Set Free
Read the Text: Mark 5
Memorize the Text: If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand. (Mark 3:24)
Consider the Text: Mark 5:1-20
A constant struggle exists between the darkness and the light. Good and evil battle against one another constantly and form tension in life. We live in moments where the influence of good rests on one shoulder and evil on the other while we experience a tug-a-war concerning how to navigate life. When we consider darkness, we need to understand the link to a life or activities against the Lord and that the people and activities of light are with the Lord. In Mark 5, Jesus engaged a demon-possessed man and demonstrated the battle between darkness and light and how one becomes set free.
The demon-possessed man in the passage demonstrates several vital truths about the DEVASTATION OF THE DARK SIDE. The dark side associates with death. The man came out of the tombs. The association becomes apparent when we recognize the penalty of living in darkness is death because of the sin in one’s life. This sin forms a debt that must be paid with life, and without Christ, the payment is death.
The characterization of the dark side continues as it identifies with the concepts of bondage and torment. The demon-possessed man experienced physical bondage with shackles that illustrated a deeper bondage of spiritual shackles because of sin. The shackles of the dark side cannot be loosed by the ways of man but instead only tighten when such an approach is employed. Thus, torment arrives because of hopelessness. As hopelessness grows, the pain of the moments preys upon the soul and leads to torment. This is the impact of the dark side.
The devastation of the dark side comes full circle as it associates with fear and defeat. When standing before Jesus, the demon cried out for relief because the demon feared Jesus. The fear experienced here is not the fear of reverence but the fear of what is about to be experienced, and as a result, the demon pleaded not to be sent out of the region. The impact came as they understood their defeat, and they sought to take anyone with them that they could. They attempted to destroy whatever they could.
The hope in the moment comes from Jesus as he shows the DOMINANCE OF THE LIGHT. Jesus revealed the power and impact of the light. He started to show the dominance of the light by meeting the demon-possessed man where he was. Jesus knew that the man could not remove the demon himself. He understood that the man could never be “good” enough to gain God’s favor. As a result, Jesus met the man where he was in his demon-possessed state to offer him true freedom. The Lord continues to work in the same manner today. He meets people where they are in offers them salvation because he knows we will never be “good” enough.
Jesus approached the man and engaged with a question, “What is your name?” When Jesus engages a life, he knows their name and approaches them personally. He knows our name, which means he knows us intimately and still desires to have a relationship with us. When Jesus calls us to the light, he calls us by name because we are not unknown to him.
Jesus frees us from the bondage, torment, and fear experienced by the demon-possessed man. When bystanders come and see the man they knew as broken and bound, they find a man who is living in freedom and faith. They witness the change of fear to faith and darkness to light. This occurs because only a relationship with Christ makes a man right. The freedom found in the experience with Christ might seem dramatic in the case of the demon-possessed man, but it is the freedom available to the sinner in need of salvation.
When a life becomes changed, a DECLARATION OF THE REDEEMED occurs. The man set free could not be stopped from sharing the power of Christ. He received the command to go to his people and share all that the Lord had done for him. Jesus gave him a target to reach and the message to declare. He declared that the experience he had is available to others. Jesus called him to use his God story so that others could start their God story.
The battle between the darkness and the light wages constantly. People everywhere are dying in the darkness and experience the eternal punishment that comes from a separation from the Lord. The Lord does not desire that anyone experience this, so he has made way for reconciliation to occur and move from darkness to light. When this occurs, we are called to tell the world about the goodness of God. May we tell the story of being set free because we have been set free.
This blog is part of the Coffee and Quiet Time with Jesus Devotional Series found at equippingfaith.com. Join the journey of reading through the New Testament this year. More information can be found at equippingfaith.com.
