1 They went across the lake to the region of the Gerasenes. 2 When Jesus got out of the boat, a man with an impure spirit came from the tombs to meet him. 3 This man lived in the tombs, and no one could bind him anymore, not even with a chain. 4 For he had often been chained hand and foot, but he tore the chains apart and broke the irons on his feet. No one was strong enough to subdue him. 5 Night and day among the tombs and in the hills he would cry out and cut himself with stones.
6 When he saw Jesus from a distance, he ran and fell on his knees in front of him. 7 He shouted at the top of his voice, “What do you want with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? In God’s name don’t torture me!” 8 For Jesus had said to him, “Come out of this man, you impure spirit!”
9 Then Jesus asked him, “What is your name?”
“My name is Legion,” he replied, “for we are many.” 10 And he begged Jesus again and again not to send them out of the area.
11 A large herd of pigs was feeding on the nearby hillside. 12 The demons begged Jesus, “Send us among the pigs; allow us to go into them.” 13 He gave them permission, and the impure spirits came out and went into the pigs. The herd, about two thousand in number, rushed down the steep bank into the lake and were drowned.
14 Those tending the pigs ran off and reported this in the town and countryside, and the people went out to see what had happened. 15 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. 16 Those who had seen it told the people what had happened to the demon-possessed man—and told about the pigs as well. 17 Then the people began to plead with Jesus to leave their region.
18 As Jesus was getting into the boat, the man who had been demon-possessed begged to go with him. 19 Jesus did not let him, but said, “Go home to your own people and tell them how much the Lord has done for you, and how he has had mercy on you.” 20 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.
Read Mark 5:1-20 in context and/or in other translations on BibleGateway.com!
Following one of Jesus’ most unique and spectacular healings, we see a surprising response given to the man who Jesus had just cast thousands of demons out of. Mark shares in verse 13 how there were about 2,000 pigs in the herd that the demons went into. If there was one demon per pig, we get a very clear impression that there were a whole lot of demons present in one individual.
Mark concludes this event by sharing a brief conversation Jesus had with the man who had been healed. Mark tells us, “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 own people 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.” (v. 18-20)
While I can understand Jesus’ perspective, and Jesus knowing that the man would be the most impactful witness for Jesus in that region, I can understand Jesus telling him to stay and share with the cities in that region. But from the man’s perspective, Jesus has just given him his life back, and the man wants to dedicate all he is to the One who freed him.
But Jesus said no. However, Jesus’ ‘no’ is not a complete sentence. In Jesus’ ‘no’, we find a different mission for this man. While this may have been relatively early in Jesus’ ministry, Jesus knew that the man had lived outside of society for years and it would be better for him to return. Jesus also knew that this man had a reputation that had spread to almost everyone living in that area.
Within the mission Jesus gave the man, He tells him to tell others how much “the Lord” had done for him, and how God had shown mercy on him. Jesus intended the man to point all the glory upward, and this miracle was to show how God was more powerful than the demons and other gods of the area.
In a way, the man does share this, but he specifically attributes all of this to Jesus. While Jesus said “the Lord”, the man said “Jesus”. Jesus was Lord in the man’s life. Jesus was his Savior. Even though Jesus didn’t let the man join His band of followers, this man likely made a much stronger impression on the success of Jesus’ ministry in that area then the disciples’ ever could have. And this man did it while Jesus was still alive.
All this leads me to a key idea that one dedicated follower of Jesus who is willing to share what God has done in their life is more impactful than a dozen followers who overanalyze the situation without any action. In this surface rejection, we see Jesus teaching all of His followers about the importance of action and sharing what God has done for us.
This thought was inspired by studying the Walking With Jesus “Reflective Bible Study” package. To discover insights like this in your own study time, click here and give Reflective Bible Study a try today!
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