Go home to your friends, and tell them what great things the Lord has done for you, and how He has had compassion on you

 

 Then they came to the other side of the sea, to the country of the Gadarenes.  And when He had come out of the boat, immediately there met Him out of the tombs a man with an unclean spirit, who had his dwelling among the tombs; and no one could bind him, not even with chains, because he had often been bound with shackles and chains.  And the chains had been pulled apart by him, and the shackles broken in pieces; neither could anyone tame him.  And always, night and day, he was in the mountains and in the tombs, crying out and cutting himself with stones.  When he saw Jesus from afar, he ran and worshiped Him.  And he cried out with a loud voice and said, "What have I to do with You, Jesus, Son of the Most High God?  I implore You by God that You do not torment me."  For He said to him, "Come out of the man, unclean spirit!"  Then He asked him, "What is your name?"  And he answered, saying, "My name is Legion; for we are many."  Also he begged Him earnestly that He would not send them out of the country.  

 

Now a large herd of swine was feeding there near the mountains.  So all the demons begged Him, saying, "Send us to the swine, that we may enter them."  And at once Jesus gave them permission.  Then the unclean spirits went out and entered the swine (there were about two thousand); and the herd ran violently down the steep place into the sea, and drowned in the sea.  

 

So those who fed the swine fled, and they told it in the city and in the country.  And they went out to see what it was that had happened.  Then they came to Jesus, and saw the one who had been demon-possessed and had the legion, sitting and clothed and in his right mind.  And they were afraid.  And those who saw it told them how it happened to him who had been demon-possessed, and about the swine.  Then they began to plead with Him to depart from their region.  

 

And when He got into the boat, he who had been demon-possessed begged Him that he might be with Him.  However, Jesus did not permit him, but said to him, "Go home to your friends, and tell them what great things the Lord has done for you, and how He has had compassion on you."  And he departed and began to proclaim in Decapolis all that Jesus had done for him; and all marveled.

 

- Mark 5:1-20 

 

Yesterday we read that on the same day that Jesus had taught the multitudes by the sea with parables, when evening had come, He said to the disciples, "Let us cross over to the other side."  Now when they had left the multitude, they took Him along in the boat as He was.  And other little boats were also with Him.  And a great windstorm arose, and the waves beat into the boat, so that it was already filling.  But He was in the stern, asleep on a pillow.  And they awoke Him and said to Him, "Teacher, do You not care that we are perishing?"  Then He arose and rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, "Peace, be still!"  And the wind ceased and there was a great calm.  But He said to them, "Why are you so fearful?  How is it that you have no faith?"  And they feared exceedingly, and said to one another, "Who can this be, that even the wind and the sea obey Him!"

 

  Then they came to the other side of the sea, to the country of the Gadarenes.  My study Bible explains that the country of the Gadarenes was in Galilee, in an area with many Gentiles who lived among the Jews (see Matthew 4:15).  Gadara is the name of a city which was in the Decapolis, a Greek name meaning "ten cities."  We can look at a map and see its area was across the Sea of Galilee south of Capernaum.  As the area was mixed with Gentiles, and strong Greco-Roman influenced, it was not considered a genuinely Jewish land, although many Gentile residents had converted to Judaism during the Maccabean period.  Because many of the Jews in this region had been influenced by the Greek culture and customs, they were generally considered second-class citizens by Jews of Judea.  In today's reading, we can see some of the Gentile influence in the raising of swine, which was forbidden by the Law (Deuteronomy 14:8).

And when He had come out of the boat, immediately there met Him out of the tombs a man with an unclean spirit, who had his dwelling among the tombs; and no one could bind him, not even with chains, because he had often been bound with shackles and chains.  And the chains had been pulled apart by him, and the shackles broken in pieces; neither could anyone tame him.  And always, night and day, he was in the mountains and in the tombs, crying out and cutting himself with stones.  When he saw Jesus from afar, he ran and worshiped Him.  And he cried out with a loud voice and said, "What have I to do with You, Jesus, Son of the Most High God?  I implore You by God that You do not torment me."  For He said to him, "Come out of the man, unclean spirit!"  Then He asked him, "What is your name?"  And he answered, saying, "My name is Legion; for we are many."  Also he begged Him earnestly that He would not send them out of the country.   Let us notice the setting:  this man tormented by demons lives apart from the city among the tombs, in complete disorder and untamed; crying out and cutting himself with stones.  Here the demons recognize Jesus as Son of the Most High God, and they fear torment just as they have tormented this man.  Although the malice of the demons is great, my study Bible says, they can do nothing against the will of God. 

 

 Now a large herd of swine was feeding there near the mountains.  So all the demons begged Him, saying, "Send us to the swine, that we may enter them."  And at once Jesus gave them permission.  Then the unclean spirits went out and entered the swine (there were about two thousand); and the herd ran violently down the steep place into the sea, and drowned in the sea.   As we commented above, the swine are an indication of the Gentile presence in this region.  Some assume that those who raise them are Gentiles, but it is more likely that these are Jews who are engaged in a sinful occupation, as Christ forbade His disciples to go to the Gentiles (Matthew 10:5).  My study Bible comments that although the malice of the demons is great, they can do nothing against the will of God, and therefore can only enter the swine at Christ's command.  It says that the immediate destruction of the herd shows that the men had been protected by God's care; otherwise, they would have perished under the demonic influence.  It also reinforces that swineherding was not lawful for the Jews.  Most importantly, it shows the incomparable value of human beings, whose salvation is worth every sacrifice.

So those who fed the swine fled, and they told it in the city and in the country.  And they went out to see what it was that had happened.  Then they came to Jesus, and saw the one who had been demon-possessed and had the legion, sitting and clothed and in his right mind.  And they were afraid.  And those who saw it told them how it happened to him who had been demon-possessed, and about the swine.  Then they began to plead with Him to depart from their region.   Those who fed the swine respond to the loss of the swine, and the sight of the healed man -- now sitting and clothed in his right mind -- by being afraid.  They plead with Jesus to depart from their region as they do not rejoice over the healing of the man, but are sorrowed at the loss of their swine.  They prefer things the way they were, and fear Christ's influence.

And when He got into the boat, he who had been demon-possessed begged Him that he might be with Him.  However, Jesus did not permit him, but said to him, "Go home to your friends, and tell them what great things the Lord has done for you, and how He has had compassion on you."  And he departed and began to proclaim in Decapolis all that Jesus had done for him; and all marveled.  This man is not one of the chosen Twelve, but Christ makes a way for him, and a new life.  He is to go home to his friends, and tell them what great things the Lord has done for him, and how He had compassion on him. 

It's very important that we notice the difference between the unclean spirits and the nature of God as imaged in the Lord Jesus Christ.  The demons oppress and torment.  They beg Jesus not to be sent out of this country where they have a refuge beyond the reach of the influence of Jewish worship and the God of Israel.  The context is important here, because we see the vast difference between the God of compassion, whom Jesus tells the healed man to extol to his friends at home with his testimony -- and the oppression and enslavement of the demons, whose influence kept this man away from life, and captive among the tombs.  It is this contrast that is important for us to understand, for in the possessed man we also see what can be a common image on our streets of people enslaved to addiction of all kinds, a hopelessness where there is no kindness nor mercy nor compassion, where predators may pass freely among those who are for some reason incapacitated or helpless.  There is a correspondence, at least in effects and appearance, between the enslavement of addiction or the problems of mental illness, and the oppression of the demons who keep this man in complete disorder and unable to live in the place of his home.  We might keep in mind the image of influences that keep out our God of compassion and the "good things" that God will do for us, in favor of those whose lives ascribe to force and coercion and have no time for mercy.   What does not fit with the "law of the streets" is that it is the Lord of mercy and compassion who is the greater power and the stronger man here, who can command the demons and they have to obey Him, and of whom the demons are afraid.  They can use their malice on weak human beings, and malice may terrify us at the hands of others who are ruthless, but their malice cannot bind nor stop the power of Jesus Christ who is the Lord who gives us good things.  It puts us in mind of Christ's words at the Last Supper to His disciples:  "These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world" (John 16:33).  Let us remember that Jesus deliberately set sail through a chaotic storm into this hostile place of unlawfulness and demonic influence, seemingly just to rescue and save this man.  It tells us the truth, that to God a human life is worth every effort to save and to heal, and it is this that Christ teaches the disciples through this episode.  There will always be people who reject, who simply respond with fear to our faith, and there will also be those who are hostile and under the influence of a spirit that is antagonistic to the peace of Christ we seek in our faith.  Possibly we have experiences in our own lives in which we are surrounded by those who cannot share in our faith, even those who oppress us with hostility to it.  Sometimes this is not overt, but in a very real way becomes a spiritual problem for us to face.  But today's reading shows us that, nevertheless, the good things of God are present for us, even if everyone else does not embrace them; even when we are alone or abandoned in a deserted place where no one else cares.  Let us take to heart the new mission of the healed man, who may proclaim the good things the Lord has done for him, and how He had compassion on him, because we find such in our faith as well.