October 1, 2023, Mark 5:1-20, "Jesus, The Dominating Power" (Full)

[Destructiveness of evil.]
Mark 5:1, Gadarenes was a Gentile country, and the Jews at that time would normally avoid Gentiles and Samaritans. So Jesus was telling His disciples to get out of their comfort zone.
Mark 5:2, the disciples had already been through the rough storm (previous chapter), and immediately they encountered another challenge the moment they stepped out of the boat.
Mark 5:3-5, Jesus and His disciples encounter a dangerous homeless demon-possessed man that lives in the tombs, and the locals have never been successful in restraining this homeless man (he can break chains with his evil powers), who spends most of his time roaming through the mountains and caves and tombs, shouting, and cutting himself. The local population continues to live in fear while this psychotic man continues unrestrained and un-subdued.

[Divine deliverance from evil.]
Mark 5:6-7, the evil spirit in the possessed homeless man begs Jesus not to torment it (the evil spirit). Notice that this evil spirit immediately recognized Jesus (while none of the mortal people did, for this was the first time Jesus entered this country). Recall that fallen angels used to be angels, so they would have known who God was since the beginning.
Genesis 6, the "sons" of God (angels that descended) possessed men and had relations with the daughters of God (possessed men corrupted women), and their children would become evil. That was all before God purged the world with the great flood and sealed Noah in the ark. Afterwards, God locked away all the evil spirits (former sons of God) in the bottomless pit (see Revelation 9).
Mark 5:7, the evil spirit in the possessed homeless man was referring to this bottomless pit (Revelation 9), and it was begging Jesus not to cast it into that pit.
Mark 5:8, Jesus casts the demon(s) out of the possessed homeless man.
Mark 5:9-10, "Legion" (the name of the demon(s)) petitions Jesus to allow it to remain in the country Gadarenes. And why? Most likely it wanted to remain in the country to continue spreading fear and superstition, which is a consistent foundation for false religion and cult beliefs.
Mark 5:11-12, "Legion" conspires to enter into 2 thousand swine in a farm nearby, so it could continue dwelling.
Mark 5:13, Jesus PERMITS the evils spirit(s) to go to the swine, and the possessed swine immediately go crazy, rush into the sea, and kill themselves (and where can the evil spirits go after theirs hosts perish?).
Mark 5:13, nothing can ever happen unless God allows it to happen, and nothing that conspires against God can succeed (no one can trick God)

[Disbelief.]
Mark 5:14, recall that the Jews did not eat pork (see Levitical law), and 2 thousand pigs would have been a significant investment for Gentile farmers (in other words, the Gentiles were not in danger of the Jews or anyone over-consuming their swine any time soon). The news of what Jesus did immediately spreads throughout the country.
Mark 5:15, and many in the country came to behold the glory of God; how Jesus was the only one in the country who could save the man that used to be possessed by "Legion".
Mark 5:16, those Gentiles that came to witness Jesus and see the man he healed become perfectly sound and in his right mind, reported their witness back to others in the same country.
Mark 5:17, and still the Gentiles in Gadarenes did not thank Jesus for His miracle; instead they asked Him to leave their country (were they more focused on the 2 thousand pigs or the saving miracle of Jesus). They were more comfortable in the hardness of their hearts (Mark 4:5-6, the stony hearts) to remain in their status quo, instead of welcoming Jesus (who alone had the power to save) into their lives.

[Belief.]
Mark 5:18-19, Jesus tells the formerly demon possessed man to go home and tell his friends and family about the good news and his salvation (tell them his testimony and the love and compassion of Jesus Christ)
Mark 5:20, therefore he did as Jesus told him, and spread the news in Decapolis. This was the very first missionary, sending a Gentile into another Gentile country Decapolis (so technically the first missionary was not a Jew), from Jesus. This was before Jesus sent out the 12 disciples (Luke 9) and the 72 (Luke 10).
Mark 7:31, a few months later Jesus enters Decapolis, which had many of the same people in Gadarnese that asked Him to leave back in Mark 5:17
Mark 8:1-2, and these kinds of people end up spending 3 days with Jesus, even spending 3 days with Christ without eating
Mark 8:9, Jesus sends the 4 thousand of them away after feeding them with another miracle (multiplied fish and bread); that is still love and compassion from Jesus Christ

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