Jesus came to seek and to save

We read the story of Legion in the Gospel of Mark 5: 1-15. When Mark says “Then they came to the other side of the sea, to the country of the Gadarenes …” (Mk 5:1,2), it appears as though that place was on the way to some other place. But in reality, it is a very lonely and out of the way place. When Jesus chose to go there, He must have had a special purpose and a specific person on his mind!

Legion had been living in the region of Gadarenes, among the tombs. Legion had cut himself off from family, friends and the fellowship of God. But he was not cut off from the path of Jesus. We do not read of anybody pleading the cause of Legion or praying for his restoration. Legion’s family and friends had completely given up on him and committed him to the tombs. But he was not forgotten by Jesus. Legion had no power over the demons that were possessing him. He was helpless and hopeless. He was actually hurting himself. But Jesus had the power to deliver him. Jesus chose to go to that place with that very thought of liberating Legion!

Jesus alone has the power to change our situations; the power to deliver us; the power to transform us and the power to prepare a place for each one of us in heaven. When Jesus chose to go to the Cross, He thought of each one of us.

My friend, you may be praying for someone dear and near or a friend. He or she may now be far away from God. Everyone around you may have given up on them. Take heart. No one is forgotten by God. The Bible says in Isaiah 59:1, “Surely the arm of the Lord is not too short to save”. In His time, He will meet them wherever they are and restore them to joyful fellowship.

No one, I believe, no one is ever beyond His reach and His Grace!

Michael W. Smith, in the song ‘Above all’, captures the thought beautifully:

Crucified, laid behind the stone;
You lived to die, rejected and alone;

Like a rose trampled on the ground,
You took the fall, and thought of me, above all.

Categories: Weekly DevotionalsAuthor: Hephzibah StephenDate: 20th March 2018 Share: newsletterDisplay date: 21st March 2018

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