Beyond Deliverance

Imagine if, every time you met me, I shouted insults and obscenities in your face. Or worse still, if I was violent towards you. Unless you are Mother Teresa, I would think you would fairly quickly avoid me. I wouldn’t be someone you’d invite over to watch the football, and if I turned up at your house, you would probably dive behind the curtains. If it continued long enough, then you would most likely call in the police so they could take care of it. The bottom line … I wouldn’t be classed as one of your friends.

Today’s verse comes at the end the story of Jesus’ encounter with the Gadarene demoniac. Now here was a guy who had burned his bridges relationally. He lived in the graveyards and would spend night and day screaming out and cutting himself. The locals had tried many times (probably out of desperation) to restrain him with shackles and chains – but he broke free every time, ripping them apart.

But underneath the mess and chaos God saw the man He created. He saw someone oppressed and desperate, and so He asked Jesus to cross the sea of Galilee to help him. When Jesus arrived, humble and soft-hearted, He set him free – completely free. Wow! Jesus had the power to heal and deliver. He did back in the days of Mark 5, and He still does today.

But it’s what happened next that struck me when I read this passage recently. The locals wanted to get rid of Jesus, but this man wanted to go with Him. It’s totally understandable. He’d just encountered the Son of God and had experienced His loving, healing power. What else would He do but follow Jesus and leave all the misery and embarrassment of his recent life behind?

Jesus heard the request but said to him, “Go home to your friends and tell them how much the Lord has done for you, and how he has had mercy on you”. Go home to your friends? What friends? Surely those ‘friends’ are long-gone – terrified by the weird guy who shouted and screamed in the graveyard!

This is what I love about Jesus. He goes above and beyond the immediate issue that needs healing and sees our deeper need for love, connection, and restoration of relationship. It mattered to Jesus that this man was restored to his old friends. He didn’t let him jump in the boat, leaving an unresolved mess left behind. He led him towards healing of family and friendship.

The same care He showed this man is also there for you and me. He doesn’t just want to heal or deliver us. He wants that to be a springboard to a wider restoration of family and friendship.