On June 27th, 1976 an Air France Airbus lifted off from the Athens International Airport. It was a beautiful day to fly. The sky was clear. The Aegean Sea below was a brilliant blue. It was just perfect. But the serenity of the first moments of that flight was shattered with a scream as a man and a woman stood up brandishing grenades and quickly training their pistols on the flight attendants. The man made his way to the cockpit where he ordered the pilot to change his course to Entebbe, the capitol city of Uganda, and a safe haven protected by the monstrous Idi Amin.
Their goal was clear. They wanted Israel to release 53 Palestinian or pro-Palestinian terrorists from prison. Their threat was also made very clear. If Israel was to deny their request, all 102 of the Israeli hostages would be slaughtered like diseased cattle.
The Israeli Cabinet, led by Prime Minister Rabin, was caught in a very difficult situation. They had to do everything in their power to see those hostages released. But they weren’t willing to release any terrorists. To do so would be to open the door for more acts of terrorism and violence, putting every Israeli in more danger. On the other hand, they were not willing to sacrifice those Israeli citizens either.
So immediately a strike force was assembled in the Israeli desert to plan the impossible. The hostages were being held in an abandoned airport terminal in that capitol city of Uganda, and this strike force was going to make a daring rescue attempt. Flight plans were ordered. Other countries, including Kenya and the United States, pledged their support and assistance. The raid was practiced over and over again. And finally the time came to make their move.
Six planes took off from El Al headed for Nairobi, Kenya. There one of the planes, the hospital plane, landed and the other five headed towards Uganda. No suspicion was aroused anywhere because it was assumed that the planes on the radar screen were taking the usual route to South Africa. But as they got closer they dropped below the radar and headed straight for that abandoned airport.
Under the cover of night those planes landed undetected. As they rolled to a stop the tail ramp of one of the cargo planes dropped and out drove a black Mercedes Benz limousine followed by two Land Rovers filled with Israeli commandos. The limo was identical to that of Idi Amin, all the way down to the license plate; and sitting in the back was a bulky officer dressed just like the dictator. As they neared the building, the Ugandan guards snapped to attention for the arrival of their leader, long enough to allow the Israelis to get within a few yards of the building before the shooting started.
Bullets were flying for twenty minutes before it was finally all over. The hostages were ordered into the awaiting planes there to rescue them. And as they ran to their getaway vehicles, fireballs erupted as the Israeli commandos destroyed the eleven jets that would have scrambled to intercept their planes. Everyone entered the planes, the hatches shut, and the planes took off.
Remarkably, only three hostages and one Israeli commando lost their lives that night. The operation, though not perfect, had been successful. They had completed the impossible.
I don’t know about you, but I love to hear about daring rescues. I love to hear stories of men and women who risked their lives in order to save someone else. And this is one of the greats. The thing about rescues that makes them so amazing and memorable is that those needing rescued are completely unable to help themselves. Those Israeli hostages would have had no hope of ever seeing home again if it hadn’t been for the difficult decisions of their nation’s cabinet and the astonishing efforts of their nation’s commandos. Someone had to help them. They had no way of helping themselves.
In the fifth chapter of Mark we read a story about another amazing rescue. No, we don’t see any bullets whizzing or spears flying, we don’t see any amazing disguises or hand to hand combat. But we’re told a story about a man who couldn’t help himself. He had no hope unless someone was to come to his rescue. The good news is, someone did. Let’s look at that story together.
Mark 5:1-20…
You know, I think a lot of times we can look at this story and think about how wonderful it is, but at the same time we disconnect ourselves from it. We read about this man and think about what a poor soul he must have been. How could he have allowed himself to be taken over by so many demons? He must have lived a very wicked life. It sure is a good thing that Jesus got a hold of him. It’s almost like the Pharisee and the publican that Jesus told us about. It’s almost like we stand in the middle of the temple and obnoxiously thank God that we aren’t like this other man.
But the truth of the matter is, we have a lot more in common with him than we think. You see, I was this man. You were this man. No, we may not have been living in among the tombs, we may not have been cutting ourselves with rocks. But we were controlled by the power of Satan. Because of sin you and I were both hopelessly lost unless someone was to come to our rescue. We had no way to help ourselves. There was no way that we were going to be able to pull ourselves up out of the quicksand of sin that we were drowning in. The gulf that was between us and God was one that we had no ability to cross. The chasm that separated us was one that we had no means to bridge. We were hopeless. There was no possibility of us making our way to God.
But the day came when a bridge was built to cross that great divide. The day came when Someone did come to our rescue. Because God knew that we had no possibility of making our way to Him, He chose to make His way to us. And 2000 years ago Jesus came to this earth and walked in our shoes and lived in our humanity, and He died on our cross that would bridge that great divide between us and God. Hallelujah! When I could not come to Him, He came to me!
There are three things that I want you to notice with me about this fact that we can see in our text this morning. When we couldn’t get to Him, He made His way to us, and he did it in three ways. Let me share them with you.
I. He Came To Me Intentionally
First of all, when Jesus came to me He came to me intentionally. We didn’t read it in our text this morning, but in the chapter previous to this one Jesus is teaching a large group of people. The Bible tells us that it was a great multitude of people that had gathered that day. It was such a huge crowd that Jesus felt it would be best if He were to climb into a boat and push out a little ways into the sea. This way His voice would carry better over the water and the people would have a better view of Him as well.
But Jesus sits in that little ship and He begins to teach the people in parables. It is in this passage that we find the great parable of the Sower. It is in this passage that we find the parable of the mustard seed. The Bible says that He spoke many such parables to them.
But that evening Jesus looks at His disciples and, out of the blue He says, “Let’s cross to the other side of the sea.” So they all climbed into their boats and set sail, leaving those multitudes of people behind. Their trip wasn’t an easy one. Jesus was exhausted, so He decided to take a nap while they were traveling. And while He was asleep a violent storm rushed in upon their little fleet. The wind was brutal. The waves beat upon their boats ferociously. The water was quickly filling up their vessels so that they were beginning to sink. It was a terrifying experience. So terrifying, in fact, that these experienced fishermen, who had spent years upon this same sea, who had no doubt experienced many storms, were fearing for their very lives. And Jesus never aroused out of sleep.
The disciples were petrified. They were confused. How could Jesus be all cozy and content while the rest of them were battling to literally keep their heads above water? And someone rushed to Him and shook Him awake and said, “Master, do you not even care that we are getting ready to die?” And calmly, Jesus stood up in that little boat, raised His hands over the waves and said, “Peace, be still.” And immediately, the wind ceased, and the water subsided. The disciples were amazed. The Bible tells us that they were exceedingly afraid. And they said, “Who is this man, that even the wind and waves will obey Him?”
It’s an amazing witness to the power of God. But what does this have to do with our message this morning? Simply this: do you know why Jesus decided to cross that sea? Do you know why Jesus was so bent upon heading into that storm? Where was He so intent on going that He left a great multitude of people who were eager to listen to His teaching? Well, the Bible tells us that they came to the other side of the sea and entered into the country of the Gadarenes.
You see, we could say that Jesus left that huge crowd and headed into that storm for the purpose of teaching His disciples a lesson on faith. And to an extent, we may be right about that. But I happen to believe that Christ’s purpose was a whole lot more than that. I happen to believe that Jesus left that huge multitude of people who were soaking in every word He was saying and took His disciples on a terrifying boat ride because He saw a single individual in the country of the Gadarenes that desperately needed His help. I believe He purposefully left that crowd and went through that storm because He saw a man possessed by demons that was hopeless unless He came to the rescue.
I believe that Jesus leaving those people and crossing that sea was intentional. He didn’t just get into that boat and go where the winds would take Him. He didn’t just up and leave that crowd of people thinking that across that sea may be another crowd of people awaiting his arrival. He left with the purpose of reaching this man that could not possibly come to Him.
The Bible tells us that Jesus and His disciples got out of their boats and immediately a man with an unclean spirit met them. And Jesus meets that man’s need; He casts the demons out of that man, and clothes him, and puts him in his right mind, and sends him home; and then Jesus and His disciples get back into their boats and head back across the sea, back to where they had just come from. I believe Jesus came to that man intentionally. It was no accident. It was not an act of fate or providence. Jesus specifically made His way to that demon-possessed man’s rescue.
I love the story that Jesus tells in Luke chapter 15 about the lost sheep. He tells us about a shepherd who was bringing his sheep into the fold after a long day out searching for good pasture. And each evening as he led his sheep into that walled area he would stand at the gate and take inventory. He knew that 100 sheep should be in his flock and he would count every night to make sure that one was not lost or stolen. And when he would finish his count he would build a fire and heat his supper up and then bed down for the night in that opening his sheep had just passed through, making himself the door of that sheepfold.
Well, Jesus tells us that on one particular night that shepherd was making his count, 1-2-3… As the sheep would pass he would tap them on their head and count them in. But something was dreadfully wrong. For as he neared the end of his count he realized that he was one lamb short. 96-97-98-99… There’s one missing. Frantically, he looks around the outside of that fold, hoping that his missing sheep was just gnawing on some grass somewhere close by. But he’s nowhere to be seen. Perhaps he had simply miscounted. He rushes into that fold and begins making his way, as best as he can, around that pen going through his inventory count again. 2-3-4 times he does this. But to his dismay, every time he comes up one short. One lamb is missing.
He’s forgotten all about supper now. He looks at his sheep safely in the fold and contemplates what he should do. No one else is there to help him. He can either cut his losses and protect the 99, or he can hope in the security of that fold and go searching for that one that is lost. It doesn’t take long for him to make his decision. Quickly, he picks up his staff and his cloak and leaving the 99, he begins making his way back through his steps of that day. Praying that no lion or bear has gotten to it first, he calls out, listening for any hint of his lost lamb. He scours every ditch. He combs every field. He looks behind every bush. He’s desperately searching for that little lost lamb.
But what’s that? There was a noise. It sounds like the “baah” of a sheep. He runs in the direction of the sound, which is getting louder as he nears. And finally, he recognizes the form of his missing lamb caught in a briar patch on the edge of a cliff. He drops his staff and shoves his hands sacrificially into that thorny hedge and carefully lifts his lost sheep out. His legs are weary, but he doesn’t care. His clothes are torn, but he doesn’t even notice. His throat is hoarse, but he shouts for joy nevertheless. His hands are bleeding, but that doesn’t matter to him. His shoulders ache, but he lifts his lost lamb and rests him there anyway. The tears are streaming down his face. He’s found his lost sheep. He had purposed to save that lamb and he had done it. He had intentionally set out on a rescue mission and he had completed it. He had looked for that sheep on purpose.
Listen to me, friend. Two thousand years ago Jesus stepped down from His throne beside the Father where the angels were at His beckon call, where the cherubim and seraphim were continually falling down before Him in worship. He left that multitude of worshippers and He made His way into the womb of a virgin. He was born in stable somewhere behind a motel in Bethlehem. He was raised in a carpenter’s family. He grew up having to battle with peer pressure and dating rules and acne. He faced the financial struggles and health worries that you and I face. He suffered loss and betrayal and hunger and weariness. He lost all of His friends in the moment that He needed them most. He stood silently and innocently before a jeering crowd of people who hated Him and demanded His death. He was tortured and beaten and forced to carry His own cross up that lonely hill called Golgotha. He bore the pain of the nails driven into His hands and feet. He endured the pain of that cross jolting His body and ripping his flesh as those soldiers dropped it into the hole they had dug for it.
That was no easy trip, people. But Jesus made it. And He didn’t make it on accident. He didn’t step down from His throne and make His way into a human body just to see where it might take Him. He didn’t leave that crowd of angels in heaven thinking that there might be another multitude of people waiting to worship Him on earth. No, He came for a reason. He came on purpose. He left those cherubim and seraphim and He made the journey down that torturous road because He saw that there was a lost soul who had no hope of ever making his way to Him. He understood that there was no chance that you or I would ever be able to cross that great divide to reach Him; so He made a deliberate choice that since you and I couldn’t come to Him, He was going to come to us; He was going to set out on a rescue mission for you and me. And that’s exactly what He did. He came to me intentionally.
II. He Came To Me Informed
Not only did He come intentionally, but He also came informed. Before Jesus ever stepped foot upon that seashore in Decapolis He knew exactly what the condition of this man was. He knew that this man was demon possessed. He recognized that people had tried and tried unsuccessfully to bind this man and keep him under control. He realized that this man was living in the tombs. He heard the bloodcurdling screams that were made in the night. He saw the blood and the scars from where this man had been tormenting himself. He smelled the stench of someone who hadn’t bathed in years. He understood that this man was naked. He knew all these things before He ever stepped out of His boat. But He went anyway.
I’m so glad, this morning, that even though Jesus saw my sin He decided to come anyway. I’m so glad that even though He knew how many times I was going to reject His humble plea He still came to make it possible for me to accept it. I’m so glad that even though He heard the words of hate that were going to escape my mouth before I spoke them He still came. I’m so glad that even though He knew how wicked and vile I was going to be He still made that journey to the cross.
The Bible says in Rom. 5:8 that “God demonstrated His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” Even though He saw our evil and wicked and sinful condition, He still made the intentional decision to die for us. And you know why? Paul tells us in that verse. It was because He loves us. John 3:16 says that “God so love the world that He gave His only Son.” Eph. 2:4-5 says, “But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ.” 1 John 4:9-10 says, “In this the love of God was manifested toward us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him. In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation (or means of appeasement) for our sins.”
God loves us so much that even though He saw all the filth and grime, even though He saw all the rejection and rebellion, even though He saw our sinful conditions He chose to send His Son to die in our place. I’ll tell you what, that demon possessed man didn’t deserve to come in contact with Jesus. Zaccheus didn’t deserve to come in contact with the Master. The Apostle Paul didn’t deserve to come in contact with the risen Savior. Because they were sinners, they were rebels, they were reprobates. But when they had no ability to come to Jesus, and no reason that they should be given that opportunity, Jesus, out of His great love, came to them.
And He didn’t come to them blindly. He knew that this man from Decapolis had given himself over to demons. He knew that Zaccheus was a lying, cheating, stealing tax collector. He knew that Saul had been the worst persecutor the early church had ever known. He knew those things. But He still loved them enough to reach across the gap and rescue them from their sin.
I love the story that is told about a very conservative, upper-class, high church congregation who wanted very badly to reach out to the college kids who attended the nearby university, but they didn’t know how to go about it. As they tried to reach out to those young men and women, some of them began to attend some of the services. Most of them would dress decently and sit quietly in their pews and be respectful in the services.
But one Sunday morning a young man named Bill walked into the worship service a good bit late. The house was packed that morning and he began looking for a place to sit. This late arrival was in itself quite a disturbance, not to mention the fact that he was wearing torn jeans and a rough looking t-shirt. His hair was wild and he was wearing flip-flops. He looked and smelled like he was suffering from a serious hang-over.
As he tried to find a seat people began to get a little uncomfortable. Some of them stared. Some of them turned away in disgust. But, as if he didn’t even notice the attention he was getting and the interruption he was causing, he continued to make his way up the center aisle, closer and closer to the front. As he neared the pulpit he realized that he wasn’t going to find a seat, so he just plopped down in the middle of the carpeted aisle.
You can feel the tension in the air as these people, who are not accustomed to this type of behavior, are appalled by this young man. As the song ends, and the pastor prepares to give his message, he notices that an elderly, well-respected deacon is slowly making his way up that center aisle towards that young man. This is a very godly man, well-dressed in a three piece suit, silver hair, very graceful and dignified. As others begin to notice his movement they begin to whisper to each other the fact that they cannot blame him for what he is about to do. Something has to be done. And you can’t expect an elegant 80 year old man to understand a rough college kid like this.
It takes a while for this gentleman to reach the front, as he walks with a cane. And all the while not a word is spoken. Total silence. All eyes in the building, including that of the pastor’s, are focused on this man. But the entire mood of the service shifts drastically as this dignified, well-dressed, godly, 80 year old man drops his cane next to the young man, and, with much effort and difficulty, lowers himself to sit down next to him in the middle of that aisle. Not a single eye is dry. Not a single word is uttered. Finally, the pastor stands behind the pulpit and slowly speaks. He says, “What I am about to preach to you, this morning, you will never remember. What you just saw, you will never forget.”
I wonder what the disciples’ thoughts were as this demon- possessed man met Jesus that day. I wonder if they saw his condition and felt disgusted that he would dare approach their Master. He had no right to come that close. I wonder if, as they watched this encounter between Jesus and a demon-possessed man, if they thought, “You know, I can’t blame Jesus for what He’s about to do. He needs to give that man a stiff rebuke. He needs to send him back to the tombs where he came from. Better yet, maybe he should send him running over that cliff over there.” I wonder if they were amazed as Jesus reached down to this man’s level. He saw that man’s state. How could He reach down to him like that? How could He love something like that?
You see, Jesus saw that man’s condition. He knew about the demon-possession and the evil that characterized his life. He knew about the broken chains and the chilling shrieks in the night. He knew about all those things. But through all of that He also saw a man in desperate need of being rescued. And because of His unconditional love He reached to that man in spite of His condition.
And this morning, you and I can rest assured that He will reach to us in spite of our condition as well. He didn’t go to the cross naively. He didn’t suffer unwittingly. He knew who He was dying for. He knew that we deserved to be on that cross instead of Him. But for some odd reason He loved us enough to die in our place anyway. And I can guarantee you that He is still reaching out to you today. It doesn’t matter what your past is like. It doesn’t matter how often you’ve rejected Him before. It doesn’t matter if you’re a murderer or a liar or a cheater or a homosexual or a thief or an alcoholic or a hypocrite. It doesn’t matter what kind of sin characterizes your life. Jesus sees all of those things and He still loves you anyway. And He still wants to reach you at your level. He still wants to come to you.
III. He Came To Me In Power
And when He comes to you, not only will He come intentionally, and not only will He come informed, but He will come in power. He will come to you with the power to change your life completely. When Jesus got back into the boat that day, He didn’t leave behind a demon-possessed man. He left behind a man who was clothed and in his right mind. He left behind a man who ran back to his town to show and tell what Jesus had done for him. And when the people saw it, the Bible tells us that they were amazed, they marveled at what they saw.
Mark tells us that when the city-folk came to see what all the ruckus was about they came to Jesus and they saw the one who had been demon-possessed. And those who had seen what happened told everyone else about the one who had been demon-possessed. And when Jesus got in the boat to leave, the one who had been demon-possessed begged to go with Him.
Jesus had the power to change that man’s life. He had the power to strike fear into the hearts of those demons. He had the power to send that legion of demons running to a herd of pigs. He had the power to take that man who others were so afraid of they tried to chain him and bind him, and He was able to cause him to sit calmly unrestrained. He had the power to take that man who had terrified the countryside with his shrieks of pain and make his mouth bring forth praise for what God had done for him. He had the power to heal and to forgive.
I’ve told the story before, but it’s an incredible illustration of God’s life-changing power. In the years of 1976 and 1977 New York was rocked by a crime spree of a serial killer called the “Son of Sam.” David Berkowitz was a troubled man. For his whole life he had been troubled. Even from his elementary days he was a problem child. He was very violent. He would often scream in the middle of class for no reason. He was overcome many times by violent seizures when it seemed as though something wicked was entering into his body and controlling him. His life was filled with darkness.
As he grew older he was attracted to the occult, witchcraft, and Satanic worship. The darkness continued to grow until if was finally culminated in murder. He became obsessed with hunting attractive women across the city and killing them for no reason. Terror grabbed New York. This was a crazed lunatic who randomly shot young women and wrote sick letters saying that he had to kill in order to please his master, a dog named Sam. By the time it was all said and done the Son of Sam had left 5 women and one man in their graves and countless others scarred for life.
When he was finally caught, Berkowitz was sentenced to 365 consecutive years in prison. Upon entering his reputation had preceded him and life was not easy. He barely survived when a fellow inmate slashed his throat. He had his shares of fights and problems. But ten years into his sentence, while feeling very despondent and without hope, David was walking through the exercise yard when he was approached by a young prisoner named Ricky. He began to share the message of Jesus’ love with the notorious serial killer who only mocked him. David said later, “Although I knew he meant well I mocked him because I did not think that God would ever forgive me or that He would want anything to do with me.”
Still the young man persisted. They eventually became friends. And little by little Rick shared his own testimony with David, and kept reminding him that it didn’t matter what he did God could and would still forgive him. He gave him a Gideon New Testament. David read that Bible and one night, as he was reading Ps. 34, he came upon the words that read like this: “This poor man cried, and the Lord heard him, and saved him from all his troubles.” And in that moment the Son of Sam began pouring out his heart to God. The guilt was overwhelming. The shame was disgusting. And as he cried out to Jesus it seemed as though a heavy, invisible chain that had bound him for years was suddenly broken. It was replaced by a peace and an assurance that his life and heart was going to be forever different.
Now he’s the kind of man who writes in his journal words like this entry he made in April of last year… “In spite of my own struggles and the difficult and disappointing situations I seem to be encountering these days, the Lord has been granting me the precious opportunities to touch the lives of my peers.” Jesus had the power to change the life of even a dreaded serial killer.
The song says, “I cried, ‘I’ve gone too far.’ He said, ‘My blood’s gone farther.’ I cried, ‘The stain’s too deep.’ He said, ‘My blood’s gone deeper.’ I cried, ‘I’ve done too much.’ He said, ‘My blood’s done more.’” “The purpose of the cross,” someone observed, “is to repair the irreparable.” That’s the message of the Gospel. That Jesus can take a sinner, no matter what the sin that stains their life, and change their life completely around. And He has the power to change your life this morning.
I have asked Jim to sing the song he sang a while ago again. And while he does, I don’t want you to wait. If you have recognized your sin this morning, if you have recognized your need for Jesus this morning, I want you to come to this altar and find His gentle, forgiving arms waiting for you.
You say, “I’ve done too much. Jesus could never forgive me. I’m hopeless. There is no help available for me.” I beg to differ with you. Rom. 10:13 says, “For whosoever will call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.”
It doesn’t matter who you are. It doesn’t matter where you’ve been. It doesn’t matter what you’ve done. It doesn’t matter that you can’t find your way to Jesus. He has already found His way to you. That is why He died on Calvary. He came to you when you couldn’t come to Him. He made a way for you to be rescued. And just like that shepherd, He’s out tirelessly searching for you. He wants to pull you out of the muck and mire of sin. He wants to save you from Satan’s chains. He wants to change your life. Won’t you let Him today?
