Nobody but Jesus!

Mark 5:1-20

Jesus and his disciples reached the country of the Gerasenes on the other side of the lake, and no sooner had Jesus left the boat than a man with an unclean spirit came out from the tombs towards him. The man lived in the tombs and no one could secure him any more, even with a chain; because he had often been secured with fetters and chains but had snapped the chains and broken the fetters, and no one had the strength to control him. All night and all day, among the tombs and in the mountains, he would howl and gash himself with stones. Catching sight of Jesus from a distance, he ran up and fell at his feet and shouted at the top of his voice, ‘What do you want with me, Jesus, son of the Most High God? Swear by God you will not torture me!’ – For Jesus had been saying to him, ‘Come out of the man, unclean spirit.’ ‘What is your name?’ Jesus asked. ‘My name is legion,’ he answered ‘for there are many of us.’ And he begged him earnestly not to send them out of the district.

Now there was there on the mountainside a great herd of pigs feeding, and the unclean spirits begged him, ‘Send us to the pigs, let us go into them.’ So he gave them leave. With that, the unclean spirits came out and went into the pigs, and the herd of about two thousand pigs charged down the cliff into the lake, and there they were drowned. The swineherds ran off and told their story in the town and in the country round about; and the people came to see what had really happened. They came to Jesus and saw the demoniac sitting there, clothed and in his full senses – the very man who had had the legion in him before – and they were afraid. And those who had witnessed it reported what had happened to the demoniac and what had become of the pigs. Then they began to implore Jesus to leave the neighbourhood. As he was getting into the boat, the man who had been possessed begged to be allowed to stay with him. Jesus would not let him but said to him, ‘Go home to your people and tell them all that the Lord in his mercy has done for you.’ So the man went off and proceeded to spread throughout the Decapolis all that Jesus had done for him. And everyone was amazed.

Food for thought!

"No one could secure him any more, even with a chain!"

There are things in our life that nobody can do except Jesus. There are issues, problems, situations and even peoples that nobody can handle but the Lord. This is what today's gospel reading is teaching us. The gospel says, "No one could secure him any more, even with a chain... No one had the strength to control him." The man was so desperate, but also were his people; he was helpless, but also was everybody else. That's why this man lived in the tombs, among the dead. He was as good as dead.

Did you notice that "Catching sight of Jesus from a distance, the man ran up and fell at his feet"? In other words, the man that nobody could tame threw himself at the feet of Jesus. I don't know if you are in a similar situation like this man and these people, or you have given up on yourself, on your spouse, your child, your love, your business, your hope, your dream. Today's gospel was written for people like you and me. If you believe in Jesus as you do, why give in to despair? Take your situation to Jesus. Be like this man, throw yourself or your problem, your situation at the feet of Jesus. However ugly it maybe, however complicated it maybe, Jesus will not run away from you. He will transform your hopelessness and helplessness into hopefulness and helpfulness.

The once hopeless and helpless man, became all of a sudden a hopeful and helpful man; he started going around the ten towns restoring hope in others; the man became a helpful man. The gospel says, "the man went off and proceeded to spread throughout the Decapolis all that Jesus had done for him. And everyone was amazed." 

Very naturally the men who had been in charge of the pigs went to the town and to the farms with news of this astounding happening. When the curious people arrived on the spot they found the man who had once been so mad sitting fully clothed and in full possession of his faculties. The wild and naked madman had become a sane and sensible mademan. Jesus changed a madman to a mademan!

And then comes the surprise, the paradox, the thing that no one would really expect. One would have thought that they would have regarded the whole matter with joy; but they regarded it with contempt. And one would have thought that they would have urged Jesus to stay with them and exercise still further his amazing power; but they urged him to get out of their district as quickly as possible. Why? A man had been healed but their pigs had been destroyed, and therefore they wanted no more of this. The routine of life had been unsettled, and they wanted the disturbing element removed as quickly as possible. 

Simeon was right. In yesterday's gospel he said: "You see this child: he is destined for the fall and for the rising of many in Israel, destined to be a sign that is rejected."