending demons into pigs – the PETA people would have a heyday. The atheist Bertrand Russell, who wrote a book entitled, “Why I Am Not a Christian,” cited this story as one of his reasons for believing the person, power and goodness of Jesus. Why, Russell asks, did Jesus not just cast them out – why cause all this destruction to these poor pigs. Listen, this was not a concern to the biblical authors – the point is, one human being was worth more than 2000 pigs, and the miracle was a vivid display of its magnitude.
We must understand the power involved here. First, we have a man who had been possessed by demons for some time. No one was able to subdue the man, not even with chains. Along comes Jesus, and at His spoken word, they leave the man. It also important to see the demons realized they were fully at the control of Jesus – they asked permission to enter the pigs.
So don’t miss it. These demons fall at the feet of Jesus, and their inarticulate shrieks become pleas for mercy. They say, “What business do we have with each other, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? Matthew adds, “Have you come here to torment us before the time?” Have you come “here” doesn’t mean, have you come across the Sea. It means, have you come here, to earth, to torment us before the time – they knew who Jesus was and where He came from.
Again, Matthew says, have you come to torment us before the time – what time? The time when they will face ultimate defeat and are cast into the Abyss, into the lake of fire – Revelation 20. That time is in the future, when Jesus returns in all His glory and in judgment. Until then, we live in that already-not yet tension. Meaning, Jesus has already won the victory. The enemies have been defeated. The kingdom is here, now. But it is not yet here in all its fullness. Are demons still around? You bet they are. Are they defeated? Just like disease, just like death, you bet they are. Their days are numbered. In the fullness of the kingdom, demons will be cast into the lake of fire, tormented and defeated forever. Until then, we face their attacks. Until then, we must put on the whole armor of God. Until then, we will face the fiery darts of the evil one as he seeks to destroy us – that’s what demons do – look at what they did to this man and to the pigs. But listen, ultimate victory is ours. It’s already been assured. Demons buckle at the name of Jesus.
Now, there are a number of questions we could ask here which we don’t have time to answer – questions like, why did the pigs drown themselves, where did the demons go after the pigs drowned, or did Jesus know what would happen to the pigs? Maybe I’ll take that up next week.
But, all of this brings us to our conclusion. You may be asking the question, so what? What does all this mean? And you may be saying things like, “I’d believe this Christianity stuff if I could see something like that.” Or, “I’m a Christian, but it sure would have been nice to walk with Jesus and see that kind of miracle. I think I’d be stronger in my faith.” Bear with me as I draw some analogies between this historical act of grace, and the act of grace God performs today every time He converts the soul of a sinner.
First, if you don’t know who Jesus is, you’ve never committed your life to Him, asking Him to forgive you of your sin and become your Lord, you too are under the influence of the forces of evil. You are chained, a slave to sin, and Jesus said in John 8 that you are a child of the Devil, because you do the things he does when you sin.
Second, Ephesians 2 tells us you too, like this man, hang around dead people. In fact, you are one of those dead people. You are dead in trespasses and sin, and so is everyone else that hasn’t been made alive in Christ.
Third, you also, like this man, are self-destructive. Every evil act you perform, like scars are permanent records making you guilty before God.
Fourth, you, like this demoniac, have found there is nothing you or anybody else can do about your condition. You’ve tried to curb your violence, your evil, but you’ve been unsuccessful. Modern psychology, self-improvement programs, a proper self-esteem, learning to love yourself – nothing to fill the void in your heart and remove your sin, your pollution, and your guilt.
Which means, finally, you too have to fall at the feet of Jesus, recognizing who He is – that He is the Son of the Most High God. Certainly this is where the analogy breaks down. The demons did not find deliverance, but the man did. We’ll see that next week as he understood who Jesus is and what He had done for him.
My question to you this morning is, do you know this Jesus? I suppose you can dismiss the story of Legion as mere legend – but there are too many stories of His amazing, miraculous power. And so, do you know the price He paid by dying on the cross to free you from your bondage to sin? If you’ve never surrendered to Christ, you can. It’s simply a matter of confessing your sin, bowing at the feet of Jesus as your Lord, seeking His forgiveness through His death, burial and resurrection. And for those of you who already know Jesus as your Lord, my purpose is to impress you once again with Him. I want you to walk away today with a renewed sense of awe for who He is and what He has done in your life.