Mark 5:20, “And he went off and began to proclaim in Decapolis what great things Jesus had done for him; and everyone marveled”. One minute this man is a mess and, in the next moment, then he is, “sitting down, clothed and in his right mind”. As Jesus is leaving, this man wanted to follow Him but He did not allow him to follow. Do you see what is happening here? God shows mercy on us and then gives an assignment – “report to them what great things the Lord has done for you, and how He had mercy on you”. I think the healed man was as surprised by this assignment as we are! It sounds to me like the minimum requirement to do “mission” work is to wear clothes and use your brain and mouth! Use your influence and just tell people that God is merciful and He loves them. Are you ready? It could be that the difference between some believers is that we are all grateful but, for some, it is head knowledge and not yet heart knowledge. It is impossible to save ourselves but we want to be saved and just don’t want to be in the presence/relationship of/with a Holy God because that is quite a reach. You are so right. Because Father God remained in Heaven and sent His Son, we have a better chance to understand the love of the Father for us. This rescued soul, reported in the Gospel of Mark, never wrote a book or a blog and we don’t know now extensive his mission field was but the assignment was clear. Jesus says yes to following Him but the yes includes relationship to Him and relating this to our people. This is why, at my age, I am so happy to be more deliberate in “reporting” that God has shown me mercy. Reporting from Wiler clothed in a black sweatsuit, watching the snow fall, and writing to you about the mercy of God.
