“Tell them what the Lord has done for you”
Daily Scripture
Mark 5:18-20
18 While he was climbing into the boat, the one who had been demon-possessed pleaded with Jesus to let him come along as one of his disciples. 19 But Jesus wouldn’t allow it. “Go home to your own people,” Jesus said, “and tell them what the Lord has done for you and how he has shown you mercy.” 20 The man went away and began to proclaim in the Ten Cities all that Jesus had done for him, and everyone was amazed.
Daily Reflection & Prayer
It made sense that the man wanted to stay with Jesus, who had healed and restored him. But a profound sense of mission had sent Jesus across the lake into Gentile territory to heal a desperate man who lived among the tombs. Jesus shared that mission with the restored man, sending him back to his village to “tell them what the Lord has done for you.” Well before the apostle Paul coined the phrase (cf. Galatians 2:8) or even met Jesus, this former outcast was an apostle to the Gentiles.
- One spiritual truth we sometimes don’t like is that any kind of healing, any good thing God gives us, is never just for our own sake. God wants to see us physically, emotionally and spiritually healthy—and then God wants us to become his hands and voice to restore others to health. Who worked with God to bring healing and well-being into your life? How can you extend that to others?
- The healed man, like Jesus’ apostles on the night before his crucifixion (cf. John 16:5-11), thought he could only experience Jesus’ power in his physical presence. But, although God did some amazing things at the day of Pentecost (cf. Acts 2:1-4), the Holy Spirit was not non-existent until then. Do you believe Jesus’ power through the Spirit stayed with the man as he “began to proclaim in the Ten Cities”? Are you confident that Jesus’ power is present with you today?
Prayer
Lord Jesus, you haven’t redeemed me just so I can hoard your grace and love for myself. Guide me and empower me for God’s mission in the world, which you’ve called me to join in. Amen.
GPS Insights
Leah Swank-Miller
Leah Swank-Miller is Director of Student Ministries at Resurrection Overland Park. A Kansas native, she has been a professional actress for nearly two decades, and she loves to see the vastness of God’s creation through theatre and the arts. Leah is pursuing an M.Div. from Saint Paul School of Theology. Leah, Brian, and their two children love to play tennis, golf, soccer, and board games.
I’m not crazy about sweets. If I get a craving, it’s usually for something savory and cheesy. But I LOVE sea-salted caramel biscuits by Cartwright and Butler, made special in England. They’re cookies, but if you’ve ever watched Ted Lasso, you know that the Brits like to call them biscuits. I had been gifted them once a few years ago, and upon eating just one bite, my whole world was forever changed (cue music and fireworks for dramatic effect). It took me over a year to track down where I could find them, a British specialty shop in Leawood. To say they are special to me is an understatement. The specialty shop only orders two tins at a time, and I buy them up. I must wait a few months before the next shipment from England, so I pace myself.
It isn’t easy to pace myself, but I’ve worked on it. It helps that I hide my delicious treats in the back of our pantry so no one else can find them. But then, one day, my 10-year-old daughter did. She was looking for a treat, and as I saw her reach for the tall, teal cylinder canister, pop open the lid, and pull out the sleeve of only one biscuit left, I winced out loud. “Um, darling, are you sure you don’t want something else?” I asked. “No, I want to try these; you like them. I want to try them,” she replied. I could feel myself get stingy and panicky. These are my treats. MINE! I don’t want to share, not even one. OOF! I unclenched my jaw, breathed, and said, “Sure, ok.” She liked them, by the way, but didn’t “love them.”
The more I dig deeper into the life and ministry of Jesus, the more I understand that the way Jesus shared himself on earth was through his ministry and miracles as they transformed lives one heart at a time. Then Jesus watched those transformed people go away and be the love and light of Jesus to their people. Jesus was multiplied through those who experienced his saving love, not only by spreading the good news of Jesus as the Messiah but also by sharing a radical love that builds bridges and transforms peoples and places.
I can relate to this man’s desire to stay with Jesus and go wherever he went. But Jesus called this man to go out to his people and “tell them what the Lord has done.” Jesus called him to multiply God’s grace and love and share what had been done to him. The rest of the world also needs this love. But sometimes, I’d rather stay safe in my little bubble with people who think, act, and talk just like me and gobble up all that love without sharing it. I want all the biscuits for myself. But God is pushing me outside of my comfort zones and into insecure places to share what Jesus has done in my life through my words and actions. One God biscuit at a time. Ha!
