Read Mark 5:1-20
Everyone Pleaded With Jesus.
Jesus and his disciples traveled by boat to the land of the Gerasenes. After getting out of the boat a man with an unclean Spirit met him. This man was demon possessed with over 2,000 demons. No one could subdue him – except Jesus. For when the man saw Jesus from a distance, he ran to Jesus and fell before him in submission to his authority which was greater than all the demons’ authority.
Vs 7 & 9: The demons knew Jesus was the Son of the most high God and earnestly PLEADED with Jesus not to cast them out especially into the Bliss – the place of emptiness, and thus be tormented. These two verses show me just how desiring and gratifying it is for demons to destroy lives. They are relentless in pursuing humankind through lies and deception. They are constantly feeding negative thoughts in our minds in hopes of destroying us and destroying our relationships. We have to be careful not to lose focus of the Lord when our minds are being tortured with lies.
Vs 12-13: The demons PLEADED with Jesus to be given permission to be cast into the herds of over 2,000 pigs. Jesus gave them permission and as they entered the pigs, the pigs went crazy and entered into the sea and drowned. As a result, the man was set free and healed and was finally in his “right mind.” I like that wording because when we listen to the devil we’re never in our right mind. It’s only when we are connected to Jesus through his spirit that we can be set free in our mind and our lives.
This is a great miracle that occurred to this man, but how did others respond to this?
1. The herdsmen responded by telling everyone in the city.
2. The people of the city, though amazed by the healing of this man, were frightened and not happy to see the lives of 2000 pigs dead. As a result they PLEADED with Jesus to leave. This sparks 2 questions in my mind. First, what sacrifices are we willing to make to see one person come to know Jesus? Second, what sacrifices are we not willing to make even if it means a life not being set free from the power of the devil?
3. The healed man responded by PLEADING with Jesus to let him get into the boat with Jesus.
4. Jesus responded by NOT letting the man go with him because he had a higher calling for his life. He wanted him to go to his own home town and tell people all that Jesus did for him. As a result, the man went to his city and proclaimed what great things Jesus had done for him and everyone marveled.
Everyone PLEADED with Jesus. The demons PLEADED with him so they could be destructive. The people PLEADED with Jesus so that he would leave. The man PLEADED to go with Jesus. Jesus is PLEADING with us to share our testimony with others so that they might come to know him as Lord and Savior and be set free from the power of the enemy.
