Freedom

Then they came to the other side of the sea, to the region of the Gerasenes. As soon as He got out of the boat, a man with an unclean spirit came out of the tombs and He met Him. He lived in the tombs. No one was able to restrain him anymore- even with chains, but had snapped off the chains and smashed the shackles. No one was strong enough to subdue him. And always night and day, he was crying out and cutting himself with stones. Mark 5: 1-5

Everything with Jesus, according to Mark, is immediate. The man with the unclean spirit came running to Jesus, he did not run from Jesus. He confessed Him as 'Jesus, Son of the Most High God.' even a demon knew Him for who He was. There was no pride here. The pride of the Pharisees kept them from seeing but this man had nothing at all to be proud of, he was in a piteous state.

The demons wanted to stay in the 'region'. They had tormented the man and now asked Jesus not to torment them, what a horrible cauldron of demented and distorted beings.

How twisted and far from life were both the demons and the man. Ye there was one who could set the man free. The destiny of the demons could not be altered but the destiny of the man could. Freedom awaited him. What a change? One minute so deranged the next sane and free from oppression, how pure and quiet, how peaceful and light he must have felt.

As I read this I can only praise. How good is our God? How great? How loving?

When the townsfolk saw what had happened they were afraid. Fancy being afraid of freedom? Fancy being afraid of the power to deliver and make whole. Fancy wanting things to stay the same? How insane is that?

Don't run from freedom, run to it, don't send it away, welcome it! Life awaits you! Amen!