Clothed and in his right mind Mark 5

They came to Jesus and observed the man who had been demon-possessed sitting down, clothed and in his right mind, the very man who had the “legion”; and they became frightened. Mark 5:15

This is a fascinating passage of scripture for so many reasons. Here is a naked man, insane from demon-possession, strong and fierce, and self-destructive (this is the only passage where cutting is used that I know of). Jesus comes, heals him, and when the people hear of it, they come to find the man totally transformed. It mentions 3 changes, though I am sure they were many more. He is sitting down. He is at rest. His life had been one of wandering in caves and running around the tombs. Nice life. Not. But the healing touch of Jesus calmed his wandering, troubled heart. He could sit. He could learn. He could enjoy life for the first time in who knows how long.

Then it says he was clothed. Someone, out of the goodness of their heart, or just out of plain fear, donated clothing to the poor naked soul who no longer wanted to be that way. His shame was covered. He was warmed. He was able to go among people without scorn or rejection. Clothing represented something...we do not accept people without it (unless you are a lecherous person) in public places. He was free to do as Jesus would next instruct him because he was clothed- to return home and tell people all the good God had done for him. The Bible talks about the shame of nakedness. The only place for it is in the home with one's spouse. Even Noah's son was ashamed when they walked into his tent when he was passed out drunk and naked. Two were blessed for not looking on him, but covering him walking backwards to do it, and Ham was condemned for looking and then tattling. Nakedness is a sign either of lewdness or extreme poverty. In this case, it was both. The man was now accepting clothing, not shredding them off his body like the Hulk. He was willing and able to cover himself. Try keeping clothes on a 2 year old some days. You have to accept wearing them, be trained what is acceptable, and actually stayed covered. This was a major deal for this guy.

And he was in his right mind. Without the demons, the voices in his head telling him to do what he should have never done, to live like he would never otherwise choose to live, he could think straight. He could accept Jesus who saved him from his awful fate, could reason his good fortune, could be grateful instead of destructive, and could tell others of what Jesus had done for him.

And it scared the bejeezus out of the townspeople! They saw floating pigs (which shouldn't have been in any part of Israel anyway, you understand) and a tamed mad-man, and they made Jesus leave town! They begged him to go away! Really??? Why not bring other suffering people to be healed? Why not have him drive out the demons in their own lives? Just why is it that when Jesus comes into our presence we send him away instead of bowing the knee, or at least taking advantage of His presence and abilities? Today the Oswald Chambers piece on Facebook answered that question for me...when we are truly in the presence of God, we see our sin...not just generic sin, but specific sin. We see ourselves as unworthy, filthy, and unacceptable. And we don't like it. We don't want to be bothered with guilt and shame and uncomfortable feelings about ourselves. We figure if we are better than the next guy that we are just fine, thank you. But our spirit senses something different about this man Jesus. He's no ordinary guy, prophet, or rabbi. He is different in an uncomfortable way. Even when most of his disciples left Him and He asked if the rest were going to go away, too, they answered only that they had nowhere else to go. They knew His words were life, even if they didn't understand them. This difference is huge. And He healed the man not because he asked to be healed, because he didn't. He healed him out of compassion. The man didn't choose to be healed. He was healed in spite of himself, and he was grateful. And instead of wanting to be a part of this marvelous transformation, those around him said NO THANKS. When given the option to be transformed in every good way, they rejected it. They rejected the one who could give them a life worth living.

It is no different today. I work with people and interact with people who cringe at the mention of the word GOD, let alone Jesus. They know that it means something has to change. They are not comfortable in the presence of the words, let alone the people and spirit they represent. So we pray. We pray for Jesus to heal out of compassion for they would be the people who send Jesus away otherwise. How silly we humans are! And how sad! I would take sitting, clothed, and sane over restless, naked, and constantly worried, angry, and destructive any day. Would you? Jesus is the only cure for the common human condition. Let Him stay when He visits your town. You won't regret it.