Mark 5

Go home to your people and report to them what great things the Lord has done for you, and how He had mercy on you.– Vs 19

In this one chapter, Jesus makes a significant impact on the lives of a number of people. He casts the demons out of man. He raises a synagogue official's daughter from the dead. His power heals a woman who had been hemorrhaging for twelve years. The demon-possessed man had been living his life among the tombs, an outcast and hopeless of ever seeing anything change. The woman had been living with her disease for twelve long years, without hope because the physicians had unable to provide any relief. The little girl was completely without hope, having died while Jesus was on His way.

In what appears to be the span of a single day, Jesus encounters three different sources of pain and affliction that have been confronting mankind since the fall. Yet Jesus was more than a match for all three. He proved once again His power over the enemy, over sickness, and even death. Yet He did so with compassion. He showed love and concern for those whose lives He impacted. He showed them mercy. He showered them with grace. His actions towards them were an expression of His love for them. These were three unknown, unnamed individuals who He could have easily ignored and passed by on His mission to save the world. But instead He stopped and showed them love. He extended mercy. He expressed grace. And their lives would never be the same.

Report what great things the Lord has done for you!

The command Jesus gives in verse 19 to the man who now stood completely free of any demon possession is an unbelievable summary of what it means to share our testimony. It is not about what age we were when we walked the aisle, confessed our faith, prayed the sinner's prayer, or placed our faith in Christ. It is about what an encounter with Jesus Christ has done for us. How He has shown mercy on us. It is being able to say, "I once was held captive by the enemy, but now I am FREE!" It is being able to report, "I once was deathly sick, unable to find relief from the experts of this world, but now I am WHOLE!" It is being able to proclaim, "My child had been robbed of life, but now she is ALIVE!" And Jesus says, "Go tell someone!"

So what has Jesus done for you lately? How has He shown you mercy? Why not go tell someone?

Father, thank You that because of Your Son, I am alive, whole, and free! Forgive me for not telling others all that You have done for me. Thank You for your grace, compassion, and mercy. Thank You for sending Your Son as an expression of Your matchless love for me. Give me the boldness to tell others so that they might experience the same amazing love. Amen