Day 15: Mark 4-5

I love the story of the demoniac in Mark 5:1-20. It so wonderfully demonstrates the power of Jesus and the effects of the gospel.

Mark builds up for us just how scary this guys is. He lives among the tombs, running around night and day shrieking and cutting himself. The townspeople were terrified of him and had tried to subdue him, but even chains and irons could not contain him! Luke gives us another detail about this man: for a long time he had not even worn clothes (Luke 8:27).

So Jesus steps out of a boat and immediately runs into a naked, bloody, shrieking demon-possessed man that no one can control or subdue. Does this strike fear into Jesus? Hardly! Rather, the demons are afraid of Jesus! And with but a word from Jesus, this man is set free from the bondage of Satan.

While we certainly look much better than this man on the outside, I see so many parallels between his life and mine today. Before Christ came into my life, I too was caught in the power of sin. I was unable to save myself and was left to suffer the effects of my sin. It worked to destroy me and all the relationships I held dear.

But when Jesus came into my life, He set me free! Just as we later find this same man clothed and calmly sitting in his right mind, Jesus cleanses us and clothes us with His righteousness! He makes past tense of all my sin and gives me peace of mind. And just as he did with this man, He commissions all of His followers to do the same: "Go and tell how much the Lord has done for you, and how he has had mercy on you."

What an incredible privilege to experience His redeeming power and share that story with others!