The Ancient Path

Mark 5:7-13

⁷ And he cried out with a loud voice and said, “What have I to do with You, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I implore You by God that You do not torment me.”

⁸ For He said to him, “Come out of the man, unclean spirit!” 

⁹ Then He asked him, “What is your name?” And he answered, saying, “My name is Legion; for we are many.”

¹⁰ Also he begged Him earnestly that He would not send them out of the country.

¹¹ Now a large herd of swine was feeding there near the mountains.

¹² So all the demons begged Him, saying, “Send us to the swine, that we may enter them.” 

¹³And at once Jesus gave them permission. Then the unclean spirits went out and entered the swine (there were about two thousand); and the herd ran violently down the steep place into the sea, and drowned in the sea.

Jesus came to defeat the devil. Even the devils knew it. He understood that He had the authority to do so. He didn’t fear a devil because He knew His authority over it. 

It’s interesting, Jesus asks for the name after He commands it to leave. 

It’s interesting, the demons recognized Jesus’ authority so well that they had to ask permission from Jesus to leave. 

Jesus demon-busted like a boss. 

Be like Jesus. 

Mark 5:2-6

² And when He had come out of the boat, immediately there met Him out of the tombs a man with an unclean spirit, 

³ who had his dwelling among the tombs; and no one could bind him,^[b] not even with chains, 

⁴ because he had often been bound with shackles and chains. And the chains had been pulled apart by him, and the shackles broken in pieces; neither could anyone tame him. 

⁵ And always, night and day, he was in the mountains and in the tombs, crying out and cutting himself with stones.

⁶ When he saw Jesus from afar, he ran and worshiped Him.

Demons can’t even stop this guy from worshiping Jesus when he saw him. So what keeps the church from worshiping?

Maybe it was because the person knew that Jesus = Freedom. Jesus = Deliverance. 

Maybe it was because he had heard about Jesus’ reputation in casting out demons, freeing the oppressed and such. 

Could it be that the church has been sold such a distorted picture of Jesus that we can’t even recognize Him?

It seems that now Jesus is the icon for a religious system rather than the epitome of Freedom and Liberty. 

Matt 5:3-10

“Blessed are the poor in spirit, For theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

 Blessed are those who mourn, For they shall be comforted.

 Blessed are the meek, For they shall inherit the earth.

 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, For they shall be filled. 

 Blessed are the merciful, For they shall obtain mercy.

 Blessed are the pure in heart, For they shall see God.

 Blessed are the peacemakers, For they shall be called sons of God.

It’s interesting how, in the light of the new covenant and the rest of the new testament, this passage no longer means what most are taught it means.

I was taught that I should be meek so that I can inherit the earth.

I was taught I should be merciful so that I can obtain mercy.

I was taught that I should be a peacemaker so that I can be called a son of God.

Eph 1:3 says that I’ve been blessed with every spiritual blessing in heavenly places, so it would seem logical to conclude that I have already been blessed with all these things. And I no longer have to work for it, but I work as a byproduct of being blessed.

I’m a son of God by faith (Gal 3:26) and because I’m a son, I am a peacemaker.

Because I’ve been shown mercy, I show mercy to others. 

I’ve already been given the earth in Christ (1 Cor 3:21-23, Heb 2:8), and I am humble because the earth was given to me to steward and serve.