Mark 5:1-6, 17-20
A MANIAC, A MIRACLE AND A MISSION
H Lee Clay
The wealthiest spot on this planet is not the oil fields of Kuwait, Nigeria, Iraq or Saudi Arabia. Neither is it the gold and diamond mines of South Africa, the uranium mines of the Soviet Union or the silver mines of Africa. Though it may surprise you, the richest deposits on our planet lie just a few blocks from your house.
They rest in your local cemetery or graveyard. Buried beneath the soil within the walls of those sacred grounds are dreams that never came to pass, songs that were never sung, books that were never written, paintings that never filled a canvas, ideas that were never shared, visions that never became reality, inventions that were never designed, plans that never went beyond the drawing board of the mind and purposes that were never fulfilled. Our graveyards are filled, with potential that remained potential. This is a tragedy.
As I walk the streets of our cities, my heart frequently weeps as I encounter and observe the wasted, broken and disoriented lives of individuals who, years before, were talented, intelligent aspiring high-school classmates. During their youth they had dreams, desires, plans and aspirations.
Today they are lost in a maze of substance abuse, alcoholism, purposelessness and poorly chosen friends. Their lives are aimless and many of their decisions haphazard. This enormous tragedy saddens me. What could have been has become what should have been. The wealth of dreams has been dashed by the poverty of discouragement.
THE MEAN STREETS OF THIS WORLD CAN BE LIKENED TO A GRAVEYARD BECAUSE THERE RESIDES IN THIS WORLD A WHOLE LOT OF DEAD FOLKS THAT WALK!
And that brings me to the text:
This brother that we find in our text was very much like any other brother/sister that we may encounter in our time. But something happened in his life that brought separation, of his mind., body and soul.
Maybe he was married and had a family. He could have been abused as a child and now the demons of his past have come back and tormented his soul. Whatever his trauma was, life has become too much to deal with.
Now he’s at a point where he can no longer deal with life on life’s terms. He’s picked up a bag of P-Dope, or cocaine. A 40 ounce bottle of Colt 45 Malt Liquor or Old English and he does not want to be around anything normal. He let’s his pant’s fall well below his waist and his self respect has fallen beyond his ability to feel good about himself. He has abandoned his family and his life is now a mess! But thank God Almighty that Jesus shows up by crossing over to the other side. He left one storm that He calmed that was external in chapter 4 to deal with a human storm that internal in chapter 5.
The grace of God has a way of showing up even in the madness of our situations. (Elaborate)
THERE ARE 3 PLACES OR STATES IN WHICH WE SEE THIS BROTHER IN OUR
TEXT; WE SEE HIM:
First : The Maniac.
We see him CHAINED, CRYING, & CUTTING HIMSELF WITH STONES. Vs. 5-6
This is a profoundly pitiful picture of a devil-controlled life. He had often been bound with fetters and chains, but he had broken those chains, and no man, (no human agency ) could tame him. They called the authorities to deal with him but they could not stop him nor kelp him.The Social Service programs cannot do it} The Rehabs could not help him.The Criminal Justice System with its’ First-Time Intervention Program could not help him. This man’s problem was of a demonic source and I’ve stopped by to tell you that when you’ve got a bunch of demons all up inside of your head you’ll quickly learn that you cannot solve supernatural issues with natural approaches.
You would recognize him the moment that you saw him.
A. His hair was matted together.
B. His face was unshaven.
C. He was foaming arid frothing at the mouth.
D. Blood was flowing from self-inflicted wounds,
E. The clanging of chains could be heard as he dragged them, .
F. He doesn’t wear any clothes or live in a house but dwelled among the tombs.
G The stench of dried pus and soured vomit was unbearable.
H. He would come at you screaming and crying like a wild animal .
A) (v. 2) Unclean- Mark is not reporting only on the man’s "external" but his "internal situation“.
B) (v3.) Unsettled- Look at where he lives. He’s comfortable around dead people,
C) (v, 4) Uncontrollable- No one could calm him or reason with him.
D) (v, 5} Unhappy- He’s depressed, in despair, decadent and demoralized .
F.) (v.6) Unstable- He does not jump up and down rejoicing but falls at the sight of Jesus.
f.) (v. 15) Unclothed- Uncovered, The body was out of control because his head was out of control. Don’t look for things to be right with the body if all hell
has broken into the mind!
Maybe that is why there are so many of our families in our communities that are tore up from the floor up because the head of the family, the man is out there in the graveyards of society. He’s a zombie that does not realize that he may be breathing but he’s dead without Christ. Possessed by a demon and has discharged himself from any real sense of normality.
With his philosophical fussin, verbal cussin; street hustlin’, gang-banging, baby momma wranglin; p~dopin; 40 ounce totin; marijuana smokin and needle poking self (Ebonics). Although his eyes are open and he is animated, he’s in fact unconscious and under the control of a devil named "Legion". ("We are many"; vs 8)
Verse 6: "But when Jesus was afar off he ran and worshipped him, " What’s interesting here in this verse is that the man was out of his mind. So then the question begs to be asked, “How did he recognize who Jesus”? Let me suggest to you that when the grace of God comes to your rescue even in your mess and even if you are out of your mind; that because of His irresistible grace, favor and call on your life, the Holy Ghost can break into your spirit, open up your heart and light up and awaken your soul and you’ll see Jesus for Who He is!
Firstly, we find, “The Maniac”
We see him “CHAINED, CRYING, & CUTTING HIMSELF WITH STONES.”
The Second Thing that we see here in the text is ,“The Miracle”
WE. SEE HIM CLEANSED, AND CHANGED When he saw Jesus afar’ off he ran and worshipped him. Not even a legion of devils could stop this brother from reaching out to Christ for help, and salvation.
INTERMISSION- (w. 7-14}
(V7) Confrontation- The unclean spirit initiates the dialogue by yelling at Jesus. In vs 8 we find A Conversation; in vs 9 "An interrogation and Declaration" In vs. 10 "A Solicitation” and 11-12 we find "An Appropriation"
(vv. 13-14) Casting Out- Jesus performs an exorcism. "Come out of him.” What sociology couldn’t do Jesus could. What psychology couldn’t do, Jesus could. What philosophy couldn’t do, Jesus could. I’ll tell you that Jesus can do it!
After this man’s encounter with Jesus WE SEE HIM CLOTHED AND COLLECTED.
AFTER- (w. 15-20}
This gives us what happens when God is given the rein to rule in our lives.
(v. 15) Restoration-
"Was sitting;’ That’s Collected
"Was clothed" That’s Covered
"And in his right mind”. That’s Civilized
(v. 16-17) Rejection- You would think that the folk that knew him before he met Jesus and got delivered would be happy for him. But instead of receiving him and rejoicing with him they "reject him".
Listen here. Everyone that sees you delivered "by Jesus" ain’t gonna necessarily be happy for you because you are now "with Jesus", But they’ll hate on you and virtually tell you that "they don’t have any more use for you”. (ELABORATE)
1. “The Maniac” 2. “The Miracle” Finally, we see 3. The Mission
(v. 18} Request- He says, "Jesus they don’t want me here anymore, can 1 go with you”?
(v, 1 9) Reassignment– The reply of the Master is, “Go home to thy friends, and tell them how great things the Lord hath done for thee, and hath had compassion on thee.”In other words, Jesus was sending this newly delivered believer to his God-ordained mission. Jesus was in fact telling the brother to, "Go home and tell them, haw I was A doctor in your sickroom; how I made a way out of no way;!, showed up as A Bridge over your troubled water; and a Shelter in your time of storm, etc"
(v, 20) We find the man "Reaching Out"*-
Vs. 20 says, that "He went to home to Decapolis (City of Ten Towns) and preached the Good News and all men did marvel." Jesus told him to go to his home (immediate family) and family (lit., “to yours,” your own people) from whom he had been estranged and report to them all that the Lord, the Most High God I hear him saying,
As I close, I cannot help but to reflect upon how good the Lord has been to me. And just like this brotherin our text, I too was commanded by the Lord to “go and tell“. "I said I wasn’t going to tell anybody, but I just couldn’t keep it to myself! This thing, it’s like fire shut up in my bones!
How I got o-ver; How I got o-ver, my soul looks back and won~ders. how I got o-ver.I believe that the first song that he sung when got home was;
"AMAZING GRACE SHALL ALWAYS BE MY SONG OF PRAISE.
IT WAS GRACE THAT BOUGHT MY LIBERTY.
I DO NOT KNOW WHY CHRIST CAME TO LOVE ME SO.
HE LOOKED BEYOND MY FAULTS AND SAW MY NEEDS."
I’M SO GLAD THAT JESUS LIFTED ME!
THERE’S POWER IN HIS NAME; THERE’S PEACE IN HIS NAME
THERE’S JOY IN HIS NAME
THERE’S DELIVERANCE IN HIS NAME
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