An Unlikely Preacher Part 3

 We've been talking about this unlikely preacher for a little bit now, and we have found out  a few things about him. First, we learned that he lived in an unlikely place and second, we learned that he had an unlikely behavior. Perhaps, you'll see things here that I mentioned before, but it's because this is such a pivotal moment in the Mark 5 passage that some things are worth repeating.

The demoniac had an unlikely encounter

I can recall from the Scriptures another unlikely encounter in Acts 9 and that's the story of Paul's conversion. He saw a light that blinded him for three days.  Because of that light he fell to the ground and heard a voice asking him: " Saul, Saul why are you persecuting me" and Paul answered:

"Who are you Lord?" And the voice said: " I am Jesus whom you are persecuting". Wow! What an encounter! Maybe this is a great topic for another time but the fact of the matter is that this Demoniac had also an encounter with Jesus. He had an unlikely encounter with Jesus. Let's pick up the story in Mark 5 verse 6. Look at the progress on this verse:

A) He saw Jesus from afar

B) He ran to Him

C) He fell down before Him

The demons recognized the authority of Jesus over all powers and principalities. Their actions towards Jesus showed their level of desperation ("they ran to Him and fell before Him). The word "fell down" in the Greek is the word "worship". Wow! What a thought! They were not actually running down to Jesus to harm Him but to worship Him because they knew who Jesus was, the "Son of the Most High." Observe that I use the pronoun "they"and not "he" because the demons were the ones pushing this man to do the things that he did.

Another sign that they were desperate was their statement: " I implore you by God, do not torment me" and why were they tormented? Because Jesus was about to take those demons out of that man for good! And that's why! The demons were terrified. They were about to be homeless (chuckles) but Matthew 8:29 tells us of the true reason for their fear: "What have you to do with us, O Son of God? Have you come here to torment us before the time?" The demons were confused. They thought they were being sent into the abyss ( their place of encarceration) prematurely. We can see that in the phrase "...torment us before the time?" but it wasn't that time yet, they were referring to the second coming of Jesus. You see, demons know their escatology correctly, hence their confusion. They know the truth of God and that's why they're so good at perverting it. Remember they used to be good angels but with Satan's insubordination towards God, one third of them got thrown out of heaven. Therefore, it is encouraging to know that two thirds of them are still on God's side.

But what makes this an unlikely encounter?

 Jesus was basically performing an exorcism and a quick one. He commands the demons by the power of His Word: "Come out of this man, you evil spirit"

Now, Jesus dealt with unclean spirits all the time but not at this magnitude. Remember his name was Legion, thousands of demons. This man was possessed in a very powerful way, but for the God of the Universe to take care of this situation, it was a piece of cake. A quick word and they were gone! 

Also, it makes it an unlikely encounter because the man was naked (Luke 8:27). He was a perverted, horrible, monstrous, demon-possessed man. Remember Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden, when Eve was deceived by the serpent and she took of the fruit of the forbidden tree? What happened next? Genesis 3:7: "Then the eyes of both were opened, and they knew that they were naked. And they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves loincloths." They were ashamed of being naked after they sinned against the Most Holy God. This Demoniac nakedness made him a very shameful man. He had probably been running around without clothes for quite some time and terrorizing everybody around him. He was naked before Jesus, the Savior of this world, very, very shameful.

Lastly, remember when I told you that the demons were about to be homeless? Well, I was joking. They actually went into a herd of pigs with Jesus permission per their request which makes it unusual and very unlikely. The pigs all drowned so their new residence didn't last. After all, they were probably homeless for a while.

This is a very bizarre, unusual and unlikely encounter with the King of kings and Lord of lords but in the end, this poor, broken - minded, demon-possessed man was freed from those thousands of demons and went back to not just a normal life, but also to a life of service to the Lord which we'll later explain.

Look, I know this sounds like a Hollywood movie but it's true. It's in the Word of God and it's one of the most amazing stories ever told in the Scriptures.

So, have you ever had an unlikely encounter with Jesus? Paul did. This man did and in their case, it was coming to faith in Jesus. They both received the salvation of the Lord in a very dramatic way but what about you? Your unlikely encounter might look a little different. Maybe not necessarily a story of salvation but what about a story of a miracle that Jesus performed for you? What about an answer to a prayer that you've been praying for a very long time? What about an unexpected recovery of an illness that you've had for years? Whatever encounters you have experienced with the Lord of the Universe, make sure you hold fast to those experiences because at some point, you might need to remember them to lift you up in the hard times of life. Listen to the words of psalmist in psalm 77:11-12:

"I will remember the deeds of the Lord ; yes, I will remember your wonders of old.  I will ponder all your work, and meditate on your mighty deeds."

This demon - possessed man had a very unlikely encounter with Jesus. How do those unlikely encounters with Jesus look like in your own life? They might look a little different for you and that's ok. May those encounters make you better, more mature, more blessed, more equipped. May God bless your life!

Stay tuned for the next episode. This story is not quite done yet.