Mark 5:13-20

14 Those tending the pigs ran off and reported this in the town and countryside, and the people went out to see what had happened. 15 When they came to Jesus, they saw the man who had been possessed by the legion of demons, sitting there, dressed and in his right mind; and they were afraid. 16 Those who had seen it told the people what had happened to the demon-possessed man—and told about the pigs as well. 17 Then the people began to plead with Jesus to leave their region.

18 As Jesus was getting into the boat, the man who had been demon-possessed begged to go with him. 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 how much Jesus had done for him. And all the people were amazed.

-Mark 5:13-20

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Quick recap from yesterday: Jesus cast out demons from this one man and so the demons left the man to possess 2,000 pigs that jumped over the cliff and into the sea to their deaths.  It was pretty crazy.  So apparently, animals can be demon possessed, too.

Today though, I want to focus on the response by the people to this miracle.  After Jesus restored this once demon-possessed man to normal, the people wanted Jesus to leave.  What a strange response. If I were friends with this once demon-possessed man that Jesus just restored, I would be so grateful to Jesus!  I wouldn’t ask him to leave.

The reason why the people wanted Jesus to leave is because they just lost big time financially.  2,000 pigs is no joke.  That's a lot of bacon.  They’re worth a lot of money and Jesus just threw all that money down the drain... or down the sea as the case may be.  The people cared more about their financial situation than their friend’s health and well-being.  They wanted Jesus to leave because they recognized that being associated with Jesus could mean more financial loss.

In many ways, these people were right about the cost of following Jesus.  As followers of Christ, there will be times when we will be called to sacrifice financially for the sake of others.  Being an AYL leader, I can’t tell you the number of times I’ve taken kids out to eat and they asked if I can spot them only to never get repaid.  

If you’re one of these kids, I’m not trying to make you feel bad or feel guilty!  I simply want you to know that I’ve accepted the fact that loving people the way Jesus calls us to has a cost.  In many ways, I’ve been repaid back many times over whenever I see a teenager begin to get it spiritually and start following Jesus wholeheartedly.  People are more important than money.

Are you ready to surrender what you have so that others may be blessed—financially, physically, and/or spiritually?  Or will you be like the people here, who complained about their loss in spite of the fact that Jesus just saved their friend.

Here’s a mini-challenge.  My church has been supporting a local food shelter who is super stretched financially these days because of COVID-19 and the loss of jobs due to the economy.  They need a lot of financial help to stay open and help people.  I know you’re teenagers, but if you know how to buy things online, then you know how to contribute online to a non-profit.

Below is the link for Bergen County Family Promise that runs a homeless shelter and a soup kitchen right in our backyard—Hackensack.  Instead of buying that next thing from Amazon, or another pair of sneakers, or another Champion sweatshirt, consider donating that money to Bergen County Family Promise.  You can help a lot of people.

Jesus valued people more than money.  So should we. 

https://www.bergenfamilypromise.org/

Mark 5:1-13

They came to the other side of the sea, to the country of the Gerasenes. 2 And when Jesus had stepped out of the boat, immediately there met him out of the tombs a man with an unclean spirit. 3 He lived among the tombs. And no one could bind him anymore, not even with a chain, 4 for he had often been bound with shackles and chains, but he wrenched the chains apart, and he broke the shackles in pieces. No one had the strength to subdue him. 5 Night and day among the tombs and on the mountains he was always crying out and cutting himself with stones. 6 And when he saw Jesus from afar, he ran and fell down before him. 7 And crying out with a loud voice, he said, “What have you to do with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I adjure you by God, do not torment me.” 8 For he was saying to him, “Come out of the man, you unclean spirit!” 9 And Jesus asked him, “What is your name?” He replied, “My name is Legion, for we are many.” 10 And he begged him earnestly not to send them out of the country. 11 Now a great herd of pigs was feeding there on the hillside, 12 and they begged him, saying, “Send us to the pigs; let us enter them.” 13 So he gave them permission. And the unclean spirits came out and entered the pigs; and the herd, numbering about two thousand, rushed down the steep bank into the sea and drowned in the sea. -Mark 5:1-13

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One of my favorite Christian authors C. S. Lewis made this observation about people and their views on evil:

“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.”

I believe in our western society, we tend to gravitate toward the former.  Because of a growing disbelief in God, there’s been a growing disbelief of the devil and evil.  Anything horrific that anyone does is explained away by their upbringing, environment, biology, etc.  Many don’t believe there’s a supernatural metaphysical evil that is at work.

But the problem of explaining away evil is obvious: If someone’s horrible act is simply a result of their upbringing, environment, biology, etc. then we should be able to fix people by changing their upbringing, environment, biology, etc.  But that hasn’t happened.  Society has tried so hard to fix problems that have never gone away since the beginning of humanity—poverty, racism, oppression, greed, sexism, and the list goes on.  

No matter what we do as a society to try to change things, there’s still poverty, racism, oppression, greed, sexism, etc.  It’s because at the heart of these issues is true evil.  The Bible speaks about the evil that exists in the heart of men that only God can change.  Only in light of the existence of a supernatural evil do the problems of the world make sense.  It reminds us that we can’t fix the world’s problems on our own, we need God’s help.  Supernatural problems require supernatural solutions.

This  crazy passage about Jesus casting out demons from a man into pigs that fall off the cliff into the sea teaches us that.  Evil is real.  But God is bigger and more powerful than that.  The evil in our hearts and the evil in our society is still nothing compared to the might of our God.  May that thought gives us comfort and hope as we continue to follow Jesus.

If you want a great intelligent explanation of the problem of evil, check out Tim Keller’s podcast.  Here’s a link to an episode that really help me think about this topic:

https://chtbl.com/track/92298/mcdn.podbean.com/mf/web/gap7nf/200325_WithATroubledMan.mp3

Mark 4:35-41

35 That day when evening came, he said to his disciples, “Let us go over to the other side.” 36 Leaving the crowd behind, they took him along, just as he was, in the boat. There were also other boats with him. 37 A furious squall came up, and the waves broke over the boat, so that it was nearly swamped. 38 Jesus was in the stern, sleeping on a cushion. The disciples woke him and said to him, “Teacher, don’t you care if we drown?”39 He got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, “Quiet! Be still!” Then the wind died down and it was completely calm.40 He said to his disciples, “Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?”41 They were terrified and asked each other, “Who is this? Even the wind and the waves obey him!”

- Mark 4:35-41

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There are many times when we say we follow Jesus. But when storms come in our lives, do we truly trust him? Just like the disciples started following Jesus and have seen glimpses of His glory but they still struggled to have faith and they let their fear take over when a huge storm struck them. 

Often times we think that when we have a good relationship with God, that means we will never fall into that struggle and everything becomes easier. But that is not true. 

We as humans sometimes feel like we are very close to God when everything is going well. Other times we feel very far from God as if he's not there and he's not listening. However, God is always with us and he never leaves regardless of how we "feel" about him. 

When there's a huge storm coming at us, nothing seems like it's going right and everything feels like it's falling apart. In this time we feel that we are very far away from God and so we start to be anxious and we lose sight of the truth. We feel like we are alone in this and we start questioning if he really cares or if he even listens to our cries. 

However, He is always there and He never leaves us. He is very present in our storms and he is on the very same boat with us! We need to realize that he is present and when he is (which he always is), we are in good hands and he will not let us drown. In times of desolation we should ask ourselves "am I relying on my feelings?" and remind ourselves of the Truth of who God is. 

"Even the winds and the waves obey him!" In one command he can calm the storm that seems to be endless. We need to remember how powerful and great He is. So "Why are you so afraid?" 

Maybe despite the huge storms we are currently experiencing He also wants us to rest in him. We should not let our fear take over, but instead have more faith in Jesus and put our trust in him.

Mark 4:30-34

30 Again he said, “What shall we say the kingdom of God is like, or what parable shall we use to describe it? 31 It is like a mustard seed, which is the smallest of all seeds on earth. 32 Yet when planted, it grows and becomes the largest of all garden plants, with such big branches that the birds can perch in its shade.”

33 With many similar parables Jesus spoke the word to them, as much as they could understand. 34 He did not say anything to them without using a parable. But when he was alone with his own disciples, he explained everything.

-Mark 4:30-34

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Are you sick of all the farming references yet?  Well, here’s one more!  Remember, during Jesus time, agriculture was one of the major ways people made a living and so Jesus would use farming analogies to help people understand what he was talking about.

In this parable, the seed represents the Kingdom of God—the community of all who follow Jesus and have decided to become part of his spiritual family.  This encouraging passage is tell us that this kingdom and family is growing and nothing can stop it.

In fact, in places where there seems to be intense persecution of Christians, that’s where the Kingdom of God is growing!  Take a look at this YouTube video of Christians in China receiving the Bible for the first time.  Christianity has been so restricted in China that it’s nearly impossible to even buy a Bible!  Yet, God’s Kingdom is still expanding.  There are tens of millions of Christians in China despite the persecution.  One could even say that the persecution has made the Christians in China even more fervent and more passionate about their faith.

If you call yourself a Christian, you’re part of God’s growing family.  May that encourage you and give you joy.

Mark 4:26-29

26 He also said, “This is what the kingdom of God is like. A man scatters seed on the ground. 27 Night and day, whether he sleeps or gets up, the seed sprouts and grows, though he does not know how. 28 All by itself the soil produces grain—first the stalk, then the head, then the full kernel in the head. 29 As soon as the grain is ripe, he puts the sickle to it, because the harvest has come.” -Mark 4:26-29

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Have you ever tried sharing your faith with someone else?  Maybe you’re at a point in your Christian walk where you’re so excited about Jesus that you want to share him with others.  This passage has great advice for you!

Sometimes when you’re sharing your faith it can be frustrating or discouraging.  You might feel inadequate.  Maybe you feel you don’t know enough of the Bible.  Maybe you feel like you haven’t been the greatest Christian example.  Maybe you’ve been talking to someone about Jesus for a while and nothing is happening. This parable gives us hope.

In this passage, we are the man scattering the seed (God’s Word) to others.  It’s basically an analogy of us sharing the Good News of Jesus with others.  Notice how how the story focuses on how it’s not the man who grows the seed.  It says here that the seed sprouts but the man “does not know how.”

So who’s growing the seed?  God!  This passage is telling us that as Christians all we need to do is to be faithful in sharing our faith with others.  God is the one who does the growing!

I’ve been praying for my family for over 20 years that they would come to know Jesus.  Not going to lie, sometimes I get discouraged because it’s taking so long.  Sometimes I feel like I’m doing a horrible job sharing the Gospel with them.  Many times I feel inadequate as a Christian. 

But then this verse reminds me that it’s not about me.  Yes, I’m called to be faithful in pursuing others for Christ, but in the end only God can change hearts.  This thought gives me tremendous freedom to just show people God’s love.  That’s my job.  Changing people’s hearts—that’s God’s job.  I don’t have to worry about it.

If there is someone you are trying to share the Gospel with, continue to be faithful in reaching out to them and loving on them and let God do the rest!

Mark 4:21-25

21 He said to them, "Do you bring in a lamp to put it under a bowl or a bed? Instead, don't you put it on its stand? 22 For whatever is hidden is meant to be disclosed, and whatever is concealed is meant to be brought out into the open. 23 If anyone has ears to hear, let them hear." 24 "Consider carefully what you hear," he continued. "With the measure you use, it will be measured to you - and even more. Whoever has will be given more; whoever does not have, even what they have will be taken from them."

- Mark 4:21-25

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Jesus is teaching his disciples another lesson here. My favorite verse in this passage is "If anyone has ears to hear, let them hear." Jesus has taught many lessons through sharing parables (stories illustrating God's word) so far. Every time he shared a lesson, there was an audience whether it was his disciples, followers, or just observers passing by. He never discriminated who was allowed to listen and who was not. His crowd probably included a lot of non-believers, yet he let them hear. Jesus was open to anyone listening to his word, to God's word, because this was his form of evangelizing and teaching.

This reminds me of AYL. As most of you know, AYL is an open community. We talk about the bible and point to a lot of Christian themes, BUT we never push away students who are not Christian. We let anyone come to our clubs and even Harvesters. We actually encourage people who have never heard of AYL to come see what it is all about. We allow people of different backgrounds and religions to come and hear God's word. Why? Because we are all children of God. Everyone deserves to hear what Jesus shared to his followers 2,000 years ago. So out of all the people in this world, all the high school students from Bergen County, all the students from Harvesters, Jesus says, "let them hear."

What is the lamp referring to here? The lamp is God's word and it is meant to be put on a stand. Not hiding under the bed or put away in storage. It is meant to be shared with everyone. In this way, it will shine light onto many people.

In verse 24, Jesus basically says, "You do what you want with the lessons you have heard from me. You chose how you want to live your life after hearing these parables."

A lot of people listen to his teachings and follow him because they genuinely have faith and want to learn more. They follow him everywhere to the point where Jesus has no privacy. While growing with Jesus, they reciprocate those teachings into their daily lives. They show a renewed life with characteristics similar to Jesus. 

On the other hand, there are others who are still skeptical and don't really think Jesus is credible enough. They don't understand who he is and why he is doing all of this. These parables don't make an impact on them because their hearts are hardened. They could care less.

To those of you reading the devotionals posted here or doing your own Bible reading, you are listening to what Jesus has to say. Your ears are open.

What are you going to do now? What have these parables taught you and what are you going to do with this new knowledge?

Jesus says that the people who decide to follow and believe Jesus will be gifted with something greater in the future. By showing spiritual growth and pleasing God through love and faith, they will receive huge blessings. However, those who do not have the faith, will lose many things. They will continue to fall into the same traps of sin without knowing it. They will never understand how great God is.

You have been gifted with all this truth about God's kingdom. Thanks to your ears, you listened. Now what are you going to do with it? Let's all put it into practice in our daily lives and shine light to where it is needed.

Mark 4:10-12

10 When he was alone, the Twelve and the others around him asked him about the parables. 11 He told them, “The secret of the kingdom of God has been given to you. But to those on the outside everything is said in parables 12 so that, “‘they may be ever seeing but never perceiving, and ever hearing but never understanding; otherwise they might turn and be forgiven!’” -Mark 4:10-12

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What the heck is going on in this passage?  It almost sounds like Jesus doesn’t want people to understand his parables.  Is Jesus actively working to keep people from understanding him?

Of course not!  

Jesus reached out to the lowly and the rejected in society.  He reached out to prostitutes, Wall Street type who has cheated people of money, and so on.  Jesus wants everyone to be in a right relationship with God.  That’s why he came to earth and died on the Cross for our sins and resurrected.  

So what’s going on in this passage?  When Jesus says “those on the outside” he is talking about those who have already hardened their hearts toward God and His message of love.  To those whose hearts do not want anything to do with God, they are simply getting what they want—a lack of intimacy with God.  Remember that Christianity is a love relationship and any love relationship requires both parties to CHOOSE to love the other.  Choice is implicit in love.  Otherwise, it’s not love, it’s robotic and programmed.

This passage is describing those who have chosen to reject God’s love relationship with them.  They don’t want God so God doesn’t force them into the relationship with Him.  Notice the grace and mercy of this passage.  Everyone hears the parable!  Everyone is invited into a relationship with God, but some accept it’s truth and obtain “the secret of the kingdom of God”—salvation through Jesus—and others reject its truth and as a result they never get the blessings and the joys of an intimate relationship with God.

If you’re reading this devotional, you probably have a desire to want to grow deeper in your relationship or understanding of God.  Keep pursuing Him by reading the Bible, praying, reading Christian books, singing praise songs, and hanging out (fellowshipping) with other believers!  When we begin to pursue Jesus, he always gives us what we want—more of Himself.  Jesus IS the “secret to the Kingdom of God.”