The screams caught them off guard. Who was this naked man running toward them? His very demeanor invoked fear. The disciples turned and ran, but as they were rushing into the boat, they realized that Jesus was not with them. He had held his ground. Stirring up their courage, they headed back toward the tombs.
Upon their arrival, they discovered “him that was possessed with the devil, and had the legion, sitting, and clothed, and in his right mind” (Mark 5:15). Talk about an encounter with God! A man possessed by demons had been set free by the power of God.
Where did he get clothes? I would like to think that Jesus gave him one of His own garments (justification), but He did not stop there. He gave the man His own mind (sanctification).
This former slave fell in love with Christ and never wanted to leave his side. “However, Jesus did not permit him, but said to him, ‘Go home to your friends, and tell them what great things the Lord has done for you’ ” (Mark 5:19, NKJV).
It is a part of God’s plan that we become living witnesses and a light to those in darkness. The more deeply we know Him, the more brightly we shall shine and the greater the harvest.
When Christ later arrived in Gergesa, the people of that territory flocked to Him. The gospel is not a lifeless theory but vibrantly transforming. You cannot stay on shore—you must go forth to share “what great things the Lord has done for you.”
