I fear the demoniac inside me.
Controlled by the powers of this fallen world, souls never rest. Minds wander endlessly, like a madman through the tombs, looking for the next thing or person to satisfy that deep longing. Health fades, relationships sour, money takes wings, and all the while the shiny beckons.
After an encounter with Jesus (and totally on the initiative of Jesus), the Gerasene demoniac sat peacefully with the teacher, clothed and in his right mind.
Clothed—ready to connect to his people—and in his right mind—now connected with the Lord.
Augustine famously wrote of this problem: You have made us for yourself, O Lord, and our hearts are restless until they rest in You.
I tend to feed this restlessness throughout the day, my inner demoniac, unsettled and forgetful of the one place my heart might find peace.
I’ve always looked at this man groveling among the dead as a sideshow character, a biblical Gollum from Lord of the Rings. But in reality I should see myself in him. Legions of various kinds once separated me from the Lord as well.
But thankfully, Jesus walked through the gates of the graveyard and delivered a new hope of connection with the Lord and with others.
Mark 5 in reading the Bible cover to cover in 2022
Photo by Ante Hamersmit
Love this perspective! Great application.