Two Responses to Christ: Fear or Faith?
This is part three of a series on Mark 5. In part 1, I walked through Mark 5:1-5 and showed how we are all enslaved to sin. In part 2, I walked through Mark 5:6-13 and showed how Jesus is both a mighty king and a merciful king—strong to set the demoniac free and merciful enough to love him. In this final part, I show that there are only two ways to respond to Jesus: unbelief or love.
Fear & Unbelief
Mark 5:14-17
14 The herdsmen fled and told it in the city and in the country. And people came to see what it was that had happened. 15 And they came to Jesus and saw the demon-possessed man, the one who had had the legion, sitting there, clothed and in his right mind, and they were afraid. 16 And those who had seen it described to them what had happened to the demon-possessed man and to the pigs. 17 And they began to beg Jesus to depart from their region.
If Jesus is casting out demons, that means He is assaulting the very kingdom of Satan. He is rescuing humanity from that evil spirit, setting them free from bondage to sin and death. It means He’s the good guy, the King of the kingdom of God.
Yet these people don’t see that. They know the miracle is real because the former demoniac is clearly not a demoniac any more. But they’re afraid. They don’t want anything to do with this mighty God.
Verse 17 says that they begged Jesus to leave. It’s the same word used to describe the demon’s urging/begging in verse 10 and 12. Mark did that intentionally, and it seems to indicate that he is equating the people’s actions with the demons’ action. They both fear Jesus, but they do not love Him.
Isn’t that tragic? They meet the Almighty and yet want nothing to do with him. What about you?
When you hear a sermon that shows you Jesus, do you respond in faith and obedience, or would you just rather not deal with it?
When you sing glorious truths in worship songs, is your heart excited, or is it just dead words on dead lips?
When you see the glory of God in creation—the warmth of the sun, the rush of the wind, the deliciousness of food—do you give thanks to the Creator of all things, or do you conveniently forget that He is the One who gives you all these good things?
When you see Christ’s power displayed, do you want Him, or would you rather He just leave you alone?
How do you respond to this King?
Fear and unbelief is the default, the sinful response of sinners who love their sin, who are enslaved to their sin. The only right way to respond to Christ is in wholehearted love and service, and we see that in the demoniac.
Faith & Love
There are three things to see about how the former demoniac responds to Christ.
His Devotion
Mark 5:18 As he was getting into the boat, the man who had been possessed with demons begged him that he might be with him.
Jesus begins to leave because the people begged him to leave, but the man begged him that he might simply be with him. This is a beautiful love; he just wants to be near the Savior. He yearns to be with the Lord. He wants to sit at Messiah’s feet and learn of Him.
His Mission
Mark 5:19 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.”
Shockingly, Jesus says, “No, you can’t be with me.” Instead, the King gives him a mission: Go, tell of the Lord’s mercy on you. Tell your testimony, of how you were enslaved to demons, but now, by the Lord’s power, you were set free.
His Witness
Mark 5:20 And he went away and began to proclaim in the Decapolis how much Jesus had done for him, and everyone marveled.
So what did the man do? He obeyed and told everyone who would hear how much Jesus had done for him. He told the story we have in Mark 5, over and over. Or, to use Christian lingo, he shared his testimony of how the Lord saved him. And everyone was amazed.
This is what worshipful gratitude looks like: devotion to Christ, obeying the mission of Christ, witnessing of Christ. We love the Lord Jesus, the one who set us free from bondage to sin. We hear His commands and are eager to obey. We tell our friends, our family, our classmates—this is what God has done for me.
This is ordinary Christianity. While we may not be demoniacs, if you are a Christian you share the same basic story as this man. ‘I once was lost, but now I’m found because Jesus came after me. I once was a slave, but now I’m free because Jesus rescued me.’
If you are a Christian, I urge you: share how God saved you—not just as an evangelistic tool, but simply because it’s a wonderful story to tell. Share it with a Christian friend, a non-Christian friend, your classmates, your parents, your siblings, your journal.
Tell of His wondrous love, that while you were yet helpless, Christ died for you. Tell of His incomparable mercy, that He reached down to you when you were a slave to sin. Tell of His glorious power, that He broke the chains of your guilt and shame by the power of His bloody cross. Tell of Christ, of how much He has done for you, how He has had mercy on you.
If you are not a Christian, ask someone who is. “How did you become a Christian? What is your story?” Our Lord Jesus is the God of mercy and might, of power and pity, the King and yet kind. He came to conquer the kingdom of Satan, and to bring the kingdom of God with mercy and might. He came to rescue the weak and weary, the sinners and demoniacs, the filthy and vile—even us. All glory be to Him!
Adapted from a sermon preached for Lighthouse Community Church’s Youth Group (Junior High) on 2021.02.19.
Photo by Zoltan Tasi on Unsplash