Ep. 152 - Making Marilyn Manson Look Mellow—Discussing the Disgusting Demoniac

In today's episode, the guys discuss Legion, or the “disgusting demoniac.” In our world and culture today, there is no limit to wickedness. They discuss the story in the New Testament with the demon-possessed man where Jesus cast the demons into pigs. In the Bible, Mark 5:1-5 states, “They went across the lake to the

region of the Gerasenes. When Jesus got out of the boat, a man with an impure spirit came from the tombs to meet him. This man lived in the tombs, and no one could bind him anymore, not even with a chain. For he had often been chained hand and foot, but he tore the chains apart and broke the irons on his feet. No one was strong enough to subdue him. Night and day among the tombs and in the hills he would cry out and cut himself with stones.” This man had an unclean spirit known as “Legion,” and when Jesus cast out the many demons from the man’s body, the demons begged to go into the pigs nearby. Those pigs then ran and hurled themselves off the cliff.  This story is a very strange one, but has a deeper meaning for Christians and for those who are not believers. It happens in a gentile land and shows that God can do whatever He wants with His creation. The Kingdom of God and kingdom of man don't play well, but in this story, Jesus is reconciling and bringing it back to how it should be. These 200 pigs that were killed were not just pigs, but symbolized how our comfort and wealth can be disrupted by the Kingdom of God. The Kingdom of God will always disrupt our plans and our own personal glories. When God comes, all that stuff gets turned upside down.  Next, the guys discuss how Jesus sometimes says things which are difficult to hear. We have a modern-man image of Jesus, but what He says clashes with how we view Him. This shows that we need to bow our perspectives to what God says about Jesus, not our own views. We also will do the same thing with Scriptures. We believe the Scriptures that we want to follow, and then we label other verses as misunderstood because we don’t like what they say. Thomas Jefferson actually cut up the Bible to say only what he wanted it to say! As believers, we need to recognize when we’re wrong and our need to repent. God is not created in our own image, but the other way around. If we never allow God to be God, then we never come to a place of repentance.  Lastly, the guys discuss how the evil one has come to kill, steal, and destroy. In this story of Jesus casting out the demon, death is part of it. The enemy wants to do the opposite of Jesus, and sometimes he disguises his plans as something God would do, like reciting Scripture but using it for evil. Self-harm is another form of Satan’s plans, and these can include cutting, burning, hair pulling, and alcohol abuse, to name a few. It’s reported that seventeen percent of people in the United States will use self-harm, but it’s closer to twenty-five percent since many don’t report it. Those who self-harm have an incredibly low view of themselves and they are in agonizing pain, and they believe the only way to release the pain is to harm themselves. When we buy into and believe what we say about ourselves, there's no end to the possibilities for the ways we will wreck our lives. We are valuable because of Whose image we bear, not what we can perform. When you believe that you are valuable because you are made in the image of God, there’s no end to the possibilities for how God will use your life for your good and His glory. God died on the cross for us, forgives our sins, loves us, and continues to show us that His way is the only way to truly live. Send us Fan MailThanks for listening! If you’ve been helped by this podcast, we’d be grateful if you’d consider subscribing, sharing, and leaving us a comment and 5-star rating! Visit the Living Waters website to learn more and to access helpful resources!You can find helpful counseling resources at biblicalcounseling.com.Check out The Evidence Study Bible and the Basic Training Course.You can connect with us at podcast@livingwaters.com. We're thankful for your input!Learn more about the hosts of this podcast.Ray ComfortEmeal (“E.Z.”) ZwayneMark SpenceOscar Navarro