Mark
5:1-43
As we saw in Mark Chapter 3, our Lord confronted the
devil on every turn He would make as He went about doing good and healing many
on His journey through the surrounding cities. In the last Chapter of Mark we
were eye witnesses of His power over the created elements of nature the wind,
the body of water, and the storms that produce rain, thunder, and lightning. He
without effort spoke to the elements of nature and immediately they obeyed His
Word. Our Lord is once again confronted by the works of the devil in three separate
cases and each one is a result of the devil having dominion over the earth by
the result of Adam’s sin. Again we see in stark contrast to what the religious
Jewish hierarchy believed about the Lord Jesus, He was not in league with the
devil but in conflict and battle with him at every turn to undue the havoc the
enemy went about perpetrating in people’s lives.
In the first case, our Lord confronts a man
possessed of many fierce demons that have so wreaked destruction in this man’s life
that he no longer is able to control his behavior. The man is forced by the
demons to live in a grave yard while inflicting cuts to his body every day. The
man’s strength is far above other normal human beings because his body is no
longer under his control and when the enemy sees our Lord they are instantly
terrified and shriek back from Him as they bow to Him in fearful worship. But
our Lord muzzled their speech and commanded them to come out of the man.
James
2:19 You believe that there is one God. You do well. Even the demons believe
--- and tremble! NKJV
The most odd part of this encounter is the demons
ask our Lord to not send them out of the country perhaps they already knew of
another person (maybe engaged in Baal worship, or astrology, or some other
occult worship) they could have opportunity to inhabit. The demons in terror
begged our Lord Jesus to send them into a heard of pigs nearby them. One of the
other gospel writers said they begged our Lord Jesus to not send them to the
abyss. This most strange occurrence for me is our Lord granted their request.
He could have instantly zapped them into the torment of the abyss but He chose
to leave them in this country but deliver, save, and rescue this man afflicted
by them. Perhaps our Lord let the demons stay in that country because after
witnessing this awesome miracle healing the people of that country said these
words to Christ Jesus, “Then they began to plead with Him (the Lord Jesus) to
depart from their region.” How foolish were these carnal people after seeing
God at work they wanted nothing to do with our Lord Jesus Christ.
Revelation
9:20-21 But the rest of mankind, who were not killed by these plagues, did not
repent of the works of their hands, that they should not worship demons, and
idols of gold, silver, brass, stone, and wood, which can neither see nor hear
nor walk. And they did not repent of their murders or their sorceries or their
sexual immorality or their thefts. NKJV
Now there was the man his mind and body now healed
and he is sitting at our Lord’s feet imploring Him to let him come with Him
where ever He is going, but our Lord would not permit him but instead said, “Go home to your friends, and tell them what great things the
Lord has done for you, and how He has had compassion on you.” The man
did just that and the people where he lived were amazed at his transformation.
Our Lord’s power over the demons solidifies Him as God for they would not cower
in fear, dread, and terror at the presence of a mere man.
Deuteronomy
30:3 “That the LORD your God will bring you back from captivity, and have
compassion on you.” NKJV
Psalms
111:4 He has made His wonderful works to be remembered; The LORD is
gracious and full of compassion. NKJV
Micah
7:19 He will again have compassion on us, And will subdue our iniquities. You
will cast all our sins Into the depths of the sea. NKJV
Romans
9:15 For He says to Moses, “I will
have mercy on whomever I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on
whomever I will have compassion.” NKJV
Secondly, our Lord while walking through the crowds
being pressed on every side from the people trying to get near to Him that they
might receive some blessing from the Lord Jesus, but there was one women with a
blood disease or illness that caused her to continue to bleed and bleed. This
woman was so distraught and dejected from going to doctor after doctor trying
to be cured from this disease or illness. Because of the Law she was unable to
have communion with her husband or children and she could not worship in the
temple at all. She perhaps had heard about the Lord Jesus Christ and knew of
His compassion and mercy He showed to many people afflicted with various
diseases.
Psalms
41:8 “An evil disease,” they say, “clings to him. And now that he
lies down, he will rise up no more.” NKJV
She knew that she was unclean in the sight of all
the Jews and this is why she purposed in her heart to touch our Lord’s garment
because she in her mind did not believe Jesus would touch her. For she said, “If
only I may touch His clothes, I shall be made well.” She pressed her way
through the crowd all the while trying to keep herself from being recognized by
any of the people in the crowd for they would try and prevent her from getting
close enough to our Lord. Alas she touches His garment and the Scripture says, “Immediately
the fountain of her blood was dried up, and she felt in her body that
she was healed of the affliction.” Our Lord the moment she touched Him in faith
also knew immediately that power went out of Him and there His power that
proceeds from Him to cure disease also testifies of Him being God.
Psalms
103:3-5 Who forgives all your iniquities, Who heals all your diseases, Who
redeems your life from destruction, Who crowns you with loving-kindness and
tender mercies, Who satisfies your mouth with good things, So that
your youth is renewed like the eagle’s. NKJV
Thirdly, just before our Lord’s encounter with the
blood diseased woman, a ruler of the Jewish synagogue came rushing to Him
pleading for Him to come to his house because his daughter was close to death.
Our Lord agreed but while they were on their way to Jairus’ house he received
the bad news that she has died. Well, what point is it in troubling Jesus any
longer to heal his daughter. Now our Lord will display His power over death. It
is only God that can forgive sin as some of the Pharisees said to our Lord on
other occasions and now our Lord was ridiculed and laughed to scorn by some of
the Jewish people when He said, “Why make this
commotion and weep? The child is not dead, but sleeping.”
James
2:26 “For as the body without the spirit is dead” NKJV
Our Lord put those scorning Jews out of the house as
not to give them the privilege of witnessing His power first hand because of
their mocking unbelief. It brings to mind His words of “Do
not cast your pearls before swine or give that which is holy to dogs.” Our
Lord is the Father of all spirits and knows that her spirit was in the presence
of God the Father and that He needed only to call her back to her body that
appeared to be in the state of sleep. He said, “Little
girl, I say to you, arise” and the girl immediately got up by the power
our Lord has over man’s final enemy death.
Hebrews
11:35 “Women received their dead raised to life again.” NKJV
Therefore, we see in this 5th Chapter of
Marks Gospel that our Lord defeats the enemy who imprisoned a man by demons,
bound a woman with a blood disease, and struck down the life of a little
precious girl of 12 years old in death. Our Lord demonstrates His Sovereign
Power over these 3 things demons, disease, and death because as the Scripture
says, “For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that He might destroy
the works of the devil.” Our Lord brought the destruction of the devils work to
eternal destruction by His own death, burial, and resurrection from the dead
2,000 years ago.
“There are
two equal and opposite errors into which our race can fall about the devils. One is to disbelieve in their
existence. The other is to believe, and to feel an excessive and unhealthy
interest in them. They themselves are equally pleased by both errors, and hail
a materialist and a magician with the same delight. C. S. Lewis 1898-1963
“Your foes may be numerous as the devils in hell, strong and wily;
but He will save.” F. B. Meyer 1847-1929
“I don’t believe there are devils enough in hell to pull a boy
out of the arms of a Godly Mother.” Billy Sunday 1862-1935
“We have accounts of the deification of men in pagan
mythology. But I do not remember any account of a god becoming a man, to help
man. Whoever heard of Jupiter or Mars or Minerva coming down and attempting to
bear the burdens of men? The gods were willing enough to receive the gifts of
men, but Christianity is unique in the fact that our God became a man with
human infirmity and emptied Himself of the glory of Heaven, in order that He
might take upon Himself the sins, diseases
and weakness of our humanity.” A. C. Dixon 1854-1925
“The high Heaven covereth as well tall mountains as
small mole hills, and mercy can cover all. The more desperate thy disease, the greater is the glory of
thy physician, who hath perfectly cured thee.” Abraham Wright 1611-1690
“As I go into a cemetery I like to think of the time
when the dead shall
rise from their graves. ... Thank God, our friends are not buried; they are
only sown!” D. L. Moody 1837-1899
“I am a spiritual being... After this body is dead, my spirit will soar. I refuse to
let what will rot rule the eternal. I choose self-control. I will be drunk only
by joy. I will be impassioned only by my faith. I will be influenced only by
God. I will be taught only by Christ.” Max Lucado
If
you do not know the Lord Jesus Christ and His amazing healing power, pray this
from your heart to the Lord Jesus Christ (you speaking directly to Him), Dear
Lord Jesus, I confess to You that I am a sinner and I need Your forgiveness. I
believe You shed Your Blood and died for my sins. I believe that You rose from
the dead proving that You alone are God. I repent of my sins. I want to turn
from my sins. I ask You Dear Lord Jesus to come into my heart and take control
of my life. I want You to be my Lord, Savior, and my God. Amen...
Sincerely in Christ,
Clifford D. Tate, Sr.
Author of “Silent Assassins of the Soul - Are you
Broken by Pornography and Masturbation? You can be Restored by the Lord Jesus
Christ and brought into Deliverance, Freedom, and Victory! A Guide for Men and
Women in the Enemy’s Crosshairs” e-book available now @ Amazon Kindle, @ Apple
I Bookstore for IPod, Barnes and Noble for Nook, Reader Store for Sony Reader,
Kobo, Copia, Gardners, Baker and Taylor, and eBookPie…
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