Go Tell It

DEVOTION

THE GOSPEL OF MARK

GO TELL IT

Mark 5:18-20

18 As Jesus was getting into the boat, the man who had been demon-possessed begged to go with him. 19 Jesus did not let him, but said, "Go home to your family and tell them how much the Lord has done for you, and how he has had mercy on you."  20 So the man went away and began to tell in the Decapolis how much Jesus had done for him. And all the people were amazed.

NIV

Surely it would have been better if Jesus would have let the man become a groupie and follow after him. At least that is what would have seemed to be the right thing to do. We are told or called to follow Jesus, so why wasn’t this man allowed to follow? Why was it better for the man to return home to his family and tell them all that Jesus had done for them? The answer to that question seems almost too clear. It would seem so many of us believers have a tendency to hang around the church, that is the body of Christ, not the building, although maybe the building is included. Maybe more of us need to go back home to our families and tell them of all the Lord did for us and how he has had mercy on us. Of course none of us have been so isolated from our families because of being demon-possessed as this poor fella had been, but maybe in some sense because of our faith we have isolated ourselves from family, old friends, neighbors, and co-workers. It is true that some of them may not actually want to be around us, but then that might be because we preach at them instead of telling them all the Lord has done for us and how he has shown us so much mercy. When Jesus said that would be his witnesses that is exactly what a witness does, tell what we saw, heard, or experienced. That is what Jesus was telling this man to do. Sure we need to follow Jesus, but maybe we should not become such a groupie, hiding within the walls of our church so to speak, that we lose contact with all others that need to hear about what Jesus has done for us. Maybe we think they will just magically appear in church someday, if we all just hang out there, building it bigger and better so they will notice it as they drive by. Maybe if we build it to look like it is not a church, they will come in by themselves and ask us about Jesus. But the point here seems to lead us in the direction of going somewhere else, to the people and telling them about what Jesus has done for us. We simply need to go tell it.