Power over Unclean Spirits (Mark 5:1–20)
Excerpt
Having crossed over to the other side of what Mark calls the ‘lake’, Jesus enters the pagan country. We may ask ourselves the question, ‘What is a good kosher boy like Jesus doing in such a place—a graveyard, peopled with pigs, pagans and a naked, wild man who is possessed?’ All of this is completely off-limits for a law-abiding Jew. In this second miracle, the authority of Jesus and the kingdom he represents is extended both over the ragings of nature and the unnatural deranged demoniac. The common factor is that both the forces of nature and the unnatural demoniac recognize the authority Jesus represents. This is in sharp contrast to the vacillations of fearful disciples. … More
McFadyen, Phillip. Open Door on Mark: His Gospel Explored. London: Triangle, 1997. Print.
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