They Asked Jesus to Leave

If you are looking for a passage of Scripture on which to practice your devotional reading skills, the opening story of Mark 5 is a great passage. There is a lot going on. And, of course, there is Jesus.

So start with prayer. Ask God to give you wisdom and understanding as you read. Ask that your eyes and ears and heart would be open to hear and receive the voice of he Spirit.

Then read the account of Jesus and the Gerasene Demoniac. Imagine what it would have been like to witness those events firsthand.

If we read a little before this passage (context!), in Mark 4, we discover that Jesus and the disciples have had a long night as they crossed the Sea of Galilee. And they had a long day before that. They are tired. They are wet. They smell like the sea. They are probably glad to be getting out of the boat, and they are looking forward to breakfast and a little rest. Which of us can't appreciate the feeling of being emotionally and physically exhausted? That must have been how the disciples felt after the day and the night that they had. All they want is a little peace and quiet.

But what they get is a crazy man running out of the cemetery. This man would have assaulted their senses.  He would have assaulted the nose - I doubt hygiene was high on his priority list while he was living among the tombs and cutting himself with rocks. He would have assaulted the ears - he was loud, screaming day and night. He would have assaulted the eyes - Luke tells us he was naked, and Mark indicates a man who beat himself up. Imagine long, wild hair and an unkempt beard. Imagine fresh wounds where he has cut himself with stones. Imagine bad breath and body odor. This is the man who meets the tired disciples that morning on the beach.

But he does something truly unexpected. He falls at the feet of Jesus. He begins to beg Jesus to leave him alone. We might note two things here. First, the plea to be left alone is the plea of demonic forces - spiritual forces opposed to the will and the way of God. Second, these forces recognize the authority of Jesus, and they submit to him. That would have gotten the disciples' attention, I'm sure. And it should get ours.

A curious dialogue then ensues, and Jesus accepts the demon's suggestion that they be allowed to possess the nearby pigs rather than be sent into some spiritual limbo. The demons then leave the man, restoring him to a right mind. We might say that Jesus restores his humanity, which is a thought worth meditating on. The pigs fare poorly, though. Possessed by demonic forces who, by their nature, destroy and pervert the good things God has made, they immediately rush down the bank into the sea and destroy themselves. Where the man was being slowly destroyed by the demons, the pigs take the fast-track.

It is worth noting that a person is more important than pigs to Jesus.

The destruction of the pigs has enormous social consequences. These represent the livelihoods of numerous people and would have had an economic impact on many. Imagine being one of the town's citizens - perhaps on of the pig owners. Would you have considered that crazy man's life more important than your pigs?

Jesus did.

Well, news of the pigs demise spreads quickly through the community, and everybody comes to the beach to see it for themselves. They encounter Jesus, and sitting at Jesus' feet is the man once considered crazy. Now he is in his right mind. What a great image - in his right mind at the feet of Jesus!

As the crowd pieces the story together, though, they become afraid. For the second time in this story, Jesus is asked to leave someone alone. The entire community asks Jesus to leave. Can there be a sadder testimony than the one given in Mark 5:17? These people are not demon-possessed, but they echo the demonic wishes -- for Jesus to leave them alone.

Perhaps the cost of love and healing for one man was too high for them. Perhaps they feared that a man who would upset the economics of the community might do even more. Perhaps they didn't know how to respond or accept a man who had power over spiritual forces. Perhaps they didn't feel they could control him. Maybe it was some of all of these ideas. But for whatever reason, they begged him to leave their region.

And Jesus left.

It is a startling outcome after such a great act of grace. The people refused to welcome him. They asked him to leave. And he left.

Jesus clearly challenges people. His priorities and his power are different and awesome. As you walk away from this passage, ask yourself: How is he challenging me today?