Let Jesus In

Re:Verse passage – Mark 5:1-20 (day seven)

And they began to implore Him to leave their region. vs 17

They were fine with a crazy demon possessed man living in their midst. They were okay that he had become something other than a human and could overpower anyone or anything that tried to restrain him, but they were not okay with him being free. They were not okay that there was someone who had the power to control demons beyond their superstitions and beliefs, so they sent Jesus away!

We are so afraid of letting Jesus actually work in our lives that we would rather keep the devil we know around us than take the leap of faith to see what God can do if we would only trust Him. We hold on to our sin. We hold on to our crutches. There are places we do not let Jesus in. Instead, we send Jesus away.

What if we let Jesus in? What if we let Him have ALL of us? The One who can control demons will drive evil away. The One who truly cannot be restrained, not even by death, will give His power to us. We will have power over our enemies. We will overcome our sins. We will find revival!

Restore

 

“But Jesus said, ‘No, go home to your family…’” – Mark 5:19

We don’t know how this man became possessed, but we see the devastating effects—separation from his family, isolation from his community, and a loss of his very humanity. That’s what evil does. It isolates, degrades, and destroys.

But Jesus came to restore.

With a word, He cast out the evil spirits, returning the man to his right mind, his family, and his community. Jesus didn’t just free him; He gave him back his life.

That’s what Jesus still does today. He restores what’s been broken, heals what’s been wounded, and calls us back into relationship—with God and one another.

Where do you need His restoration today?

Go (Now)!!

Re:Verse passage – Mark 5:1-20 (day five). And He did not let him, but He *said to him, “Go home to your people and report to them what great things the Lord has done for you, and how He had mercy on you.”
How long had this new believer been saved?  Minutes? Hours? At the most, a day. There was no training or handbook or scripture memory. There was no system for “sharing the gospel”. He hadn’t been to Sunday School or even heard one sermon. Hasn’t been baptized. All he had (all he needed) was his newly found faith and his story. Yet, Jesus gave him the assignment to stay and faithfully tell his story. The story of God’s grace, and a changed heart and a new life. “And everyone was amazed.”

What is the story of your faith?  How you met and encountered Christ?  How your life and heart have changed because of Him?  That’s YOUR story that YOU get to tell. It’s enough. It’s powerful. It’s what people need to see and hear!!  Maybe the Christian faith is more about biography than theology. 

Rescue Mission

Re:Verse passage – Mark 5:1-20 (day four)

“Go home to your friends and tell them how much the Lord has done for you, and how he has had mercy on you.”

Mark’s account of the trip across the sea takes all of 27 verses (Mark 4:35-5:20) and the overall trip doesn’t seem to be a long one. Jesus took the disciples across the sea, calmed a storm, healed a man, then went back across. The seemingly short trip for Jesus and the disciples showed Jesus’ power and sovereignty over the physical and spiritual realms. But it also gives us a glimpse of Jesus “leaving the ninety-nine” to go rescue the “one sheep” that was lost. Jesus sought this man out to rescue him and then tell him, “Now, go tell of God’s mercy and goodness.” It was a rescue mission! Jesus went directly to the darkness where no one else would go, seeking the man out to give him new life (reminds me of a bigger rescue mission!).

If you are a Christ-follower, you were, at one time, a lost sheep. Jesus sought us out, too, and He now commands us to “go, and tell of God’s mercy and goodness.” So, what have you been rescued from? Who are you telling your rescue story to? Is anything stopping you?

This week, I have been reminded often of the song, “Here I Go Again” by Casting Crowns. If you are unfamiliar with the song, give it a listen. The song talks about the fear we may feel in sharing the Gospel with somebody. May you be encouraged this week by this weirdly, wild, beautiful account of Jesus’ love to tell your story boldly and without fear, sharing the mercy and goodness that you have been given so freely!

Wonder

Re:Verse passage – Mark 5:1-20 (day three)

“No one was strong enough to subdue him.”

It might be tempting read the above passage and think, “…except Jesus. Jesus was strong enough to subdue him.” But Jesus doesn’t subdue the man – not in the sense of vanquishing him anyway. Even the unclean spirits aren’t presented as opponents in a cage match won by Jesus. Instead, this remark seems to point out that everyone who had tried to intervene in the man’s life approached the circumstance as a power struggle, not as a redemptive moment. Jesus wasn’t interested in shutting him down, but in raising him up. This man was made (by the very Lord who encountered him that day) to laugh and to know beauty and to love and to work and to rest. Jesus knew the man’s true identity – not a weirdo, but a wonder.

What Follows the Storm

Re:Verse passage – Mark 5:1-20 (day two) They came to the other side of the sea, into the country of the Gerasenes. v. 1

As I re-read this passage today, it struck me that this was just following Jesus calming the storm. That may seem obvious, but we don’t often follow a strict timeline with some of the narrative readings. The last words of chapter four must still be ringing in the disciple’s ears. What sort of man is this? Did they go back to sleep? Were they up the rest of the night trying to grasp the sovereignty of Jesus? They had seen miracles prior to the night on the sea, but how did that night inform their reverence for Jesus with the miracles that followed. They didn’t have long to ponder these thoughts. As soon as they reached the shore Jesus was approached by the demon-possessed man. This must have been a turning point in the understanding of Christ’s divinity. Every wonder and sign they witnessed from here on out must have had a different significance and weight. Is that different from us? When you met Jesus in a dark place where he removed the burden of sin its penalty, didn’t that change your lip service devotion to him to a complete trust in his Lordship over your life. You may not see him stop a hurricane in the ocean, but he can speak peace to whatever consumes your heart. Everything that follows should be in service to a God who holds it all in his hands.

Re:Verse Blog – 2/3/25

Re:Verse passage – Mark 5:1-20 (day one)

Join us as Executive Pastor Scott Lane, Associate Pastor Aaron Hufty, and Associate Pastor Bryan Richardson walk us through Mark 5:1-20 in our Winter Re:Verse Series: “reMARKable – The Journey Continues.”

To watch the Re:Vlog video, Click Here!

Jonah and Jesus

Re:Verse passage – Mark 4:35-41 (day seven)

He said to them, “Pick me up and throw me into the sea. Then the sea will become calm for you, for I know that on account of me this great storm has come upon you.” Jonah 1:14

Jesus and Jonah both found themselves in a storm. Both of them slept through it. Both were awakened by distraught sailors chastising their sleep and asking for help. Both were able to calm the storm with divine intervention. So is the Mark passage comparing Jesus and Jonah? Yes, but I think the better answer is that Mark was showing us that Jesus is the true Jonah as Jesus foretold about himself in Matthew 12:38-45.

Jonah got in the boat to escape his calling. Jesus got in the boat to fulfill His calling.

Jonah slept to avoid the voice of the Lord. Jesus slept so He could be the voice of the Lord.

Jonah causes the storm. Jesus calms the storm.

Should we keep going?

Jonah was sacrificed because of his disobedience. Jesus was sacrificed because of our disobedience.

Jonah spent three days in a fish. Jesus spent three days in the tomb.

Jonah’s actions redeemed Nineveh. Jesus’ actions redeemed humanity!

Thanks be to God!

Building Trust

Re:Verse passage – Mark 4:35-41 (day six)

“Can you shout to the clouds and make it rain? Can you make lightning appear and cause it to strike as you direct?” —Job 38:34-35

When Job questioned God’s wisdom in his suffering, God didn’t explain—He declared His power over creation. Why? Because knowing who God is changes everything.

The disciples had the same realization after Jesus calmed the storm. Terrified, they asked, “Who is this man? Even the wind and waves obey him!” (Mark 4:41).

Like Job, they stood before the Lord of Creation—the One who commands the storm, the One who holds all things together. And if He has authority over the wind and waves, He certainly has authority over our lives.

To trust Him is wisdom. To doubt Him is foolishness. Because if even the storm obeys Him—why wouldn’t we?

Fear vs Faith

Re:Verse passage – Mark 4:35-41 (day five)

And He said to them, “Why are you afraid? Do you still have no faith?”
Harsh words from the disciples (to Jesus) and from Jesus (to the disciples). They accuse Him (falsely) and He rebukes them (correctly). The source of their accusation and subject of His rebuke are the same- fear. The fear Jesus rebukes was causing them to feel helpless, hopeless, forgotten, and unloved. Jesus challenges them to replace this kind of fear with faith. Good for me to remember if/when I experience these same kinds of emotions (whether in a storm or not). Am I filled with fear or with faith. In my mind I wonder what a faith-filled reaction from the disciples would have looked and sounded like?  Would they have woken him up? If so, how would they have spoken to Jesus?  Would they have worshipped (Paul and Silas)?  Would they have prayed (Jesus in Gethsemane)?  Would they have quoted scriptures (Jesus in the wilderness)?  Lord give grace that would replace our fears with faith!!