August 18, 2003

CALLED TO STAY PUT

One of Jesus’ most dramatic miracles was the deliverance of a man who was so bound up by evil impulses that the demons possessing him called themselves “Legion; for we are many” (Mark 5:1-20). He had become an uncontrolable wild man who lived in the cemetery, where he did nothing but howl and punish himself with stones. When Jesus met him, he told the demons to leave him forever. They obeyed, and entered a herd of 2000 pigs, which they promptly destroyed.

The redeemed and restored man came to Jesus to express his gratitude. He begged Jesus to take him along with him. It sounded like a good proposal. The man could be personally nurtured by Jesus and helped through the baby steps of his new life. Also, he’d make a great advertisement for Jesus’ miraculous power as he ministered in other towns. He could be Exhibit A.

Surprisingly, Jesus refused to take him. Instead he gave him a ministry among the very people who had previously been part of the sick environment that had contributed to his sorry state:
“Go home to your friends, and tell them how much the Lord has done for you, and what mercy he has shown you.” (verse 19)

These people would certainly not provide the ideal supportive fellowship for his continued recovery. Jesus had confidence that the conversion was genuine and life transforming, so that he could be a positive influence on them.

We all seem to have a vision about how we can best serve the Lord. It’s surprising how often Jesus’ idea of the best way for us to serve him is just about the opposite of ours. Ours may envision us going, while Jesus calls us to stay. Staying is never as dramatic or exciting, but it’s often the most effective ministry we can have.

One commentator on this passage put it this way:
“It is a glorious thing to follow the Christ to far lands and strange places. But I am thinking that sometimes it is even nobler to give up fond dreams of high endeavor in more romantic climes and go back home to live down a black past, proclaiming in dull and difficult circumstances what God has done for one’s soul.”
(Vance Havner, By Still Waters)

There could be no more difficult missionary calling than the one Jesus assigned to this man—the call to stay put. The people Jesus asked him to witness to were the same folk who had just begged Jesus himself to “leave their neighborhood” (verse 17). This was not a receptive crowd. But Jesus loved them enough to dedicate the life of one of his choicest converts to share the gospel with them. For the rest of his days, this man’s life among them would be a living testimony, as they remembered when he had been the wild man howling in the cemetery.

–Pastor George Van Alstine