May 13, 2010
The cost of following Christ
Mark 5:1-20
Jonathan Pokluda
Central Truth
Sometimes our worldly desires for safety, stuff, and status overshadow the amazing things God does in our lives.
Key Verse | Mark 5:17
And they began to implore Him to leave their region. (Mark 5:17)
Mark 5:1-20
Jesus Heals a Man with a Demon
1 They came to the other side of the sea, to the country of the Gerasenes. 1 5:1 Some manuscripts Gergesenes; some Gadarenes 2 And when Jesus 2 5:2 Greek he; also verse 9 had stepped out of the boat, immediately there met him out of the tombs a man with an unclean spirit. 3 He lived among the tombs. And no one could bind him anymore, not even with a chain, 4 for he had often been bound with shackles and chains, but he wrenched the chains apart, and he broke the shackles in pieces. No one had the strength to subdue him. 5 Night and day among the tombs and on the mountains he was always crying out and cutting himself with stones. 6 And when he saw Jesus from afar, he ran and fell down before him. 7 And crying out with a loud voice, he said, “What have you to do with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I adjure you by God, do not torment me.” 8 For he was saying to him, “Come out of the man, you unclean spirit!” 9 And Jesus asked him, “What is your name?” He replied, “My name is Legion, for we are many.” 10 And he begged him earnestly not to send them out of the country. 11 Now a great herd of pigs was feeding there on the hillside, 12 and they begged him, saying, “Send us to the pigs; let us enter them.” 13 So he gave them permission. And the unclean spirits came out and entered the pigs; and the herd, numbering about two thousand, rushed down the steep bank into the sea and drowned in the sea.
14 The herdsmen fled and told it in the city and in the country. And people came to see what it was that had happened. 15 And they came to Jesus and saw the demon-possessed 3 5:15 Greek daimonizomai (demonized); also verses 16, 18; elsewhere rendered oppressed by demons man, the one who had had the legion, sitting there, clothed and in his right mind, and they were afraid. 16 And those who had seen it described to them what had happened to the demon-possessed man and to the pigs. 17 And they began to beg Jesus 4 5:17 Greek him to depart from their region. 18 As he was getting into the boat, the man who had been possessed with demons begged him that he might be with him. 19 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.” 20 And he went away and began to proclaim in the Decapolis how much Jesus had done for him, and everyone marveled.
Dive Deeper | Mark 5:1-20
I spent the first five years out of college in a sales career. I was passionate about sales and would study the “art” of selling very closely. I became a student of those who had been selling much longer than I, like Brian Tracey, Zig Ziglar, and Tom Hopkins. I hoped to learn from their wisdom and technique. I remember a powerful tool in selling called the “if/then statement.” It works like this: IF you buy this product, THEN your life will be easier.
I believe our approach to sharing the gospel too often is similar to this. IF you trust Christ, THEN your life will be easier. While Christ did come so that we may have life and have it to the fullest (John 10:10), He also says that whoever wants to save his life must first lose it. This message is clearly stated by every Gospel writer. While grace is a free gift, following Jesus will cost you much of what the world says is important.
In this passage we see significant healing and life change as a result of an encounter with Christ. We see the demon(s) acknowledge Christ as the Son of the Most High God and then beg Him for mercy. Jesus sends the demons into about 2,000 pigs, and the pigs run off a cliff. The demon-possessed man is healed, and when the story is retold, the people talked about his healing and the lost pigs. Afraid of what else Jesus will cost them, the people of that region ask Him to leave.
Most of us say we desire to be like Jesus. However, the process of becoming like Christ often means the loss of our own “herd of pigs.” Some of us didn’t bargain for that. We want the “believe-and-get-an-easier-life” Jesus. The “easier life” comes from having a real Savior that we can completely trust, in good times and bad. The abundant life Jesus offers is worth the cost of a couple thousand pigs. Those who have experienced it know that. See also the formerly demon-possessed man.
Discussion Questions
1. What amazing work has God done in your life that you have since taken for granted?
2. Two thousand pigs would have been someone's livelihood. If you were there, would you have been focused on the life change or the loss?
3. Today, what have you lost because of following Christ? What have you gained?
FAMILY DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
1. What did Jesus do for the demon-possessed man?
2. What did He tell the man to go and do (verse 19)?
3. Do you tell others about what Jesus has done for you?