Legion Among the Tombs
(This three-part series was inspired by the sermon "A Human Haunted House" by Dr. Charlie Dates)
In Mark 5, Jesus steps out of the boat and is immediately confronted by “a man with an unclean spirit. He lived among the tombs.” (2-3)
Graveyards were unclean places. They were places no one wanted to go. But this unclean, demon-possessed man, lived there.
Graveyards are scary places. They seem haunted. They are places that, in traditional popular superstition, are filled with demons and spirits.
They symbolize the places in our lives filled with dark secrets, with debilitating shame and fear.
Every life has them. The dead and dark things go somewhere. Sins we’ve committed but never admitted to. Sins committed against us that we’ve buried alive. Shameful things we don’t want to see. Memories that buzz with the voice of the devil and stink of hell-fire and fear-sweat. We all have haunted places in our lives.
Jesus could have landed the boat anywhere. This story follows the story where Jesus rebukes the storm at sea—“Peace! Be still!” He could get out of the boat anywhere He wanted. But He went here. In fact, at the end of the story, it says simply that Jesus got back in the boat and crossed the sea again (v. 21). In other words, He came to this place to meet this fellow. There was something that needed to be done, something that we needed to see.
This placed haunted by demons and darkness needed to be haunted by Christ. There’s a Spirit in this world as much stronger than all dark spirits as life and light is stronger than what is dead and all darkness. Wrestle a corpse and see who wins. Flick on the lights—does the darkness struggle? Jesus is greater and He is not afraid.
And so also the places in our lives where demons live and secrets are buried, are places haunted by Christ. When He comes into our lives, He goes there too. He doesn’t go around, He goes in. Jesus is not afraid. Don’t be afraid.
Is there a legion of demons in your darkness? Haunting voices you can’t seem to silence? Okay. Christ is greater and He is not afraid. Don’t be afraid.
Or, hey, go ahead and be as afraid as you need to be. Let the horrors of sin and shame rise up to their full hideousness. Christ is greater and He is not afraid. Don’t be afraid.
The darkness in your life, the darkness crippling your spirit and keeping you held back (v. 4-5), is no power and no fear to Jesus.
The ghouls and goblins and gore people celebrate this time of the year are meant to embody our fearful darkness. And sometimes that all feels so big and so powerful.
But then, that’s why Jesus got out of the boat here. So we know Who is big and Who is powerful. And He is not afraid. He is here to set you free. Don’t be afraid.
Photo by Diana Parkhouse on Unsplash
