Transforming Power

Have you ever grown comfortable with a situation or things in your life that aren't good? Have you ever wondered if you can be healed or set free from things that seem to have a hold on you? I encourage you to read this passage and remember again, or discover for the first time who Jesus is and what He is capable of.

Mark 5:1-20

They came to the other side of the sea, to the country of the Gerasenes.

And when Jesus had stepped out of the boat, immediately there met him out of the tombs a man with an unclean spirit. He lived among the tombs. And no one could bind him anymore, not even with a chain, for he had often been bound with shackles and chains, but he wrenched the chains apart, and he broke the shackles in pieces. No one had the strength to subdue him. Night and day among the tombs and on the mountains he was always crying out and cutting himself with stones.

And when he saw Jesus from afar, he ran and fell down before him. And crying out with a loud voice, he said, “What have you to do with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I adjure you by God, do not torment me.” For he was saying to him, “Come out of the man, you unclean spirit!” And Jesus asked him, “What is your name?” He replied, “My name is Legion, for we are many.” And he begged him earnestly not to send them out of the country.

Now a great herd of pigs was feeding there on the hillside, and they begged him, saying, “Send us to the pigs; let us enter them.” So he gave them permission. And the unclean spirits came out and entered the pigs; and the herd, numbering about two thousand, rushed down the steep bank into the sea and drowned in the sea.

¶The herdsmen fled and told it in the city and in the country. And people came to see what it was that had happened. And they came to Jesus and saw the demon-possessed man, the one who had had the legion, sitting there, clothed and in his right mind, and they were afraid. And those who had seen it described to them what had happened to the demon-possessed man and to the pigs.

And they began to beg Jesus to depart from their region.

As he was getting into the boat, the man who had been possessed with demons begged him that he might be with him. And he did not permit him but said to him, “Go home to your friends and tell them how much the Lord has done for you, and how he has had mercy on you.” And he went away and began to proclaim in the Decapolis how much Jesus had done for him, and everyone marveled.

The demon-possessed man

This man had a legion of demonic spirits. In the Roman army, a legion was anywhere from 3,000-6,000 men. I don't know about you, but that is hard to wrap my brain around. To say he was tormented would be an understatement. He was a prisoner inside his own body, and like a dead man walking, desiring rest and freedom, yet finding neither. His home was among the tombs, but he was unable to find solace among the dead or the living. Day and night, he screamed in agony, cutting and mangling himself with stones. Sleep-deprived, his body, mind, and soul couldn't rest. And what about his wounds from cutting? There was no one to tend to them, ensuring they healed properly. Some of his wounds, most likely, were infected, making his agony even more painful. He desperately needed someone to set him free, and to heal him inside and out.

The people from Garesenes

The people had bound the man before, but he severed and shattered the fetters, shackles, and chains, making it impossible for the people to bind him again. No one had the power to tame or restrain him, let alone heal him. They were trying to bind a man who was already bound and imprison a man who was already imprisoned. These measures couldn't help the man. They only added anguish to his already troubled soul.

Jesus

When Jesus saw this man, he spoke directly to the source of the man's torment. "Come out of the man, you unclean spirit!" With His words, Jesus delivered this man from thousands of demons. Jesus demonstrated his tremendous power and authority to transform a life. The demons were powerless to resist Jesus's command and even begged Jesus to let them go into the pigs instead of a deep, bottomless pit (Luke 8:31).

The healed man

When the people from the city came to see what happened they found the man sitting at the feet of Jesus (Luke 8:35), clothed, and in his right mind.

The man's life was miraculously transformed by the power of God from:

• life-less to fullness of life

• restless to restful at the feet of his Savior

• naked and exposed to clothed, covered with God's love and cured by God's mercy

• tortured and anguished to sober, self-controlled and sane

• aimless to commissioned with purpose

Two different responses

The healed man begged Jesus to accompany Him, but Jesus had a different, wonderful plan for the man. Jesus commissioned him to go to his friends and tell them everything the Lord had done for him and how the Lord had shown him great mercy. Gladly, the man went and proclaimed what the Lord had done for him. He was free, filled with purpose, and excited to share his good news with everyone.

The people from the city begged Jesus to leave their region. When they saw what Jesus had done for the demon-possessed man, the scripture says they were gripped with fear.

Why did they respond this way? I think as human beings we get comfortable with what we know, even if it's scary or harmful. We get comfortable with sin and situations that aren't for our good but are familiar. These people were used to the demon-possessed man. They lived with his screaming day and night, but when confronted with Jesus's power, it was unknown and showed them that if Jesus could change the demon-possessed man's life, He had the power to change everything. Maybe they were scared to invite Jesus to stay because He would discover what was tormenting their souls. Maybe they were scared to lose what they trusted and hoped in. Since the herdsman had lost his pigs because of Jesus's intervention, maybe they felt Jesus would change their city, causing them to lose their source of wealth too. Maybe they were just scared of stepping into the unknown; into a new life with a new purpose.

The Character of Jesus

Jesus showed us who He is by healing this man, and ultimately by dying on the cross. He suffered so we could live.

• Loving

• Forgiving

• Self-sacrificing

• Merciful

• Gracious

Jesus said:

“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed,

to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.” (Luke 4:18-19)

Jesus came to seek and save the lost. He came to clothe us with His love and mercy and to cover us with His blood so that God would see us as perfect and acceptable in Jesus. He desires to set us free from the things and situations that hold us captive; to give us rest from our aimlessness and a sound mind focused on God. He desires to transform us with His power and authority, bringing healing and wholeness to our hearts, minds, and lives; to give our lives purpose, commissioning us with carrying the message of His healing power and mercy to everyone. The change Jesus brings to our lives is beautiful, miraculous, and like nothing else.

Jesus does have the power to change everything in our lives, for our good and His glory.

Sincerely,

Amy