Today Our Daily Bread Mark 5 Lena's Comments in red

Mark 5: 1 - 43
1 So they arrived at the other side of the lake, in the land of the Gerasenes. 2 Just as Jesus was climbing from the boat, a man possessed by an evil spirit ran out from a cemetery to meet him. 3 This man lived among the tombs and could not be restrained, even with a chain. 4 Whenever he was put into chains and shackles – as he often was – he snapped the chains from his wrists and smashed the shackles. No one was strong enough to control him. 5 All day long and throughout the night, he would wander among the tombs and in the hills, screaming and hitting himself with stones. The man lived continually in a place of death, he was unrestrainable. Whenever people tried to tell him what to do, put any kind of order in his life, he snapped. No one could ever tell him what to do in any instance, he was his own governor, yet there was no government in his life, actually there was no life in that kind of place where he lived, he lived around death. He even hurt himself continually, by what he did, he hardly slept, he was in torment. It’s like the imposition of government was on him to help him, but he resisted it, because he felt it hurt him, but what he was doing and how he was thinking was actually killing him. The influences in and around him did not want him to see this clearly, they are the forces that are against God and all who are made in His image and all they want is his images dead
6 When Jesus was still some distance away, the man saw him. He ran to meet Jesus and fell down before him. 7 He gave a terrible scream, shrieking, "Why are you bothering me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? For God's sake, don't torture me!" 8 For Jesus had already said to the spirit, "Come out of the man, you evil spirit." 9 Then Jesus asked, "What is your name?" And the spirit replied, "Legion, because there are many of us here inside this man." 10 Then the spirits begged him again and again not to send them to some distant place. 11 There happened to be a large herd of pigs feeding on the hillside nearby. 12 "Send us into those pigs," the evil spirits begged. 13 Jesus gave them permission. So the evil spirits came out of the man and entered the pigs, and the entire herd of two thousand pigs plunged down the steep hillside into the lake, where they drowned. Even though the man was influenced by evil, his spirit within him, deep within his being recognized God, and magnetized towards life. He was in such bondage that he could not speak for himself, the influencers of his life spoke up for him, trying to keep him bound up, if he won’t speak up they will. The evil spirits wanted the man to believe that being with God was tormentous, and it was if changes were not made, because life and death cannot dwell together. But Jesus was there to give life, and help change the state of the man so he could/would live. Begging and pleading will not change the work jesus was sent to do, He is intent on our freedom.
14 The herdsmen fled to the nearby city and the surrounding countryside, spreading the news as they ran. Everyone rushed out to see for themselves. 15 A crowd soon gathered around Jesus, but they were frightened when they saw the man who had been demon possessed, for he was sitting there fully clothed and perfectly sane. 16 Those who had seen what happened to the man and to the pigs told everyone about it, 17 and the crowd began pleading with Jesus to go away and leave them alone. It is an amazing thing for one to get free, it is an amazing thing that God could find me where I am and change me. I try, but I cannot even change myself, in fact I end up hurting myself. They went and told everyone….yet they were themselves afraid of it. Why? We all are afraid of the process it will take to take us from death unto life. What will He have to do to me? What about what can He do for me? The enemy has lied to us about us and about Him and about the process. We’ve got to get a glimpse of God’s love and know whatever change is for life and removes the stench of death on us.
18 When Jesus got back into the boat, the man who had been demon possessed begged to go, too. 19 But Jesus said, "No, go home to your friends, and tell them what wonderful things the Lord has done for you and how merciful he has been." 20 So the man started off to visit the Ten Towns of that region and began to tell everyone about the great things Jesus had done for him; and everyone was amazed at what he told them. Isn’t that awesome how free this man was, that he went as his own personal witness of the truth of freedom and he began in the cities around him. That was only a beginning, he continued from there for the rest of his life. We cannot continue to tell about others’ freedom, we’ve got to get into the process ourselves, have our own testimony to live and tell. Jesus didn’t want the changed man to go on with Jesus to another place, because he would be a more effective witness right where he was at, because people knew him there how he was and would see for themselves how he is now. Jesus wasn’t saying he didn’t want the man to be with him, but in doing this he was "with " the Lord and the Lord was "with" him!
21 When Jesus went back across to the other side of the lake, a large crowd gathered around him on the shore. 22 A leader of the local synagogue, whose name was Jairus, came and fell down before him, 23 pleading with him to heal his little daughter. "She is about to die," he said in desperation. "Please come and place your hands on her; heal her so she can live." 24 Jesus went with him, and the crowd thronged behind. 25 And there was a woman in the crowd who had had a hemorrhage for twelve years. 26 She had suffered a great deal from many doctors through the years and had spent everything she had to pay them, but she had gotten no better. In fact, she was worse. 27 She had heard about Jesus, so she came up behind him through the crowd and touched the fringe of his robe. 28 For she thought to herself, "If I can just touch his clothing, I will be healed." 29 Immediately the bleeding stopped, and she could feel that she had been healed! 30 Jesus realized at once that healing power had gone out from him, so he turned around in the crowd and asked, "Who touched my clothes?" 31 His disciples said to him, "All this crowd is pressing around you. How can you ask, 'Who touched me?'" 32 But he kept on looking around to see who had done it. 33 Then the frightened woman, trembling at the realization of what had happened to her, came and fell at his feet and told him what she had done. 34 And he said to her, "Daughter, your faith has made you well. Go in peace. You have been healed." Other translations say- virtue left Him. The woman in need actually took virtue out of Jesus? Drew it out f Him to meet her need! That is amazing to me, but that is what faith does, how faith works. These people were intent on change, unlike the crazy man, who resisted change, yet yearned for it, they asked for it. Notice all 3 had change come to them from the virtue of the Lord. All of them had death erased and life replaced. None of their situations were too difficult for God’s power, for God’s freeing desire!
35 While he was still speaking to her, messengers arrived from Jairus's home with the message, "Your daughter is dead. There's no use troubling the Teacher now." 36 But Jesus ignored their comments and said to Jairus, "Don't be afraid. Just trust me." 37 Then Jesus stopped the crowd and wouldn't let anyone go with him except Peter and James and John. 38 When they came to the home of the synagogue leader, Jesus saw the commotion and the weeping and wailing. 39 He went inside and spoke to the people. "Why all this weeping and commotion?" he asked. "The child isn't dead; she is only asleep." 40 The crowd laughed at him, but he told them all to go outside. Then he took the girl's father and mother and his three disciples into the room where the girl was lying. 41 Holding her hand, he said to her, "Get up, little girl!" 42 And the girl, who was twelve years old, immediately stood up and walked around! Her parents were absolutely overwhelmed. 43 Jesus commanded them not to tell anyone what had happened, and he told them to give her something to eat. Jesus ignored their comments. That is exactly what we have to do, ignore the call of death, ignore the report of death, become intent on life no matter what. Jesus said DON’T be afraid, if we’re not afraid, what are we? At peace, at rest, filled with hope, with faith? Yes. He had to ignore the wailing of others, who believed in death. It is all about death and life. Death and life are in the power of the tongue as we seed demonstrated here.