Cutting Himself with Stones - Mark 5:5

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 in chapter five and verse five of his book, Mark shares how the man was every day, “in the tombs, crying, and cutting himself with stones” where we read:

And always, night and day, he was in the mountains,

and in the tombs, crying, and cutting himself with stones.

The verse reads, “And always, night and day, he was in the mountains, ...” Mark began with the word, “and always” or “and constantly and continually”, “night and day” or “every night and every day”, “he was in the mountains” which means “the man was in the risings above the plains”. Mark shared how the man lived both “night and day” within the mountainous area.

The verse goes on to say, “... and in the tombs, crying, and cutting himself with stones.” Mark added the words, “and in the tombs” which means “and alongside and with the sepulchers, memorials, monuments and graves”, “crying” which means “vociferating, speaking aloud and exclaiming loudly”, “and cutting himself” or “and gashing, mangling and chopping his own self” “with stones” which means “with sharp rocks and stones”. Mark shared how the man lived among the “graves” and cried aloud while “gashing himself” with sharp rocks and stones.

When we meditate upon Mark's words in this verse, we see how tormented this man was who approached Jesus. Not only did he live in the mountains among the graves, but every night and day he would “cry aloud” and “cut himself” with “sharp stones”. This man is an example of how far away from God a person may be, and when we see what Jesus does with Him, we shall recognize Jesus as the “Messiah” and “Savior” for every person regardless of how distant from God they appear to be.

Next time Mark shares, “when he saw Jesus afar off, he ran and worshiped him”, 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".