Our Greatest Hope
Mark 5: 1-6
And they came over unto the other side of the sea, into the country of the Gadarenes.
And when He was come out of the ship, immediately there met him out of the tombs a man with an unclean spirit,
Who had his dwelling among the tombs; and o man could bind him, not with chains:
Because that he had been often bound with fetters and chains, and the chains had been plucked asunder by him, and the fetters broken I pieces: neither could any man tame him.
And always, night and day, he was in the mountains, and in the tombs, crying, and cutting himself with stones. But when he saw Jesus afar off, he ran and worshipped Him.
This man was big strong, with almost supernatural strength, but he was cutting on himself. His own strength came to nothing, except to increase his capacity for self-destruction. His demons were his source of his strength and the cause of weaknesses and self-degradation. He lived among the tombs: dead already in a sense, desperately crying out. What was he crying out for? Could it be the immense pain of the lack of self-control, the torment of rage for life that the demons drove him toward constantly? Could it be it was that separation from God that tormented him to tears day and night?
Then the man saw Jesus afar off, he ran and worshipped Him.
To the man Jesus was his greatest hope: to the demons, Jesus was their worst nightmare. But, until his demons were removed the man’s own strength would come to nothing: He couldn’t serve, he couldn’t build, he couldn’t plant: he couldn’t fully realize the life, the capacity that could only be had in Jesus. He could not live out the calling that Jesus had for him.
Do we sometimes find ourselves living in our own strength in misery and self-destruction? Do we sometimes cry out at the pain of separation from God, tormented by various demons we have allowed into our lives? Has this separation thwarted us living out our true calling for God? Do we need to forgive and forget ourselves in order to find ourselves and our place in God's plan?
The good news is that Jesus has come ashore in this world long ago, died on the cross, and rose from the dead that he might forgive our sins, remove our demons - that we might give our lives completely to Him and live out His plans and purposes in our lives.
The man had his demons removed and was given a calling. Isn't it the same as our own?
“Go home to thy friends, and tell them how great things the Lord hath done for thee, and hath had compassion on thee.”
Mark 5:19
And they came over unto the other side of the sea, into the country of the Gadarenes.
And when He was come out of the ship, immediately there met him out of the tombs a man with an unclean spirit,
Who had his dwelling among the tombs; and o man could bind him, not with chains:
Because that he had been often bound with fetters and chains, and the chains had been plucked asunder by him, and the fetters broken I pieces: neither could any man tame him.
And always, night and day, he was in the mountains, and in the tombs, crying, and cutting himself with stones. But when he saw Jesus afar off, he ran and worshipped Him.
This man was big strong, with almost supernatural strength, but he was cutting on himself. His own strength came to nothing, except to increase his capacity for self-destruction. His demons were his source of his strength and the cause of weaknesses and self-degradation. He lived among the tombs: dead already in a sense, desperately crying out. What was he crying out for? Could it be the immense pain of the lack of self-control, the torment of rage for life that the demons drove him toward constantly? Could it be it was that separation from God that tormented him to tears day and night?
Then the man saw Jesus afar off, he ran and worshipped Him.
To the man Jesus was his greatest hope: to the demons, Jesus was their worst nightmare. But, until his demons were removed the man’s own strength would come to nothing: He couldn’t serve, he couldn’t build, he couldn’t plant: he couldn’t fully realize the life, the capacity that could only be had in Jesus. He could not live out the calling that Jesus had for him.
Do we sometimes find ourselves living in our own strength in misery and self-destruction? Do we sometimes cry out at the pain of separation from God, tormented by various demons we have allowed into our lives? Has this separation thwarted us living out our true calling for God? Do we need to forgive and forget ourselves in order to find ourselves and our place in God's plan?
The good news is that Jesus has come ashore in this world long ago, died on the cross, and rose from the dead that he might forgive our sins, remove our demons - that we might give our lives completely to Him and live out His plans and purposes in our lives.
The man had his demons removed and was given a calling. Isn't it the same as our own?
“Go home to thy friends, and tell them how great things the Lord hath done for thee, and hath had compassion on thee.”
Mark 5:19
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