The Gospel of Mark 5:14-20
And their herdsmen ran away and reported it in the city
and in the countryside. And the people came to see what it was that had
happened. And they came to Jesus and observed the demon-possessed man sitting
down, clothed and in his right mind, the very man who had the “legion”; and
they became frightened. And those who had seen it recounted to them how this
had happened to the demon-possessed man, and all about the swine. And they
began to plead with Him to leave their region. And as He was getting into the boat,
the man who had been demon-possessed was pleading with 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 preach in the Decapolis
what great things Jesus had done for him; and everyone was marveling.
We continue in the scriptures right after two thousand pigs were
possessed by demons and ran headlong into the nearby river and drowned. These
demons formerly possessed one man whom Jesus cast out into the herd of pigs by
His power and authority. Seeing this
done, the herdsman of swine “ran away and reported it in the city and in the
countryside.”
Those who took care of the swine reported it to their masters and it brought forth the people to come and see what it was that happened. Upon their arrival, they perceived two things. 1.” the demon-possessed man sitting down, clothed and in his right mind, the very man who had the “legion” and 2. those who had seen it recounted to them how this had happened to the demon-possessed man, and all about the swine.”
Seeing the man who was possessed by “Legion” sitting down,
clothed, and in his right mind was a shock to them, and hearing what had
happened caused them to fear Jesus. They venerated Him for they knew the man
well enough and may have been frightened by him. Remember the man would wail
and gash himself and couldn’t be bound. Now they see him, and he is still and
calm, no longer a threat to them. “The sight of this made them
afraid; it astonished them, and forced them to own the power of Christ,
and that he is worthy to be feared.” (Matthew Henry)
This is the power of Jesus, the Christ. When one is saved by
Jesus every bond of evil, and wickedness is broken. The reason for this is that
upon salvation one is baptized by the Holy Spirit and the Spirit indwells in
that person. For “we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from
God,” (1 Corinthians 2:12) and “Do you not know that we, those who are
of Christ, are a sanctuary of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in us
all? And If any man destroys the sanctuary of God, God will destroy him,
for the sanctuary of God is holy, and that is what we are.” (1 Corinthians
3:16-17)
A believer is set right, sober-minded, able to think and
reason, and be settled. Like the freed man, we are clothed in the righteousness
of Christ Jesus because we are covered in His blood. He atoned for our sins and
has set us free from The World, The Devil, and our Flesh. And through this
victory, we can stand and resist these things, all because of Jesus.
But The World does not see it this way. You see the men who
saw what Jesus had done also saw the damage that had been done. They may have
feared Jesus for His power but their opinion of Him changed when they realized
they had lost their herds. “And they began to plead with Him to leave their
region.”
“For they thought there was no good Jesus could do for them
sufficiently to make amends for the loss of so many swine ready for the market.
And the devils have what they want; for these evil spirits more effectually
manage sinful souls of those that love the world.” (Matthew Henry)
Look around you, how many of us love the world more than
Yahweh? Is it not apparent the world holds more fascination and desire than
your Creator? The words of men (creatures) entice us, sway us, deceive us, and
lure us to our ruin and death. The world promises you riches and peace. It
promises you can have your best life now and not be sick or depressed but be
happy. And yes, it even promises you that you can prosper.
But the moment Christ Jesus appears who offers you
salvation, eternal life, and righteousness, the world you live in turns upside
down and you scream and shout in anger because He showed you the truth and
revealed the lie of the World, the Flesh, and the Devil. And you plead for Him
to leave you alone so that you may continue to live in the darkness.
But there is hope, for as Jesus “was getting into the
boat, the man who had been demon-possessed was pleading with Him that he might
accompany Him.” The man who was freed loved Jesus with all his heart for
freeing him of demonic possession and wanted to follow Jesus and be by His
side. Jesus said, “I say to you, her sins, which are many, have been forgiven,
for she loved much.” Regarding the woman whom Jesus had forgiven after she
poured oil on His feet. So, the devotion to Christ and the love given to Him comes
from those who are forgiven much.
I too love Jesus because He had forgiven me much, for I once
had a judgment against me. I committed a crime and sinned against Yahweh.
Twenty years ago, I faced the judge and was looking at one hundred and fifteen
years in a federal prison. “But God, being rich in mercy because of His
great love with which He loved (me), even when (I) was dead in my transgressions,
made (me) alive together with Christ—by grace, (I) was saved.” I was sentenced
with great mercy and was given two years’ probation, nine months of work release,
and a fine.
And this is the love we have for Jesus that we would obey
Him like this man who went and evangelized the Decapolis. The man, filled with
joy, proclaimed, all over the country, what great things Jesus had done
for him. This is a debt we owe both to Christ and our brethren, that He may
be glorified, and they edified. And see what the effect of it was; everyone
was marveling.
Is this not worth proclaiming? The Good News of Jesus? Like
the man freed from Demons so too we share what Christ has done. His works, His
majesty, He is to wonder about and be marveled at. He is the truth, and the
truth will set you free, indeed.
And as we remember this weekend the work of Jesus, I will
read from Mark 15:22-16:6.
Then they brought Him to the
place Golgotha, which is translated, Place of a Skull. And they tried to give
Him wine mixed with myrrh; but He did not take it. And they crucified Him, and
divided up His garments among themselves, casting lots for them to decide who
should take what. Now it was the third hour, and they crucified Him. And the
inscription of the charge against Him read, “THE KING OF THE JEWS.”
And they crucified two robbers
with Him, one on His right and one on His left. [And the Scripture was
fulfilled which says, “And He was numbered with transgressors.”] And those
passing by were blaspheming Him, shaking their heads, and saying, “Ha! You who
are going to destroy the sanctuary and rebuild it in three days, save Yourself
by coming down from the cross!”
In the same way, mocking Him to one another,
the chief priests also, along with the scribes, were saying, “He saved others;
He cannot save Himself. Let this Christ, the King of Israel, now come down from
the cross, so that we may see and believe!” Those who were crucified with Him
were also insulting Him. And when the sixth hour came, darkness fell
over the whole land until the ninth hour.
And at the ninth hour Jesus cried
out with a loud voice, “Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?” which is translated, “My
God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?” And when some of the bystanders heard
it, they began saying, “Look, He is calling for Elijah.” And someone ran and
filled a sponge with sour wine, put it on a reed, and gave Him a drink, saying,
“Let us see whether Elijah will come to take Him down.”
And Jesus, uttering a loud cry,
breathed His last. And the veil of the sanctuary was torn in two from top to
bottom. And when the centurion, who was standing right in front of Him, saw the
way He breathed His last, he said, “Truly this man was God’s Son!” And there
were also some women looking on from a distance, among whom were Mary
Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James the Less and Joses, and Salome, who,
when He was in Galilee, were following Him and serving Him; and there were many
other women who came up with Him to Jerusalem.
And when evening had already
come, because it was Preparation day, that is, the day before the Sabbath,
Joseph of Arimathea came, a prominent Council member, who himself was waiting
for the kingdom of God; and he gathered up courage and went in before Pilate
and asked for the body of Jesus. And Pilate wondered if He had died by this
time, and summoning the centurion, he questioned him as to whether He already
died. And ascertaining this from the centurion, he granted the body to Joseph.
And when Joseph had bought a linen cloth and took Him down, he wrapped Him in
the linen cloth and laid Him in a tomb which had been hewn out in the rock. And
he rolled a stone against the entrance of the tomb. And Mary Magdalene and Mary
the mother of Joses were looking on to see where He had been laid.
And when the Sabbath passed, Mary
Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James, and Salome, bought spices, so that
they might come and anoint Him. And very early on the first day of the week,
they came to the tomb when the sun had risen. And they were saying to one
another, “Who will roll away the stone for us from the entrance of the tomb?”
And looking up, they saw that the
stone had been rolled away, although it was very large. And entering the tomb,
they saw a young man sitting on the right side, wearing a white robe; and they
were amazed. And he said to them, “Do not be amazed; you are looking for Jesus
the Nazarene, who has been crucified. He has risen; He is not here; behold, the
place where they laid Him.
Jesus came to save sinners. Sinners repress the truth and
hide in their darkness because they love the darkness, they are unbelieving,
vile, foolish, rebellious, haters of God who have adopted the ideologies of
this world and the doctrines of men, become slaves to their sexual desires,
perverting the flesh and mind, who rebel at the created order of God doomed to
condemnation and will be judged by Jesus and sent to Hell where they will burn
for eternity in the lake of fire.
But God so loved His creation, Mankind, that He sent His Son
Jesus, who can forgive you of your sins and restore you whole again, for He has
the authority and the power. Jesus brings life to all who repent and believe.
For Jesus bore all our sins; He bore all the sins of all who believe in Him. Jesus
was born and lived a perfect life of obedience to God as a man. Jesus was
condemned to be executed and die in the sinner’s place. He suffered the
totality of God’s Wrath upon Himself on the Cross, which every sinner deserves,
so that those who believe in Jesus may have peace with God. Jesus rose from the
dead, conquering death, and lives, and ascended to the right hand of God the
Father. Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life and He is in your midst with
us, come out of the darkness as we proclaim the light of His salvation.
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