CONNECT Worship Gathering: Mark 5:1-20 The Healing of the Demon Possessed Man

In this story we find Jesus crossing the Sea of Galilee for one purpose - to heal the demon-possessed man in the region of the Garasenes, on the South East side of the lake. People must had heard the rumor, of the crazy man living among the tombs, who broke all his shackles when people had tried to help him. The apostles must have wondered as Jesus gave the order to head to the region of the Garasenes what exaclty was in Jesus' mind, or was he out of his mind? this was no place for good Jews, for Gentile herdsmen watered their herds of swine numbering in the thousands on the freshwater shore of Galilee. Imagine the pig fodder from 2000 swine? Good Jews didn't go to this area, not to mention the rumored crazy man in the tombs. But Jesus crossed to the other side for this purpose, as he had also crossed the threshold of heaven to be born in a dirty shepherd's cave in Bethlehem - He came to save us.

There is no evidence in this text that the disciples even got out of their large commercial fishing boat. Jesus alone stands on the shore as the man comes running out of the tombs to meet Jesus. Whether it was the demon's repulsion of Jesus or something else, this man realizes only Jesus can help him, and he runs to Jesus. The disciples had just seen Jesus' power over nature in the calming of the storm, and now they would witness Jesus' authority and power over the supernatural world as he healed the man. The miracle caused the townspeople to fear, and they begged Jesus to leave. Jesus went out of his way to heal this man. What do we need to do in our lives to "cross to the other side" to bring Jesus' love to people? We can start by nurturing relationships with lost people, and venture out of our regular circle of connections. We may have to walk through "pig fodder" to help someone, it may be smelly and uncomfortable, even scary, but Jesus calls us to "cross to the other side" wherever that may be for you. I don't want to be like the disicples, still in the boat, never mentiuoned in this story.

In the area of the Decapolis (the ten towns) near the Garasenes an ancient Byzantine church has been uncovered. We know the man had wanted to go with Jesus, but Jesus told him to go home and tell what wonderful things the Lord had done for him. And the text says he preached in the ten towns. Could this have been the man that started the Jesus movement in the Decapolis? That built a church there? Lost people are living among death, as the Garasene man was, and they don't know the way. The Adversary seeks their ultimate destruction, as demonstrated in the herd of swine that met their death. People are souls bound in sin and we must be the light and presence of Christ to bring healing. Pray, think, and brainstorm about ways to nurture relatinships with the lost and "cross to the other side".