Light Vs. Darkness
They sailed to the region of the Gerasenes, which is across the lake from Galilee. When Jesus stepped ashore, he was met by a demon-possessed man from the town. For a long time this man had not worn clothes or lived in a house, but had lived in the tombs. When he saw Jesus, he cried out and fell at his feet, shouting at the top of his voice, “What do you want with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I beg you, don’t torture me!” For Jesus had commanded the impure spirit to come out of the man. Many times it had seized him, and though he was chained hand and foot and kept under guard, he had broken his chains and had been driven by the demon into solitary places.
Jesus asked him, “What is your name?”
“Legion,” he replied, because many demons had gone into him. And they begged Jesus repeatedly not to order them to go into the Abyss.
A large herd of pigs was feeding there on the hillside. The demons begged Jesus to let them go into the pigs, and he gave them permission. When the demons came out of the man, they went into the pigs, and the herd rushed down the steep bank into the lake and was drowned.
When those tending the pigs saw what had happened, they ran off and reported this in the town and countryside, and the people went out to see what had happened. When they came to Jesus, they found the man from whom the demons had gone out, sitting at Jesus’ feet, dressed and in his right mind; and they were afraid. Those who had seen it told the people how the demon-possessed man had been cured. Then all the people of the region of the Gerasenes asked Jesus to leave them, because they were overcome with fear. So he got into the boat and left.
The man from whom the demons had gone out begged to go with him, but Jesus sent him away, saying, “Return home and tell how much God has done for you.” So the man went away and told all over town how much Jesus had done for him.
There are two powerful verbs used in this story. Begged. Commanded. But notice who is doing the begging and who is doing the commanding.
For Jesus had commanded the impure spirit to come out of the man.
And they begged Jesus repeatedly not to order them to go into the Abyss.
The demons begged Jesus to let them go into the pigs, and he gave them permission.
Jesus did the commanding. The demons did all the begging.
But those same demons were whistling a completely different tune before Jesus arrived. Before Light entered the scene, they were the ones doing all the commanding as they would often seize this poor man and drive him into solitary places. These demons called the shots over this man's life, taking control of his mind and his body.
But darkness must always surrender to Light. It's not just a principle in the natural, it's also a principle in the spirit realm. If Light is present, darkness has no authority. Light does the commanding, not darkness.
And darkness knows it. It knows the power and authority of Light and it's terrified by it. Jesus didn't have to beg the demons to leave. He didn't have to sit down and have a debate with them over who had the authority. Jesus never argued with darkness. And the demons understood this and had no choice but to obey any command that came from the Light.
Amazingly, this same power and authority over darkness has been extended to believers in Christ. In this earth we are like Him. (1 John 4:17). We are the Light of the world (Matthew 5:14) and it is important for us to have a proper understanding of what that means. It means we don't discuss, debate, or compromise with darkness. We do what Jesus did. We don't beg, we command. We command not because we are powerful in and of ourselves. We command because we have the Spirit of God in us and we have access to a Name that is above all names. We command because we understand that Light always trumps darkness. And darkness has no choice but to flee.
Luke 8:26-39 NIV
***
There are two powerful verbs used in this story. Begged. Commanded. But notice who is doing the begging and who is doing the commanding.
For Jesus had commanded the impure spirit to come out of the man.
And they begged Jesus repeatedly not to order them to go into the Abyss.
The demons begged Jesus to let them go into the pigs, and he gave them permission.
Jesus did the commanding. The demons did all the begging.
But those same demons were whistling a completely different tune before Jesus arrived. Before Light entered the scene, they were the ones doing all the commanding as they would often seize this poor man and drive him into solitary places. These demons called the shots over this man's life, taking control of his mind and his body.
But darkness must always surrender to Light. It's not just a principle in the natural, it's also a principle in the spirit realm. If Light is present, darkness has no authority. Light does the commanding, not darkness.
And darkness knows it. It knows the power and authority of Light and it's terrified by it. Jesus didn't have to beg the demons to leave. He didn't have to sit down and have a debate with them over who had the authority. Jesus never argued with darkness. And the demons understood this and had no choice but to obey any command that came from the Light.
Amazingly, this same power and authority over darkness has been extended to believers in Christ. In this earth we are like Him. (1 John 4:17). We are the Light of the world (Matthew 5:14) and it is important for us to have a proper understanding of what that means. It means we don't discuss, debate, or compromise with darkness. We do what Jesus did. We don't beg, we command. We command not because we are powerful in and of ourselves. We command because we have the Spirit of God in us and we have access to a Name that is above all names. We command because we understand that Light always trumps darkness. And darkness has no choice but to flee.
Comments