The King of Mercy and Might
This is part two of a series on Mark 5. In part 1, I walked through Mark 5:1-5 and showed how as sinners, we are all enslaved to sin. In this part, we see the King of mercy and might.
The King of Might
Those who are enslaved to sin need a rescuer. Who can set the sinners free? Only One strong enough to save.
Mark 5:6-7
6 And when [the demoniac] saw Jesus from afar, he ran and fell down before him. 7 And crying out with a loud voice, he said, “What have you to do with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God?
The demoniac comes up to Jesus and bows at His feet, flat on his face in reverence before Him. Although it is the man’s mouth that is moving, these words come from the demons within the man. They know who Jesus is. And they ask, “What do you want with us?” Clearly they don’t want anything to do with Him. But they, trembling subjects of a mighty king, must answer to Him.
The Most High God
The demons call Him, “Son of the Most High God.” The title “Most High God” is an invitation to compare the true God to every other so-called god.
When God rescued Israel from Egypt in the book of Exodus, He sent 10 plagues, split the Red Sea, and saved His people from 400 years of slavery. Each of those plagues corresponds to God’s judgment on an Egyptian god. Here’s just a sample:
God turned the Nile River to blood, signifying the death of Hapi, the supposed god of the Nile.
God caused boils on all the Egyptians which they could not heal, thus judging Isis, the supposed goddess of healing.
God bought darkness over the land, mocking Ra, the supposed god of the sun and creator of all things.
And finally, God killed the firstborn son, thus mocking Pharaoh, who proclaimed himself as a god.
The gods of Egypt are nothing. They have no power, no strength because they are not real. And the God of Israel proved it by utterly destroying them all.
In response, the people of Israel sing in Exodus 15.
Exodus 15:11
Who is like you, O LORD, among the gods? Who is like you, majestic in holiness, awesome in glorious deeds, doing wonders?
Who is like the LORD? No one! The God of Scripture, the God of the Abraham, Issac, and Jacob—He alone is the true and living God. To Him belongs all power, dominion, might, authority.
Son of God Most High
Jesus Christ is the Son of God Most High. The angel Gabriel uses this same title when announcing Jesus’ birth to Mary.
Luke 1
31 …you shall call his name Jesus. 32 He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David, 33 and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.”
This is why Jesus can inherit the throne of King David. This is why He can reign over Israel as their divine King. This is why His kingdom will never end. Jesus is the King come to reveal His kingdom—don’t forget it! He has the kingly authority of the Most High God.
Back in Mark 5, the demons are absolutely terrified of Him. In verse 7, the demoniac says, “I adjure you by God, do not torment me.”
When presented with an unconquerable foe, the demoniac gets on his face and begs for mercy. He knows, without a shadow of a doubt, that he’s utterly powerless in the presence of Jesus. As one commentator writes:
Compelled by sheer dread, the demons were utterly subdued before their Judge. What no human being could tame, even through the use of ropes and chains, Jesus restrained with nothing more than His presence.1
Fear the Lord
When the demons saw Jesus, I don’t think they merely saw Him as 30-ish year old Jewish man. I think they saw Him in His full glory—and they were terrified. Look how Christ is described in the book of Revelation by the apostle John.
Revelation 1:12-17
12 Then I turned to see the voice that was speaking to me, …13 [He was] clothed with a long robe and with a golden sash around his chest. 14 The hairs of his head were white, like white wool, like snow. His eyes were like a flame of fire, 15 his feet were like burnished bronze, refined in a furnace, and his voice was like the roar of many waters. 16 In his right hand he held seven stars, from his mouth came a sharp two-edged sword, and his face was like the sun shining in full strength.
17 When I [John] saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead.
The sheer majesty of the glorified Jesus overwhelmed John. It was so immense, he simply keeled over as though dead.
If we were to draw near to the sun, we would be incinerated. If we were to hold molten lava in our hands, we would be melted. If we were to try to fathom the trillions of galaxies, each with their hundreds of billions of stars, and each of those stars having their planets, and each of those planets having their features—our minds would explode. So what do you think would happen if we were in the presence God?
He is the Almighty, the Lord of the Universe, the King of kings. He is the God Most High. Left to ourselves, we’d be consumed as though we were in an inferno. Moses prayed, “Show me Your glory!” But God replied, “You cannot see My face, for no man can see Me and live!” (Exodus 33:18,20) This is the God of Scripture. This is the God who incarnated and walked among us as Jesus. This is the God before whom demons cower and angels worship.
Our God is God Most High. And Christ is His perfect Son, with all the might of His Father, our great King. We have seen His might. Be in awe! But now, let us see His mercy.
The King of Mercy
Mark 5:8
For he was saying to him, “Come out of the man, you unclean spirit!”
Jesus uses His almighty power to command the demons to leave. He is no selfish tyrant. He uses His power to love.
Mark 5:8-13
9 And Jesus asked him, “What is your name?” He [the demoniac] replied, “My name is Legion, for we are many.” 10 And he begged him earnestly not to send them out of the country. 11 Now a great herd of pigs was feeding there on the hillside, 12 and they begged him, saying, “Send us to the pigs; let us enter them.”
13 So he gave them permission. And the unclean spirits came out and entered the pigs; and the herd, numbering about two thousand, rushed down the steep bank into the sea and drowned in the sea.
… 15 the demon-possessed man, the one who had had the legion, sitting there, clothed and in his right mind.
Note three things. First, note the language of authority. The demons begged, or urged Him, in both verse 10 and verse 12. And then in verse 13, Jesus “gave them permission.” Despite their forceful pleas, they could do nothing until Jesus gave them permission, because Jesus is in perfect control. Second, note the demon’s desperation for destruction. They killed about 2000 pigs in a horrific way: suicide by drowning. Demons always seek to corrupt the good creation of God, especially His highest creation: mankind. Third, note Jesus’ priority. He was willing to let thousands of pigs perish to save one demon-tormented soul. God made animals and cares for them. But make no mistake, humans are worth far more than pigs—or pets.
The Unclean
In Mark 1, Jesus met a leper who was unclean because of his skin disease. But the demoniac of Mark 5 is a man who is unclean four times over.2
He is unclean because he is possessed by an unclean spirit—and not just one, but many, maybe even hundreds or thousands of demons.
He is unclean because he lives among tombs, that is among dead bodies.
He is unclean because he is living near pigs, unclean animals not permitted for Jews to eat.
He is unclean because he is living in a Gentile—that is non-Jewish—land. He was a spiritual reject.
And yet, Jesus, Son of God Most High, comes to this unclean man in this unclean place amongst unclean people. Remember, Jesus got on a boat, came all the way across the Sea of Galilee through the craziest storm His disciples had ever seen simply to heal this man! He came to set him free from the demons! He came for this one man, the four-times unclean demoniac. See His compassion!
Jesus is the strong man of Mark 3, who binds the demons and sets the prisoner free (Mark 3:27). He is the Almighty, with all power, who uses this power to save this demoniac.
Is this your Jesus? Is He your mighty God and your merciful Savior? Or do you think there are some things in your life that are too shameful, too dirty, too bad for Him to really care about you—the real you?
I don’t know all your sin and suffering. But I do know this: you aren’t worse than the Gerasene demoniac. Whatever your sin, whatever your suffering, whatever your shame, you are not worse than him. Jesus had pity on the demoniac. Come to Him; He will have compassion upon you.
He knows the lies you’ve believed, the sin that has robbed your life of joy. He knows the chains of guilt and shame that devastate your life. He knows your loneliness and your enslavement to the sin that erodes your soul. He knows the torment and weight of condemnation that rests upon your shoulders. He knows the emptiness, the helplessness, the hopelessness of it all. He knows.
If Jesus had mercy on this four times unclean demoniac, He will have mercy on you. Won’t you come to Him? Jesus is gentle and humble in heart. His awesome power does not contradict His compassion. He is willing and able to love the wretched sinner, even you.
Remember in Revelation 1, John saw this overwhelming sight of the glorious Lord Jesus, and fell at His feet like a dead man. But the passage continues.
Revelation 1
17… But he [Jesus] laid his right hand on me, saying, “Fear not, I am the first and the last, 18 and the living one. I died, and behold I am alive forevermore…
The resurrected, glorious Christ is so awesome, John is knocked out by a mere glimpse. But He touches John in comfort and says, “Fear not.” I love that. The Almighty says don’t fear. Yes He is glorious, but do not be in terror. Yes He is mighty, but do not forget His mercy, that He died for sin, and rose victorious forevermore.
You can bring your sin and shame to Christ. He will welcome you with arms of love, wash you clean of your sin and sorrow. He will forgive you. What could you confess that He doesn’t already know? What could you share that He is not willing to forgive? He already knows everything! And if He has power to scare demons witless, He has power to love and heal you.
In Christian community, we can bring the mercy and ministry of Christ to one another. Part of that means confessing our sin, hearing our struggles, and praying for one another to live in righteousness. If you are the one who needs help, do not fear. Seek help. Jesus has forgiven us of far more sin, far worse sin than you have every known. If you are the one listening, do not judge. Love as Christ has loved you—fully, truly, mercifully. We love because He loved us first.
This is the Son of God Most High. How will you respond to this mighty and merciful king? There are only two possible responses, and we’ll look at that in the next post.
Adapted from a sermon preached for Lighthouse Community Church’s Youth Group (Junior High) on 2021.02.19.
Photo by Luke Tanis on Unsplash