OIA Mark 5.1-20

Observations

• Who: Jesus, disciples, people in other boats, man w/ unclean spirit, legion, herdsmen, city folks
• Where: In the boat, on the Sea of Galilee, the country of the Garasenes, the tombs, a steep bank, the sea, the city, the Decapolis
• When: directly after calming the storm, the day after telling the parables of the kingdom
• What: unusual conversation between Jesus and the man/unclean spirit; unclean spirit cast out; pig herd destroyed; man restored to sanity and normalcy; townspeople afraid, ask Jesus to leave; man asks to join Jesus but instead Jesus sends him home to tell his story.
• Repeats: beg
• Contrasts: life in the tomb/clothed and in right mind; concern for self-destructive man/concern for economic destruction; be with Jesus/go home and tell
• Connections: a hopeless situation; unclean spirit vanquished; people afraid; proclamation of the kingdom
• Responses to Jesus:
• Man runs and falls before Jesus and is transformed
• Legion bargains, and is obedient
• Townspeople beg Jesus to leave and Jesus grants their request
• Man: begs for healing, and to accompany Jesus; is obedient to Jesus’ direction 

Interpretation

• It is important to see this story, and all four of these miracle stories, as a continuing revelation of the kingdom that Jesus proclaims. These are not random stories thrown together by Mark in his effort to write Jesus’ story; rather they are carefully placed to explain the kingdom Jesus is proclaiming and demonstrating.
• “DECAP'OLIS (Gk. de-kap'o-lis; "ten cities"). A district containing ten cities in the NE part of Galilee, near the Sea of Galilee (Matt 4:25; Mark 5:20; 7:31). The cities were Scythopolis, Hippos, Gadara, Pella, Philadelphia, Gerasa, Dion, Canatha, Raphana, and Damascus. Damascus is the only one now entitled to the name of city. They were built originally by the followers of Alexander the Great and rebuilt by the Romans in 65 BC, by whom they had certain privileges conferred upon them. These were typical Greco-Roman cities with their forums, pagan temples, baths, theaters, hippodromes, and other accoutrements. They were a thorn in the side of the Jews because they introduced nonsupernaturalistic ideas and elements of non-Jewish life-style and architecture into Palestine during the Roman period. The excavations at Jerash (Gergesa, which see) especially illustrate the nature of these cities.” (from The New Unger's Bible Dictionary. Originally published by Moody Press of Chicago, Illinois. Copyright © 1988.)
• Jesus intentionally enters Decapolis. This particular visit is a quick in and out; but in the next couple of chapters Jesus will spend significant amounts of time in Gentile regions – Tyre, Sidon, Caesarea Philippi, and in chapter 7 back in Decapolis.
• Jesus encounters opposition on the trip to Decapolis, upon arrival, and from the locals. It is as if Jesus’ intention to invade this Gentile region with his proclamation of the kingdom evokes heightened opposition: from nature, from evil personified, and from local preoccupation with the things of this world.
• This man is an example of a life almost completely devoured by enslavement to evil; in fact the man lives a life in some ways worse than dead: alive, but in the tombs, abandoned by his society after exhausting all normal means of help; left to his living death. Scripture is silent on how this man reched this point of despair, beyond the ability of cultural solutions. But we can imagine a series of wrong choices leading to this extreme dissolution of self: substance abuse, courting the occult, persistent sexual depravity: whatever the circumstances this man has so given himself to multiple evil that he is now enslaved, yet with enough self-awareness to understand, and cling to his condition.
• This story offers a fascinating look at prayer: those who should not get what they ask for, do; and the man, who we would tend to think is entitled to have Jesus grant his request, is denied. There is more to answered prayer than our merit, or desire: there is Jesus’ kingdom agenda: proclaiming the mercy of God to a lost and Gentile region.
• One of the most dreadful contrasts in this story is the townspeople who, when shown a man restored to normal life from the hell of a living death, can think only of the economic risks of the kingdom of God. These people would rather have their pigs back than their friend! It is probably that Jesus allows the demons to destroy this economic asset as a way of confronting these people with their value system that finds pigs more important than people, wealth more important than restoration.
• Having said that, it is interesting to conjecture on Jesus’ designs in sending this man back to his friends to tell his story. Perhaps there is further healing and restoration for this healed man as he re-engages normal life, gets a job, establishes a ‘normal’ life. Perhaps the Lord has far more in mind for the region of Decapolis than only the restoration of this one person: perhaps this man is himself a mustard seed, a seed that will grow, first the blade, then the leaf….perhaps the emergence of the kingdom in unexpected ways that are totally dependent on the power inherent in the seed itself!
• A final thought in interpretation: a ‘normal’ life is what most of us expect: reasonable health and wealth, satisfying relationships, meaningful work….yet in our world today this level of ‘normalcy’ is in fact abnormal; the twisting result of sin is what we encounter instead of hoped for normalcy: divorce; sickness; mental illness; substance abuse: only in the kingdom, and by the power of the Lord, are we allowed to enjoy the blessings of a normal life!

Application

• Like the possessed man, we sometimes find ourselves so tied up with our sin that we are unable to break free and are even ambivalent about wanting to be free. In unhealthy relationships we call this codependency; we can become codependent on residual evil. We need to beg Jesus for release, for a return to sanity, and proper behavior.
• We who have a rational, scientific worldview have technological solutions for all of life’s ills. Yet we face persistent problems, both personally and societally, that are immune to all human solution. Only the kingdom of God is able to deliver on its promise of restoration.
• Kingdom values may be dangerous to our financial wellbeing. The question for us: what do we value more: our investments, or transformed lives? The way we treat the least – immigrants, low price employees – may reveal more to us about our real values that we would like to know.