Mark 5:1-20
Do
you ever feel like you never get a break? Your life seemingly goes from one
crisis to another, always waiting for the next shoe to fall? We even perpetuate
the myth that bad things come in threes. They only seem to come in threes
because we start counting over after three. They really happen in fours! (Just
kidding!) But there are times in life when is seems as though it is one tough
thing after another. You need a rest, but rest doesn’t come before you have to
start dealing with the next thing.
As
part of the way Mark writes his account of Jesus’ life and ministry he places
events together in a way that makes us feel like He never gets a break from the
action. He and His disciples have just crossed the Sea of Galilee at night
during a storm. Jesus was physically exhausted when he entered the boat and was
awoken to cries of desperation. He spoke and the storm was stilled. Now they
land on the shore and a man with an untamable storm inside him meets them and
demands Jesus’ attention.
There
is no way for Jesus to sidestep and proceed without attending to this man. He
can’t hand it off to His disciples; the man won’t let this happen. The man (and
his demons) take center stage and force the issue. It can be so uncomfortable
when an issue gets forced on you and you have to attend to it NOW. I don’t like
to rush decisions. I don’t like to act under pressure.
Before
Jesus even gets His morning coffee and bagel He must act. He allows the demons
to drive a herd of pigs to suicide. And those who tended the pigs on behalf of
the townspeople run back into town and tell everyone. It would be as if your
401k manager went crazy with his trading and lost the whole investment. This
town’s whole herd, many years of breading and care go out the window with a
single word of permission by Jesus. Devastating to say the least!
But
what is even more telling is the contrast between these townspeople and the
newly freed demonless man. The townspeople want nothing to do with Jesus. The
newly freed man wants everything to do with Him.
This
really is one way to tell who has been touched and changed by Jesus. Those who
have been changed want Jesus around. They are not afraid of conversations. They
enjoy His presence in their lives. They want more.
Those
who don’t know Him yet, or have already rejected Him want nothing to do with
Him. They see Him as a threat to their livelihood and lifestyle. They can only see
the negative, the constricting nature of following Jesus. They miss the
liberation that following Him brings. They enjoy the old familiar and
comfortable life they had. They don’t want Jesus messing up their ‘good thing.’
The
man is so changed by his experience that that whole region is aware of what has
happened. They can’t believe it themselves. They probably heard both sides of
the story, the tremendous loss of livelihood by the town and the sanity of the
man. Both were unprecedented events. Both centered around the actions of Jesus.
Both were attested to by those who witnessed the events. Both were undeniable.