Mark 5:1-20

Good Morning Brothers and Sisters,

How many times have you seen someone who was offended by the way that Church changed their lives?  I'll bet that the answer is not very many because when God moves a person to change it is always for good.  However, there are times when people are not happy with the change in a person because it affects their pocket book.  The key point with many people is that if it does not affect me personally, then I am free to observe.  Yesterday was Thanksgiving.  One of the thoughts that I pondered was how much thanks are we giving for things that do not affect us personally?  If it does not affect me, do I give thanks for it?  God is at war with the great "I" that we have set up in our lives as our own personal god.  Many in today's society are focused on how things influence us personally, and if it is positive, we are in favor of it.  This is not just restricted to our persons though.  It is also played out in our businesses, churches, and organizations.  If it makes us feel good and promotes our idea of wealth and prosperity, then we are for it.  In the Bible we are going to see a story that affected the financial base of a community, a wretched man who was homeless, and how that the community felt that the need of the one was not important enough to affect the community. 

Mark 5:1-20 (NASB) They came to the other side of the sea, into the country of the Gerasenes. When He got out of the boat, immediately a man from the tombs with an unclean spirit met Him, and he had his dwelling among the tombs. And no one was able to bind him anymore, even with a chain; because he had often been bound with shackles and chains, and the chains had been torn apart by him and the shackles broken in pieces, and no one was strong enough to subdue him. Constantly, night and day, he was screaming among the tombs and in the mountains, and gashing himself with stones. Seeing Jesus from a distance, he ran up and bowed down before Him; and shouting with a loud voice, he said, “What business do we have with each other, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I implore You by God, do not torment me!” For He had been saying to him, “Come out of the man, you unclean spirit!” And He was asking him, “What is your name?” And he said to Him, “My name is Legion; for we are many.” And he began to implore Him earnestly not to send them out of the country. Now there was a large herd of swine feeding nearby on the mountain. The demons implored Him, saying, “Send us into the swine so that we may enter them.” Jesus gave them permission. And coming out, the unclean spirits entered the swine; and the herd rushed down the steep bank into the sea, about two thousand of them; and they were drowned in the sea. Their herdsmen ran away and reported it in the city and in the country. And the people came to see what it was that had happened. They came to Jesus and observed the man who had been demon-possessed sitting down, clothed and in his right mind, the very man who had had the “legion”; and they became frightened. Those who had seen it described to them how it had happened to the demon-possessed man, and all about the swine. And they began to implore Him to leave their region. As He was getting into the boat, the man who had been demon-possessed was imploring Him that he might accompany Him. And He did not let him, but He said to him, “Go home to your people and report to them what great things the Lord has done for you, and how He had mercy on you.” And he went away and began to proclaim in Decapolis what great things Jesus had done for him; and everyone was amazed.

The demons recognized who Jesus was and called Him the "Son of the MOst High God".  This recognition was washed aside as Jesus commanded the demons to come out of the man.  After imploring Jesus to send them into the swine, Jesus allowed it.  Two thousand swine rushed down the hill into the water to drown themselves.  Imagine what a scene it was! 

I think that this is incidental to the story.  What we see in the story is that the man was completely restored.  He was one of the untouchables of society.  A homeless man with no apparent roots in society.  He was a reject.  After Jesus healed him, the people were frightened.  Why?  Was it because Jesus had control over the demons?  Was it that pigs could commit suicide?  Or was it because two thousand pigs affected their financial base in their community?  One of the remarkable aspects of this story is the way that the man was totally healed from his behavioral problems when the demons were expelled.  I am convinced that satanic forces are largely ignored in our churches today. 

I am convinced that the people rejected Jesus because He affected their bottom line financially.  The real god of the community was the god of money and wealth instead of the God of the Bible.  Jesus sent the healed man into the community in order to witness to his family and friends.  That man turned into one of the first evangelist of the New Testament times spreading the good news about Jesus to everyone that he spoke to.

How do we put this into shoe leather?  Almost all of us involved in this Bible study are Christians.  When God asks us to go to the point where we are no longer comfortable, are we willing to go?  Are we willing to suffer financial hardship in order to see others come to know the Lord?  Are we willing to allow Jesus to change our lives even if it means that our lifestyle will be affected dramatically?  In our day, our focus is often the toys that we have stored in the garage, and the hope that we can play with them.  What is it that we find more appealing in our lives than our walk with God?  It's worth thinking about.

Father, draw each of us to understand and view our lives as You see us.  Help us to see that our part in this life is to draw as many as possible to the cross.

In Him,

Joe Turner.