Mark 5:1-20 If It Ain't One Thing, It's Another

Text

Mark 5:1-5 (1-20)

Title

If It Ain’t One Thing, It’s Another!

Introduction

THINGS JUST KEEP HAPPENING!!!! ONE THING AFTER ANOTHER!!!!

The Online Slang Dictionary definition of “if it ain’t one thing, it’s another” “used when bad things keep happening to you.” There are those who are not only in a bad physical state, but a bad emotional state, a bad financial state, a bad spiritual state, a bad relationship state, a bad sociological state, a bad mental state…

THINGS JUST KEEP HAPPENING!!!! ONE THING AFTER ANOTHER!!!!

A Hopeless Situation (1-5)

Hopeless means a loss of confidence…the situation looks hopeless

This man is continuously tormented by a large number of demons.

The man lives among the tombs (5:1–3a).

No one can keep him chained; no man could tame (as with a ferocious animal) him… (5:3b–4).

He constantly screams out and hits/cuts himself with stones (5:5)

Jesus leaves an external storm, only to confront an internal storm…

Jesus meets a man with an unclean spirit living among unclean tombs surrounded by people employed in unclean occupations, all in unclean Gentile territory.

A Helpful Savior (6-13)

(6) In the NT, generally, to do reverence or homage to someone, usually by kneeling or prostrating oneself before him. In the Septuagint, it means to bow down, to prostrate oneself in reverence, homage

(10) Legion. A unit of the Roman army. In NT times the standard size of the legion was 6000 men, to which some 120 cavalry were added.

(13) Jesus gave them leave or Jesus gave the order…the demons were subject to Jesus…

The price of a soul is worth more than the price of swine…

Jesus said, “What would it profit a man to gain the whole world and lose his own soul.”

A Heart-stopping Scene (14-17)

Those tending the pigs, scared to death, bolted and told their story in town and country. Everyone wanted to see what had happened. They came up to Jesus and saw the madman sitting there wearing decent clothes and making sense, no longer a walking madhouse of a man. Those who had seen it told the others what had happened to the demon-possessed man and the pigs. At first they were in awe—and then they were upset, upset over the drowned pigs. They demanded that Jesus leave and not come back.

And they see something quite astounding:

the infamous demoniac is in a wholly altered state, “sitting there, dressed and in his right mind.”

That is a picture of discipleship and salvation: a restored individual sitting at the feet of Jesus.

Instead of asking Jesus to remain, they bid Him leave! After all that He just did…they want Him to leave! They saw the proof of His power, and now they bid Him leave.

Conclusion – A Hypnotizing Story (18-20)

As Jesus was getting into the boat, the demon-delivered man begged to go along, but he wouldn’t let him. Jesus said, “Go home to your own people and tell them (tell your story) how much the Lord has done for you, and how he has had mercy on you.”. The man went back and began to preach in the Ten Towns area about what Jesus had done for him. He was the talk of the town. (18-20)

In previous cases, Jesus has directed His miracle-recipients not to tell anyone…now He directs this miracle-recipient to do just the opposite? (in Mk. 7:31-37, they did not try to run him out of town…they told everyone…someone was left to TELL THE STORY!

He told the man to remain! Somebody has to TELL THE STORY!

Their banishment of Jesus does not rid them of Jesus,

for Jesus is present in the message of the gospel proclaimed by his followers.

In the concluding verses of the story Mark leaves us with another clue to Jesus’ divine status. “‘Tell them how much the Lord has done for you,’” commands Jesus.

The man then went out and told “how much Jesus had done for him.” For this man, the Lord and Jesus are one and the same.

In the Gospel of Mark, the healed demoniac becomes the first missionary-preacher sent out by Jesus. Remarkably, he is a Gentile sent to Gentiles.