Scars
Do you have scars? Yes, we all have scars - physical and emotional scars – emblems of old pain, some visible but most hidden. Mark Chapter 5:1-20 is a story of an evil demonically possessed man who also had “scars”. Verse 5 says,” Night and day among the tombs and in the hills, he would cry out and cut himself with stones.” Amazingly, he is healed and redeemed by Jesus then becomes a follower, a servant, a witness a disciple with a powerful testimony and eventually a missionary to the people who abandon him to the tombs of dead people.
It is also a story of Spiritual Warfare. We cannot hope to win the spiritual warfare against Satan and his demons by our own power. He is stronger than we are and smarter than we are. If we rely on ourselves, we will lose. We must rely on the Lord who is stronger than he is. How can we do this? We must be alert to temptations and always turn to the Lord through prayer and the Word - follow the principles in God’s Word and pray for His help. But we need not fear for we in Christ are loved with and everlasting love, and underneath are His everlasting arms.
Scripture for the Battle
· Psalm 68 rise up oh God may your enemies be scattered
· Ephesians 6 Put on the whole Amour of God
· Philippians 2 – Every Knee shall bow, and every tongue confess that Jesus is LORD- in Heaven on the Earth and Under the earth
· Isaiah 26:3 you will keep in perfect peace him whose mind is steadfast because you trust in Him.
· Psalm 27 – The Lord is my light and my salvation- whom shall, I fear?
The possessed man before meeting Jesus
No Identity - No name but Legion given by the devil
Evil- and in Darkness
Naked – no Clothes – suffering the cold and hot elements
Insane, Insomniac, Restless
Possible murderer- or criminal
Extremely Strong Physically
Homeless – lived in the Toombs of the Dead
No friends – lonely, Violent, Fearful, Crying
Tormented mentally day and night, Hopeless
Self-hatred in cutting himself- Abuse, Loveless, No Purpose for being
The possessed man after meeting Jesus
New Name and Identity
Calm, clothes on and in his right mind, peaceful, loved, accepted
Called by his name, Transformed
A witness, a servant, a personal story and testimony to tell
A passionate purpose for living and a desire to be with Jesus
Jesus Compassion, Power, Humility and meekness
Jesus made the trip by boat with the disciples “intentionally” to the Decapolis region to have an encounter with this tormented man. He cares about the broken people, the despised rejected cast aways. I Corinthians 1:
27 But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. 28 God chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things—and the things that are not—to nullify the things that are, 29 so that no one may boast before him. 30 It is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God—that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption.
Irony
The Demons Recognized Jesus in verse 7.
“What do you want with me Jesus Son of the most high God”?
In contrast in the previous chapter in Mark. While in the boat during the rough seas and storm – when Jesus calmed the sea, the disciples said, “who is this man?” (that even the wind and waves obey him).
Demons are Unredeemable
The Demons Response after Jesus has mercy on them was to
kill and destroy the pigs by drowning them in the sea…Satan is a murderer and hates God’s creation. On a lighter note, a little Child was asked about the piggies in the story. Yes, they were doing a Swan (Swine) dive into the ocean and committing Suicide (SOOIEY SIDE). LOL
The People of the Town when they saw the demon possessed man dressed
They were Afraid. Hebrews 10 :31 says it is a Fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God. God’s Goodness can be too much and for worldly prideful people who love their power, pleasure and comfort more than a spiritual connection with a higher power. They run away or follow at a distance because they know they are evil or feel more comfortable with other lost people like themselves – the herd mentality. They could not explain it so they could not control it and that caused them to fear it.
Then they asked – “PLEADED” Jesus to leave their region. As Jesus told Nicodemus in John 3:19: “And this is the Verdict, Light has come into the World and Men loved Darkness more than light because their deeds are Evil.”
So, Jesus being the Gentleman that He is – leaves the region. God will never go against your free will accept Him or to reject Him.
A Changed life – The Possessed man’s response – Becomes Jesus’ first Missionary
He begged to go with Jesus. 19 Jesus did not let him, but said, “Go home to your own people and tell them how much the Lord has done for you, and how he has had mercy on you.” 20 So the man went away and began to tell in the Decapolis (10 Cities) how much Jesus had done for him. And all the people were amazed.
Read Mark 7 two chapters later –
31 Then Jesus left the vicinity of Tyre and went through Sidon, down to the Sea of Galilee and into the region of the Decapolis. There some people brought to him a man who was deaf and could hardly talk, and they begged Jesus to place his hand on him.
This man was Jesus’ first Missionary, and it appears that he spread the word thru his witness that when Jesus arrived again in the Region of Decapolis in Mark chapter 7. People had heard of Jesus thru the eyewitness of this healed demon possessed man!
How should we respond to this Story?
We have a free will that can be the best or the worst when we make wrong decisions out of pride. Who knows what caused this man to go so far down and be so evil that the demons felt at home in his body. Someone once wrote a story “My Heart Christ’s Home”. We have rooms in our Spiritual house (Mind body and spirit) and Jesus wants us to give Him the key to every room. Even the most stinky decrepit room. Being the humble and meek servant that he is, he goes in and cleans up every room.
But again, because He will never go against our free will, we must allow Him access to every room, we must humble ourselves and give him the key, submitting as a Child of God and as the Demon possessed man did falling on his knees before Jesus.
This healed man had self- inflicted Scars. In Heaven – Only Jesus will have “Scars”.
SONG: Scars by Farrell and Farrell
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X64bCitJWQA
Chorus:
See those Scars…precious Scars… Proof of battles He brought you through…. Learn to love those old scars…For the Strength they bring to you?
Reminders that Wounds are part of his plan for you…
Reminders that Healing is part of His plan for you…
~ Steve Byers and his wife Debbie have lived in the Charlotte area since 2017 and have been attending LIFE Fellowship for five years. Steve is a musician and songwriter and sings in the Oxygen Choir. Steve and Debbie, have one son, Josh and a daughter-in-law, Avery. They are grand parents to Jaxon and Grayson.