[Mark 5, Proverbs 16]

H – Mark 5:19–20, “[19] And he did not permit him but said to him, “Go home to your friends and tell them how much the Lord has done for you, and how he has had mercy on you.” [20] And he went away and began to proclaim in the Decapolis how much Jesus had done for him, and everyone marveled.”

E – Being a Witness of God’s Power!

Mark 5 seems unreal. Better yet, it seems like something that should be in a Marvel Movie series. Yet, if you really dig deep you realize that it’s not at all unreal and what God did that day He still does today. But, it takes us opening up some God size lenses to see it. 

In Mark 5:1-20 we are introduced to a man, who we don’t know his name, but we do know his character. He was wild and tormented. He was demon possessed (5:2), wickedly powerful (5:4), and personally miserable (alone, crying out and cutting himself)(5:5). 

Yet, once the demons realized Jesus was on the scene they couldn’t contain the man any longer. They had met their match. They (legion = an army of demons) begged Jesus for mercy. What Jesus allowed next is amazing; unclean spirits going into unclean animals and wreaking havoc. That’s huge because that’s what the enemy desires to do, wreak havoc; kill, steal, and destroy (John 10:10). Yet, this man who had been miserably tormented was now healed and in his right mind (5:15). 

Jesus did what no one else could; heal the man. It’s interesting that this man had tried to receive help or “treatments” in probably many different ways from many different people. Mark 5:2-5 says that he had been bound many times, but nothing anyone had tried to do, or the treatments they offered, could help him any longer. But Jesus!

1 John 3:8b, “……The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil.”

Only Jesus can destroy the works of the devil. There is no treatment that can destroy the works of the devil, no other person that can, nor any program that can. Only Jesus! In miserable torment the only solution is Jesus. When people are bound by addiction, Jesus. When people are confused mentally, Jesus. When people are filled with chaos, Jesus. When people are perceived incapable, Jesus. The answer for the world today is still and will only be Jesus. 

There are 2 people that witnessed God’s power that day, the man and personal witnesses. Jesus charged the man to go home (5:19). Think about this. He had been away from his family and friends. That was part of his misery. He had been alone. Now, go show yourself well. What do you think his family and friends thought when they saw him? Do you think they would tell everyone else what Jesus had done? The personal eyewitnesses gathered and marveled (5:14). They went into town and told everyone, “hey, we lost 2,000 pigs, but come see this man.” The herdsman just lost their livelihood, but they could not get over what they had witnessed. They had to go and tell. 

A – I know God’s power in my life. I know when He saved me. I know how I’ve experienced Him over and over. I have seen tons of God size miracles in people who have been bound, tormented, alone, and miserable. This should cause me to open up my mouth and proclaim all that God has done when I see it. 

R – Lord God, you are good. There is no one, nor no thing, like you. You alone have the power to destroy the work of the devil. You alone have the power to heal. You alone offer eternal mercy and grace. Thank you for your sovereignty and sufficiency of destroying the works of the devil in my life, when you called me to yourself and saved me. Lord, open my mouth to proclaim all that you have done, are doing, and will do. That you for allowing me to witness your power and proclaim it. 

In Jesus Name!