Mark 5:1-9: Even the Demons Recognized Jesus

I. The Point of the Passage

I often hear people say that Jesus was merely a man: a prophet, teacher, or specially chosen human being. Mark 5:1–9 creates a serious problem for that claim. When the man with the unclean spirit saw Jesus afar off, “he ran and worshipped him” (Mark 5:6). The Greek verb is προσκυνέω (proskyneō), meaning to bow down, prostrate oneself, render homage, and in appropriate contexts, worship.

Then the voice speaking through the man identifies Jesus: “Jesus, thou Son of the most high God” (Mark 5:7). The demons knew exactly whose authority confronted them.

II. The Demons Were Not Confronting an Ordinary Man

What strikes me most is that Jesus does not negotiate with these spirits as one created being dealing with other created beings.

The demons were afraid of Jesus.

The demons pleaded with Jesus.

The demons recognized the authority of Jesus to judge and torment them.

Jesus commands them to leave, and they cannot resist His authority.

When Jesus asks the spirit’s name, the answer is, “My name is Legion: for we are many” (Mark 5:9). “Legion” was the designation for a massive Roman military force; a full Roman legion could number around 6,000 soldiers. In Mark, however, the point is not to give us an exact census of demons but to emphasize their enormous number.

Mark does not give a count of the spirits. The “about two thousand” in Mark 5:13 counts the swine, not the spirits. The name tells us they were many, and every one of them was subject to Jesus Christ.

III. The Significance of Their Bowing Before Christ

The possessed man physically bowed before Jesus, while the demons spoke through him. Mark portrays the demonic legion acknowledging the superior authority of Jesus Christ through the man they possessed. They identify Him as the Son of the Most High God, plead not to be tormented, and subsequently require His permission even to enter the swine (Mark 5:7–13). The passage presents Jesus as possessing absolute authority over the kingdom of darkness.

That is far beyond the picture of Jesus as merely another religious man.

IV. Jesus Accepted Worship Elsewhere

Mark 5 is not an isolated situation.

Jesus repeatedly receives worship without rebuking those who worship Him.

After Jesus walked upon the sea, His disciples “worshipped him, saying, Of a truth thou art the Son of God” (Matthew 14:33). After His resurrection, His followers “held him by the feet, and worshipped him” (Matthew 28:9). Later, the disciples again “worshipped him” (Matthew 28:17). The healed man in John 9 confessed faith in Jesus and “worshipped him” (John 9:38).

That matters because Jesus Himself affirmed the biblical command: “Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve” (Matthew 4:10).

Yet Jesus repeatedly receives worship.

V. Heaven Itself Worships the Son

The argument becomes even stronger in Hebrews 1:6, where God commands the angels concerning the Son: “And let all the angels of God worship him.”

Revelation 5 gives the same heavenly picture. The Lamb receives worship alongside the One seated on the throne. Every creature gives blessing, honour, glory, and power unto him that sitteth upon the throne and unto the Lamb (Revelation 5:11–14).

Scripture does not present Jesus as a mere man who improperly accepts divine honor. It presents Him as the eternal Son who rightly receives the worship belonging to God.

VI. What Mark 5 Reveals About Christ

For me, Mark 5 exposes the weakness of the claim that Jesus is “just a man.” The demons know better. They do not ask Jesus whether He possesses authority over them. They know He does. They know His identity. They know judgment belongs to Him. They know they cannot go anywhere without His permission.

Human strength could not control the man. Chains could not hold him. Men could not subdue him (Mark 5:3–4). Yet Jesus did not need chains, armies, rituals, or human assistance. He spoke. The demons submitted.

That is the authority of Christ.

The irony is striking: human beings may deny who Jesus is, while the demonic realm recognizes His supernatural authority. James makes a related point: “the devils also believe, and tremble” (James 2:19).

VII. The Central Biblical Conclusion

I do not base Christ’s deity on Mark 5 alone. I base it upon the whole testimony of Scripture: the Word was God and became flesh (John 1:1, 14); Jesus bears the divine name and identity (John 8:58); Thomas calls Him “My Lord and my God” (John 20:28); the fulness of the Godhead dwells bodily in Him (Colossians 2:9); the Father addresses the Son as God (Hebrews 1:8); and all creation worships the Lamb (Revelation 5:11–14).

Mark 5 fits perfectly within that testimony. Jesus Christ is not merely a man. He is the incarnate Son of God. Men worship Him. Angels worship Him. The demonic realm bows before His authority. Every knee will ultimately bow to Him and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord (Philippians 2:10–11).

Scripture simply says, “we are many.” However numerous they were, every one of those unclean spirits was helpless before the authority of Jesus Christ.

Salvation is only through a personal relationship with God the Father by grace through faith in His Son, Jesus Christ. At the moment of faith in Jesus Christ, the believer is instantly and permanently indwelt by the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit regenerates, seals, leads, guides, empowers, and sanctifies the believer in their walk with God.

Related Teaching

• Jesus Is Truly Man and Truly God
• How Jesus Identified Himself
• Scripture Supports the Doctrine of the Trinity