Isaiah
61:1, & 65:1-5,
Mark
5:1-20, Matthew
8:28-34, Luke
8:26-39, Psalm
116
Key
Verse: "Jesus did not let him, but said, "Go home to your family and
tell them how much the Lord has done for you, and how He has had mercy on
you."
Mark
5:19
From
battling a storm from the outside, Jesus now finds Himself confronted by a man
who has a raging battle within. Jesus is master of both when we invite him to
do so.
Imagine
being one of the disciples. You've just spent a harrowing night at sea,
grateful to have survived. You see land and you breathe a sigh of relief.
Remember, there were also land lovers in Jesus' rag tag bunch. No sooner does
your boat touch shore when your ears pick up the deafening screams of a crazy
man that sends chills down your spine! The sound echoes through the tombs in
front of you. Then, when you look up and focus, you see the source of the
noise, a wild man, naked, hair all matted and disheveled. From shackles on his wrists and ankles bits
of chain are dragging behind him as he comes.
He
makes a bee line toward your group! It's enough to make you wish that you were
still out in the middle of the lake in the boat! You've probably already
forgotten Jesus' words, "Peace, be still," while your heart pounds in
your chest and your knees begin to knock together. Welcome to the land of the Gentiles,
pagan country where men who don't know your living God are bound to be this
way.
Jesus,
however, just takes it all in, even as the man throws himself on the ground at
His feet. "What do You want with me, Jesus, Son of the Most high
God?" Naming Jesus was an old tactic to try to gain power over Jesus.
"Name it and claim it," was an active philosophy in Jesus' day as
well. Are you surprised that a Demon would recognize Jesus for who He is? Well,
James tells us, "You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons
believe that and shudder." (James
2:19)
Jesus
remains unruffled. "Come out of this man, you evil spirit! What is your
name?"
Trying
to avoid being named, the demoniac responds with a number. "My name is
legion." A legion was a Roman army grouping of 600 soldiers and about 150
horse men. Jesus, however, remains master and the demon is reduced to begging
instead of mastering. The demons want to
stay in the area, probably in hopes of finding another receptive victim and,
since Jesus had not yet come in final judgment he granted their request.
Were
the pigs smart to run into the sea or were they victims? It is amazing that the
man was able to serve as host to enough demons to drive a thousand animals to
their deaths! The point of this part of the story is under much debate. The
Jews did not like pigs, that is for sure, not just because of God's Law, but
because of how pigs were used against them during the Maccabean wars 2
centuries earlier. We don't know why Jesus allowed this tragedy to take place.
We need to be careful not to let the plight of the pigs, however, overshadow
the miracle that took place on shore, like the town’s people did. When they
came on the scene, the man whom they could not tame was seated calmly at Jesus'
feet, clothed and in his right mind. Yet, instead of rejoicing for the man, the
people thought of the pigs and sent Jesus away.
Finally,
we come to the one request that Jesus denies. This man is the only one whom
Jesus healed who wanted to go with Him. Yet, Jesus sends Him among the heathen,
to the Decapolis, a cluster of about ten Gentile cities, including Philadelphia
and Damascus, to begin to prepare the way for the good news of the Kingdom of
God among the Gentiles.
All
Jesus asked was for this man to tell his story. "Go home to your family
and tell them how much the Lord has done for you, and how He has had mercy on
you." (Mark 5:19) That is what He asks of us as well. You may not be a
brilliant theologian or have the gift of evangelism, but you do have a story to
share of how Jesus has freed you or given you strength to overcome. He may be
giving you strength for this moment. Jesus simply asks you to share.
Hymn:
"Since Jesus Came into
My Heart"
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