Legacy of the Kingdom
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King James (Authorized) Version

Mark 5

1And they came over unto the other side of the sea, into the country of the Gadarenes.

2And when he was come out of the ship, immediately there met him out of the tombs a man with an unclean spirit,

3Who had his dwelling among the tombs; and no man could bind him, no, not with chains:

4Because that he had been often bound with fetters and chains, and the chains had been plucked asunder by him, and the fetters broken in pieces: neither could any man tame him.

5And always, night and day, he was in the mountains, and in the tombs, crying, and cutting himself with stones.

6But when he saw Jesus afar off, he ran and worshipped him,

7And cried with a loud voice, and said, What have I to do with thee, Jesus, thou Son of the most high God? I adjure thee by God, that thou torment me not.

8For he said unto him,Come out of the man, thou unclean spirit.

9And he asked him,What is thy name?And he answered, saying, My name is Legion: for we are many.

10And he besought him much that he would not send them away out of the country.

11Now there was there nigh unto the mountains a great herd of swine feeding.

12And all the devils besought him, saying, Send us into the swine, that we may enter into them.

13And forthwith Jesus gave them leave. And the unclean spirits went out, and entered into the swine: and the herd ran violently down a steep place into the sea, (they were about two thousand;) and were choked in the sea.

And they that fed the swine fled, and told it in the city, and in the country. And they went out to see what it was that was done.

14

15And they come to Jesus, and see him that was possessed with the devil, and had the legion, sitting, and clothed, and in his right mind: and they were afraid.

16And they that saw it told them how it befell to him that was possessed with the devil, and also concerning the swine.

17And they began to pray him to depart out of their coasts.

18And when he was come into the ship, he that had been possessed with the devil prayed him that he might be with him.

19Howbeit Jesus suffered him not, but saith unto him,Go home to thy friends, and tell them how great things the Lord hath done for thee, and hath had compassion on thee.

20And he departed, and began to publish in Decapolis how great things Jesus had done for him: and all men did marvel.

21And when Jesus was passed over again by ship unto the other side, much people gathered unto him: and he was nigh unto the sea.

22And, behold, there cometh one of the rulers of the synagogue, Jairus by name; and when he saw him, he fell at his feet,

23And besought him greatly, saying, My little daughter lieth at the point of death: I pray thee, come and lay thy hands on her, that she may be healed; and she shall live.

24And Jesus went with him; and much people followed him, and thronged him.

25And a certain woman, which had an issue of blood twelve years,

26And had suffered many things of many physicians, and had spent all that she had, and was nothing bettered, but rather grew worse,

27When she had heard of Jesus, came in the press behind, and touched his garment.

28For she said, If I may touch but his clothes, I shall be whole.

29And straightway the fountain of her blood was dried up; and she felt in her body that she was healed of that plague.

30And Jesus, immediately knowing in himself that virtue had gone out of him, turned him about in the press, and said,Who touched my clothes?

31And his disciples said unto him, Thou seest the multitude thronging thee, and sayest thou, Who touched me?

32And he looked round about to see her that had done this thing.

33But the woman fearing and trembling, knowing what was done in her, came and fell down before him, and told him all the truth.

34And he said unto her,Daughter, thy faith hath made thee whole; go in peace, and be whole of thy plague.

35While he yet spake, there came from the ruler of the synagogue’s house certain which said, Thy daughter is dead: why troublest thou the Master any further?

36As soon as Jesus heard the word that was spoken, he saith unto the ruler of the synagogue,Be not afraid, only believe.

37And he suffered no man to follow him, save Peter, and James, and John the brother of James.

38And he cometh to the house of the ruler of the synagogue, and seeth the tumult, and them that wept and wailed greatly.

39And when he was come in, he saith unto them,Why make ye this ado, and weep? the damsel is not dead, but sleepeth.

40And they laughed him to scorn. But when he had put them all out, he taketh the father and the mother of the damsel, and them that were with him, and entereth in where the damsel was lying.

41And he took the damsel by the hand, and said unto her,Talitha cumi;which is, being interpreted, Damsel, I say unto thee, arise.

42And straightway the damsel arose, and walked; for she was of the age of twelve years. And they were astonished with a great astonishment.

43And he charged them straitly that no man should know it; and commanded that something should be given her to eat.

Commentary

Verse 9

Beloved, watch the simple horror of this verse one more time. Jesus asked *the man* a question. *The demons* answered. The man could not speak for himself anymore. The occupants had been there so long that they had taken over the office of the will, the office of the mouth, the office of the memory of who he was. *They had stolen the man's name and replaced it with their condition.* Hear me, friend. *Legion is not a name. Legion is a condition.* It does not tell you who the man was, it only tells you how many demons were in him. That is what bondage always does. It substitutes a *condition* for an *identity*. People stop saying *I am God's son* and start saying *I am depressed*. People stop saying *I am called and chosen* and start saying *I am divorced*. People stop saying *I am a daughter of the Most High* and start saying *I am the family failure*. The substitute name does not name *you*. It names the *occupant*. It names the *condition*. It names the *legion*. And here is the costly thing, wherever the substitute name has been accepted, the land has been surrendered. Look at where Legion lived. *Among the tombs.* Not in a house. Not in his father's village. Not in a place of warmth and family. Among the dead. *The substitute name had assigned him to a substitute territory.* The man with the wrong name was living on the wrong land. Friend, somebody reading this right now is living on the wrong land because they have been answering to the wrong name. The territory of your career is not where the Lord placed you, because the name *failure* answered for *purposed*. The territory of your relationships is not where the Lord planted you, because the name *rejected* answered for *chosen*. The territory of your inner life is not where the Lord pastured you, because the name *anxious* answered for *kept in perfect peace*. Let me decree this over you in Jesus' name, every occupant that has been answering for you, be silenced today. Every condition that has been masquerading as your identity, be exposed and cast out. Hear the question of Jesus, *what is thy name?*, and *you* answer this time, in Jesus' name. **Amen.**

Source: Tosin Israel, Pastor Tosin Israel

Verse 19

Beloved, this is the verse the whole book pivots on. *Howbeit Jesus suffered him not.* Watch what the man wanted, he wanted to get in the boat and follow Jesus across the sea, back to where the safer crowd was, back to where the religious culture was. He wanted to join the disciples' caravan. He had every reason to, the Gentiles of Decapolis were not exactly going to welcome him back warmly; the same townspeople who had tried to chain him up were the ones whose pigs had just run into the sea. But Jesus said no. *Howbeit Jesus suffered him not.* He would not let him in the boat. Instead, *Go home to thy friends, and tell them how great things the Lord hath done for thee.* Three commands packed into one verse. **Go home.** Go back to the very place that broke you. Go back to the people who knew the worst version of you. Go back to the country whose chains failed on you. Do not run to a fresh start in a city where nobody knew your tombs. *Go home.* **Tell them.** Open your mouth. Use the voice that has just been restored to you. Speak. Do not let the testimony die unpublished in your private joy. The deliverance is not just for your relief, beloved, it is for *announcement*. **How great things the Lord hath done for thee.** Not how great things *you* did. Not how great things *you* discovered. Not how great things *you* deserved. *How great things the Lord hath done.* Keep the testimony Jesus-centered. The minute the story drifts toward what you achieved, it loses its breaking power. People do not need your strategy, friend. They need your Jesus. And the man obeyed. *He departed, and began to publish in Decapolis how great things Jesus had done for him.* He became the first preacher of the Gospel in ten Gentile cities, *before* Paul, *before* Pentecost, *before* the church was even officially birthed. He preached Jesus to the Decapolis region. By the time Jesus returned to that region in Mark 7 and 8, the same crowds that had once driven Him away were now bringing the sick to Him by the thousands. *What changed the region? One man, restored and sent.* That is the pattern, beloved. *Restoration is not the end. Sending is the purpose.* And that is what the next chapters are going to unfold. Beloved, watch four small words that hold the whole verse open. *Howbeit Jesus suffered him not.* That phrase is the Lord lovingly *blocking* an option the man wanted to take. The man wanted *with*. Jesus said *go*. The man wanted *near*. Jesus said *back*. The man wanted *the boat*. Jesus said *the country*. And friend, hear me, Jesus loved this man. He had crossed a sea for him. He had cast a legion of demons out of him. He had clothed him, seated him, restored his mind. There was no shortage of compassion in the no. The no was *because of* love, not in spite of it. Jesus loved the country of the Gadarenes too, the ten cities of Decapolis, and the Lord saw that the way to love them was to send this delivered man back to them as the first evangelist. *Go home to thy friends.* That phrase already does something to me, beloved. Because *friends* is a generous word. These were the very people who had tried to chain him. These were the very people who had run from him when he came running. These were the very people whose pigs had just drowned in the sea. They were not exactly going to roll out a welcome mat. But Jesus called them *friends*. The relationships were not dead. They had been disfigured by the bondage, but they were still relationships. And the same restoration that put the man in his right mind put the *friendships* back in their right place too. *Tell them how great things the Lord hath done for thee.* Not how great things you discovered. Not how great things you achieved. Not the philosophy you have now adopted. *How great things the Lord hath done.* Keep the testimony Lord-centered. The minute the story drifts toward your strategy or your effort, the breaking power leaves the testimony. People do not need your method, friend. They need your Saviour. *And he departed, and began to publish in Decapolis.* He did not delay. He did not negotiate. He did not write a book first or get a platform first or build a following first. He *departed*. He *began*. And the country he was sent to was *ten cities*, a confederation of Gentile towns nobody in the Jewish disciples' circle would have been allowed to enter. *The first preacher of the Gospel to Gentile Decapolis was not Peter. Not Paul. It was a delivered demoniac.* I pray for somebody right now, beloved, every place the Lord is telling you *go back* instead of *go with*, let your ears hear the no of love today in Jesus' name. Let your feet obey the sending in Jesus' name. **Amen.**

Source: Tosin Israel, Pastor Tosin Israel