Friday, September 29, 2017

Mark 5: Restoration!

Three supernatural miracles make up Mark 5: the exorcism of the Gerasene demoniac, the healing of the bleeding woman, and the resurrection of Jairus' daughter.

When my grandfather Clarence Truax died in January 1995, I preached on the text of Mark 5:1-20 at his funeral.  Why?  For years prior to his death, my grandfather had suffered from dementia.  Our family had witnessed my grandfather descend into a condition of mental deterioration not unlike the demoniac: isolation, violence, madness.

As a young Christian, I struggled with the question: What had happened to the strong man I remembered as my grandfather?  His mental capacity was gone; where was his mind?  Had the essence of my grandfather - his spirit, his personality, his mind - disappeared forever?  Was that the same fate that awaits me, and all of us, one day?

This passage from Mark 5 gave me great hope then and continues to do so now because in it we see that Jesus is the great Restorer!  Nothing is too difficult for our Savior.  The One who can restore a demon-possessed man to his right man, who can restore health to a woman chronically ill for twelve years, and who can restore a dead child to life is more than able to - one day - restore all sick and diseased souls to full health.  In fact, He is able to make us even better than we were before!  That is part of the hope we have of fellowship with Him in heaven!

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