Those tending the pigs ran off and reported this in the town and countryside, and the people went out to see what had happened. When they came to Jesus, they saw the man who had been possessed by the legion of demons, sitting there, dressed and in his right mind; and they were afraid. Those who had seen it told the people what had happened to the demon-possessed man—and told about the pigs as well. Then the people began to plead with Jesus to leave their region. 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.The gospels are full of parables and miracles from Jesus’ life and ministry, but this is an amazing story. This particular story stirs something in us—compassion, pity, hope. This crazy, demon-possessed man begged Jesus to help him. He knew he was damaged. He hated it. And as much as he wanted to be rid of it, he didn’t want anyone else to have to deal with it. Surely that is why he asked Jesus not to send them out of the area.
Mark 5:14-20
The people in the surrounding countryside and town didn’t respond the way I thought they should have. I thought they should have rejoiced that the man was healed and that the deranged lunatic would no longer be haunting their graveyard. Instead, though, they were afraid. And perhaps they were not thrilled that two thousand pigs committed swine-suicide. The pigs were obviously a source of revenue for them, and they perhaps felt they couldn’t afford any more losses like that. I’m not surprised the man wanted to go with Jesus. But that wasn’t what Love First needed him to do.
Love First needed the man to testify and witness about what Jesus had done for him. The people in Decapolis (multiple big cities) needed to see for themselves that he was no longer damaged. They needed to hear from his own mouth that Jesus had changed him. He probably got a varied response. There were likely some who couldn’t have cared less. There were likely others who were amazed and wanted to know more. There still likely others who couldn’t believe it. But there was no denying what they saw—the man was no longer demon possessed, and he was telling others how he had changed and who had changed him.
Your Mission
Identify a specific incident from your past that made you question your worth. Pray now for God to take that self-doubt away.
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