“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 marvelled.' - v 19-20
In Mark 5 Jesus meets a man and completely changes his life forever. We are told that this man had an unclean spirit within him that caused him to live in isolation in the tombs (v3), gave him supernatural strength (v 4), tormented him and made him cut himself with stones (v5). This man was being destroyed by this unclean spirit. But the day he met Jesus everything changed. The demons immediately recognise him and his power (v6-7). Jesus casts the spirit out of him and sends them into a herd pigs who then charge over the cliff and into the sea (v 13). The word spreads about what has happened and the people come to where Jesus is and find the man fully dressed and in his right mind (v 15).This man has been completely transformed. The people ultimately reject Jesus and ask him to leave (v17).
The man who was oppressed by demons, however is ready to follow Jesus. In fact he is so ready to follow him that he is getting in the boat to leave when Jesus stops him (v18). Here is a man who has been changed by Jesus and is grateful and ready to follow him wherever! There is no hesitation in this man. With that mind in might It may have seemed strange that Jesus stopped him getting in the boat. Here is a willing disciple ready to follow him! However Jesus has other plans for him. Jesus tells him to go and tell his friends all that the Lord has done for him. So he does. He travels the area telling people how the Lord freed and saved him. What an incredible testimony that would have been! Everyone had seen this man controlled by demons, cutting himself and screaming in the tombs. Yet there he was freed and in his right mind telling people about Jesus.
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