Let me ask you a question: Suppose there was a person who lived in your neighborhood who was extremely violent and vile. He would frequent the tombs where he felt most comfortable and where he often stayed. This person was also demon possessed. Your neighborhood tried to deal with this man by binding him with chains and shackles, but he would break the chains and shackles and do others much harm.
Day and night he would visit the tombs crying out and gnashing himself with stones. This person was so horrifying and disgusting that everyone took great pains to simply avoid him.
Let’s say you had a visitor in your neighborhood who was able to cure the man. By cure I mean, this visitor was able to cast out the demons that lived in the man and restore the man to his right mind. The visitor was kind, compassionate, full of wisdom and a blessing to those who needed healing.
If you went around to your neighbors and took a poll and asked which person living in your neighborhood who they would most likely want to see leave, I am sure this demon possess man would be the front runner. But in Mark 5 that was not the case.
After Jesus cast thousands of demons out of one man’s body and restores a tomb dweller back to his rightful mind, the town’s people approached Jesus and ask HIM to leave.
“And they began to entreat Him to depart from their region” (Mark 5:17).
If this is not a display of rejection from sinful human hearts, what is? This flies in the face of logic, reason and human decency.
One man who wanted to follow Jesus said, “Lord, let me first go and bury my father.” Jesus’ reply was stunning: “Let the dead bury the dead” (Luke 9:59-60).
In other words, let those who are dead spiritually bury those who are dead physically. Jesus was asked to leave town by those who were dead spiritually. They wanted to remain in that condition. They feared the demon-possessed man, but they also feared Jesus, the Son of God more. The town’s people could put up with an insane, violent, vile, disgusting, disturbing, aggressive, self-inflicting, man filled with thousands of unclean spirits, but they could not accept the sinless Son of God.
If you ever want to see how disturbing and how low the human heart would go in its sinful state, then here is a prime example.
Some people are born to be damned. Some will never have their eyes opened and their hearts filled with reverence for God. Hell was prepared for the devil and his angels and for people such as these (Matt. 25:41). Although this is so bizarre and so utterly void of sound reasoning, it reflects a great deal of the age in which we find ourselves today. Scores of people would rather hang with the dead then turn to the living. Scores of people would rather simply remain dead. Finding life in Jesus is so out of the question. “I’ll take my bizarre neighbor any day, just get that church, get that preacher, get those Christians out of my neighborhood!”
But here is the real kicker of this story in Mark 5 that I want to leave you with. Pay close attention and NEVER forget this picture.
When the demons approached Jesus, they bowed down in worship -- 6When he saw Jesus from a distance, he ran and fell on his knees in front of him. 7He shouted at the top of his voice, "What do you want with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? Swear to God that you won't torture me!" 8For Jesus had said to him, "Come out of this man, you evil spirit!"
9Then Jesus asked him, "What is your name?"
"My name is Legion," he replied, "for WE are many."
And then there’s the contrast. When the town’s people approached Jesus, they asked Him to leave their region (v. 17). Even the sickest of the sick, the most evil of evil, the worse of the worse, the most unclean of the unclean – DEMONS, have enough sense to know that Jesus is one who is to be worshiped. Only man in his sinful, pathetic, degenerate heart does not know that much.
Therefore, here is my point: How hard is it for you to make time everyday to worship the Son of God in your devotions? How hard is it for you to show up to church on Sundays or attend Midweek, or even a small group bible study? I am afraid that there are times when demons have more sense on what to do in the presence of Jesus than some Christians.
Remember this: "How you spend your time is more important than how you spend your money. Money mistakes can be corrected, but time is gone forever." The time you spend in the worship of the Son of God is time well invested. But don’t get too excited about that. Even demons do that much! What you need to zero in on is your motive for doing so? Demons worship Jesus out of fear. Christians should spend time with Jesus in worship from a heart full of love and reverence. Worship should never be viewed as a chore or quickly done in order to make time for something lesser.
With regards to worship, we are better than demons, aren’t we?
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