Leave Us Jesus - Mark 5:17

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 they that saw it told them how it befell to him that was possessed with the devil, and also concerning the swine”, and in chapter five and verse seventeen of his book, Mark shares how people, “began to pray him to depart out of their coasts” where we read:

And they began to pray him to depart out of their coasts.

The verse reads, “And they began to pray him ...” Mark began with the words, “and they began” or “and the people from the city and country who came to see what happened with the man possessed and now set free started and initiated” “to pray him” which means “to admonish, exhort, beg, entreat and beseech Jesus”. Mark shared how the people who came out to see what happened with the possessed man began to “beg and entreat” Jesus with the following request.

The verse continues, “... to depart out of their coasts.” Mark added the words, “to depart out of” which means “to leave, go away and pass away from out of” “their coasts” which means “their own boundaries, region, district, land and territory”. Mark shared how the people wanted and requested Jesus to “leave” their area.

When we meditate upon Mark's words in this verse, we see how these people no longer wanted Jesus to be anywhere near them. Because Jesus just destroyed their “enterprise of swine procurement”, they didn't want anything to do with Him. They were not as impressed with the man being cleansed as they were upset because their “livelihood” was now gone. Before Jesus “did any more damage”, they just wanted Him gone. Many are like this today. Because Jesus deals in the “everlasting and eternal” as the most important, many just want Him “gone” when He puts His hand against their “temporary” stations. Those who come to Jesus must come in “faith and trust” not only that He will “save” them from their “sinful pasts”, but also has a promise for their “eternal future”. Let all who read these words consider carefully the decision of these people for Jesus to “leave” and imagine what their lives are like now that they have entered into the eternal realm without Jesus being “Lord” of their lives.

Next time Mark shares how, “he that had been possessed with the devil prayed him that he might be with 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".