Jesus is Lord

Scripture Reading: Leviticus 26-27; Mark 5; Psalm 48

Some stories in Scripture are so full of detail that we can get lost in them. Mark’s account of the demon-possessed man is one of those. There’s a lot to take in—questions about why this man was possessed by so many demons, why they wanted to inhabit pigs, why the pigs drowned themselves, and why the townspeople asked Jesus to leave.

But in the midst of all these questions, we might miss something bigger.

After Jesus delivers the man, he begs to follow Jesus. But instead of taking him along, Jesus gives him a simple command:

"Go home to your friends and tell them how much the Lord has done for you, and how he has had mercy on you."

At first glance, it seems that Jesus is telling the man to go and testify about what God has done. And that’s true. If someone helped us in a time of need, and we told others that God had provided, we would understand this the same way.

But then, look at what the man actually does.

"He went away and began to proclaim in the Decapolis how much Jesus had done for him…"

Do you see it? He equates Jesus with the Lord God.

Was he wrong?

No. He got it absolutely right.

Jesus is Lord.