(Mrk) 5:11-12, 15-19 CJB “Now there was a large herd of pigs feeding near the hill, and the unclean spirits begged him, “Send us to the pigs, so we can go into them.” They came to Yeshua and saw the man who had had the legion of demons, sitting there, dressed and in his right mind; and they were frightened. Those who had seen it told what had happened to the man controlled by demons and to the pigs; and the people began begging Yeshua to leave their district. As he was getting into the boat, the man who had been demonized begged him to be allowed to go with him. But Yeshua would not permit it. Instead, he said to him, “Go home to your people, and tell them how much Adonai in his mercy has done for you.”

Mark 5 gives us a surprising picture of why God says no.

Three different “people” beg Jesus for something.

The demons beg Him.

The pagans beg Him.

The man Jesus delivered begs Him.

Two receive what they request.

One is denied.

Even more surprising, the demons and the pagans get what they ask for, while the man who wants to follow Jesus does not.

That is not the result most religious people would expect.

The Demons Begged Jesus

The unclean spirits begged Jesus: “Send us to the pigs, so we can go into them.”

They knew who Jesus was.

They knew His authority.

They knew that judgment and eternal torment awaited them.

They begged to remain active on the earth, and Jesus granted their request.

They entered the pigs and immediately demonstrated their destructive nature. The herd rushed down the hill and drowned.

Jesus was not showing approval of demons or evil. He was demonstrating that even the demonic realm operates only under His authority.

Demons still torment and destroy.

Yet even their activity may be used by God to awaken men to the reality of evil, expose their helplessness, and drive them to seek deliverance from Him.

The Pagans Begged Jesus

The people of the region saw the formerly demonized man:

• Sitting peacefully
• Properly clothed
• In his right mind

They also heard what had happened to the pigs.

Instead of rejoicing that a man had been restored, they became afraid and begged Jesus to leave their region.

Jesus granted their request too.

They were more troubled by the power of God than they had been by the presence of evil.

They preferred the life they knew—even with demons—over the changes that might come if Jesus remained.

God does not normally force men to love, worship, or obey Him.

He allows people to reject Him.

He allows them to continue ignoring Him and disobeying His commands.

But permission is not approval.

Those who reject Christ will still face Him in judgment unless they repent and are reconciled to God.

Why God Says No to the Christian

The restored man made the best request of all.

He begged Jesus to allow him to go with Him.

He had been living among the tombs, controlled by demons, cutting himself, crying out, and unable to be restrained.

Now he had been restored.

Of course he wanted to stay close to Jesus.

Yet Jesus said no.

This man was denied, not because his desire was wrong, but because Jesus had work for him to do. “Go home to your people, and tell them how much Adonai in His mercy has done for you.”

The demons were permitted to remain.

The pagans were permitted to reject Jesus.

The Christian was commanded to stay among them.

That is the mission of God’s people.

We are not immediately removed from this world when Jesus saves us. We remain among evil spirits, sinful people, suffering, rebellion, and brokenness.

Why?

Because Jesus intends to use His restored people to tell others how much God has done for them.

The delivered man became a witness to the very people who asked Jesus to leave.

He was to prepare them for the next time they heard about Jesus.

He was living proof that Jesus had the power to save, restore, and reconcile ruined men to God.

God Works Through His People

God has the power to demand His way upon the earth.

But for now, He allows evil and evil men to continue.

At the same time, He works:

• Through His people
• In His people
• With His people

He shows Himself to be good through those He has changed.

He shows Himself to be Savior through those He has delivered.

He shows Himself to be loving through those who love others.

He shows Himself willing to receive sinners through those who testify to His mercy.

Demons still plague men, but their destruction can drive men to seek God.

Pagans still reject God, but their brokenness can eventually expose their need for Him.

Christians are still left in the world because we have been given the ministry of reconciliation.

We are here to tell people what the Lord has done for us.

We are here to urge them to be reconciled to God.

We are here to show that Jesus still restores ruined men and receives all who come to Him.

Sometimes why God says no is because He has not finished using you where you are.

You may want relief.

You may want escape.

You may simply want to be with Jesus.

But Jesus may say:

“Stay.”

“Go home.”

“Tell them what I have done for you.”

The demons begged and received permission.

The pagans begged and received their freedom.

The Christian begged and received a mission.

Run Today’s Play

Ask, where has God left me because someone there still needs to hear what He has done for me?

Tell one person specifically how Jesus has shown you mercy.

Stop viewing your difficult surroundings only as something to escape, and begin seeing them as a mission field in which God has placed you.