1 00:00:10,900 --> 00:00:13,500 Hi everyone. Welcome back to the podcast. 2 00:00:13,900 --> 00:00:16,900 Today's Gospel reading at mess is a bit of a longer one. 3 00:00:17,000 --> 00:00:19,700 It's from the start of Mark chapter 5. 4 00:00:20,200 --> 00:00:24,700 So we're looking at verses 1 to 20, here's the passage. 5 00:00:25,800 --> 00:00:29,700 Jesus and his disciples reached the country of the gerasenes on 6 00:00:29,700 --> 00:00:33,100 the other side of the lake and no sooner had Jesus left the 7 00:00:33,100 --> 00:00:35,300 boat. Then a man, with an unclean 8 00:00:35,300 --> 00:00:38,000 Spirit came out from the tombs towards him. 9 00:00:39,300 --> 00:00:42,900 The man lived in the tombs and no one could secure him anymore. 10 00:00:43,100 --> 00:00:46,700 Even with a chain because he had often been secured with Fetters 11 00:00:46,700 --> 00:00:50,600 and chains, but had snapped the chains and broken, the Fetters, 12 00:00:51,600 --> 00:00:55,700 and no one had the strength to control him all night, and all 13 00:00:55,700 --> 00:01:00,000 day among the tombs and in the mountains, he would howl and gas 14 00:01:00,000 --> 00:01:04,000 himself with stones. Catching sight of Jesus from a 15 00:01:04,007 --> 00:01:08,200 distance, he ran up and fell at his feet and shouted at the top 16 00:01:08,200 --> 00:01:11,300 of his voice. What do you want with me? 17 00:01:11,300 --> 00:01:15,900 Jesus, Son of the most high God. Swear by God, you will not 18 00:01:15,900 --> 00:01:19,400 torture me. For Jesus had been saying to him 19 00:01:19,900 --> 00:01:22,200 come out of the man unclean spirit. 20 00:01:23,500 --> 00:01:25,800 What is your name? Jesus asked? 21 00:01:26,200 --> 00:01:29,200 My name is Legion. He answered for there are many 22 00:01:29,200 --> 00:01:32,400 of us. And he begged him earnestly, not 23 00:01:32,400 --> 00:01:34,400 to send them out of the district. 24 00:01:36,500 --> 00:01:39,400 Now there was on the Mountainside a great herd of 25 00:01:39,400 --> 00:01:43,400 pigs feeding and the unclean spirits begged him, send us to 26 00:01:43,400 --> 00:01:45,400 the pigs. Let us go into them. 27 00:01:46,100 --> 00:01:51,100 So he gave them leave With that, the unclean spirits came out and 28 00:01:51,100 --> 00:01:54,700 went into the pigs, and the herd of about 2000. 29 00:01:54,700 --> 00:01:59,500 Pigs charged down the cliff into the lake, and they were drowned. 30 00:02:00,700 --> 00:02:04,700 The swineherds runoff and told their story in the town and in 31 00:02:04,700 --> 00:02:08,000 the country round about and the people came to see what had 32 00:02:08,000 --> 00:02:11,900 really happened, they came to Jesus and saw the demon ayack 33 00:02:11,900 --> 00:02:15,300 sitting there closed and in his full senses. 34 00:02:16,700 --> 00:02:20,300 The very man who had the Legion in him before and they were 35 00:02:20,300 --> 00:02:23,200 afraid. And those who had witnessed a 36 00:02:23,208 --> 00:02:25,900 reported, what had happened to the demon Iraq and what had 37 00:02:25,900 --> 00:02:29,900 become of the pigs. Then they began to employ Jesus 38 00:02:29,900 --> 00:02:34,300 to leave the neighborhood. As he was getting into the boat, 39 00:02:34,300 --> 00:02:37,900 the man who had been possessed begged, to be allowed to stay 40 00:02:37,900 --> 00:02:42,200 with him. Jesus would not let him but said 41 00:02:42,200 --> 00:02:47,100 to him, go home to your people and tell them all that the Lord 42 00:02:47,100 --> 00:02:51,500 in his Mercy has done for you. So the man went off and 43 00:02:51,500 --> 00:02:55,300 proceeded to spread throughout the decapolis all that Jesus had 44 00:02:55,300 --> 00:02:58,000 done for him and everyone was amazed. 45 00:03:03,300 --> 00:03:06,000 So quite a well-known passage. You were the pigs, run off the 46 00:03:06,000 --> 00:03:09,800 edge of the cliff, primary school kids and always enjoy 47 00:03:09,800 --> 00:03:13,200 hearing this story. So what's the context here? 48 00:03:13,200 --> 00:03:16,200 Jesus and his disciples have just been crossing the Sea of 49 00:03:16,200 --> 00:03:18,700 Galilee to get to the East and sure. 50 00:03:19,600 --> 00:03:22,300 So they're Crossing from the East, to the west. 51 00:03:22,300 --> 00:03:26,600 And remember in The Last Story, the last part of Mark, he calmed 52 00:03:26,600 --> 00:03:29,300 the storm in the middle of the night that was while they were 53 00:03:29,300 --> 00:03:31,600 crossing the lake. Now, they've crossed the lake 54 00:03:31,600 --> 00:03:35,000 and they've arrived in. The country of the gerasenes or 55 00:03:35,000 --> 00:03:39,900 sometimes called gadarenes. This is a gentile area, we need 56 00:03:39,900 --> 00:03:43,300 to keep that in mind throughout the entire passage Jesus has now 57 00:03:43,300 --> 00:03:46,500 entered Gentile territory. These are not Jewish people. 58 00:03:47,500 --> 00:03:51,500 This is the first time he's entered, Gentile, territory in 59 00:03:51,500 --> 00:03:55,600 the gospel of Mark verse 2. No sooner had Jesus left the 60 00:03:55,600 --> 00:03:57,300 boat. So as soon as they reach the 61 00:03:57,300 --> 00:04:00,300 shore, the man with the unclean Spirit comes towards him. 62 00:04:01,200 --> 00:04:04,700 Probably means the spirit has detected the messiah's presence 63 00:04:05,100 --> 00:04:09,600 and go straight for him. Ins are Territorial and so he's 64 00:04:09,600 --> 00:04:12,300 probably sense Jesus there and has come to defend his 65 00:04:12,300 --> 00:04:16,300 territory. The man lived in the Tomb. 66 00:04:16,300 --> 00:04:18,300 So this man appears to be completely. 67 00:04:18,399 --> 00:04:22,200 Not even not partially, but completely demon possessed and 68 00:04:22,200 --> 00:04:26,300 the demon is choosing to live in the tombs possibly either that 69 00:04:26,300 --> 00:04:30,600 or the man is so afraid. He knows the damage to the demon 70 00:04:30,600 --> 00:04:33,700 can do. So he himself may be his chosen 71 00:04:33,700 --> 00:04:38,300 to go out and live in the tombs. So if you go there today even 72 00:04:38,300 --> 00:04:41,300 now there's still these caves on the shoreline and many of them 73 00:04:41,300 --> 00:04:43,300 were tombs that were used to bury the dead. 74 00:04:43,300 --> 00:04:48,300 So it's quite a Looking area and demons do like to hang around in 75 00:04:48,500 --> 00:04:53,100 Tomb areas. It says, no one could secure him 76 00:04:53,100 --> 00:04:55,900 anymore, even with a chain. No one had the strength to 77 00:04:55,900 --> 00:04:58,700 control him. So the community has tried to 78 00:04:58,700 --> 00:05:02,100 restrain this man. That's demon possessed and he's 79 00:05:02,300 --> 00:05:06,300 quite a violent, vocal demon have tried, but they can't 80 00:05:06,300 --> 00:05:09,400 restrain him his true strong. So the man goes and lives out in 81 00:05:09,400 --> 00:05:13,600 solitude. Verse 5 among the tombs and in 82 00:05:13,600 --> 00:05:15,500 the mountains. So this guy will just wander 83 00:05:15,500 --> 00:05:19,400 around the land every day. It's interesting to think, you 84 00:05:19,407 --> 00:05:22,300 know, maybe this man might have had a family before this 85 00:05:22,300 --> 00:05:25,800 happened to him, and now he just wanders around the land and he 86 00:05:25,800 --> 00:05:28,300 howls and gashes himself with stones. 87 00:05:28,300 --> 00:05:30,400 So that might seem like strange Behavior. 88 00:05:31,800 --> 00:05:36,200 But it's indicates the demon has taken over the very center of 89 00:05:36,200 --> 00:05:39,300 the man's personality and he's constantly tormented by the 90 00:05:39,300 --> 00:05:42,200 demon. So the man is it appears is 91 00:05:42,200 --> 00:05:47,400 trying to gas himself to, you know, as a way of stopping the 92 00:05:47,400 --> 00:05:50,200 torment almost that the demons giving him. 93 00:05:50,300 --> 00:05:52,700 So he's more of a danger to himself than to others. 94 00:05:52,700 --> 00:05:56,800 It would appear Exorcist. Today, will tell you that in 95 00:05:56,800 --> 00:06:00,300 serious cases, this can happen. When you've got this kind of 96 00:06:00,300 --> 00:06:03,500 caching and violence. Hang on, so it's scary. 97 00:06:03,500 --> 00:06:07,600 But there are it is part of the literature that this kind of 98 00:06:07,600 --> 00:06:10,100 thing can happen in cases of serious possession. 99 00:06:10,600 --> 00:06:14,000 So we also learned later it says in verse 15 that the guys 100 00:06:14,000 --> 00:06:16,700 unclosed, so he hasn't got clothes on. 101 00:06:16,700 --> 00:06:19,300 So it's an indication that is lost his human dignity. 102 00:06:21,600 --> 00:06:24,400 So, the man comes up, he falls at Jesus feet. 103 00:06:24,700 --> 00:06:27,700 Now, that's not necessarily worship, could just be an 104 00:06:27,700 --> 00:06:29,500 acknowledgement of Jesus Authority. 105 00:06:29,500 --> 00:06:32,100 Remember the same thing happened with a demon in chapter 1 of 106 00:06:32,100 --> 00:06:35,400 Mark Falls at his feet. So it's a recognition that Jesus 107 00:06:35,400 --> 00:06:38,100 has Authority and he says to Jesus. 108 00:06:38,100 --> 00:06:41,600 What do you want with me? Jesus, Son of the most high God. 109 00:06:42,400 --> 00:06:46,900 So the demon here is talking his surprised and afraid that the 110 00:06:46,900 --> 00:06:49,500 son of the most high God has arrived on his territory. 111 00:06:50,000 --> 00:06:52,000 So being a supernatural. Creature. 112 00:06:52,000 --> 00:06:55,200 He knows that Jesus is the higher spiritual being. 113 00:06:56,500 --> 00:06:59,400 Jesus hasn't used the top this title of himself yet. 114 00:06:59,500 --> 00:07:04,100 Son of the most high God, but the demon recognizes him, he 115 00:07:04,100 --> 00:07:06,600 might be the demon. Might be using this title here 116 00:07:06,600 --> 00:07:10,100 to try and get control over. Jesus, some Scholars think that 117 00:07:10,100 --> 00:07:15,400 when the demons do this, they're trying to, you know, in because 118 00:07:15,400 --> 00:07:18,500 in that culture to you someones true name was to have power over 119 00:07:18,500 --> 00:07:20,500 them. So possibly that's what the 120 00:07:20,500 --> 00:07:26,100 demon is trying to get. He then says to Jesus swear by 121 00:07:26,100 --> 00:07:28,100 God. So the demon here is trying to 122 00:07:28,100 --> 00:07:32,100 get Jesus to make a promise swear by God that you will not 123 00:07:32,100 --> 00:07:35,300 torture me. So the demons know that one day 124 00:07:35,300 --> 00:07:38,200 God will overthrow them and torture. 125 00:07:38,200 --> 00:07:39,600 All of them. They know that that's going to 126 00:07:39,608 --> 00:07:41,200 happen to them. One day, that's part of the 127 00:07:41,200 --> 00:07:45,200 final Judgment Day. There's elsewhere in the gospels 128 00:07:45,200 --> 00:07:48,300 where the demons say to Jesus, have you come to torture us 129 00:07:48,300 --> 00:07:51,300 before the time. So they know the time is coming 130 00:07:52,300 --> 00:07:54,800 and the demons worried that the time has come because the 131 00:07:54,800 --> 00:07:59,100 Messiah has arrived. Verse 8 for Jesus had been 132 00:07:59,100 --> 00:08:01,700 saying to him come out of the man unclean spirit. 133 00:08:01,700 --> 00:08:05,300 So Jesus has already begun trying to exercise The Man by 134 00:08:05,300 --> 00:08:10,800 this point. So verse 9 now, Jesus turns the 135 00:08:10,800 --> 00:08:13,400 tables he says, what is your name? 136 00:08:13,600 --> 00:08:16,600 So Jesus wants to know the demons name so he can have power 137 00:08:16,600 --> 00:08:20,200 over the demon and exorcists today, will sometimes, use 138 00:08:20,200 --> 00:08:23,500 similar tactics and the demon responds. 139 00:08:23,500 --> 00:08:26,900 My name is Legion. A legion is a Roman word, 140 00:08:26,900 --> 00:08:31,300 meaning 6,000 men. Now is this the demons real 141 00:08:31,300 --> 00:08:33,200 name? Probably not. 142 00:08:33,200 --> 00:08:36,200 It's probably the demon trying to just be evasive or trying to 143 00:08:36,200 --> 00:08:38,400 impress Jesus with a show of power. 144 00:08:40,299 --> 00:08:42,700 For we are many. So we now learn that there's 145 00:08:42,700 --> 00:08:45,900 many demons in this man but apparently there's one main one 146 00:08:45,900 --> 00:08:50,800 that speaks for them. Verse 10, he begged Jesus not to 147 00:08:50,800 --> 00:08:55,500 send him out of the district. So the demon recognizes that 148 00:08:55,500 --> 00:08:58,300 Jesus has the power to send the demons away. 149 00:08:58,700 --> 00:09:02,700 He knows that but the demon wants to stay in the district 150 00:09:02,700 --> 00:09:07,100 which is interesting, this would imply that demons are 151 00:09:07,100 --> 00:09:11,000 territorial, they like to hang around certain objects or areas 152 00:09:11,500 --> 00:09:13,000 and they don't like to leave them. 153 00:09:15,400 --> 00:09:17,700 Verse 11. There's a herd of pigs in the 154 00:09:17,700 --> 00:09:21,400 area. We now discover now there's some 155 00:09:21,400 --> 00:09:23,900 people have tried to say there might be some significance here 156 00:09:23,900 --> 00:09:27,200 with pigs being unclean to the Jews. 157 00:09:27,200 --> 00:09:29,300 And so maybe the pigs represent something. 158 00:09:29,900 --> 00:09:32,200 I don't think that's the case. I think it's more just, we don't 159 00:09:32,200 --> 00:09:35,100 often hear about pigs in the gospels, because the Jews didn't 160 00:09:35,100 --> 00:09:38,700 have pigs in the Jewish territory but here in Gentile 161 00:09:38,700 --> 00:09:40,500 territory. So it makes sense that the 162 00:09:40,500 --> 00:09:42,700 Gentiles would have large herds of pigs. 163 00:09:44,200 --> 00:09:49,700 So the happens to be pigs nearby and the demon begs Jesus send us 164 00:09:49,700 --> 00:09:51,800 into the swine. Let us enter them. 165 00:09:52,600 --> 00:09:56,700 So the demons would prefer to try to inhabit the swine rather 166 00:09:56,700 --> 00:10:02,100 than to be sent away completely. So the demons can this an 167 00:10:02,100 --> 00:10:03,900 interesting thing we learn from this. 168 00:10:03,900 --> 00:10:08,100 Demons can though they prefer not to inhabit the bodies of 169 00:10:08,100 --> 00:10:11,800 animals. Although they much prefer to 170 00:10:11,800 --> 00:10:15,900 inhabit humans verse 13, so he gave them leave. 171 00:10:15,900 --> 00:10:18,000 So Jesus actually gives them permission here. 172 00:10:18,600 --> 00:10:21,900 Apparently, the demons could not go into the pigs and less Jesus 173 00:10:21,900 --> 00:10:24,500 commanded them to or I allowed them to Elise. 174 00:10:25,200 --> 00:10:27,800 There's a bit of a mystery here, as to what you know, how exactly 175 00:10:27,800 --> 00:10:31,300 this would work, but it appears that I need to ask Jesus 176 00:10:31,300 --> 00:10:36,300 permission and we now learn that the herd has two thousand pigs. 177 00:10:36,300 --> 00:10:39,000 That's a lot of pigs. So no wonder the locals are a 178 00:10:39,000 --> 00:10:41,500 bit annoyed later on. Because they've just lost their 179 00:10:41,500 --> 00:10:45,600 main source of income. They charge down the hill. 180 00:10:45,600 --> 00:10:49,600 Now this doesn't imply that all 2000 pigs were each inhabited by 181 00:10:49,600 --> 00:10:52,500 a demon. That's not necessarily the case 182 00:10:52,500 --> 00:10:54,500 here. That might not be two thousand 183 00:10:54,500 --> 00:10:56,700 demons. But something happens to the 184 00:10:56,700 --> 00:10:59,900 whole herd that Spooks the whole herd and they all run off the 185 00:10:59,900 --> 00:11:02,700 edge of the cliff. So, notice what's going on here, 186 00:11:02,700 --> 00:11:04,900 though? It appears that the demons try 187 00:11:04,900 --> 00:11:08,600 to go into the pigs, but they can't properly control the pigs. 188 00:11:09,600 --> 00:11:12,400 So, the pigs kind of end up being spooked and running off 189 00:11:12,400 --> 00:11:15,100 the edge. And Probably the demons might be 190 00:11:15,100 --> 00:11:19,700 destroyed in this process as well so they run off the cliff 191 00:11:19,700 --> 00:11:22,500 and into the lake. So, back into the Sea of Galilee 192 00:11:22,800 --> 00:11:28,400 that Jesus has just come out of verse 14, the swineherds, 193 00:11:28,400 --> 00:11:31,500 runoff, or another translation, the herdsman fled. 194 00:11:32,300 --> 00:11:34,900 So they go and tell it to everyone in the city and the 195 00:11:34,900 --> 00:11:37,500 country. So they spread word quickly and 196 00:11:37,500 --> 00:11:41,100 it appears within a couple of hours, people are coming to 197 00:11:41,100 --> 00:11:43,900 Jesus to see what's happened. So, Jesus stays there for a 198 00:11:43,908 --> 00:11:48,000 little while with the man who has been exercised and while 199 00:11:48,000 --> 00:11:51,000 he's doing that the locals here about it and they arrived. 200 00:11:51,000 --> 00:11:53,500 So this is a very short time span afterwards. 201 00:11:54,800 --> 00:11:57,800 They saw the demon iac's, sitting there clothes and in his 202 00:11:57,800 --> 00:12:00,000 full senses. So, they know this guy. 203 00:12:00,100 --> 00:12:02,200 They've seen him in the in the caves and stuff, but they 204 00:12:02,200 --> 00:12:05,300 haven't seen him in his right mind for a long time. 205 00:12:07,200 --> 00:12:10,400 It's significant that the man is now clothed so that indicates 206 00:12:10,400 --> 00:12:13,500 that his dignity has been restored his back to back to 207 00:12:13,500 --> 00:12:17,800 normal if you like. The locals were afraid, the text 208 00:12:17,800 --> 00:12:20,000 says, so they realized their look at Jesus. 209 00:12:20,000 --> 00:12:22,200 They look at the man, they probably look at the pigs over 210 00:12:22,200 --> 00:12:25,100 the edge of the cliff, and they realized that the story was 211 00:12:25,100 --> 00:12:29,300 true, and that Jesus has indeed cast the demons into the swine. 212 00:12:31,200 --> 00:12:33,900 So the witnesses say it. Now keep in mind, these are 213 00:12:33,900 --> 00:12:37,600 Gentiles. They don't fully understand, you 214 00:12:37,600 --> 00:12:42,500 know, demons and Jewish Concepts verse 16, these Witnesses then 215 00:12:42,500 --> 00:12:49,400 go and tell other locals. Verse 17, then they began to 216 00:12:49,400 --> 00:12:51,500 implore Jesus to leave the neighborhood. 217 00:12:51,500 --> 00:12:54,600 So a few hours later, lots of locals of heard about it. 218 00:12:55,300 --> 00:13:00,500 And Yeah, being a gentile area. They don't fully understand the 219 00:13:00,500 --> 00:13:03,900 nature of demons and exorcisms. So the locals will hear about 220 00:13:03,900 --> 00:13:07,400 this all they know really from their perspective, is that this 221 00:13:07,400 --> 00:13:11,600 man, Jesus has worked some sort of miracle and now a whole lot 222 00:13:11,600 --> 00:13:16,100 of their pigs and a whole lot of her commercial money is gone. 223 00:13:18,300 --> 00:13:21,100 It could also be that they recognize that Jesus is a 224 00:13:21,108 --> 00:13:23,500 miracle worker and they don't want to have to think about what 225 00:13:23,500 --> 00:13:25,300 that means. They don't want him in their 226 00:13:25,300 --> 00:13:26,400 land. They don't want to have to 227 00:13:26,400 --> 00:13:29,800 change their lives so they asked him to leave. 228 00:13:31,700 --> 00:13:33,500 Now at least they're a bit more pleasant than the people in 229 00:13:33,500 --> 00:13:36,200 Nazareth because member elsewhere Nazareth. 230 00:13:36,200 --> 00:13:39,700 They actually try to throw him off a cliff, which the locals 231 00:13:39,700 --> 00:13:42,500 could have done here. But instead, they just ask Jesus 232 00:13:42,500 --> 00:13:47,200 to leave and Jesus agrees to leave the area Verse 18. 233 00:13:47,200 --> 00:13:49,600 As he's getting into the boat, the man who had been possessed 234 00:13:49,600 --> 00:13:52,900 with demons begged him, that he might be with him. 235 00:13:53,500 --> 00:13:56,600 So the man wants to become his grateful to Jesus for being 236 00:13:56,600 --> 00:14:01,400 liberated as he would be and he wants to become a follower A of 237 00:14:01,400 --> 00:14:05,900 Jesus, a disciple, he's ready to get into the boat with him, but 238 00:14:05,900 --> 00:14:08,200 verse 19. Jesus would not let him. 239 00:14:09,800 --> 00:14:12,500 Why probably? Because the man is a gentile and 240 00:14:12,500 --> 00:14:15,700 at this stage, it's too early for Jesus to have Gentiles 241 00:14:15,700 --> 00:14:20,200 amongst his inner circle, possibly possibly, because if he 242 00:14:20,200 --> 00:14:23,300 had Gentiles in the Inner Circle, it might mean that the 243 00:14:23,300 --> 00:14:28,000 Jews that Jesus has come primarily for reject Jesus if 244 00:14:28,000 --> 00:14:31,300 they see too many Gentiles around him because the Jews did 245 00:14:31,300 --> 00:14:35,800 not like the Gentiles. That's a possibility but instead 246 00:14:35,800 --> 00:14:37,300 Jesus gives him a different Mission. 247 00:14:37,300 --> 00:14:41,700 He says, go home to your people and tell them all that the Lord 248 00:14:41,700 --> 00:14:45,700 in his Mercy has done for you and partially to correct. 249 00:14:45,700 --> 00:14:48,500 The false understanding that the gerasenes have of what's 250 00:14:48,500 --> 00:14:51,100 happened. Jesus wants this man to go back 251 00:14:51,100 --> 00:14:52,700 and tell them what really happened. 252 00:14:52,700 --> 00:14:54,700 Help them understand what they've seen. 253 00:14:56,100 --> 00:14:59,200 And so he does that and the locals remember all they've 254 00:14:59,200 --> 00:15:02,000 known this man for years as being the demon ayack and now 255 00:15:02,000 --> 00:15:04,500 he's going around telling people that he's been liberated. 256 00:15:04,800 --> 00:15:08,100 So probably this man's testimony would have borne a lot of fruit. 257 00:15:09,300 --> 00:15:13,300 So the man goes around to the decapolis, which is in, which 258 00:15:13,300 --> 00:15:16,700 means ten cities. And so that's a large, if you 259 00:15:16,700 --> 00:15:20,200 look at a map, that's a large, Greek speaking region to the 260 00:15:20,200 --> 00:15:25,200 east of Israel, mostly Gentile. So it's a large Gentile area 261 00:15:25,200 --> 00:15:28,800 area that the man goes around. So this is the first Gentile 262 00:15:28,800 --> 00:15:32,500 missionary in mark, this guy goes around the Gentile and 263 00:15:32,600 --> 00:15:34,700 proclaiming the news about Jesus. 264 00:15:38,600 --> 00:15:41,800 It's the only place in Mark, where Jesus tells a healed 265 00:15:41,800 --> 00:15:44,600 person to spread the news. Remember, most of the time, 266 00:15:45,000 --> 00:15:48,800 Jesus says, don't go tell anyone, but here Jesus says, go 267 00:15:48,800 --> 00:15:51,600 spread the word. Although notice, he doesn't tell 268 00:15:51,600 --> 00:15:56,900 the man to proclaim the identity of Jesus because think about it, 269 00:15:56,900 --> 00:16:01,000 the Gentiles in this area, may not understand what Jesus 270 00:16:01,000 --> 00:16:06,400 identity is what a messiah is. So Jesus doesn't tell the man to 271 00:16:06,400 --> 00:16:09,500 do that. He says, go and Tell them what 272 00:16:09,500 --> 00:16:14,400 has been done for you. And it would appear that the 273 00:16:14,400 --> 00:16:17,100 man's testimony does have an impact on this area. 274 00:16:17,100 --> 00:16:21,100 Because when Jesus comes back to this area in chapter 7 of Mark, 275 00:16:21,400 --> 00:16:25,800 he gets a very different more welcoming reaction, so that's an 276 00:16:25,800 --> 00:16:29,300 interesting connection. So, another interesting thing is 277 00:16:29,300 --> 00:16:33,700 in verse 19, Jesus commands, the man to go and Proclaim what God 278 00:16:33,700 --> 00:16:36,200 has done for him. But as we discovered in verse 279 00:16:36,200 --> 00:16:40,200 20, the man ends up proclaiming what Jesus has done for him. 280 00:16:40,200 --> 00:16:42,700 So it's possible. The man has made a connection 281 00:16:42,900 --> 00:16:48,700 between the two God and Jesus. Now there's no catechism 282 00:16:48,700 --> 00:16:51,000 references here. There's no direct references. 283 00:16:51,000 --> 00:16:54,600 Although the version in Matthew of this story does have a bit to 284 00:16:54,608 --> 00:16:59,200 say about it in the catechism. So I'd like to read out a quote 285 00:16:59,200 --> 00:17:02,100 here from the Catholic commentary on sacred scripture 286 00:17:02,100 --> 00:17:05,500 for the Book of Mark. It brings together a lot of the 287 00:17:05,508 --> 00:17:09,200 themes of this passage really well and tells us perhaps what 288 00:17:09,200 --> 00:17:12,300 it means to us in our lives today, I don't think it does a 289 00:17:12,300 --> 00:17:16,400 reasonably good job of linking. This literal sense of the Text 290 00:17:16,700 --> 00:17:18,700 with its possible application today. 291 00:17:18,700 --> 00:17:21,800 So this is from the Catholic commentary on sacred scripture. 292 00:17:23,099 --> 00:17:26,099 At First Sight, the first mission of Jesus and his 293 00:17:26,099 --> 00:17:30,400 disciples to the Gentiles. Looks like a total failure. 294 00:17:31,000 --> 00:17:35,000 Only one person has been won over and not a very reliable one 295 00:17:35,000 --> 00:17:37,400 at that. The rest of the people have made 296 00:17:37,400 --> 00:17:40,600 clear their desire to have no further contact with Jesus. 297 00:17:41,400 --> 00:17:44,600 The disciples might, well, have concluded at that point, that 298 00:17:44,600 --> 00:17:47,900 Jesus should simply give up on the decapolis and keep his 299 00:17:47,900 --> 00:17:52,300 ministry within the bounds of Israel yet in the context of the 300 00:17:52,300 --> 00:17:54,800 Gospel. So we can see the kingdom of God 301 00:17:54,800 --> 00:17:57,400 breaking into this evil infested area. 302 00:17:58,200 --> 00:18:03,200 This man's demons had cast a Pall over the whole region and 303 00:18:03,200 --> 00:18:07,200 now they are banished. This, the tomb covered Hills 304 00:18:07,200 --> 00:18:10,900 have lost their power to intimidate the next time Jesus 305 00:18:10,900 --> 00:18:14,900 comes the whole region, responds to him differently and a way is 306 00:18:14,900 --> 00:18:18,700 open for the healing of others. So often Jews. 307 00:18:18,700 --> 00:18:20,700 Jesus. Chooses a person we would be 308 00:18:20,700 --> 00:18:24,200 least likely to choose. Surely the Lord could find a 309 00:18:24,200 --> 00:18:28,000 more respectable upright, man to be his witness in the decapolis 310 00:18:28,800 --> 00:18:30,700 yet. He chose this man previously 311 00:18:30,700 --> 00:18:33,100 known throughout the region for his degradation. 312 00:18:33,400 --> 00:18:36,700 Now, visible to all, as he And full of joy. 313 00:18:37,600 --> 00:18:40,700 The message he had to offer would have been very simple. 314 00:18:41,000 --> 00:18:44,000 See the scars. I was the guy who cut myself on 315 00:18:44,000 --> 00:18:46,700 how that night. I don't do it anymore. 316 00:18:48,100 --> 00:18:51,300 But it would be hard to imagine a more eloquent witness to Jesus 317 00:18:51,300 --> 00:18:55,800 identity and saving Mission a living witness is Jesus secret 318 00:18:55,800 --> 00:18:58,400 weapon. A powerful means to being to 319 00:18:58,400 --> 00:19:02,100 begin opening people's hearts to his teaching and his Works of 320 00:19:02,100 --> 00:19:05,100 Mercy. Hearing the man's testimony, 321 00:19:05,100 --> 00:19:09,000 people could conclude if Jesus can deliver this Wretched, Man. 322 00:19:09,100 --> 00:19:14,400 Surely, he can free me, too. This episode is an example of 323 00:19:14,400 --> 00:19:17,800 the demonstration of power. That accompanies any effective 324 00:19:17,800 --> 00:19:21,500 proclamation of the good news. It reminds us that the most 325 00:19:21,500 --> 00:19:24,700 important qualification to bring people into an encounter with 326 00:19:24,700 --> 00:19:29,100 the living Christ, is not a theology degree, but rather the 327 00:19:29,100 --> 00:19:32,300 ability to tell all the the Lord has done for you. 328 00:19:34,100 --> 00:19:37,700 So I think that's a nice summary for us to think about as we 329 00:19:38,000 --> 00:19:41,100 finish up this podcast, thanks again for listening. 330 00:19:41,100 --> 00:19:43,700 If you think people would benefit from hearing this, 331 00:19:43,700 --> 00:19:47,500 please share it and I'd love it. If you could leave a rating on 332 00:19:47,500 --> 00:19:51,400 iTunes, You can send any questions you have about this 333 00:19:51,400 --> 00:19:53,500 passage or any other Bible questions. 334 00:19:53,500 --> 00:19:56,500 I'll do my best to answer them. There's an email address. 335 00:19:56,600 --> 00:20:01,200 Logical Bible study at gmail.com or you can leave a voice message 336 00:20:01,200 --> 00:20:03,100 as well. That's all in the show notes. 337 00:20:03,700 --> 00:20:04,400 Thanks again.