Week 13 (The Miracles of Jesus) – Day 4: Healing a Demon-Possessed Man

Day 64 – Healing a Demon-Possessed Man – Mark 5:1-20

Jesus shows the kingdom of God also has sway over Satan and the power of evil.  Jesus brings healing to a man who has been left to the land of death. 

Imagine the people who show up to confirm the reports of the pig herders.  The people can not believe what they see.  In fact they are distraught.  We may be surprised, but how often do we react the same way to God’s working in the world? 

For the locals, their economy has taken a major hit.  Not only is the possessed man back to “normal”, but two thousand stinking pig carcasses are floating in the water.  Keeping Jesus around is too expensive for the world they know.  So the people beg Jesus to leave. (v 17)  It is very tempting to fear the good news of life through Jesus, to stay comfortable in the supposed security of the ways of the powers of this world.

The story also shows that God’s kingdom is more powerful than the political rule of the Romans.  The term used for the demons is legion, which happens to be the match the name of the military units used by Rome to control its empire.  Demonic possession is linked together with the repressive rule of Rome.

In Christ,

Randy