In the first century, a man walked to his city in Decapolis, on the eastern side of the Jordan River. It had been a long time since he had been home or been around anyone who wasn’t trying to chain him up. They had tried to bind him, but the supernatural strength lent to him by Legion had shattered all attempts at restraining him. Clothing covered his body once more, concealing the cuts that riddled his flesh. His mind was his again, and for once, he could think clearly.
As he entered the city, he began to tell people about a man he had met in the region of the Gerasenes. People listened attentively and marveled at what this Jesus had done for him. His demons had been cast out into a herd of pigs that drowned themselves in the sea. His despair had been turned into hope. God had mercy on him and saved him from his torment because Jesus had set him free.
The formerly demon-possessed man from Mark 5 became one of the earliest evangelists in Decapolis. As Jesus had instructed him, the man went about proclaiming how much Jesus (the Lord) has done for him (Mark 5:20). The result was that many people were amazed by what Jesus had done, presumably laying the seeds and groundwork for faith in Jesus.
How much has the Lord done for you? Has he saved you from bondage in sin (Rom. 6:22)? Has he delivered you from the “demons” that have tormented your life? If we are Christians, then the answer is most certainly “Yes!” So, what do we do about it? As Jesus said: Go home to your friends and tell them how much the Lord has done for you and how he has had mercy on you.
Spencer Clark