122. Maniacs in the Tomb

Maniacs in the Tomb (Mark 5:2-16; Luke 8:26-36)

These are very sad but remarkable accounts of demon possession, and we are apt to pity, but to think that cases like these existed only in Bible days and Bible Lands; but there are very many similar today - furious and dangerous maniacs, who wander about the mountains and sleep in caves and tombs. At their worst they are unmanageable and have strength no normal person could ever possess.

I have seen cases that chains would not hold, they would snap a strong chain as we would a piece of string. Mark says they went naked - and they do today. It is one of the most common traits of demon possession that the victims refuse to wear clothes. A few months ago we visited a little mud-hut town where there were several demoniacs running naked, never speaking a normal language, but making noises like wild animals. They would eat only what they could steal, and their manner of eating was worse than that of a wild creature.

These poor wretches are held in very great reverence by Moslems, who, through some terrible perversion of ideas. believe them to be inspired and peculiarly holy. The manifestations of satanic power are so inhuman and terrible that no one seeing these poor creatures as we did could believe anything else but they were controlled by satanic spirits, and Mark and Luke knew what they were writing about. No one is in a position to judge unless they have spent days or weeks among them. But - the Bible Lands with their caves and tombs do not have all the poor possessed maniacs.