Snapshot12 Mark 5:1-20 The importance of a person
Questions for Community Groups
1. Do you know any outcasts you can reach out to?
2 Have you ever felt like an outcast? Why?
3 Are you generous with your resources on behalf of other people?
4. Have you ever experienced someone going out of their way for you?
5. Why do you feel compelled to help others?
Vrs 1-2 This is a sad account of man who is possessed by demons
Vrs 3-5 The life of this man was miserable and he was dangerous to others and himself. What a sad existence (this is why I chose not watch evil movies)
The function of demonic possession is to destroy and distort people who were made in the image of God.
Vrs 6-8 Here we have the demons talking to Jesus through the this man and the idea that Jesus “was saying, come out of the man”. Again in Mark we see that demons know who Jesus is, calling Him “Jesus Son of the Most High God”
Vrs 9-10 Jesus asks the demons name and the reply is Legion, which means 6,000, so there is literally an army of demons possessing this man.
Vrs 11-13 The demons had a particular affection for this area and wanted to stay. The presence of the herd of pigs (swine) illustrates the pagan area because swine were unclean. They ask for permission to go into the pigs.
Why does Jesus allow this? William Lane in his commentary on Mark offers to two possible suggestions.
1. The time of total binding of the demons in hell has not yet come.
2. Jesus allows this to illustrate that demons just want to destroy life.
Vrs 14-17 The response of the herdsman. They were upset with their financial loss and want Jesus to leave. What a callous response, here the town demoniac is healed and they care about the herd because of finances.
Vrs 18-20 This man just wanted to be with Jesus, but interestingly enough Jesus had a different plan for him. He wanted him to go and tell others about how Jesus helped him.
Why did Jesus not silence him? This man was a Gentile so Jesus probably did not silence his preaching because Jesus was not welcome to preach in Gentile areas
There are many things that we can take away from this account but what I want to focus in on is the importance of individual people to Jesus and He teaches us that he values people by helping this miserable man. He also helps other miserable people like us.
Jesus will help…
• When you are an outcast. GOSPEL (we are all outcasts)
Do you feel like an outcast? Do you feel like it is hard to have close relationships or that people do not understand you or like you? Do you feel unwelcome?
Maybe you feel like an outcast because of your situation. Rough family, no money, relational status.
JOHN ORTBERG, says “Jesus ... associated with the outcasts; he spoke with them, touched them, ate with them, loved them”.
So if you are feeling like an outcast know that Jesus is there for you, He listens and cares 1 Peter 5:7
• When no one else will.
Do you feel like no one is there for you? You need to talk and no one will listen? The people around just don’t seem to be there when you need them? Do you feel like you can’t share the depths of your heart with anyone because they don’t seem to care?
Maybe like in the account of these people who lost their pigs the people around you feel that their possessions or money is more important then you or your relationship, or your value and worth as human.
This is when we normally come to the conclusion that we need to help ourselves… then we realize we are unable to.
• When you can’t help yourself.
God helps those who help themselves. Benjamin Franklin That is not a biblical concept. As if God is saying…”he gave it shot it is time for me to intervene”
No actually it is very different. God puts us in situations that we can’t possibly do it alone and we realize we need to lean on Him and others.
So when the Lord helps us we have to come to the conclusion He has helped us…
• So you can help others.
-When we see an outcast, how can we help? Are you trying to be an example of Jesus to the outcast? (The demon possessed man was an outcast)
Norman Rice said “Dare to reach out your hand into the darkness, to pull another hand into the light”
It is a risk but it is what we are called to do.
-When we see someone in need, do we go out of our way for them?
'Tis not enough to help the feeble up, but to support them after.
William Shakespeare
Do we use our resources for them? Are our resources more important then the people around us?
We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give. ~Winston Churchill
You may say…I don’t have much to give or help.
It is the greatest of all mistakes to do nothing because you can only do little - do what you can. ~Sydney Smith
Jesus helped you and validated your importance and He can use you to help and validate the importance of those around you.
No comments:
Post a Comment