As we journey through these next two chapters in Mark 5-6, there are so many parts to unpack in the passage featuring the demon-possessed man. Yet, it’s the brief part at the very end that stands out to me the most. The man sought to literally follow Jesus after being miraculously healed by the removal of the demonic spirits. Yet, Jesus did not permit him to…instead sending him out to his community…the people he already knew and probably had interacted with regularly. Verse 20 says, “everyone marveled” as he went about, sharing his story and serving as a living testament of what God had done. I bet most of those he told never actually met Jesus, but it was through this man’s story that they marveled at who He was. Even though my story doesn’t seem as radical as this man’s, it’s the story God has written for me and the story He intends for me to go out and share. The question is who, where, or even how…the honest question is simply, will I? Lord, please help me boldly share with others all that You’ve done for me, just like this man.
“And he did not permit him but said to him, ‘Go home to your friends and tell them how much the Lord has done for you, and how he has had mercy on you.’”
Mark 5:19
“Oh give thanks to the Lord; call upon his name; make known his deeds among the peoples!”
1 Chronicles 16:8