The disciples have been with Christ for quite some time, they have eaten together and they have traveled extensively. They have watched His popularity grow and the crowds gather around Him. However as close as they were they could not comprehend the depth of commitment and character that came from Him. They could not understand how Jesus could leave a large gathering of followers and get into a boat to sail across the sea of galilee to visit one demon possessed man. Why would you leave the crowds and minister to one. Jesus however realized the value of one soul. The cry of a desperate heart moves God to a place of action. The scripture mentions that in the day when you seek him with all of your heart you will find Him. That’s right, the scripture says He is nigh unto all those who call upon Him. This man in Gadara the Bible says cried amongst the tombs he lived in, he cried out for help that no man could provide. He was desperate for a miracle. Life was a nightmare lived everyday. The Bible does not say how he ended up in this condition only that he was desperate for deliverance.
Mark 5 New King James Version
5 Then they came to the other side of the sea, to the country of the [a]Gadarenes. 2 And when He had come out of the boat, immediately there met Him out of the tombs a man with an unclean spirit, 3 who had his dwelling among the tombs; and no one could bind [b]him, not even with chains, 4 because he had often been bound with shackles and chains. And the chains had been pulled apart by him, and the shackles broken in pieces; neither could anyone tame him. 5 And always, night and day, he was in the mountains and in the tombs, crying out and cutting himself with stones.
6 When he saw Jesus from afar, he ran and worshiped Him. 7 And he cried out with a loud voice and said, “What have I to do with You, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I implore[c] You by God that You do not torment me.”
8 For He said to him, “Come out of the man, unclean spirit!” 9 Then He asked him, “What is your name?”
And he answered, saying, “My name is Legion; for we are many.” 10 Also he begged Him earnestly that He would not send them out of the country.
11 Now a large herd of swine was feeding there near the mountains. 12 So all the demons begged Him, saying, “Send us to the swine, that we may enter them.” 13 And [d]at once Jesus gave them permission. Then the unclean spirits went out and entered the swine (there were about two thousand); and the herd ran violently down the steep place into the sea, and drowned in the sea.
14 So those who fed the swine fled, and they told it in the city and in the country. And they went out to see what it was that had happened. 15 Then they came to Jesus, and saw the one who had been demon-possessed and had the legion, sitting and clothed and in his right mind.
To understand the depth of torment we must understand the amount of evil dwelling within him. The scripture mentioned that when Jesus asked the name of the spirit they answered that they were legion for they were many. Now when we look at the size of what a legion is normally we find that a legion could contain between 4,000 to 6,000 individuals. It is hard to fathom the extent of the bubbling turmoil in this man’s life. He has been separated from the life he once knew, he was separated from his family but most of all he was separated from God. The world had tried to deliver him from his dilemma but found that they could not. Sometimes you just need a miracle. You need a visitation from the Almighty. Sometimes you are so desperate that a legion of angry demons cannot restrain you from running and falling down at the Savior’s feet. The compassion of God brought Christ from across a sea and unto the shore of a heathen land to deliver one hungry soul who was desperate for help. Can you envision this crazed man running through the tombs towards Christ with his hands outstretched reaching out to grasp the sliver of hope that was now within his grasp. He had never met Jesus before. It’s possible he had never even heard His name. But something in his heart drew him to Christ. There was a seed of faith fueled by desperation that broke the chains of resistance that would have liked to have held him in the graveyard of broken dreams he had so long dwelt in. down and separated him from Christ. My friend nothing can hold you back from reaching Christ, hells walls our not tall enough, its chains our not strong enough and the darkness is not so deep that the light cannot pierce it. Nothing can restrain you when you’re desperate to reach Him. Jesus had traveled the distance, but yet this man himself had to make the effort to come the rest of the way.
I was nineteen years old when I experienced a little bit of what this man must have felt. I had fallen into a pit that I could not climb out of by myself. I was desperate and felt that I had little left to hold on to. It was one dark day that I had decided to end my life. I was surrendering to my situation. However at the last minute a light pierced that foreboding darkness that engulfed me and a seed sprouted in my heart. I asked myself, ” is there a God, and if their is does He care about me. It was if a voice beckoned to me and asked me to come and see for myself. I remember turning my car around and stopping at a little church near where I was. It was already late on a Friday evening, I am sure the doors would be closed I thought. I was desperate to find a reason to live, Just a sliver of hope and I did not care who I had to see or inconvenience to get to the spot where Jesus was waiting. I felt he was waiting for me inside that building, waiting at the altar. The door to the church that night was open and I virtually ran to the front of the sanctuary and fell upon the altar. It was as I knelt there that I was encompassed by a cloud of compassion and love. It is hard to describe the scene accurately as I sobbed uncontrollably, my heart expressing the depths of its despair. The Lord opened up my heart and allowed the raging torment of fear and anger and frustration to flow away. In its place peace and love and hope surged in. Then in that darkened sanctuary I felt an arm come around my shoulders. Here a man I didn’t even really know held me and wept with me and shared my struggle. I did not see Jesus in a way that the man of Gadara did, however I saw Jesus through this man. I felt Christ’s power and deliverance. My life was never the same after that night. With nearly 6 billion people in the world Christ saw one young man in Oak Creek Wisconsin who was living amidst the tombs of despair void of hope and desperate for help. That night the chains fell off and the depression fled away. My life was not perfect by a long shot but that night God gave me a vision of who He was and what I could become if I would walk with Him and leave the tombs of selfishness and pride.
I have never forgotten this man who prayed with me. He eventually became my pastor and friend. I determined from early on that I wanted to be used as a vessel of hope and faith as he had been used that night to me.
At this point in your life you may feel like the man of Gadara, but rest assured when you’re desperate for a miracle you will see that light from a distance heading in your direction. For Christ is drawn to the desperate and His love will overtake you as you run to kneel at His feet. You must never forget the value of one soul. You must never forget how much He truly loves you even when you have completely messed up. The amazing thing is how excited all heaven becomes when you gain your spiritual freedom and take your place in a heavenly kingdom.
Luke 15:7 New International Version
I tell you that in the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent.