Who do you say Jesus is?

That, my friends is the most critical question you will have to ask and answer for yourself in your lifetime. It’s an important question Jesus posed to His disciples during His time and one that many more are struggling to answer today.

Let me share with you some perspectives from two public figures that will shape this blog post as you think about the question for yourself.

What does Gandalf think about God?

The actor’s real name is, Sir Ian McKellen and despite his great performance as the wizard with spiritual powers, McKellen is an atheist. In other words, he doesn’t believe there is a God, so naturally it follows that He doesn’t believe that Jesus is the Son of God who can save us. In a 2013 interview, he said , “I don’t understand religion. I don’t get it at all. I understand why people need it, but I think they’re wrong…. Heaven doesn’t exist… Just face it… [and] I feel stronger because of it.”

WHAT DOES THE POET, WOLE SOYINKA BELIEVE ABOUT GOD?

Soyinka, who is arguably one of Nigeria’s best playwrights and novelist has been quoted as saying that “…Christ, the central figure of Christianity, is really a glamorization of very "paganistic" ideas.”

Bummer. 

LISTEN, WHATEVER COMES TO YOUR MIND WHEN YOU THINK ABOUT JESUS CHRIST IS THE MOST IMPORTANT THING ABOUT YOU.

In the Gospel of Luke 8:26-37, there’s a story about Jesus, a demon possessed man, a bunch of pigs that can’t swim, and a group of villagers that forces us to ask and answer the question for ourselves, Who do you say Jesus is, and what role will He play in your life?

LET’S READ LUKE:826-27

“[After Jesus and His disciples had arrived in a region called, Gerasenes], it says, “…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.28 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!” 29 For Jesus had commanded the impure spirit to come out of the man…. 30 Jesus asked him, “What is your name?” “Legion,” he replied, because many demons had gone into him. 31 And they begged Jesus repeatedly not to order them to go into the Abyss. 32 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. 33 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. 34 When those tending the pigs saw what had happened, they ran off and reported this in the town and countryside, 35 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. 36 Those who had seen it told the people how the demon-possessed man had been cured. 37 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.”

Were we to squeeze and twist this passage, here’s the central big idea that would flow from it:

YOU GET TO CHOOSE WHAT ROLE YOU WANT JESUS TO PLAY IN YOUR LIFE, AND THERE’S ONLY TWO OPTIONS (SAVIOR OR JUDGE)

There are three interactions Jesus has in this story that demonstrate for us ONE OF THESE TWO roles that Jesus will ultimately play in each of our lives.  

INTERACTION 1: JESUS AND THE DEMON POSSESSED MAN

The Bible tells us that the mission statement of Satan and his demons is to “rob, kill, and destroy.” (John 10:10). Unfortunately, in this man’s case, the devil has succeeded in his mission.  THIS GUY IS IN SERIOUS TROUBLE!

• Somehow, he has been possessed by a bunch of demons, which means he doesn’t have complete control over his mind and body.

• He has no friends and is separated from every relationship in his life and now forced to live in a tomb (who knows if he was once married with kids).

• He wants to be free but has no power of his own to break free from the demonic stronghold on his life.

DEMONIC POSSESION vs. DEMONIC OPPRESSION

It’s important to point out that there is a difference between demonic possession and demonic oppression. When a demon POSSESES a person, it takes complete control of the person’s will and physical abilities.

Let me say this upfront. Based on my study of Bible (especially the New Testament), I do not believe, and I do not see in the scriptures that a follower of Jesus Christ (who has the indwelling Holy Spirit) can be possessed or inhabited by a demon. It seems clear to me from the scriptures that Christians cannot be “owned” because we have been bought for a price by the blood of Jesus Christ. We belong to God, hence the ownership issue is settled.

Having said that, in the Lord’s prayer, Jesus DOES tell us to pray that God would, “…deliver us from the evil one.”  So, while a Christian cannot be possessed by a demon, a Christian may very well find themselves in a season of life where they are experiencing demonic “oppression”.

• Demonic oppression is when a Christian is engaged in unrepentant sin and has allowed space in their life for the demons to have strong influence over their thoughts, their behavior, and their spirituality.

• The way you break free from this is through spiritual intimacy with God. The closer you draw to God, in prayer, in the word, through personal times of worship, the more it repels demonic influences in your life. Read this blog post here to learn more about breaking free from spiritual strongholds.

SO, LET’S DO A QUICK POP-QUIZ. In this story we just read, is this man under a demonic possession or demonic oppression. He is possessed, right?

Here is the thing with possession, you can’t break free from it in your own strength. You need outside intervention! Which is why, when he gets wind that Jesus is town, verse 28 says, “…When he saw Jesus, he cried out and fell at his feet,”

This is a posture of complete surrender, as in, “Jesus, i am stuck! I am so broken and so desperately in need of your help.” This man’s posture in front of Jesus demonstrates for us one of two roles that Jesus will inevitably play in each and every one of our lives. Jesus is either going to be your judge or your Savior.

In this case, Jesus is this man’s Savior, right? This man has nothing to offer but to simply to present his broken life to Jesus in complete surrender.

Is this how you present yourself to Jesus?

Because listen, that is the only way you will ever receive salvation from whatever has a stronghold on your life, whether it is a demon, a sinful addiction, or a toxic relationship that has you in bondage. You have to come to Jesus humbled, honest, and completely open where you say, “Jesus, I am a sinner, and I need you to save me and heal every part of my life!”

BIG IDEA: YOU GET TO CHOOSE WHAT ROLE YOU WANT JESUS TO PLAY IN YOUR LIFE, AND THERE’S ONLY TWO OPTIONS (SAVIOR OR JUDGE).

Let’s get back in the story by looking at the second interaction Jesus has in this passage that show us the two different roles Jesus will play in our lives is seen with…

INTERACTION 2: JESUS AND THE DEMONS

Let me point out a few important observations about this interaction that might be not so clear at first glance.

• One: This man is possessed by a legion of demons which could be anywhere from 3000-6000 demons. So, this man is under a very powerful demonic stronghold. But what I want to point out is that as powerful as these demons are, they recognize the Divine Presence and Power of Jesus Christ in their midst.

• They call Him by His title, “Son of the Most High God”, why? Because demons were once angels in heaven who rebelled against God and were expelled from heaven; but here He is today in the flesh.

• Two: The demons not only know who Jesus is, but they recognize His power and His authority overthem. You have to realize that before Jesus’ arrival on earth, Satan and his demon’s authority on earth had never been challenged.  

In a book titled, “The Seed” by Tempe Brown, she writes this about the power of baby Jesus’ and how even His infant presence affected the spiritual realm, “When the angelic hosts declared in Luke 2:14, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, and God’s goodwill toward mankind!” Those words were not just a proclamation of peace, they were a Declaration of War [from heaven]! Lying in the manger was a [holy nuclear warhead of seismic proportions that was sent] from heaven for the express purpose of destroying the works of the devil; and when that little Baby [Jesus] cried, it sent shock waves into the very epicenter of Satan’s domain.”

This is why verse 31, it says, “[the demons] begged Jesus repeatedly not to order them to go into the Abyss.” The abyss is a prison cell for evil spirits, and it is the one place demons fear the most, which is why they beg Jesus NOT to send them there.

Demons have a sound eschatology and they know that there is an appointed judgment day coming for them, which is why they ask Jesus in Matthew’s account of the same story (8:29), “Have you come here to torture us before the appointed time?”

Listen, the eternal judgment of every demonic spirit is set in stone. In fact, did you know that “hell was [actually] prepared for Satan and the demons” (Matthew 25:41).  The only humans who end up in hell are the ones who have outright rejected offer of salvation that God gives us through Jesus Christ. When you reject Jesus Christ, you are essentially declaring that you would rather take sides with Satan and his demons, and all the consequences of their judgment!

YOU GET TO CHOOSE WHAT ROLE YOU WANT JESUS TO PLAY IN YOUR LIFE (JUDGE OR SAVIOR)?

Let’s look at the third interaction Jesus has in this passage that show us the two different roles Jesus will play in our lives is seen with…

INTERACTION 3: JESUS AND THE TOWNSPEOPLE

What we know from this story is that as soon as Jesus casts out the demons, they rush into a herd of pigs nearby, throw the animals into the frenzy, and the pigs rush off a cliff, jumped into a lake and drowned. (Mark 5:13 points out there were around 2000),

For those of you who are bacon-lovers and animal rights activists, let me say this. Jesus teaches us in Matthew 12:43-45 that demonic spirits are in constant need of a place of habitation, preferably a living being. And so, when they were cast out of that man, Jesus was not going to let them roam around and possess another person (because humans are image bearers of God); which is why the demons themselves plead with Jesus to let them enter the pigs because they consider the pigs to be “lesser beings” they could bring havoc on.

What the demons did not expect, and what Jesus knew because He was omniscient was that once the demons entered all 2000 plus pigs, they would go crazy, run down the hill, fall off, and drown in the lake.

Now, in ancient literature, the sea, or large bodies of water often represents the abyss. In other words, it WAS judgment day for those demons and Jesus was sending them to the place they feared the most, the abyss [prison cell of demons]. They thought they had time, but they found out too late that judgment day was today!!

What i want to focus on here is the reaction of the townspeople.

Matthew’s account in 8:34 points out that the townspeople, “pleaded” with Jesus to leave town, which should strike us as an odd request. Ordinarily, they should have had one of two different reactions.

• Either they should have been happy and ecstatic that their demoniac neighbor was now finally free

• Or they should have been angry and upset at the fact that they just lost their entire bacon and meat industry.

But rather, out of fear, they tell Jesus to leave their region! WHY?

Well, it would seem that these legions of demons were not only a threat to the man at the tomb, but also a strong influencing presence in the town. Some people refer to this as territorial spirits (Daniel 10; John 12:31; John 14:30; John 16:11; Mark 5:10; and Ephesians 6:12). In other words, those 6000 demons may have had a strong oppressive hold over all the hearts and minds and culture of the townspeople of Gerasenes. And so, when they (the townspeople) show up and they “…see the man from whom the demons had gone out, sitting at Jesus’ feet, dressed and in his right mind…” AND…. They hear and see that the demons had perished in the Lake through the pigs.

Panic sets in because their territorial gods had just been dethroned. It is of significant note that verse 37 says, “Then ALL the people of the region of the Gerasenes asked Jesus to leave them, because they were overcome with fear. ”

One thing is for certain here. The Gerasenites recognized Jesus divine power and authority over the spiritual and physical realm (which is ironic because Jesus already had a reputation for bringing dead people back to life and could have easily restored back to life the pigs minus the demons).  But these townspeople wanted nothing to do with that and made an outright choice to reject Jesus Christ, and with one voice said, “We want nothing to do with you or your powers, Jesus. Leave our region!”

Make no mistake about it, an eternal decision was made on this day that their financial markets and material welfare was more to important to them than their allegiance to the Son of God.

Listen, every single one of us makes a choice of what role we will allow Jesus to play in our lives. You can either welcome Him as King, as Savior, and as LORD of your life TODAY, or you can choose to delay that choice till the day you will have to stand and face Him in judgement on your final day.

Either way, WE ALL HAVE AN UPCOMING APPOINTMENT WITH JESUS, AND YOU GET TOCHOOSE WHAT ROLE YOU WANT JESUS TO PLAY IN YOUR LIFE (JUDGE OR SAVIOR)?

• The demon-possessed man made a choice to welcome Jesus as Savior.

• The demons already made their choice and are awaiting judgment from Jesus.

• The townsfolk made the choice to ask Jesus to leave their region.

What choice will you make about Jesus?

Let me end this message with one small glimmer of hope. At the end of this story in verse 38 when Jesus was getting on a boat to leave the region, the man from whom the demons had been cast out begged Jesus to let him go with them. But Jesus refused. Instead, Jesus told him, “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.”

In other words, Jesus sent him back as an evangelist to tell his demonically oppressed town people how God’s power had broken him free from the shackles of demonic possession.

Listen, God is not slow or disengaged from the sin and depravities of humanity. The Bible says what you see as sluggish is Him being patient, not wanting any to perish but wanting to extend every opportunity possible for all to repent and come to trusting faith in Jesus Christ. 

So, now’s your opportunity.  If it’s your desire to welcome Jesus in your life as Savior and LORD over everything, it is quite simple. Romans 10:9 says, “If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.”