Rescue, Longing, and Relief
Rescue This account in Mark 5:1-20 always moves me. Jesus heals a man possessed by many demons. The whole town is afraid when they see him in his right mind, and they beg Jesus to leave. As he leaves, the man begs to go with Him. And that’s where I fall apart. Can you imagine spending years being ravaged by demons, and then being rescued? He wanted to cling to His rescuer. To spend more time with Him. This is us. We’ve been rescued. We want to be with our rescuer. And we will. But first, we have a job to do. “And he did not permit him 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.’ And he went away and began to proclaim in the Decapolis how much Jesus had done for him, and everyone marveled.” We’ve been rescued. We know our citizenship is in heaven. This is not our country. We are not home yet. There are days, months, years when we feel that longing more deeply than ever. To be with ou...