In our reading today Jesus encounters
a man who is possessed by demons. His case is severe. They have caused the man
to live in a cemetery because of his wild behavior. He could no longer be
restrained because he broke the chains and shackles. There was no one strong
enough subdue the man and he spent his days wandering the hills and caves
howling and hurting himself. When Jesus arrives on the scene he comes out to
great Jesus. To a normal person we might have run at the sight of this man, but
Jesus did not.
Why? Because the man came before Jesus
paying the utmost respect and honor due to the creator of all things. Does that
response startle you? It should. People do not just run up to someone and bow
before them. It happens here because the demons possessing this man know who
Jesus is, “With a shriek, he screamed, “Why are you interfering with me, Jesus,
Son of the Most High God? In the name of God, I beg you, do not torture me!”
(Mark 5:7 NLT) When this demon saw Jesus he knew immediately who he was.
While the people traveling with Jesus
were still not sure who he was … remember the scene before in Mark 4 when Jesus
calmed the storm they were left questioning who Jesus was that the wind and the
waves obey him … this demon knows Jesus! There was no doubt in their minds who He
was and why He was here on this earth. He was here to end the reign of Satan.
He was here to end their reign of terror and ultimately crush evil and death.
Do you believe with the same conviction
in Jesus that the demons did? While they rejected obedience to God, they
believed in God, they believed in Jesus, and they knew that their days were
numbered. This may sound odd, but we should develop the level of faith the
demons possessed … just do not follow their example of obedience to God.
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