21. The Gadarene Demoniac (Mark 5:1-20)

Mark continues to tell a series of stories that highlight the conflict between faith and competing interests. In this account, known as the Gadarene Demoniac, Jesus frees a man from the ravages of demonic insanity, and frees the community from the dreadful terror of one who could not be bound, in spite of many attempts to do so. Rather than celebrate Jesus as a hero, however, the locals pleaded with Jesus to leave. They preferred the status quo to faith in Christ, even though he had made such a great contribution to their well-being. Faith must never cave in to an interest in guarding the status quo, which seems to be a least one point that Mark is trying to make in this account.