Before Palm Sunday and Easter, we spent a couple of weeks in the book of Jonah. Jonah was given the extremely difficult task of going to the wicked city of Ninevah with a message of judgement. When you preach judgement, you are preaching against the works of the devil, you are sure to encounter hatred, often quite irrational hatred which is a sign of opposition from Hell. Jonah chickened out and did the sensible thing and ran the other way down to the port of Joppa bound for Tarshish eventually to be swallowed by a great fish before finally crying out to the Lord and being saved himself. Doing the sensible thing isn’t always the right thing to do and that’s true in life as well as in the Lord’s work. If we follow the Lord, sometimes we will have to take the greatest risk of all. Of losing our lives for his sake.
Today’s passage is about Jesus’s encounter with a demoniac once he reached the neighbouring country on the other side of Lake Galilee. Going on a mission to another country can be very dangerous. Some places have strongholds and if you stumble into them unprepared it’s like accidentally disturbing a hornet's nest, you will soon find yourself under attack from a swarm of angry hornets that can be life threatening. This journey to the other side of Lake Galilee was out and out spiritual warfare for which you must be prepared as Ephesians 6 describes.
Ephesians 6:10-20
Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God; praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints— and for me, that utterance may be given to me, that I may open my mouth boldly to make known the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains; that in it I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak.
Anywhere you go and preach the Gospel, there can be a violent hateful spirit like a guard dog waiting to attack. Where wickedness dominates a location, as it did with Ninevah, preparation for spiritual warfare is a must. You better believe that Jesus was prepared for his encounter with the demoniac.
Luke 8:26-30
Then they sailed to the country of the Gadarenes, which is opposite Galilee.
The Gadarenes was a region controlled by the town of Gadara, one of the ten cities of the Decapolis. This is an area inhabited primarily by Gentiles, We know this to be the case because pigs are being raised nearby, and no self respecting Israelite would ever be so closely associated with these animals.
And when He stepped out on the land, there met Him a certain man from the city who had demons for a long time. And he wore no clothes, nor did he live in a house but in the tombs. When he saw Jesus, he cried out, fell down before Him, and with a loud voice said, “What have I to do with You, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I beg You, do not torment me!” For He had commanded the unclean spirit to come out of the man. For it had often seized him, and he was kept under guard, bound with chains and shackles; and he broke the bonds and was driven by the demon into the wilderness. Jesus asked him, saying, “What is your name?” And he said, “Legion,” because many demons had entered him.
The first thing Jesus did was to identify the demon by asking its name. If a devil is manifesting, we need to recognise that it is the separate hostile entity, not the individual who is simply its victim. The individual is trapped and you need to do what Jesus did and direct your words at the demon not the individual.
In this poor man’s case, there were thousands of demons living inside him, tearing him apart. Based on the Roman military term, a legion was 3,000 to 6,000 men—
Mark 5:11-13
Now a large herd of swine was feeding there near the mountains. So all the demons begged Him, saying, “Send us to the swine, that we may enter them.” And at once Jesus gave them permission. Then the unclean spirits went out and entered the swine (there were about two thousand); and the herd ran violently down the steep place into the sea, and drowned in the sea.
In the context of about 2,000 pigs being drowned afterward, it often suggests a figure in the thousands, specifically 2,000–6,000. So at least 2000 demons.
Demons enter through "open doors" or "portals" created by specific actions, environments, or vulnerabilities. The drug world is known to open portals to the spiritual realm, that often appear to be good as Satan comes as an angel of light, but are actually darkness, from the darkest of places hidden in the Earth. Satan dwells in darkness.
Demons gain access through:
• Involvement in the Occult: Direct engagement with practices like Ouija boards, tarot cards, séances, witchcraft, or divination is cited as a major entry point (including music that has its source in the occult)
• Habitual Grave Sin: Persistent and unrepented lifestyles involving pornography, substance abuse, or violence are believed to create spiritual gateways. (Note that drugs including nicotine and alcohol play with fire and can quickly lead to substance abuse).
• Severe Trauma or Shock: Experiences such as abuse, neglect, or sudden emotional shock can create vulnerabilities that demons exploit.
• Generational Curses: Some beliefs suggest spirits can be inherited through the bloodline or passed down due to unrepented sins of ancestors.
• Unforgiveness: Harboring deep bitterness, resentment, or hatred is often described as a "foothold" for spiritual oppression.
Ephesians 4:26-27
“Be angry, and do not sin”: do not let the sun go down on your wrath, nor give place to the devil.
• False Religions or Idolatry: Engaging with teachings or objects associated with idolatry or false spirits is considered an invitation for demonic influence.
Notice that not all of the doorways are the persons fault but can just be a situation that a demon can exploit. Just because something traumatic happens to a person, does not mean that the person becomes possessed. This is especially true of the child of God who has the Holy Spirit inside them. No demon can enter in that case.
But there can be situations where a demon oppresses the person through the memory leading to choices that do give access to demons. For example, if a person has a traumatic experience such as a close family member dying that leads to them go to a seance to contact the dead, that would open the door to a demon.
As in Ninevah where the people could not discern between left and right, good and evil, you cannot assume the person knowingly opened themselves up to the demonic. Even if they have made an informed choice, Satan does not expose his true nature or purpose at first.
Witches will tell you there are white witches, white and black magic but in fact, all of it is of Satan.
Our world today has opened the door and put down the welcome mat for the devil. We have an explosion of satanic activity with drugs, witchcraft, the occult in music and even in kids movies, pornography, sexual immorality all becoming mainstream.
When we walk with the Lord, with the Holy Spirit, we will encounter the demonic in our World today. It’s not actually us but the Holy Spirit within us that causes the demons to react. The presence of Jesus makes demons afraid. We need to recognise when demons are manifesting so we can take action.
In this story, the encounter with Jesus made the demons manifest themselves.
Luke 8:31-37
And they begged Him that He would not command them to go out into the abyss. Now a herd of many swine was feeding there on the mountain. So they begged Him that He would permit them to enter them. And He permitted them. Then the demons went out of the man and entered the swine, and the herd ran violently down the steep place into the lake and drowned. When those who fed them saw what had happened, they fled and told it in the city and in the country. Then they went out to see what had happened, and came to Jesus, and found the man from whom the demons had departed, sitting at the feet of Jesus, clothed and in his right mind. And they were afraid. They also who had seen it told them by what means he who had been demon-possessed was healed. Then the whole multitude of the surrounding region of the Gadarenes asked Him to depart from them, for they were seized with great fear. And He got into the boat and returned.
All demons are subject to Jesus’s authority and are terrified of him so we don’t need to be afraid. In our day, we have people who claim to be the victim of aliens and have been traumatised. The interesting thing is that it has been found that these so called aliens are afraid of the name of Jesus. We stand in his authority and the demons have to go.
You would think that the region’s citizens should have been grateful for this miracle of the man being set free from a legion of demons, but they are afraid instead and tell Jesus to go away.
Some people are really only seeking material prosperity at the expense of true life, these men implored Jesus to leave (vv. 33–34). Regrettably, Matthew Henry comments, too many “prefer their pigs above their Saviour, and so come short of Christ, and salvation through him.”
Who do you care more about, people or pigs? All of us may be so concerned with our own lives that we fail to help the people around us in desperate circumstances, who may be suffering from demonic oppression and possession.
Luke 8:38-39
Now the man from whom the demons had departed begged Him that he might be with Him. But Jesus sent him away, saying, “Return to your own house, and tell what great things God has done for you.” And he went his way and proclaimed throughout the whole city what great things Jesus had done for him.
Jesus told him to go back. This was very kind of Jesus considering the people of the region had just told him to leave them. This shows Jesus's heart for the lost even when people reject him.
For the man who wanted to follow Jesus, it was a hard call to return to the place where he had known demons, chains, tombs, self-mutilation, public humiliation, abuse, loneliness, and suicidal torment. But it was there that the grace of God in his life would shine the brightest. His daily life would remain a testimony to his country.
What Jesus wants us to know is that his salvation and his protection extend to those old, horrible haunts. If he can break the death-grip Satan once had on us and set us free, then he can redeem the places of our former slavery and make them showcases of God's Grace.
We are not to be afraid. The Good Shepherd will walk with us and protect us on the darkest road. There are many verses we can use in spiritual warfare, just one example is;
Psalm 23:4
Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; For You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.
Personally, I have not been involved in deliverance ministry though I believe it is much needed today and so I do think we should be equipped and organised with a plan of action whenever we encounter the demonic in our services (which is inevitable).
The disciples were sent out in two’s, church leaders should team up, worship leaders ready to back up, bibles out, the warfare verses above documented and memorised, Sound desk ready with worship music. All others ready to gather together and pray. Remember the Cross is a powerful symbol and the Lord’s Prayer that says « Deliver us from Evil »
