And when he saw Jesus from afar, he ran and fell down before him. And crying out with a loud voice, he said, “What have you to do with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I adjure you by God, do not torment me.” For he was saying to him, “Come out of the man, you unclean spirit!”

Mark 5:1-20

And when he saw Jesus from afar, he ran and fell down before him. And crying out with a loud voice, he said, “What have you to do with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I adjure you by God, do not torment me.” For he was saying to him, “Come out of the man, you unclean spirit!” Mark 5:6-8

I continue my study of Mark, leaning on the Christ-Centered Exposition commentary series volume for Mark.  Today, I focus on an unassisted review of Mark 5:1-20, which is the text for the next chapter of the commentary. Observations of the text based on the Sword Bible Study Method: 

• What do we learn from the passage about God?: God is full of compassion, as He seeks to heal all of our affliction - spiritual, emotional, and physical.  He engaged with the man with the unclean spirit to heal Him.  Ultimately, God seeks to save us spiritually.  God is all powerful and has providence over all matters including Satan and sin - He was able to heal the man that others could not even subdue.
• What do we learn from the passage about people?: People often fail to understand who Jesus is - and in this instance they saw what He was able to do and perhaps marveled at what He was able to do but other than the cleansed man, no one else recognized Jesus for who He is as the herdsmen and people from the region sought for Jesus to depart.  They cared perhaps more about the lost pigs than they did the life of the cleansed man.  
• Is there anything from the passage God wants us to obey (SPEC: Sins to avoid, Promises to claim, Examples to follow, Commands to obey?): We can claim the promise the Jesus heals both inside and out - physical ailments will ultimately be healed if not in this life but when we get to Heaven - see also Revelation 21:4.  We should follow the example of the cleansed man told by Jesus to tell his friends how much the Lord has done for us and how he had mercy on [him] (vv19-20). 

Every believer has a story of how God cleansed us from the inside out and we should be prepared to share with everyone we know what God has done for us.  See also 1 Peter 3:15.  We are to be a light.

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My Prayer: Father God, You are an awesome God that has healed me from the inside out and produced fruit - not through anything I did but because of everything You did starting with loving me and saving me while I was an enemy and hostile to You. Thank You Jesus!  I am not deserving of such blessings.  My sin is great and it continues...daily.  Please forgive me for my sin and help me overcome and turn from my sin towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind and love others as You love me.  Help me grow in my faith.  Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength.  Please continue to heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo.  Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior.  Please provide Godly friends and spouses to Zach and Dustin. Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.