There’s something deeply spiritual about the events recorded in Mark chapter 5, something that’s easy to miss unless you’re really paying attention:
The enemy doesn’t wait for you to start doing good to begin resisting you.
He attacks before you even begin.

We see this play out vividly as Jesus and His disciples cross the Sea of Galilee. Seemingly out of nowhere, a violent storm arises. The wind howls. Waves crash over the boat. Even seasoned fishermen are terrified. But this isn’t just bad weather.
This is spiritual warfare.

Because on the other side of that storm…
Is a man possessed by a legion of demons.
And Jesus is on His way to set him free.

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Entering the Territory of Darkness

They land in the region of the Gerasenes, which is part of the Decapolis—a Greek word that literally means “Ten Cities.” These were ten largely Gentile, pagan cities that were outside of traditional Jewish territory. They were filled with what Jews would consider unclean: pigs, idols, tombs, and spiritually dark practices.

In other words—enemy territory.

There, Jesus is immediately confronted by a man described in heartbreaking, disturbing detail.
He lives among tombs—isolated from society.
He cries out, day and night—tormented.
He cuts himself—wounded both spiritually and physically.
No one can restrain him—not even with chains.

His humanity is nearly erased. He’s been abandoned by society and overtaken by something far darker than mental illness. He is possessed—by thousands of demons.

And yet, this is where Jesus goes.
He doesn’t avoid the dark places—He pursues them.
He doesn’t wait for us to get our lives together—He meets us in our worst condition.

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The Demons Recognize Jesus Immediately

When the man sees Jesus from a distance, he runs toward Him—not to attack—but to submit.
Because the demons inside him recognize exactly who Jesus is.

“What do you want with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God?” (Mark 5:7)

They beg Jesus not to send them out of the region.
Why? Because demons are territorial. They often bind themselves to particular places, systems, objects, or people. That’s why missionaries often find themselves battling the spirit of a place before seeing breakthrough.

This man didn’t just have one demon—he had many.
The demon says its name is Legion—a term for a Roman military unit of about 6,000 soldiers.
This man was a walking battlefield, completely overwhelmed.

But even a legion of demons trembles in the presence of Jesus.

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The Demons Flee—and the Pigs Perish

Jesus commands the demons to leave. They beg to be sent into a herd of nearby pigs—around 2,000 in number. Jesus gives them permission, and once inside the pigs, the entire herd rushes off a cliff and drowns in the sea.

To the people of that region, those pigs represented serious economic wealth.
But to Jesus, the soul of one broken man was worth infinitely more than 2,000 pigs.

Jesus is making a bold statement:
The value of one human life outweighs any material loss.

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The Power of Restoration

Then comes one of the most beautiful transformations in all of Scripture.

The man is no longer screaming. No longer cutting himself. No longer bound by chains.
He is now sitting, clothed, and in his right mind.

These details are symbolic:

• Sitting – speaks of peace and rest
• Clothed – his dignity is restored
• In his right mind – he regains identity, clarity, and self-control

It’s a picture of resurrection.
In fact, it echoes the moment at Jesus’ own tomb. When the women arrive after the resurrection, they find a man dressed in white, calmly sitting.
Here too, we see the image of someone who has passed from death into life.

This man has been delivered—not just from demons, but from despair, from shame, from isolation.
He is whole again.

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Two Responses to the Miracle

When the townspeople arrive and see the healed man, their reaction is… surprising.
They’re afraid. And they ask Jesus to leave.

Why? Because their pigs are gone.
Their economy took a hit. Their comfort was disturbed.

Jesus healed a man—and they saw it as a threat.

And this still happens today. True transformation often threatens those who benefit from the way things are. Healing disrupts comfort zones. Revival shakes systems.

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From Possessed to Proclaimer

As Jesus prepares to leave, the healed man begs to go with Him. You might expect Jesus to welcome him into the group of disciples. But Jesus does something even more strategic:

“Go home to your people and tell them how much the Lord has done for you, and how He has had mercy on you.” (Mark 5:19)

And he does. This man becomes the first missionary to Decapolis—to ten cities that once feared him.

He doesn’t go with theological training. He doesn’t preach deep sermons.
He just tells his story.

And his testimony ripples across the region.

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The Fruits of His Faithfulness

Fast forward to Mark 7:31. Jesus returns to the region of Decapolis.

This time… something is different.
The people don’t ask Him to leave.
Instead, they bring Him a deaf and mute man to heal.

What changed?

The man who had been possessed had already been planting seeds.
His story had softened hearts.
His transformation had opened minds.

One man—once ruled by darkness—became the catalyst for revival in ten cities.

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So, What’s the Takeaway?

• The enemy may try to stop you before you even start—but Jesus is stronger than any storm.
• No one is too far gone for God to reach.
• Jesus intentionally goes to the darkest places to rescue the most broken people.
• Your greatest pain may become your most powerful testimony.
• Sometimes, God sends you back to your hometown—not to run from your past, but to redeem it.

You may not feel ready.
You may still feel unworthy.
But when Jesus steps into your story, everything changes.