In this series, "God's Love in You", we've
been learning what genuine love looks like, the kind of love that can
only come from God, the kind of love that will grow in us as we stay
connected to Jesus Christ, our "vine". This final part to this series
focuses on the life of Jesus. He is, after all, our ultimate example of
love!
We can all imagine helping
peopel who are sick; but would we reach out to a madman who lives in a
graveyard, one who is obviously controlled by evil spirits? And yes,
there are still people like this in the world!
This is the kind of man Jesus reached out to.
Most of the people who saw him ran away from him and he had no friends.
Enter, Jesus!
Now, to me, this is a
very special miracle. It shows how much Jesus loves even the worst
sinner. Jesus loved that madman!
To get an idea of just
how far gone this man was, let's read the Biblical account recorded in
the Gospel of Mark:
"They arrived on the
other side of the sea in the country of the Gerasenes. As Jesus got out
of the boat, a madman from the cemetery came up to him. He lived there
among the tombs and graves. No one could restrain him--he couldn't be
chained, couldn't be tied down. He had been tied up many times with
chains and ropes, but he broke the chains, snapped the ropes. No one was
strong enough to tame him. Night and day he roamed through the graves
and the hills, screaming out and slashing himself with sharp stones.
"When he saw Jesus a
long way off, he ran and bowed in worship before him--then bellowed in
protest, 'What business do you have, Jesus, Son of the High God, messing
with me? I swear to God, don't give me a hard time!' (Jesus had just
commanded the tormenting evil spirit, 'Out! Get out of the man!')
"Jesus asked him, 'Tell me your name.'
"He replied, 'My name
is Mob. I'm a rioting mob.' Then he desperately begged Jesus not to
banish them from the country.
"A large herd of pigs
was browsing and rooting on a nearby hill. The demons begged him, 'Send
us to the pigs so we can live in them.' Jesus gave the order. But it was
even worse for the pigs than for the man. Crazed, they stampeded over a
cliff into the sea and drowned.
"Those tending the
pigs, scared to death, bolted and told their story in town and country.
Everyone wanted to see what had happened. They came up to Jesus and saw
the madman sitting there wearing decent clothes and making sense, no
longer a walking madhouse of a man.
"Those who had seen it
told the others what had happened to the demon-possessed man and the
pigs. At first they were in awe--and then they were upset, upset over
the drowned pigs. They demanded that Jesus leave and not come back."
(Mark 5:1-17 MSG)
Reaching out in love, Jesus cast the demons
out of this madman. But His love didn't stop here. When the demons asked
Jesus to not banish them from the land, Jesus even complied and allowed
them to go to the pigs!
The response of the
people is interesting. At first they, "...were in awe." Then they became
were upset because they didn't want to lose their pigs. This shows that
they actually cared more for their pigs than for the poor madman. We can
understand this, for their response is human. Why should we care? It is,
after all, his chosen way of life, and the demons in him made him really
strong, stronger than all the people together. Besides, demons can be
contageous! This man could never be saved. Even Jesus' disciples showed
no love towards him.
You have to ask
yourself: who truly cared for this madman?
Notice also that we didn't see anyone helping
Jesus with the madman. Not even His disciples. They were afraid. Yet
Jesus wasn't afraid. his love overcame any fear. His only desire was to
save that madman.
You have to ask
yourself, who was the courageous one here?
What would have happened to this madman if
Jesus had not come?
He would have been
lost.
Only Jesus cared.
If Jesus will come to a madman and save him,
He will do this for anyone. He is the One with genuine love. He loves us
more than anyone on Earth ever could. More than our spouses, more than
our parents, more than our closest friends. And He genuinely loves
everyone. He doesn't do it for His own gain. He simply wants to save as
many people in this world as possible.
Jesus never changes.
He loves you. He offers His salvation. He died on a cross so that you
could be saved, and He is still the One who stands at the door: "Look at
me. I stand at the door. I knock. If you hear me call and open the door.
I'll come right in and sit down to supper with you." (Revelation 3:20-21
MSG)
The only One who loves genuinely is Jesus, but
He calls us to love the same way. How will you respond to His call?
Rob Chaffart
The Illustrator: This daily newsletter is dedicated to encouraging
everyone to look towards Jesus as the source of all the solutions to our
problems. It contains a daily inspirational story, a Bible verse and encouraging
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The Nugget: Published three times a week, this newsletter features inspirational devotionals and mini-sermons dedicated to drawing mankind closer to each other and to Christ.