Free to Tell

June 17, 2019

Free to Tell

So the man started off to visit the Ten Towns of that region and began to proclaim the great things Jesus had done for him; and everyone was amazed at what he told them.

Mark 5:20

Read: Mark 5:1-20

In Tiberius, standing on the shore of the Sea of Galilee you look to the east toward the Golan Heights. This has long been a disputed territory in the Middle East, and when Jesus went there, and as it is now, it was not a part of Israel. Mark does not tell us why Jesus went to that side of the lake, but in verse 21 we learn Jesus immediately returned to Israel after this incident. I think it is safe to assume Jesus went there for the purpose of setting the demon-possessed man free.

It is important for us to remember that Mark did not write a travel diary. He did not record these events as they happened. Mark’s Gospel is a biography of Jesus, written after the life, death and resurrection of Jesus. Accordingly, all of the events, encounters, sermons, miracles and conversations are interpreted by Mark in the light of the victory of Jesus over sin and death.

At the time of Jesus’ earthly ministry, the Roman invaders were thought to be the personification of Satan. It was also believed that evil, or monsters, came out of the sea. The Jews believed that any contact with the demon-possessed person encountered by Jesus would make them unclean, as would contact with pigs and cemeteries. Accordingly, everything encountered in this incident, from the perspective of the Jews, was evil and unclean. When Jesus exercised his authority over the demons (the forces of evil) and gave them permission to enter into the pigs, he was sending the evil back to the sea from whence it had come.

There are many moving parts in this story, and it would be an interesting exercise in a small group to discuss them all, including the pigs and the pig-herd owners. Today my point of identification was with the man once possessed by demons and his desire to stay with Jesus. Yes, staying safe with Jesus is where I long to be. This desire reminded me of what Henri Nouwen wrote in his book, The Return of The Prodigal Son: "I am destined to step into my Father's place and offer to others the same compassion that he has offered me."

My Takeaway: Jesus’ response to the man set free models for me all I need to know about faith-sharing or evangelism. Simply tell others what Jesus has done for me.

Sē’lah

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(Selah is a word that appears in the Book of Psalms that I often use as the Complimentary Closing in my correspondence. Its meaning, as I use the word, is to pause and think about these things.)

These meditations are written by Alex M. Knight as he seeks the life in Christ as his way of life.  The meditations are published on the BLOG, http://seekingthelifeinchrist.blogspot.com/ and they are also distributed on the Constant Contact email server. You may subscribe to this email service by sending an email to: amkrom812@gmail.com. The BLOG is also available on Amazon Kindle, by subscription.

Copyright © 2019 by Alex M. Knight

Publications by Alex M. Knight:

·        Seeking the Life in Christ, Meditations on the New Testament and Psalms has been published and is now available at Amazon.com in paperback and Kindle.

·        The second edition of  First Think – Then Pray is available on Amazon Kindle.

·        Meditations on The Story of My Life as told by Jesus Christ has been released as an e-book on Amazon Kindle.

Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.