I’ll admit it: I’ve fallen asleep at church. When you’ve heard a story told so many times, it can lose its punch. Recently, my church has been going through the book of Mark. I thought for sure I would doze off at least once or twice, but instead I’ve found myself gaining new insights. That’s the great thing about God’s word (and a good preacher). You can find something new in what you thought you already knew.
This last Sunday our pastor talked about the demoniac of Gerasenes (Mark 5). I’ve read this story many times, but I never realized how it was connected to Jesus calming the storm when He and His disciples were in the boat in the Sea of Galilee (Mark 4:35-41.) When Jesus miraculously controlled the weather, the disciples asked, “Who is this? Even the wind and the waves obey him!” Our pastor said the answer to their question would come from an unlikely source in the next chapter.
Unlikely, indeed. After the boat reached the shore, the demon-possessed man from the region of Gerasenes saw Jesus and he (or rather, the demons who possessed him) fell at Jesus’s feet and said, “What business do we have with each other, Jesus, Son of the Most High God?”
The disciples had their answer. Jesus, the one who had calmed the storm, was Son of the Most High God. And it wasn’t just one demon recognizing His deity. It was a legion of demons. Thousands. Talk about a witness.
You may know how the rest of the story goes. Jesus frees the man of the demons, sending them into a herd of pigs who then run off and commit swine-suicide via cliff jumping.
I got to wondering: why were so many demons inside this one man? I don’t know for sure, but I imagine they didn’t all inhabit him at once. At first it was probably just one or two. The purpose of Satan and his crew is to destroy man, the image-bearers of God, who Satan hates. When the demons saw that they couldn’t destroy this man, they called their friends for some help, and so on and so forth until this man was filled with an army of demons set on his destruction.
Yet an entire legion of demons didn’t manage to destroy this man who had a destiny. Instead, unbeknownst to Satan, by their mere numbers they were increasing the power of the testimony of who Jesus is.
Though the poor man broke the chains people had tried to bind him with and cut himself on stones daily (probably in an attempt to end his misery) the demons could not destroy him. He might have been a strong man to begin with, but it wasn’t his own strength that saved him. It was God sustaining him, keeping him for the purpose He had for him.
Can you imagine his suffering? If you’re like me, you don’t want to go there. We’ve all had our trials, and for many of us it seems at times the amount of troubles piled on us can feel insurmountable, destructive. We can’t carry it alone, yet somehow we think we should.
God carries us through, not our own strength.
Though he didn’t realize it, the demon-possessed man in Mark 5 was being sustained through his suffering by a God he did not yet know until the time came for him to be set free by the miracle Jesus performed. God had a plan for his life and a reason for his suffering.
Once free and again in his right mind, the man desperately wanted to go with Jesus. But Jesus said no. He told the man, “Go home to your people and report to them what great things the Lord has done for you, and how He had mercy on you.”
This was Part Two of God’s plan for the formerly demon-possessed man, and it wasn’t an easy one. The people nearby chased Jesus off after their herd of swine—their livelihood—was destroyed. The people were afraid of the man, both for his former behavior and because of what happened because of the exorcism Jesus had performed. The man had scars, literally. All of that cutting himself on stones left visible marks. The people were probably suspicious. Judgmental. Skeptical. Yet Mark states, “And he went away and began to proclaim in Decapolis what great things Jesus had done for him; and everyone was amazed.”
I don’t know about you, but this story makes me think: Who do I need to tell about Jesus and what He’s done for me? While I was never possessed by a legion of demons, I’ve been through some hard times and know God saved me. It was in those times I saw how great God really is, and how much I need Him.
What about you? What great things has God done for you that you can share with others?
Melanie Campbell is a member of Oregon Christian Writers and ACFW. Her debut novel, One Woman Falling, won the 2020 Oregon Christian Writer’s Cascade Award for contemporary fiction and is a finalist for the Selah Award for first novel. One Way Home, the second novel in her Whispers of Grace series, is scheduled for release November 1, 2020.
Melanie wrote her first story when she was eight years old and has been in love with the power of storytelling ever since. She is also passionate about social issues and holds a degree in Sociology from the University of Oregon, which she obtained during her stint as a single mom. She’s now married and lives in Oregon’s beautiful Willamette Valley with her family and several spoiled pets.
When not writing, Melanie enjoys exploring Oregon’s beautiful outdoors by hiking, kayaking, and going for drives in the country. In less-than-favorable weather conditions, you will find her enjoying an intriguing book and a strong cup of coffee.
Cassie Peterson lives in an invisible prison of fear, chained by self-doubt and guarded by a relentless warden—her husband. Derrick’s verbal abuse as well as his alcoholism have left Cassie alienated from her family, without friends, and certain she can’t survive on her own.
After an unexpected police visit, Cassie realizes the survival of her four-year-old daughter, Renee, depends on Cassie’s courage to leave. What she doesn’t plan on is Derrick’s vengeful custody fight.
While walking through the treacherous world of divorce, Cassie is encouraged by her spunky new friend, Missy Langdon, to pursue her love of waterfalls. Cassie finds solace in the waterfalls on the agonizing weekends she’s forced to hand Renee over to Derrick. Meanwhile, unexpected help comes in the form of Brian Sutton, an attorney at the firm where Cassie works—but what price will she ultimately pay for his assistance?
As Derrick’s threatening behavior escalates, Cassie questions her choices. How long will her daughter suffer before the custody case is resolved? Why is she drawn to waterfalls during this chaotic time? And who will stand with her when everything comes crashing down?
