Wednesday 24^th April

Mark 5:1-20

“….As Jesus was getting into the boat, the man who had been demon possessed begged to go with Him. But Jesus said ‘No, go home to your family, and tell them everything the Lord has done for you and how merciful he has been.’ So the man started off to visit the TEN TOWNS of that region and began to proclaim the great things Jesus had done for him: and everyone was amazed at what he had told them.”

 (verses 18-20)

Yesterday we looked at the story of Zaachaeus, the chief tax collector, and how his encounter with Christ transformed his life, even to repentance and a change of lifestyle. Again today we will look at the power of Christ and the authority He had on this earth and still has today.

Today’s passage is taken from the gospel of Mark. Jesus has just calmed the treacherous storm that threatened to drown the disciples and now crossed over to the region of Gerasenes. As soon as Jesus stepped off the boat a man possessed by many demons approached Him. Notice the description Mark gives of him “This man lived among the burial caves and could no longer be restrained, even with chains… day and night he wandered among the burial caves and in the hills, howling and cutting himself with sharp stones.” This man was scary! However to Jesus, he was His creation, he was a man that needed to know the love of a Heavenly Father. Jesus was interested in the man himself, not what he had inside him (be it through his own doing). 

As soon as this man saw Jesus, what was in him knew that Jesus was no ordinary person. He immediately knew that Jesus was the “Son of the Most High God”. Interestingly Jesus converses with these evil spirits and even gives them permission to leave the man and possess pigs instead. This of course opens up many questions as to why Jesus allowed that but the most important thing to highlight instead of the why, is the authority Jesus had and the evil spirits submission to it. Not only did Jesus just cast out 2000 evil spirits by the power of His word, but by doing so, set a man free from demonic oppression and transformed his life. Verse 15 tells us “that he was sitting there, fully clothed and perfectly sane.” This is the same man that wandered the graveyards day and night, breaking chains and shackles off his very hands, cutting himself with sharp stones and howling like a wild animal. And now he sits clothed and perfectly sane. Why?? Because he had an encounter with Jesus Christ.   

See when we come into the presence of the “SON” of God, who was God, is God and forever will be God, not only do we get set free from our chains and shackles but our lives are totally transformed by His resurrection power in us. Notice the change in this man life as mentioned in the scripture above. Jesus radically changed this mans life, so much so, that he wanted to follow Jesus. Instead, Jesus commissioned him to spread the message of Christ’s acceptance and mercy towards sinners and through his witness many marvelled at the greatness of Jesus’ mighty power to set even the most demon possessed sinner free and radically change their life.

 Have you met with the SON??