Absolute Authority

Mark 5:1-20

It can be unsettling to read in the first few verses about how strong and disturbed this possessed man was. But then Jesus arrives on the scene and the situation changes immediately. The man ran to meet Him and bowed low before Him. The evil spirits within him openly acknowledged Jesus’ identity as “Son of the Most High God.” They begged Jesus not to torture them or send them away, but to allow them to enter a herd of pigs instead. It is clear that Jesus has absolute authority over the demons. Afterwards, the man (completely healed and perfectly sane) desires to go with Jesus, but Jesus tells him to go home and share what God has done for him.

1. Why do people sometimes react with fear to displays of God’s power as the crowd did in this passage?

2. How can we acknowledge Jesus’ absolute authority over the world and our own lives?

Challenge: After Jesus sent him home, the restored man visited the ten cities in the area and proclaimed what Jesus had done. The next time you recognize God’s provision, don’t only thank Him quietly, tell everyone about what our Lord has done!