Day 14: Mark 5:1-20

This story is great. It’s got drama, violence, a crazy person, a herd of pigs jumping off a cliff. After all of the craziness happens a crowd of people gather and plead with Jesus to leave. They don’t understand what has happened and they don’t want him there anymore. The man that Jesus had healed begs to go with Jesus as he’s getting into the boat, but Jesus says to him, “No, go home to your family, and tell them everything the Lord has done for you and how merciful he has been.” Then Jesus and his disciples leave.

We don’t really know what happened to that man, but we do know what happened the next time Jesus returned to that side of the Sea of Galilee. He was greeted by the largest crowd that the Gospels recorded. All four Gospels say that there were over 5,000 men, not including women and children. What made such a difference?

Verse 20 says this, “So the man started off to visit the Ten Towns of that region and began to proclaim the great things Jesus had done for him; and everyone was amazed at what he told them.” We don’t know this man’s name. We don’t know what happened to him after this verse. I doubt that he had a formal education in theology. He probably had not made it all the way through the schooling of the Jewish custom. But he knew what Jesus had done for him and told everyone he could about it.

Your greatest testimony is not going to be based on your amazing study and knowledge of Scripture. It’s not going to be some great revelation that God has shown you. Your greatest testimony is telling others what God has done in your life. That will impact more people than  you could ever imagine. This man helped change the way an entire region viewed Jesus just by telling them what Jesus had done for him. Who will your story change?