Jesus did not let him but said, "Go home to your family and tell them how much the Lord has done for you, and how he has had mercy on you." So the man went away and began to tell in the Decapolis how much Jesus had done for him. And all the people were amazed. Mark 5:19-20
The demon possessed man that Jesus had just healed wanted desperately to join the disciples in following Jesus, but Jesus had a better plan for him. Jesus told the man to go and share about his encounter with Jesus. The word "family" here can also be interpreted as people or friends. We all have a "sphere of influence" that includes our family, neighbors, friends, co-workers and acquaintances. How have you responded to what God has done in your life? Have you shared with them about God's mercy?
Father open my eyes to see the people in my sphere of influence that I can tell about you. Then father give me the courage to share with them about how you have worked in my life.
I'm praying for you,
Matt Moore
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After landing on the other side of the lake, Jesus is approached by a demon possessed man. Many demons lived in him and they knew who Jesus was. Fearful, they asked Jesus not to send them away but to let them go into a large (about 2,000) heard of pigs. Soon after Jesus granted their request, the pigs ran down the hill and into the water and drowned. Those who witnessed the event went into the town and told the others. Fear gripped them as they saw Jesus and the man who was possessed, sitting, dressed and in his right mind. They recognized him as the man they could not bind before but now he was as they were. Clearly, Jesus had demonstrated powers that the whole community did not posses. They pleaded with Jesus to leave their region. The man begged to go with Jesus but He told him to go home and tell how much the Lord had done for him. It is interesting that on other occasions Jesus told people not to tell anyone. Here He encourages the man to tell everyone. And that is what he did. When Jesus crossed over to the other side again, a large crowd met Him. Jairus, a ruler of the synagogue met him and begged Him to come and heal his daughter. As He was going to the house of Jairus, a woman who had been sick for 12 years and had spent all her money on cures came and touched His garment with her faith. Her faith made her completely and immediately well. Of course Jesus would have sensed power leaving Him. Jesus, turned around and said, “Who touched my clothes?” All kinds of people had touched Jesus but none had touched Him in faith. The woman owned up to what her motive was in touching Him. He told her that she was healed and to go in peace. I am puzzled that this was done in public and yet no one else in Scripture repeats this act. Was she more desperate than anyone else? Did she figure out what faith was all about? All we know is that she reached out and touched Jesus differently than anyone else. Faith here was tied to a thought that healed her. Her thinking caused her to move into action. There is much we could learn about faith here. Just at that moment, Jairus received word that his daughter was dead. Surely Jairus was close enough to have witnessed the woman being healed and the explanation given by Jesus. Then come the words of encouragement, “Don’t be afraid; just believe.” Fresh in the tracks of a “just believe” story, Jairus led Jesus to his home. Peter, James and John were the only ones allowed to go with Jesus as He healed Jairus’ daughter. What a day that must have been for them. Watching an unruly man returned to his right mind. Witnessing a woman reach out in a faith that healed her. And now, Jesus raised a little girl that was reported dead. I can only imagine their heads had been spinning ever since the boat trip and the storm. They were probably still asking the question, “What manner of man is this?” Jesus’ power over nature, demons, and death was compassion. The demoniac was told to tell everyone; Jairus was told not to tell anyone.
ReplyDeleteReflective Question ~ What would happen today if we were to touch Jesus in faith?