"But when he saw Jesus afar off, he ran and worshipped him" (Mark 5:6).
Today, we want to take another look at the story of the man of Gadara. I am particularly excited about how the story ended. Here was a man whose life was a complete mess and totally wrecked. But the coming of Jesus was a turning point that brought about a total, positive change in the life of that man. I love that! His chains were broken and he was permanently delivered from the unclean spirit that made him hurt himself and do things that were not convenient. This is precisely why Jesus came into this world: to set us free from the chains that bind us. The good news is that Jesus is still in the business of breaking chains and setting the captives free.
In a sense, virtually all people are living in one type of Gadara or the other, and we need to be set free. But thank God that whosoever the Son of God shall set free shall be free indeed. Therefore, whatever may be the chains you are dealing with, whatever could be the oppression you are experiencing, and whatever may be the affliction that is tormenting you, I want you to know that the coming of Jesus is your sure hope of freedom. Jesus Christ of Nazareth, the Son of the living God has come to bring you out of that Gadara wherein the enemy has shut you in. It is written, "For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil" (1 John 3:8).
There are a number of things that we can observe from the story of the man of Gadara that led to the destruction of the works of the devil in his life. Let us quickly look at some of those things that helped this man obtain his deliverance and ensured that the coming of Jesus produced that great change in his life. First, when he cited Jesus, he ran toward Him, unlike many who are refusing and avoiding Him today. Next, he quickly acknowledged His divinity by worshipping Him. Then most importantly, the man acknowledged Jesus Christ as the Son of the living God. He had no time for all that meaningless debate as to whether God has a Son or not.
The story of this nameless man of Gadara should challenge us because if such a hopeless case could be reversed, repaired, redeemed and restored by Jesus, then there is great hope for you. If you also will willingly run to Jesus, if you will worship Him and acknowledge Him as the Son of God who is able to save you, you shall surely be saved. All who run to Him in faith and acknowledge Him as the Son of God will always benefit immensely from His coming. All who worship Him never go away disappointed. For those who receive Jesus, His coming will never be in vain. Thank you God our Father for sending us your Son, Jesus Christ.
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