Mark 5 - In Depth Bible Commentaries

691(...continued)those raging storms within the human psyche, at great cost–and as a result of his victory,offers suffering humanity sanity and wholeness of life. This (what we call the “divineelement” in the story) we can believe and proclaim–and it is indeed Good News for each ofus, and for the whole world.Of course, if we can solve all our problems by ourselves–if our children are notinvolved in drug addictions, or in mental illnesses, or in suicides--and if we have theanswers to criminality, and to sexual perversions that lead to AIDS and other venerealdiseases, as well as to crimes against others (even little children)–then we can simplydismiss such an ancient story as worthless, and something we can easily afford to neglect,refusing to take it seriously.But if we find ourselves and our families trapped in our human weaknesses andfolly, and down-right sinfulness, we will quickly recognize that such an attitude is utterfoolishness. The fact is, we are weak and sinful; the world we live in is plagued with tragicmental illness and disease, and social aberrations and evils that threaten us withdestruction.Indeed, in a symbolic way, this individual named “Legion” could stand for modern,twenty-first century humanity–with the preceding century’s terrible possession of thedemons of Nazism, and Atheistic Communism, and Materialism, and the worship ofPleasure and Selfishness, and murderous Racism. Dare we think that all of theseterrifying demons have been exorcized from the twenty-first century?The fact is, we desperately need a divine source of sanity, of being set free from theterrible chaotic forces that attack and destroy human happiness and hope and justice andpeace. Jesus of Nazareth, according to the Good News of Mark, is just such a source–theOne sent from God with the power to overcome all the forces of chaos that threaten anddestroy human life.Mark wants us to know that we are not alone in this struggle against the chaoticevils that confront us in human history. No, our Creator God has taken our side in thefight. He himself has entered into history, to do battle with all the dark forces of evil. TheGood News is that in Jesus of Nazareth he has won the victory. That’s the Good News ofMark.Mark 5:1-20 informs its readers that the Creator God, YHWH of Israel, who hascome to us in Jesus of Nazareth, is none other than the Victor over all the chaotic forces ofevil that afflict and distort humanity in history. The manifold evils that inhabit our innermostbeings have met their Conqueror in Jesus. The unclean spirits and the demonic forcesthat hinder and confuse and blind and bind us have met their match–we are not engagedin a helpless fight with no hope of victory. We are assured of ultimate triumph, and we donot have to be afraid of the powers of darkness. Our victorious King has come–he hasconquered all the forces of evil–and in following him, we too are assured of victory. That’sthe Good News of Mark.428(continued...)