Take Two: Mark 5, Proverbs 15

Chapter 5 is one of my favorites in this gospel. Jesus demonstrates His power (rule and reign) over both spirtual and physical matters...or if you prefer, natural and supernatural.

Mark 5:1-20 gives the story of the Gadarene/Gerasene demoniac. A man was so possessed with demons that he could no longer function in society (Mark 5:2-3). He lived in the rocky area near the sea there which was used for burials (a cemetery). He possessed superhuman strength due to the demon possesion and was constantly tortured mentally...something we infer based on his constant screaming and "cutting" of himself with rocks (Mark 5:4-6).

Notice that Jesus disembarked from the boat at this place. No good Jewish religious guy would ever hang out at a cemetery. Dead people were "unclean"; yet Jesus parked the boat there on purpose. When Jesus stepped out, the demoniac ran to him and bowed before him. The man is not the one controlling this action...it is the demons. (Notice...the first thing the supernatural beings--demons-- do when the King of the Kingdom steps out, is bow and beg.) (Mark 5:6-13).

I meet people who talk with me about their "battles" with the enemy. They speak of how the devil is really "wearing them out." I too have encountered the enemy. His tactics with me have never been to overpower me or to wrestle in a contest of strength. When he has succeeded in overcoming me, it has not been by power, but by enticement. He distracts or detours me. That's all. My great failures in life have been when I simply YIELDED to him and his enticement, not when I was overcome by his power. Why? Because He who is in me (the Holy Spirit) is greater than he who in in the world (the enemy). There is no need to do battle with the enemy. He knows his place. Whenever Jesus steps into a place, he simply bows and begs.

The event with the demoniac was pretty "crazy" for those who looked on. The herdsme who just watched their swine take a nosedive off of a cliff into the sea, ran to town and told people about Jesus. When the people arrived at the place where Jesus was, they found Him...but also found the "former" demoniac...now clothed, sitting with Jesus, and in complete control of himself (Mark 5:14-16). This so scared the townspeople, that they asked Jesus to leave (Mark 5:17). He obliged them. The man who was healed wanted to go too...but Jesus who was disinvited to stay in the region, sent his new "convert" to tell the story in the region. The man did so with passion (Mark 5:18-20).

Mark 5:21-43 contains two miracles. A synagogue official asks Jesus to heal his daughter. By the time Jesus arrives at the house where the girl is, she is already dead. When He pronounces that she will be fine, many of the people there (mourners and so forth) begin to laugh at him (Mark 5:39-40). Jairus and Mrs. Jairus do not laugh though. They chose to believe (Mark 5:36). Jesus called the girl back from the dead and she came (Mark 5:41-42).

In the midst of the travel to Jairus' home, another miracle occured (Mark 5:25-34). A woman with an incurable medical condition, a hemorage, came to Jesus to seek healing. She had already exhausted every avenue of help available (Mark 5:26). She decided to touch Jesus' garment, believing that by simply touching it, she would be healed...and was (Mark 5:27-29). Jesus confronts her and then declares that she is healed because she chose to believe (Mark 5:31-34).

In each of these cases, Jesus demonstrated His power over insurmountable circumstances. The key to His healing in each case was simply His power and the willingness to believe on the part of the beneficiary. The Kingdom was in their midst. The King was ushering in a new era. The benefits were available for all who would believe.

One of the Scriptural truths we have today is knowing that the Lord is the same today as He has ever been. His character and power are unchanging. What troubles you? Take it to Him...believing...and receive the benefit of the King's Kingdom.

Proverbs 15:8 is the takeaway today. The most religious act by an unrighteous person is despised in the sight of God. The prayer (alone) of a righteous person honors God. We cannot "do" anything to impress God. In fact, we diminish His grace and greatness by trying to earn our righteousness. To simply call on Him brings delight, when done in the right spirit. The Scripture is not saying that religious acts are bad (sacrifice, worship, piety, etc.; only that they are of less worth than a prayer offered with humility.) Jesus teaches this principle to the Pharisees..."Do these things, without leaving the weightier things undone."