Then they came to the other side of the sea, to the country of the Gadarenes. And when He had come out of the boat, immediately there met Him out of the tombs a man with an unclean spirit, who had his dwelling among the tombs; and no one could bind him, not even with chains, because he had often been bound with shackles and chains. And the chains had been pulled apart by him, and the shackles broken in pieces; neither could anyone tame him.
Mark 5:1–4

As you read Mark 5:1–20, you are introduced to a man who is a vivid picture of what life without Christ looks like. We might say this man represents the condition of every person apart from the Lord Jesus. He was under the influence of Satan, unclean, naked, living among death, homeless, in agony, uncontrollable, and dangerous.

In Ephesians, we read a similar description of those who are outside of Christ: “And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins, in which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience, among whom also we all once conducted ourselves in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, just as the others” (Ephesians 2:1–3). We were without hope and without God in the world (Ephesians 2:12).

But this man had an encounter with Christ—and it made all the difference. He was delivered, healed, and made a new creation with a new purpose in life. Christ saw him in this horrible condition, took the initiative, and cast out the unclean spirit (Mark 5:8).

The same truth continues in Ephesians 2: “But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.”

Anchor For Today:
Christ has done for many what He did for this man. Has He done it for you? Have you come to Him?