By Kenneth B.E. Roxburgh, Ph.D.
Professor of Religion, Samford University
Right Here, Right Now
Mark 5:1–2; 8–15; 18–20
Emil Brunner once said the “church exists by mission, as a fire exists by burning.” The church has often forgotten that truth. It was embedded in the earliest promise of God to Abraham: “I will make of you a great nation and through you all the families of the earth will be blessed.” Israel often forgot that promise and became insular and only concerned for the welfare of the people of Israel. So Jesus said to His disciples, “You shall be my witnesses in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria and to the end of the earth.”
We are broken people living in a broken world. (1–2)
In Mark 5, we have an early example of Jesus encouraging those who had been touched by His grace to tell others and share their experience with those in similar need of grace and love. The context is the story of a man who was possessed by evil spirits. The impact of this tragedy was that he had been excluded from human community; among the tombs, he lived, bound with chains and naked. He lived in darkness, both physically and spiritually, and the presence of Christ appeared to torment him.
Despite the many advances in science, technology and education, we have not seen any change for the better in our world. Destructive wars, acts of genocide and the grim possibility of a nuclear holocaust make easy faith in human potential for good very difficult indeed. In a series of letters on the subject of the “problem of the world,” the shortest and most potent stated very simply states, “Dear Sir, I am, yours sincerely.” The problem of humanity is the problem of the human heart. Into this broken world, Jesus came to bring hope and healing.
Jesus replaces our brokenness with a restored life in Him. (8–15)
In a very dramatic confrontation with the reality of sin and evil, Jesus took control of the situation and brought a message of reconciliation into this man’s experience.
He was reconciled to God as Jesus healed him and delivered him from the power of sin and Satan. Jesus also brought him back into a reconciled relationship with the community of Capernaum. The story comes to a climax when others come to see Jesus and found the man “sitting there, clothed and in his right mind.” Have you ever wondered from where the clothes came? The man was naked but he needed to be clothed. Salvation from sin and evil forces brings people into a life of hope and healing where every aspect of their life is changed — physically, emotionally and spiritually.
Our response to Christ should be to participate in His mission. (18–20)
The conclusion of this story tells us the man who had been healed, whose life has been so dramatically transformed, wants to stay with Jesus. But Jesus tells him to “go home to your friends and tell them how much the Lord has done for you and what mercy He has shown you.” The man went first to his friends, to those who knew him, who had seen him in his wretched state and would recognize just how much Jesus had accomplished. Likewise, we are called first to go to our families, our friends, to those who know us and can see the change which Jesus has made in our lives and tell them of the good things which He has done.
“Go forth and tell, O church of God awake
God’s saving news to all the nations take.”
— James Seddon
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