Encountering Jesus - Set Free

Hello, Wonderful Church!

This week, we return to our series Encountering Jesus with Mark 5:1-20, which covers the story of going across the Sea of Galilee and healing a man possessed by many demons.

This story has always fascinated me from so many different perspectives. Jesus and his disciples have just spent the night in a boat where there was a raging storm (that Jesus calms with just His words), and they come to a strange land that many of them had probably never been to before. And as they come ashore, they are greeted by a man who runs up and falls on his face and cries out, "What are you going to do to me Jesus, Son of the most High God?!"

I want you to place yourself in the shoes of one of the disciples and imagine that you are there, seeing this take place. The Scripture describes this man as being so strong that he could no longer be bound by chains. He had been living amongst the tombs in the mountains day and night, and it says that he has been cutting himself with stones. He was an outcast that was beyond dangerous, and yet, he runs up and throws himself at the feet of Jesus. We soon find out that this man is possessed by many demons. Not just one, but many. And these demons recognize Jesus as the Son of God and beg for mercy.

This may sound like a graphic horror story, but this story actually brings me a lot of comfort and peace. First, Jesus heals this man and rids him of the demons; but second, to know that demons are afraid and beg for mercy from their mortal enemy gives me comfort in knowing that I am following someone that will always be strong enough to protect me.

Jesus loves you and He is there for you. There is so much to cover in this story, and I hope to see you this Sunday as we continue to unpack Mark 5:1-20.

Have a great rest of your week!

Brian Sherman

Director of Youth Minisitries