Mark wrote how Jesus and His disciples, “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 no man could bind him, no, 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 in 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 worshiped him, And cried with a loud voice, and said, What have I to do with you, Jesus, you Son of the most high God? I adjure you by God, that thou torment me not. For he said unto him, Come out of the man, you unclean spirit. And he asked him, What is your name? And he answered, saying, My name is Legion: for we are many. And he besought him much that he would not send them away out of the country. Now there was there near unto the mountains a great herd of swine feeding. And all the devils besought him, saying, Send us into the swine, that we may enter into them. And forthwith Jesus gave them leave. And the unclean spirits went out, and entered into the swine: and the herd ran violently down a steep place into the sea, (they were about two thousand;) and were choked in the sea. And they that fed the swine fled, and told it in the city, and in the country. And they went out to see what it was that was done. And they come to Jesus, and see him that was possessed with the devil, and had the legion, sitting, and clothed, and in his right mind: and they were afraid”, and in chapter five and verse sixteen of his book, Mark shares how people, “told them how it befell to him that was possessed with the devil” where we read:
And they that saw it told them how it befell to him that was possessed with the devil,
and also concerning the swine.
The verse reads, “And they that saw it told them how it befell to him that was possessed with the devil, ...” Mark began with the words, “and they that saw it” or “and the people who perceived, noticed, discovered and discerned the man sitting, clothed and in his right mind” “told them” which means “told the other people who came to observe” “how it befell to him” or “in what way it came and by what manner and means the man” “that was possessed” or “who was vexed and under the power” “with the devil” which means “of the demon”. Mark shared how the people who came to see what happened with the demon possessed man began to hear the story of how Jesus told the demons to come out of the man who was now seated before them in clothes and sober minded.
The verse goes on to say, “... and also concerning the swine.” Mark continued with the words, “and also concerning” which means “and even so and indeed on account of, because of and with respect to” “the swine” which means “the hogs or pigs”. Mark shared how those sharing the story also included what happened to the “pigs” when Jesus told the “demons” to come out of the man who was possessed.
When we consider Mark's words in this verse, we can imagine the animation of the people telling the story of how Jesus told the “demons” to come out of this man, they obey and entered the hogs. The pigs ran down the steep cliff and drowned in the sea, and now this man sat before them “tame, calm and in his right mind”. What a story this was, and what a demonstration of the power of Jesus over all “wickedness” and “evil” that may come upon a person. God's desire is to set people free from their “sinful” states, and when they yield their lives to Jesus, all demons have to flee, all darkness must come out, and the person is able to be changed, altered and brought back into their “sober and cleansed” mind. May all who read these words who are oppressed by the influence of evil submit themselves to the only one who can truly “set you free”.
Next time Mark shares how people, “began to pray him to depart out of their coasts”, so read ahead, and we shall join together then.
Until
tomorrow…there is more…
Look for the daily devotional book
“Equipped for Battle – From Generation to Generation”, the
marriage book “So, You Want to Be Married”, “One Year in the
Sermon on the Mount” and the new poetry book "Random Mushrooms
Volumes I and II" and the new novel "Elizabeth County"
in all major bookstore sites, http://www.amazon.com
; http://www.barnesandnobles.com
; download to e-books, and find it locally at
www.mrzlc.com/bookstore.
All references are from "Strongs Concordance".
No comments:
Post a Comment