“Then they came to the other side of the sea, to the country of the Gadarenes. And when He had come out of the boat, immediately there met Him out of the tombs a man with an unclean spirit, who had his dwelling among the tombs; and no one could bind him, not even with chains, because he had often been bound with shackles and chains. And the chains had been pulled apart by him, and the shackles broken in pieces; neither could anyone tame him. And always, night and day, he was in the mountains and in the tombs, crying out and cutting himself with stones. When he saw Jesus from afar, he ran and worshiped Him. And he cried out with a loud voice and said, “What have I to do with You, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I implore You by God that You do not torment me.” For He said to him, “Come out of the man, unclean spirit!” Then He asked him, “What is your name?” And he answered, saying, “My name is Legion; for we are many.” Also he begged Him earnestly that He would not send them out of the country. Now a large herd of swine was feeding there near the mountains. So all the demons begged Him, saying, “Send us to the swine, that we may enter them.” And at once Jesus gave them permission. Then the unclean spirits went out and entered the swine (there were about two thousand); and the herd ran violently down the steep place into the sea, and drowned in the sea.” Mark 5:1-13
I’ve often skimmed over this passage as just being about a demon-possessed man living among tombs, a herd of pigs running off a cliff, and the whole town asking Jesus to leave. But it is so much more, and God gave me three important lessons from it!
First, born again believers do not need to be terrified of evil forces, because Jesus has full authority over demonic forces. These enemies of God know it—and we need to know it too. They NEVER negotiate with Him as an equal. They beg. They ask permission before entering the pigs because they cannot act without His Word. Why does this matter? Well, whatever evil I am fearing right now and allowing to paralyze me, answers to Jesus! He said:
“ALL authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth.” (Matthew 28:18)
Second, Jesus went looking for this wild man because He cares for every person. This was Gergesene territory, and no Jewish rabbi would EVER have a reason to visit it. But He crossed the sea to find a man so dangerous that he was often chained up. Isaiah prophesied centuries earlier:
The Spirit of the Lord God is upon Me, because the Lord has anointed Me to preach good tidings to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound. (Isaiah 61:1)
My friend, Jesus does not wait for the hard cases to come to Him. He goes out to find them, and…so should we!
Third, the town’s response to this man being set free from his chains of darkness challenges me to examine my own life. The drowned herd represented a significant financial loss for them—two thousand swine were a small fortune. It was all gone in minutes. And the town’s reaction?
“Then they came to Jesus, and saw the one who had been demon-possessed and had the legion, sitting and clothed and in his right mind. And they were afraid. And those who saw it told them how it happened to him who had been demon-possessed, and about the swine. Then they began to plead with Him to depart from their region.” Mark 5:15-17
This is heartbreaking. They saw a miracle, but all they could think about was their money. They were so bound by chains that they valued earthly treasures over the soul of a man. Jesus does not want us to waste our lives being slaves to the things of this world; and thus, He asks us to consider this truth:
For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul? (Mark 8:36-37)
I do not want to measure loss by mourning the pigs while missing the miracle of a soul being saved. I want to see people the way Jesus saw this wild man—worth crossing the sea for, worth more than anything that can be sold or spent.
This is sooo good! When we live with God’s perspective and the mind of Christ, we can live a brave and compassionate life and reap the ONLY eternal blessings—the souls of people.
Prayer:
Lord, forgive me for the times I have valued earthly possessions more than the souls around me. Thank You that You valued my soul so much that You gave Your life for me. Help me to value souls the way You do. Teach me to see people the way You do. Give me a heart that passionately pursues the lost and rejoices in their freedom even if it costs me something here on earth! Thank You for Your faithful Word that keeps me from straying! In Jesus’ name, Amen.
