A Life-Giving Gospel

Opening prayer focused on Intercession and Thanksgiving.

Read Mark 5:14-20

Mark 5:14–20 LSB

14 And their herdsmen ran away and reported it in the city and in the countryside. And the people came to see what it was that had happened. 15 And they came to Jesus and observed the demon-possessed man sitting down, clothed and in his right mind, the very man who had the “legion”; and they became frightened. 16 And those who had seen it recounted to them how this had happened to the demon-possessed man, and all about the swine. 17 And they began to plead with Him to leave their region. 18 And as He was getting into the boat, the man who had been demon-possessed was pleading with Him that he might accompany Him. 19 And He did not let him, but He said to him, “Go home to your people and report to them what great things the Lord has done for you, and how He had mercy on you.” 20 And he went away and began to preach in the Decapolis what great things Jesus had done for him; and everyone was marveling.

Imagine being like the man from Gadara, living in the tombs, bound by chains and surrounded by the emptiness of despair. Society had given up on him; he was a lost cause. However, upon encountering Christ, he was transformed. We often encounter people in our lives who feel like they are beyond hope. This story assures us that Jesus sees potential where others see only misery. Let's remember that through Him, every lost soul can find purpose and freedom.

I. God’s redemption leads to gospel proclamation. (v.14)

The greatest need in the world tonight is the authoritative proclamation of this one and only gospel. David Martyn Lloyd-Jones (Welsh Preacher and Writer)

The herd keepers left the scene of the “miracle,” and go report it to the people of the village. Here the onlookers are fulfilling the role of a reported observing the acts from secondary or tertiary point of view.

The act of redemption by Jesus led the inhabitants to come see what happened between the man, the visitor from Capernaum, and the possessed man. This was breaking news for their daily routines.

Notice that in the people’s attention is in the fantastic and out of the norm actions that happened among them.

II. God ‘s change leads us to face off against our comfort. (v.15-17)

If you look for truth, you may find comfort in the end; if you look for comfort you will not get either comfort or truth—only soft soap and wishful thinking to begin, and in the end, despair. C. S. Lewis

The crowds come to the one who has made it all happen, and yet, there may be a sense of disbelief and shock as John Mark notes that the crowds notices the man who was possessed. He is a real-life example of a “night-and-day” contrast between lost and found for the gentile gathering. The people are left in fear of this total transformation.

There is no denying the power, nor the source of this transformation, so that the people from the village come to hear about the way Legion was cast out, the man was restored, and the man from Capernaum had engaged with the man in his plight, and the demons in their destructive mission.

The people, who are not under the knowledge of the Law, the history of the Jewish people, and the Living God see this and their comfort levels are shaken. Here comfort and change come head to head; the people of Gadera beg Jesus to leave their district. Fear appears to have won the day.

III. Redemption leads humanity to Mission. (v.18-20)

If there be any one point in which the Christian church ought to keep its fervor at a white heat, it is concerning missions to the heathens. If there be anything about which we cannot tolerate lukewarmness, it is in the matter of sending the gospel to a dying world.

Charles Spurgeon

Earlier on we see Jesus calling his disciples and the 12 coming to learn under His teaching about the fulfillment of the Old Testament in His coming. The man, who remains without a name, requests from Jesus to let him come with him to follow Him. Here we see the response of faith based on the action of the Holy Spirit—Out of gratitude we beg to be close to the one who makes us whole.

Jesus makes the decision to not allow the man to follow him, which would give him comfort, but commands him to go out to his own people. Here we have a formerly demon-possessed man, now turned into an evangelist, who is charged to share with the Gentile world about the goodness, mercy, grace, and love of God Most High in his life. Jesus, makes it clear in this commission, that salvation is universally available, and exclusively available through Him alone.

Again, we do not learn the man’s name, his village of origin, or his family surname. Yet, John Mark notes what it truly noteworthy of the man who was Legion-possessed. He goes out to the region of the Decapolis, the ten greek cities, and preaches boldly of the mighty works God had done in his wretched life to make him whole. The marvelous grace of God is laid in full display for the world to see.

Is the same grace, mercy, goodness, and love at work and in full display in my life?

IV. How do I respond to the life-giving power of God?

(See also: Eternal Life; Eternity; Heaven; Hell; Judgement) Let it be considered that if our lives be not a journey to heaven they will be a journey to hell. Jonathan Edwards (American Evangelical Preacher)

Is superstition getting in the way of Jesus?

Am I seeking to follow a and proclaim Jesus to the world?

Closing Prayer (Focused on Petition and Confession)