Mark 5:9-13

Passage

Jesus asks the unclean spirit what his name is.  The spirit confesses to be legion, because there are many unclean spirits within the man.  He begs Jesus to not send the unclean spirits out of the country.  There were some pigs feeding on a nearby hillside, and the unclean spirits beg Jesus to enter the pigs instead.  Jesus allowed the spirits to go into the pigs.  The pigs rushed down into the sea and drowned under the oppression of the unclean spirits.

Thoughts for Today

First Thought:

Legion.  A legion of Roman soldiers was 6,000 in number.  It was a significant number.  In giving a name of legion, the unclean spirit is making a statement on the power of numbers.  However, we also must remember that the land of Israel was occupied territory.  The occupying forces often acted in cruel, mean, abusive, and selfish ways.  By giving the name legion, the unclean spirits could be indicating the particular brutality with which they held the man.

Imagine being under the kind of oppression that this man was under.  With what kind of unspeakable things could that many evil spirits have tormented him?  Can you imagine the torture that the man lived under each and every day?  What can this story teach us about the need for compassion for others?

Second Thought:

Notice the confusion of the man under the oppression of the unclean spirit.  Sometimes the man speaks with a single voice.  Other times the man speaks in the plural.  It is though the battle for control in the man still rages even as the story is being told.  This is how life is with sin.  We think we are in control, but soon sin wrestles control out of our hands.  We struggle to get it back.  The cycle continues until we encounter the presence of Jesus, who brings authority into our life.

Think about a particular sin with which you struggle.  Can you relate to this possessed man’s struggle for control?  Why is control so easy to lose?  Why is control so hard to get back?

Third Thought:

The unclean spirits are sent into pigs, which go and drown themselves.  There are at least two really interesting points here.  First, Jesus allows a demonstration of healing to occur.  The destruction of the pigs is absolute proof not only that the man was healed but just how powerful the oppression of the man had been.  Remember, it is said that there were at least 2,000 pigs that died.  That man had that kind of destructive force within him.  No wonder he was so distressed!  Second, Jesus is demonstrating to His disciples that Satan is destructive.  Satan does not care whether it be human life or creation, Satan desires to destroy.  God is the creator; Satan wishes to destroy that which God has created.  To Satan, man is no different than a pig.  Man is simply something to destroy.

How many influences do you have in your life?  How many are good?  How many are bad?  Have you ever thought of Satan as someone who desires to destroy anything in creation, not just humanity?  How does this make Satan an even more dangerous threat?

Passage for Tomorrow: Mark 5:14-17