The Value of One
Text: Mark 5: 1-20
Proposition: In the economy of Jesus, 1is the most important number… for one transformed life used by God can transform ten cities.
Introduction: You’ve likely heard the expression, “ Little is big when God is in it”. It seems that God has a fond preference for the number One. Just think of the parables like the shepherd who left the 99 to find the one sheep, or the woman who looked for the one lost coin. Quantity does not seem to be the Lord’s measure for that which is valuable. Instead He seems to value that which appears lost or ruined, one isolated from the rest and considered worthless. To what length do you think Jesus would go to reach just one? If we were to hold AWANA and only have one child come and a difficult child at that, would we feel that it was a successful night? What would happen if we hold a church service and only one person came? Would it be worth it? Would it seem to us that it was a worthwhile effort? And how far would Jesus travel to reach just one person? When there are crowds waiting to see what He is going to do next, was it wise to leave thousands in order to reach one? Turn with me to the gospel of Mark 5:1-20.
I. The Distance to One Involves Moving Through Your Own Fears. Jesus is teaching the disciples by everything that He says and by everything that He does. They have just come through a wild storm only to land on the rocky shores by a wild man. In both cases Jesus calms the storm, in both cases Jesus takes the lead. It doesn’t seem to mention the location of the disciples as the boat hits shore and this shrieking, naked man charges their boat. My guess is that they were towards the rear of the boat and are watching as Jesus steps out of the boat onto the beachhead. The distance to reaching just one involved the journey from the north end of the Sea of Galilee all the way to the most southern and eastern shore, close to where the Jordan river begins. The city of Gadara is about 10 K from the Sea of Galilee, the city of Gergasa is about 30. Both these cities were remnants from the times of Alexander the Great, essentially made up of Arab peoples. The Gadarenes and the Gergesenes were Gentile people, not coming from a Jewish faith or culture and they represented a fearful presence to the disciples. People who do not look like you, who eat different food, who dress differently, talk differently…these seem to be a considerable distance from us in many ways and overcoming this fear is something the disciples of Christ are commanded to do. The limestone caves by the lakeshore were used as burial sites, or tombs, by the local people and the idea of landing in a graveyard might also have been unsettling for these disciples. Despite the setting or the group, the call is to reach ‘one’ and today that ‘one’ is likely to look very different from you and I. The United States and Canada have become some of the most ethnically diverse nations in the world. One in three was not originally from here. Add to this the recent statistic that says that churches under 200 people are the most likely to plant another church. Is the idea of praying for how God would use us to plant another church something that we are experiencing? What fears would hold us back from doing that? Who is the ‘One’ that God is directing you to and what distance is involved in doing that?
II. The Value of One to Jesus Meant Standing Up For the Captives. Legion comes careening up to Jesus, naked, wounded, one moment he bows at Jesus feet as if to worship, the next he shrieks out a loud cry that can be heard by the men attending the pigs a good ways away. The demons try to get Jesus to swear He will not harm them, they insolently declare their incompatibility with holiness. Jesus, however, commands the unclean spirits to depart, He focuses on the release of the captive more than on the distractions that come out of his mouth. The demons know Jesus, why do you think that is? Was it that they were there in heaven before the fall of Satan, was it that they had seen Jesus long before His incarnation, had they seen Him when He created the earth? These spirit creatures do not have a life span, they exist eternally. Demons know this about Jesus:He is the Son of the Most high GodHe has all authority in heaven and on earthHe will judge all creatures at the time of His choosingHe is not accountable to creatures, demonic or humanHis wisdom, justice and mercy are supremeTo be sure the demonic sees Jesus in a way that the physical realm does not but if they hold these things to be fact how much more should the church? If we knew for a certainty what these demons know about Jesus how would it affect the way that we stand up for the Captives? The captives are people who are incapable of recognizing their own eternal destiny apart from Christ. The captives are people who are ensnared with addictive behaviors that work to keep them apart from knowing Christ. The captives are sometimes people who have no power to change their circumstance and their circumstances are killing them. That could be no food, no home, no friends, no hope. The enemy knows that Jesus has all the power. It’s not a contest as to whether these demons will come out of Legion. They are many and their spokesman seeks to get the best deal possible, but it’s not a question of Who has the power and authority. “Don’t send us to the abyss, don’t send us out of this country, do send us to that herd of pigs”, they implore. These negotiations are not lost on Jesus, He is not shocked that demons know how to pray, His focus is on the release of the captive. Permissively, Jesus allows the demonic to go to the herd of pigs. We celebrate that Legion is free but part of us also wonders why the Lord did not send them to utter captivity in the abyss. The consequence of them entering the pigs was utter ruin, the entire herd of over 2000 is wiped out as the animals drown. Is the saving of Legion and the destruction of the herd meant to ensure a response from the community? If it were just Legion in his right mind would the people have come out in the numbers that they did? Was Jesus intending on not only standing up to the demonic presence but also to the townspeople as part of what had kept Legion captive? Let’s consider these questions in the third section.
III. The Purpose of One Set Free Is to Expose Sin and Expand Salvation. It likely took some time for the word to get out and for the crowds to get to where Jesus was. In that time Legion was at the feet of Jesus, with the 12 disciples, hearing the truth that would set his soul free now that his body was free. He heard that Jesus is indeed the Son of God, that there is eternal life for those who believe in Him, that there is forgiveness of sin by Him and that God’s love for them is deep and real. Then the crowds came and the sight of Legion clothed and in a place of peace stirred them, but the thought of what Jesus had permitted the demons to do caused them to plead with Jesus to go from them. Didn’t they have loved ones who were ill, hadn’t the word about Jesus reached this area… I think the answer is ‘Yes’ in both cases. Why then would they plead with Jesus to go away from them? Maybe the reason that Jesus permitted the demons to enter the pigs was to show the people the destructive power and purposes of the demonic, to point out to them the way that sin leads to greater temptation and that can lead to utter ruin. James 1:14,15 says, “But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed. Then when desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin and sin, when it is full grown brings forth death.” There were 2000 bloated and floating pigs to make that point very clear. Through the deliverance of one Jesus exposed sin, the sin of indifference to a man possessed by demons, the sin of not wanting Jesus to get in the way of making money. It’s a tough lesson to hear, which comes first…Jesus or money? As peculiar as the response of the townspeople is consider Jesus’ response to Legion as he asks to be allowed to get into the boat with them as they are about to leave. Legion would be alone in front of these volatile townspeople, the demonic that had drowned the pigs were not killed as the pigs were, they were still in the country, would they once again assail Legion, was that part of why Legion wanted to keep close to Jesus?
Jesus sends Legion out by himself for at least three reasons that are all related to salvation:
1. That Legion would stand on his own new freedom in Christ, in faith he would know that the demonic would not come back. Faith leads to courage.
2. The testimony of Legion is made more powerful as it is evidenced among the people who knew him before his life was changed.
3. Legion could go where a Jewish person might not dare to go. The Gentile people needed to hear the gospel and they needed to hear it from one of their own.
In the economy of Jesus, 1 is the most important number… for one transformed life used by God can transform ten cities, 1 is what God uses to glorify Himself.