February 27 & 28 – Mark 5:1-20
After demonstrating His authority over the forces of nature on the Sea of Galilee (see yesterday’s reading), Jesus now demonstrates His authority in the supernatural world when He drives a legion of demons out of a man. This occurs on the eastern shore of the Sea of Galilee, which was primarily a Gentile region (thus the herd of pigs, which were unclean to Jews).

So, Jesus and His disciples willingly walked into an unclean land among an unclean people to spread the Gospel. No other Jewish rabbi would have done this: go to a land of pig-herding Gentiles and risk contamination that would require ritual purification rites and sacrifices to rectify. But, as we know, Jesus is no ordinary Jewish rabbi. Though He came to the children of Israel (Matthew 15:24), He always knew His message would spread beyond them to the Gentiles, and He would later call Paul to be the lead missionary in this task (see Acts 9). So, this trip into Gentile lands planted some seeds for later, and one seed in particular was planted in a very unlikely place.
Not only did Jesus and His disciples knowingly walk into a land of pig-herding Gentiles, but the first person to meet them on the eastern shore of the Sea of Galilee was a demon-possessed Gentile who lived in the local tombs. Talk about unclean! Jewish rabbis were also supposed to avoid touching anything dead in order to remain ritually clean. But Jesus is always willing to go into the darkest, ugliest places to bring redemption and renewal.
As soon as the demons saw Jesus, they were forced to acknowledge His authority over them. When the man drops to his knees, it is not because the demons within him were worshipping Jesus but because of Jesus’ superior power and authority over them. (One day, every knee will bow before Him as Lord, some in loving worship and others in a similar forced acknowledgement of His authority—see Philippians 2:10-11.)
Sending the demons into the pigs was a dramatic visual confirmation of the restorative miracle Jesus performed. Instead of just calling the demons to come out of the man, Jesus makes sure that the pig herders and the disciples can see them leave and witness their destructive power as the herd is driven over the cliff (v. 13).
Of course, the pig herders run off to spread the news of what they had just witnessed, but the response of the community is telling. In fear, they ask Jesus to leave (v. 17). It is very likely that they cared more about the financial loss of the herd than the restoration of their neighbor, but it is also likely that they feared the redemptive power of God more than the destructive power of the demons. That seems strange, but human beings are strange because we are sinful. Without Jesus in our lives, we tend to love darkness more than we do light (see John 3:19), so before knowing Jesus, some people hesitate to come because they fear He will ask them to give up their freedom to do as they please. (Actually, He’s asking that we give up our slavery to sin, and in this there is true freedom.)
In any case, the formerly demon-possessed man did not want to leave his Savior. He begged to go with Jesus (v. 18), but Jesus had a mission for him right there in his hometown. This formerly demon-possessed man was to become one of the first missionaries to the Gentiles, telling them “what the Lord had done for him” (v. 19). Undoubtedly, this man planted seeds that Paul and others would later water and God would grow (see 1 Corinthians 3:5-6).
Consider how Jesus is willing to go into the darkest, most unclean places to seek and save the lost. This is how much He loves us. This is how much He loves you. Spend time with Him today in worship. Express your gratitude to Him. And listen. Is He asking you to tell others what He has done for you? You are not only His beloved child, but you can also be a seed planter for Him, spreading His love and His message to others.
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