Back in the 1980's, Reagan made famous the policy, "We do not negotiate with terrorists." A lot has happened between then and now, and a lot of scandal about who has been supplying and equipping and training whom...
Today I was reading mark and came across this famous story...
Jesus and his disciples arrived on the other side of Lake Galilee, in the territory of Gerasa. As soon as Jesus got out of the boat, he was met by a man who came out of the burial caves there. This man had an evil spirit in him and lived among the tombs. Nobody could keep him tied with chains any more; many times his feet and his hands had been tied, but every time he broke the chains and smashed the irons on his feet. He was too strong for anyone to control him. Day and night he wandered among the tombs and through the hills, screaming and cutting himself with stones.
He was some distance away when he saw Jesus; so he ran, fell on his knees before him, and screamed in a loud voice, “Jesus, Son of the Most High God! What do you want with me? For God's sake, I beg you, don't punish me!” (He said this because Jesus was saying, “Evil spirit, come out of this man!”)
So Jesus asked him, “What is your name?” The man answered, “My name is ‘Mob’—there are so many of us!” And he kept begging Jesus not to send the evil spirits out of that region.
There was a large herd of pigs near by, feeding on a hillside. So the spirits begged Jesus, “Send us to the pigs, and let us go into them.” He let them go, and the evil spirits went out of the man and entered the pigs. The whole herd—about two thousand pigs in all—rushed down the side of the cliff into the lake and was drowned. Mark 5:1-13 GNTD
So, my question is...why did the demons bother begging for concessions from Jesus, when they obviously knew him. They knew that from day-one he has been about his father's work - about the coming of the kingdom of God...
Is it just demons' nature to grovel at the feet of the master?
