Gospel of Mark Series: Section 3 Part 9 The healing of a madman ( 5:1-20)

Welcome to my Gospel of Mark Series. During 2012-13, each week, I will write a post about the Gospel of Mark as I review and explore each of the 16 chapters and how it may be applied in our daily lives. My goal is to understand and pray the Gospel of Mark.  I hope you will join me on this journey as we travel through the liturgical season of Year B.  In today's post, we explore chapter 5:1-20 which is the healing of a madman.

On the other side of the lake lived Gentile Gerasenes. The town of Gerasa was about 50 kilometres southeast of the lake.  A violent madman of great strength appeared out of the tombs.  Madness in the time of Jesus was popularly to be from an evil spirit controlling a person.

Jesus asks the name of the demon.  In the Bible, to know the name of anyone is already to have power over them.  The madman is broken and torn by many demons and names himself ‘legion’, an army division of six thousand or more soldiers.

Despite their great number, the demons know they are the presence of a greater power in Jesus.  They ask to be allowed to go and lived in a herd of pigs grazing close by.  Jesus frees the man from the power of the demons, but his power is so great that he frees the surrounding place also, for the pigs go rushing madly into the sea and drown themselves. Evil eventually destroys life.

The Jewish disciples of Jesus saw pigs as unclean and their drowning a good thing. The Gerasenes, however, ask Jesus to leave since they only understood the loss of so many of their pigs.

The drama which began with the rage of the madman and the power in Jesus, then shifted to the pigs and later to the people of that place, now returns to focus on Jesus and the former madman sitting peacefully and restored to his full humanity.

The man asks to go with Jesus, but his discipleship will be of another kind.  Jesus sends him among his own people to tell them of the great work of power God has done in him.  Instead, he tells others what Jesus did for him, and all who heard him began to wonder.  Wonder can be the beginning of faith.

In our journal and/or our discussion group we may wish to reflect on this passage as follows:

• Name the key points that you have learnt about the person of Jesus in this passage of scripture?
• Reflect on the keywords in this passage for they contain the substance and purpose of all the things Jesus said and did-
• Consider my relationship with Jesus  in the light of this Gospel passage.
• Reflect on the scene of the madman before he was healed and after he was healed. How does this resonate with the healing Jesus gives to you.
• Try to share something of the shock and terror of the Gerasenes watching their pigs rushing into the sea and drowning. What part of my life that needs the healing of Jesus would I like never to return?
• What healings has the power of Jesus given me in my life? What was my experience of the power of Jesus in these incidents/events.
• How do I relate to this story of Jesus healing the madman.  Make a list of areas in my life that need a change of heart and develop an action plan on how this change of heart might occur. (eg name an area and name one/two changes that you will implement with God's help.
• What impact does Jesus’ teaching have on you (5:1-20.
• How has this passage spoken to you- what does it say to you personally?