Lectio Divina

October 31, 2020

DAILY READING

Mark 5:1-20

The Voice

For most of Jesus’ miracles, the disciples are observers: they watch Him healing the sick, raising dead bodies, and casting demons out of strangers. This time, however, it is the disciples—and even Jesus Himself—who are in danger. Maybe that’s why they are having such a hard time trusting that His power is greater than their situation.

They have seen Him cast out demons. They know He has powers that are not of natural origin. But they have never seen—or even heard of—anything like this. It’s one thing to heal human sickness or even to order demons around. But to order the waves and the wind? To command the sea and the storm? That’s a miracle of an entirely different order.

5 They traveled across the sea to the land of Gerasa in Galilee. ^2-3 When Jesus came ashore there, He was immediately met by a man who was tortured by an evil spirit. This man lived in the cemeteries, and no one could control him—not even those who tried to tie him up or chain him. ⁴ He had often been bound in chains, but his strength was so great that he could break the chains and tear the irons loose from his feet and hands. No one and nothing could subdue him. ⁵ Day and night, he lurked among the tombs or ran mad in the hills, and the darkness made him scream or cut himself with sharp-edged stones. ⁶ When this man saw Jesus coming in the distance, he ran to Him and fell to his knees in front of Him. ^7-8 Jesus started commanding the unclean spirit.

Jesus: Come out of that man, you wicked spirit!

Unclean Spirit (shouting): What’s this all about, Jesus, Son of the Most High? In the name of God, I beg You—don’t torture me!

Jesus: ⁹ What is your name?

Unclean Spirit: They call me “Legion,” for there are thousands of us in this body.

¹⁰ And then Legion begged Jesus again to leave them alone, not to send them out of the country.

¹¹ Since the Gerasenes were not Jews (who considered pigs to be unclean),there happened to be a large herd of swine, some 2,000 of them, feeding on the hill nearby.

Unclean Spirit (begging): ¹² Send us into those pigs if You have to, so that we may enter into them.

¹³ Jesus granted the request. The darkness swept up out of the man and into the herd of pigs. And then they thundered down the hill into the water; and there they drowned, all 2,000 of them.

¹⁴ The swineherds ran away, telling everybody they met what had happened. Eventually a crowd of people came to see for themselves. ¹⁵ When they reached Jesus, they found the man Legion had afflicted sitting quietly, sane and fully clothed; when they saw this, they were overwhelmed with fear and wonder.

¹⁶ Those who had witnessed everything told the others what had happened: how Jesus had healed the man, how the pigs had rushed into the sea, and how they had destroyed themselves. ¹⁷ When they had heard the whole story, the Gerasenes turned to Jesus and begged Him to go away.

¹⁸ When Jesus climbed back into the boat, the cured demoniac asked if he could come and be with Him, but Jesus said no.

Jesus: ¹⁹ Stay here; I want you to go back home to your own people and let them see what the Lord has done—how He has had mercy on you.

²⁰ So the man went away and began telling this news in the Ten Cities region; wherever he went, people were amazed by what he told them.

QUESTIONS FOR THE FIELD

• What is this passage saying to you today?

FAMILY FIELD TALK

• Have everyone take turns reading as they are able.  Talk about what the kids hear happening in the story.

PRAYER GUIDE

God, speak to us through your word.  Amen.