"You can't have my hope"

You Can’t Have My Hope

Mark 5:1-14 (NLT)

So they arrived at the other side of the lake, in the region of the Gerasenes. 2  When Jesus climbed out of the boat, a man possessed by an evil spirit came out from the tombs to meet him.  3  This man lived in the burial caves and could no longer be restrained, even with a chain.  4  Whenever he was put into chains and shackles—as he often was—he snapped the chains from his wrists and smashed the shackles. No one was strong enough to subdue him.  5  Day and night he wandered among the burial caves and in the hills, howling and cutting himself with sharp stones. 6  When Jesus was still some distance away, the man saw
him, ran to meet him, and bowed low before him.  7  With a shriek, he screamed, “Why are you interfering with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? In the name of God, I beg you, don’t torture me!”  8  For Jesus had already said to the spirit, “Come out of the man, you evil spirit.” 9  Then Jesus demanded, “What is your name?” And he replied, “My name is Legion, because there are many of us inside this man.”  10  Then the evil spirits begged him again and again not to send them to some distant place. 11  There happened to be a large herd of pigs feeding on the hillside nearby.  12  “Send us into those pigs,” the spirits begged. “Let us enter them.”

13  So Jesus gave them permission. The evil spirits came out of the man and entered the pigs, and the entire herd of about 2,000 pigs plunged down the steep hillside into the lake and drowned in the water. 14  The herdsmen fled to the nearby town and the surrounding countryside, spreading the news as they ran. People rushed out to see what had happened.

Today’s story is one of my favorites in scripture. Maybe it’s because I have worked in mental health for several years. Scripture records many times Jesus heals medical problems, but what about mental problems? Those are very real, too. They are medical just as much as leprosy or blindness; but they carry a hidden stigma because no one can see them. When people ask how you are doing, it’s one thing to say, “Well, I’ve gotten over the flu bug.” And it’s another thing to say, “You know, my depression is much better now. Thanks for asking!” That takes a lot of courage! (see mental health statistics on page 9)
Scripture calls the man in today’s story demon-possessed and says he has an “unclean,” “impure,” or “evil” spirit. As Jesus talks with him, it becomes clear that he has a “legion” of spirits. A Roman Army legion had up to 6,000 troops, so that’s a lot of spirits! Mark’s gospel tells us the demons went into 2,000 pigs, so that gives an indication of the complexity of this man’s spiritual and mental state.

If I was to diagnose him in today’s terminology, I might say he has severe unmedicated bi-polar disorder with some strong manic phases. Or perhaps paranoid schizophrenia. I’m not saying mental health problems are demonic. But I guess they are in a way, as all sickness comes ultimately from Satan. It is not part of God’s original pre-fall plan for this world. And someday God
will take it all away.

The fellow in the story is certainly having a bad life. Living naked, isolated from his community. They’ve tried to put him in four-point restraints, but he breaks free every time. Here is what he does though… Seeks Out Jesus

Verse 2 tells us the man met Jesus the moment Jesus stepped foot on shore. It sounds like he was waiting with great anticipation for the boat to land. As he fell at Jesus’ feet, in verse 6, it was probably the demons shouting. Yet, I think there was something within this man that sought out Jesus on his own. This leads me to believe that he wanted to get well. He sought out Jesus even before the evil spirits started to take over the conversation.  Seek out Jesus. If you seek him, you will find him. 

Jeremiah 29:13 (NIV)  You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.

Jesus is anxiously awaiting you. Bring all the things that clutters your mind to Him. Talk about what isolates you from others. Tell Jesus what has died inside your soul. And let Him resurrect hope. Bring your needs to the Healer.

Glimmer Of Hope Despite the man’s horrible condition, Jesus’ coming provided a glimmer of hope

 He ran and knelt before Jesus, seeking help 

 Called him Son of the Most High

 Evil spirits know Jesus’ true identity 

 Jesus was in charge and the evil spirit obeyed the Master

1 Peter 5:7 (NLT) Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you.

Jesus’ Saving Power

The spirits’ persistent begging shows Jesus mastery over them; therefor saving the man 

The contrast between the former and the present condition of the man who had been possessed was a testimony of Jesus’ saving power

Mark 9 (1 of 4 exorcism stories in Mark) Man brought his son to Jesus to be healed from evil spirit When evil spirit saw Jesus, the boy went into a violent convulsion

Jesus asked How long has this been going on?

Man said since he was a little boy; Demon tried to kill the boy in many ways

Man says to Jesus… If You Can

Jesus asked What do you mean, If I Can?

Jesus says Anything is possible if a person believes

My question is DO YOU BELIEVE?

Psalm 34:17-20 (NIV)

The righteous cry out, and the LORD hears them;
    he delivers them from all their troubles.
18  The LORD is close to the brokenhearted
    and saves those who are crushed in spirit.
19  The righteous person may have many troubles,
    but the LORD delivers him from them all;
20  he protects all his bones,
    not one of them will be broken.

The Church and Mental Health

2 Timothy 1:7 (NLT) For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline.

We see here that the Greek word used in the original text is not SOUND MIND but rather, SELF-CONTROL. Sound Mind: Legally, having the capacity to think, reason, and understand for oneself. Self Control: the ability to control oneself, in particular, one's emotions and desires or the expression of them in one’s behavior, especially in difficult situations.

Paul was not telling Timothy that God has given him a sound mind, but Self Control. And that is the ability to control oneself.

Those in the church who have never dealt with addiction, abuse, or mental health problems have no idea what it is like.

We often say things like “It’s going to be alright or hang in there.” Don’t accept it! Guess what, those things don’t help. I absolutely agree that we should believe in Jesus and I am also saying it is time for us to recognize that just like alcoholism, mental health issues need professional help as well.

But the church and Christians tend to label those with mental health issues as weak and faithless. Yes, I have seen people struggle with depression, anxiety and suicidal thoughts. And the church couldn’t and didn’t help. Medication and a Psychologist coupled with prayer did. Christians, don’t be afraid to seek help.

Verse 14 – Herdsmen ran and shared the good news nearby town and the surrounding countryside.

Close

A group of psychiatrists were attending a convention. Four of them decided to leave, and walked out together. One said to the other three, “People are always coming to us with their guilt and fears, but we have no one that we can go to when we have problems.” 

The others agreed.

Then one said, “Since we are all professionals, why don’t we take some time right now to hear each other out?” The other three agreed.

The first then confessed, “I have an uncontrollable desire to kill my patients.”

The second psychiatrist said, “I love expensive things and so I find ways to cheat my patients out of their money whenever I can so I can buy the things I want.”

The third followed with, “I’m involved with selling drugs and often get my patients to sell them for me.”

The fourth psychiatrist then confessed, “I know I’m not supposed to, but no matter how hard I try, I can’t keep a secret…”

Mental health and substance use challenges can take many forms. There’s depression, anxiety, schizophrenia, addiction and the list goes on. Some of these challenges are more visible and you might recognize them immediately. Others can be harder to see when you’re not looking for them. But, they are still there.

These statistics provide a look at how many people face a mental health or substance use challenge, whether we see it or not:

1. In the United States, almost half of adults (46.4 percent) will experience a mental illness during their lifetime.

2. 5 percent of adults (18 or older) experience a mental illness in any one year, equivalent to 43.8 million people.

3. Half of all mental disorders begin by age 14 and three- quarters by age 24.

4. In 2021, suicide was the 11th leading cause of death in the United States. It was the second leading cause of death in people aged 10–34 and the fifth in people aged 35–54.

5. In the United States, only 41 percent of the people who had a mental disorder in the past year received professional health care or other services.