Calming a human storm #4
| As Jesus was getting into the boat, the man who had been demon-possessed begged to go with Him. Jesus did not let him, but said, "Go home to your family and tell them how much the Lord has done for you, and how he has had mercy on you." So the man went away and began to tell in the Decapolis how much Jesus had done for him. And all the people were amazed. (Mark5:18-20) |
I don't blame the GGG for wanting to leave with Jesus. After all, his own people had chained him and treated him badly and they would probably blame him about the pigs. But Jesus sends him to tell his story - and he goes to the ten towns on the south and east of Galilee (called the Decapolis (Deca=10 and Polis=towns))
The interesting thing is that the next time Jesus returns to this area, there is a complete turnaround: People are receptive and He needs to feed 4000 people who are there listening to his teaching. (See Mark 7 & 8.) It is widely accepted among scholars that the change in response to Jesus in the Decapolis is due to the missionary activity of this man.
There are four key lessons to learn from this amazing encounter:
- While this account is somewhat unsettling, it does remind us that evil is real and should not be trifled with.
- It also demonstrates the authority and power of Jesus and shows us that He has power over the forces of darkness and that even the darkness knows who He is and knows His power and authority... and trembles...
- It shows the compassion of Jesus who comes "to the other side" for just one man
- It shows how the gospel can spread when one man tells his story.
