It is written by The Holy Spirit in Psalm 89:
9 You rule over oceans and the swelling seas.
When their stormy waves rise, you speak, and they lie still.
And Mark recorded by The Holy Spirit in chapter 4:
35 Later that day, after it grew dark, Jesus said to his disciples, “Let’s cross over to the other side of the lake.” 36 After they had sent the crowd away, they shoved off from shore with him, as he had been teaching from the boat, and there were other boats that sailed with them. 37 Suddenly, as they were crossing the lake, a ferocious tempest arose, with violent winds and waves that were crashing into the boat until it was all but swamped. 38 But Jesus was calmly sleeping in the stern, resting on a cushion. 39 So they shook him awake, saying, “Teacher, don’t you even care that we are all about to die!” Fully awake, he rebuked the storm and shouted to the sea, “Hush! Calm down!” All at once the wind stopped howling and the water became perfectly calm.
40 Then he turned to his disciples and said to them, “Why are you so afraid? Haven’t you learned to trust yet?” 41 But they were overwhelmed with fear and awe and said to one another, “Who is this man who has such authority that even the wind and waves obey him?”
Most every teaching I have heard in the past stops and purely focuses on Jesus’ command over the sea… and that is not a bad thing. Jesus specifically chose that time to go across the sea. Why? Because FATHER had directed Him to do so, without delay for it certainly wasn’t convenient to take a boat trip at night. What was the purpose for the trip? To cast a “legion” or “mob” of demons out of a man who lived in a non-Jewish region.
This was a region of non-Jewish people who were raising swine, which was considered unclean by Jewish dietary laws. Gerasenes (or Gadarenes) were people who lived in a region opposite Galilee, on the southeastern side of Lake Galilee. The head of these territorial demons saw that Jesus was headed their way so he tried to dissuade them by initiating a storm. Jesus was not surprised. FATHER dispatched Jesus to deal with these demons even though they were in a “non-Jewish” area.
Mark 5:1 They arrived at the other side of the lake, at the region of the Gerasenes. 2 As Jesus stepped ashore, a demon-possessed madman came out of the graveyard and confronted him.
Jesus had barely stepped out of the boat before He was confronted by demons.
3 The man had been living there among the tombs of the dead, and no one was able to restrain him, not even with chains. 4 For every time they attempted to chain his hands and feet with shackles, he would snap the chains and break the shackles in pieces. He was so strong that no one had the power to subdue him. 5 Day and night he could be found lurking in the cemetery or in the vicinity, shrieking and mangling himself with stones!
6 When he saw Jesus from a distance, he ran to him and threw himself down before him, 7 screaming out at the top of his lungs, “Leave me alone, Jesus, Son of the Most High God! Swear in God’s name that you won’t torture me!” 8 (For Jesus had already said to him, “Come out of that man, you demon spirit!”)
Jesus’ trip across the sea was specifically directed to casting out those demons. We must not be reluctant to do the same, without hesitation. As we come into full maturity as Sons (and Daughters), we will deal with similar territorial demons. FATHER will direct us to cast them out of those whom they possess. It is all about dominion backed by the power and authority given to us by FATHER.
9 Jesus said to him, “What is your name?”
“Mob,” he answered. “They call me Mob because there are thousands of us in his body!” 10 He begged Jesus repeatedly not to expel them out of the region.
11 Nearby there was a large herd of pigs feeding on the hillside. 12 The demons begged him, “Send us into the pigs. Let us enter them!”
13 So Jesus gave them permission, and the demon horde immediately came out of the man and went into the pigs! This caused the herd to rush madly down the steep slope and fall into the lake, drowning about two thousand pigs!
Jesus spoke directly to the demons and of course they begged Him not to expel them out of the region. Yes, He knew they were territorial thus He fully understood the hierarchy of the kingdom of darkness. Once Jesus accomplished what He was directed to do, He did not stay any longer:
18 And as Jesus began to get into the boat to depart, the man who had been set free from demons asked Him, “Could I go with you?” 19 Jesus answered, “No,” but said to him, “Go back to your home and to your family and tell them what the Lord has done for you. Tell them how he had mercy on you.”
20 So the man left and went into the region of Jordan and parts of Syria to tell everyone he met about what Jesus had done for him, and all the people marveled!
Let us be prepared to do the same thing Jesus did for we are to do greater works. This does include casting out demons. Be assured that as we walk in the full power and authority, we too will be confronted.