Tell Me Your Story

Text: Mark 5:1-20

Introduction: Parents and grandparents are familiar with these words, “Tell me a story.” At night, that simple request from a 4 year old is sometimes good for a 15-minute delay of bedtime. Request granted, favorite story told for the “umpteenth” time. That’s why we resonate with the news of the passing away of Don Hewitt, creator of television’s 60 Minutes. Hewitt loved the phrase, “Tell me a story.” He died in August at 86 and was the genius behind the show that won, over the decades, 73 Emmys. He dreamed of a television version of Life magazine, the dominant magazine of the mid-20th century. Hewitt said, “The formula is simple, and it’s reduced to four words every kid in the world knows: Tell me a story.” Mike Wallace, Morley Safer, Ed Bradley, and Diane Sawyer have been telling stories for decades on this very popular show.

When we read Mark 5:1-20, we are reminded of how powerful story can be. The setting is a storm, which is vividly described in Mark 4.

1.    Jesus and a violent storm (Mark 4:35-41). Several years ago on a Fourth of July, over 100,000 people were gathered on the shores of Lake Erie in Cleveland. They had been promised the most spectacular fireworks show ever. Panic ensued when a storm erupted off the lake. Thunder, rain, lightning, hail, and strong winds had people dashing for their cars. When it was all over, destruction was everywhere, and thousands were without power for days.

In Mark 4, a storm swept out of the mountains that surrounded the Sea of Galilee. All had been calm. Hundreds had listened with fascination to Jesus’ parables. When His teaching was over, a simple request from Jesus followed: “Let us cross over to the other side.” The other side was Gentile country called the Decapolis—a 10-town country, and Gadara was one of its smaller towns. Jesus and his disciples headed to the other side in a boat. It had been a taxing day, and soon Jesus was asleep. But in the middle of the lake, a storm erupted. This is how Mark described it: “Now when they had left the multitude, they took Him along in the boat as He was. And other little boats were also with Him. And a great windstorm arose, and the waves beat into the boat, so that it was already filling. But He was in the stern, asleep on a pillow. And they awoke Him and said to Him, ‘Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?’ Then He arose and rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, ‘Peace be still!’ And the wind ceased and there was a great calm. But He said to them, Why are you so fearful? How is it that you have no faith?” (vv.36-41). Jesus rebuked the wind and then rebuked the disciples.

What kind of storms are you going through: the storm of job loss, foreclosure, health crisis, or family problems? The winds seem to be blowing in hurricane force, and everything seems dark. In such storms, you can ask God to help you have faith in the One who can speak shalom into your heart.

2.    Jesus and a violent Gadarene (Mark 5:1-20). A cemetery is the last place on earth someone would want to land after that storm on Galilee. But that’s where the boat landed. It was dark, and the disciples were shaken. Then they were greeted with a blood-curdling scream. Out of the caves that border the eastern coast of Galilee emerged a man possessed by demons. The text says he had an unclean spirit. Because he was violent and self-destructive, the townspeople did not know what to do with him; and so he was chained and left in the Gadarene cemetery. But due to his supernatural strength, the chains couldn’t hold him. What happens next in the story is unexpected. “When he saw Jesus from afar, he ran and worshiped Him. And he cried out with a loud voice and said, ‘What have I to do with You, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I implore You by God that You do not torment me’ ” (vv.6-7). A dozen questions come to mind. How did the man know He was Jesus? Why did he worship? Why was his theology so accurate? How could Jesus torment him?

The people did not know how to handle the man, but Jesus did.

The man’s name was Legion, which may reveal his innermost feelings. A Roman legion had 6,000 soldiers. Perhaps he felt like he was possessed by 6,000 demons. There is something of a deep mystery here. The evil spirits inside him did not want to be disembodied, so they asked to be sent into the bodies of the 2,000 or so pigs in the nearby field. Jesus exorcised them and the pigs dashed down the cliff, drowning in the waters of Galilee.

One of our recent well-known politicians was famous for his statement, “It’s the economy, stupid.” For the pig farmers of Gadara, it was all about the economy, not the demoniac. There he sat clothed and in his right mind, yet they told Jesus to depart. They were out of business, and they could care less about the man.

Neither Paul nor Barnabas was the first missionary to the Gentiles. It was this man—the transformed Gadarene. He longed to be the 14th passenger on the tiny boat, but Jesus had something else in mind. He said, “Go home to your friends and tell them what great things the Lord has done for you, and how He has had compassion on you” (Mark 5:19).

Edward Vernon paraphrased the text as follows: “ ‘No,’ Jesus said to him, ‘you must go home—back to your own people, and tell them what God has done for you, and how He took pity on you!’ The man turned away and went off; and all over Ten-Town-Land he spread the story of what Jesus had done for him. What a sensation it caused” (E. M. Blaiklock, Mark: The Man and His Message, pp.46-47). In this brief volume, we are told: “The Pilgrim’s Progress, with its flight from the City of Destruction, tells only half the story. That is why C. S. Lewis’s fantasy, the Pilgrim’s Regress, sends the redeemed man back along the path which he had traveled. We should seek to do the same. Times of fellowship, withdrawal and retreat . . . should be followed by return. Toynbee, the great historian, has shown that a pattern of history is involved. In the lives of men and nations, there is a consistent phenomenon of Withdrawal and Return. Israel in Egypt, Judah in Babylon, Moses in Midian, David in Engedi, Paul in Arabia, are biblical illustrations. . . . The ten towns await you. Choose any you will” (pp.48-49).

The Gadarene was simply invited to tell his story of redemption. What was the reward for this rescued man who responded to Jesus’ instructions? When Jesus came back to the Decapolis, His ministry was received with words of welcome (Mark 7:31-37). This time the people did not beg him to depart. Instead, they exclaimed: “He has done all things well.”

The most effective outreach today is when God’s people tell their individual stories of the great things He has done for them.

One Response to “Tell Me Your Story”

1. MJCoombes says:

   October 22, 2009 at 4:00 am

   Yes, you are right. As the old saying goes: All the world loves a story. And the Gospel Story is the most wonderful of them all. And there is plenty of room for sanctified imagination in the telling of them. ‘Tis true, sitting with grandchildren and telling them a story is a thrilling experience. But for the best results, grandparents should learn the skills of storytelling and of ‘story reading’.
   You are right again – and thank you for remining us – living for the Lord starts at home. The Lord’s way for us starts at our Jerusalem, then, should He call us to go to the uttermost part of the earth, He will go with us and help us to tell the folk out there, what He has done for us. Thanks for the reminder.