Ever been in despair? So deeply troubled, fearful, disoriented that you cried out to God for relief? Perhaps you did not have words to express what you – well that is when you do what Romans 8:28 says, groan too deep for words.
Mark 5 has two such instances recorded. They are very much in contrast. The first is in Mark 5:1 – 20. You know the story, it is about the Gerasene demoniac. The demoniac earnestly implores Christ to not torment him, and he does it by invoking God, which I find interesting. He continues imploring not to be sent out of the country but into the swine with the first instance of deviled ham in recorded history as the result.
In the same context the people in the surrounding area implore Christ to leave – strange reaction to the casing out of a legion of demons from a man that they could not restrain. So Christ leaves and while doing so the one who was freed from the legion of demons implores Christ to let him come with Him. Christ tells him no, go tell others what I have done for you.
Back across the sea of Galilee, a man implores Christ earnestly to save his daughter. After a side bar with a woman, Christ raises the daughter from the dead.
One man full of demons – well the demons actually – implore Christ not to torment them, the terrified crowd implores Him to leave, and the demonless man implores Christ to let him come with Him. The distraught, hopeless father earnestly implores Christ to come heal his daughter, who in the interim dies.
The emotional states represented in these scenes are intriguing. The types of people involved run the gamut from fallen angels to terrified townsfolk to a grateful man to a distraught, terrified father. The common denominator is that they all came to Christ. They all recognized the power in Him, they all knew He was able to respond to their earnest imploring.
Christ responded to each as they implored, with the exception of the one He freed. Him He assigned a ministry.
It scares me that He left when asked.
In the same context the people in the surrounding area implore Christ to leave – strange reaction to the casing out of a legion of demons from a man that they could not restrain. So Christ leaves and while doing so the one who was freed from the legion of demons implores Christ to let him come with Him. Christ tells him no, go tell others what I have done for you.
Back across the sea of Galilee, a man implores Christ earnestly to save his daughter. After a side bar with a woman, Christ raises the daughter from the dead.
One man full of demons – well the demons actually – implore Christ not to torment them, the terrified crowd implores Him to leave, and the demonless man implores Christ to let him come with Him. The distraught, hopeless father earnestly implores Christ to come heal his daughter, who in the interim dies.
The emotional states represented in these scenes are intriguing. The types of people involved run the gamut from fallen angels to terrified townsfolk to a grateful man to a distraught, terrified father. The common denominator is that they all came to Christ. They all recognized the power in Him, they all knew He was able to respond to their earnest imploring.
Christ responded to each as they implored, with the exception of the one He freed. Him He assigned a ministry.
It scares me that He left when asked.
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