On Line Bible Study - For the week March 16 - 22, 2009

Lesson 379

Mark 5:1-20 - To summarize this story - it is the story of Jesus encountering a man living among the tombs who had an unclean (or "evil") spirit. Mark describes him this way:

Mark 5: "⁴For he had often been chained hand and foot, but he tore the chains apart and broke the irons on his feet. No one was strong enough to subdue him. ⁵Night and day among the tombs and in the hills he would cry out and cut himself with stones."

The demon acknowledges that Jesus is the "Son of God" and pleads with Jesus not to torture him. The demon's "name" is Legion, and Jesus casts them into a herd of pigs, which then plunge head-long over a cliff into the sea. Those herding the pigs ran and told all that happened, and the people were afraid of Jesus, asking him to leave them. The man who had been set free from the demon begged to follow Jesus, but Jesus sent him home, telling him: Return to your home and to your relatives, and tell them everything that the Lord has done for you, and how he had mercy on you. And everyone was amazed.

First, there are a couple of interesting parallels we should be reminded of:

1. What do you want with me, Jesus? This line is used here in Mark 5:7. See also Mark 1:24.
2. Look at the description of this man in the verses quoted above from Mark 5:4-5. This unclean spirit is not to be trifled with. Do you remember what we read in Mark 3:27? Jesus had been accused of driving out demons " . . . by the prince of demons." Jesus responds by saying that a house divided against itself cannot stand. Then Jesus says this: In fact, no one can enter a strong man's house without first tying him up . . . Mark plays this story out in Mark 5 as one of strength against strength. Who is going to emerge as the stronger?
   

Jesus makes the demon identify himself. What is your name? asks Jesus. If we can't name it, we can't fight it. I'm not sure it is at all to the point of the story, but I can't help but thinking of times when we refuse to name what needs to be dealt with in our lives! This may be one of the reasons some of us resist "coming to Christ" - because of the awareness that Jesus will name what needs to be healed.

Scholars tell us this is a tricky text to deal with at several levels. But the Gospel Writer wants us to know that Jesus has power not only in the world of the Jews; he also has power in the Gentile world in which this miracle takes place. This is the most "stupendous" of the miracle stories of Jesus. And isn't it interesting that it does not result with the man leaving all he has to follow Jesus! Instead, he is sent home - home - perhaps the most challenging mission field of all! Evil is legion - multifaceted; everywhere present. Jesus is strong on every front - as we mature in our faith among those we love, and as we launch out into a world rife with evil, greed, temptation. In him, and through him, victory is won - and the result is that we come to love him all the more, and to want to follow him closer than ever before!

We will look at the rest of Mark 5 next week.