Ecclesiastes 9:5b-6: "The dead know nothing; they have no further reward, and even the memory of them is forgotten. Their love, their hate and their jealousy have long since vanished; never again will they have a part in anything that happens under the sun."
One of my delights in life is touring historical sites and learning about the people who lived there in centuries past. Recently, I had the privilege of visiting an old city in eastern North Carolina; and as expected, I scheduled as many historical attractions into my weekend as I could muster.
One of my stops took me to a rather old cemetery that had in its yard the interred remains of several prominent people in the life of that city over the past two hundred years. As I walked through the cemetery, I enjoyed reading the epitaphs inscribed on the headstones of the dead; still, one crypt stood out to me for its magnificence. It seemed as if the person interred there wanted to impress the occasional stroller to walk over to his plot and pay homage. I mused at the crypt, that now was showing the signs of deterioration (broken brick and mortar, weeds, etc.).
Later that week, I purchased a historical book of that particular city, and as I began to read its contents, I noticed that the person whose name was on the crypt was mentioned in the book. Of course, this fascinated me, and I was determined to learn about this person. The historical book did not present a favorable opinion of the man. He was known as a shrewd politician of the mid-nineteenth century, who used his political position to profit personally. He, for example, used convicts of the state and slaves as free labor to work his expansive agricultural fields and his railroad company. This man was able to become quite wealthy by taking advantage of others; and with this wealth and political stature, he was able to assume a high level of influence in the community.
I guess the tragic irony of this story is found in this man's death. When he drew his last breath, everything that he had acquired (or rather usurped) was lost to him. No longer would he have the prestige and affluence that he had experienced in his life. Now, his memory was relegated to a few choice words in a historical book and a rapidly deteriorating (albeit impressive) crypt.
The writer of Ecclesiastes aptly recognizes this fate by saying that the dead "have no further reward and even the memory of them is forgotten." With hyperbolic sarcasm, the writer wants the reader to understand that the vain, temporal pursuits of this life are meaningless. If we are consumed with power, recognition, or wealth, we will find that our energies will be ill-spent.
An occasional stroll through a graveyard can be a good reminder to a follower of Jesus Christ that he need not scurry about with the world in the rat race to accumulate the vanities of life; rather he should be focused on cultivating his intimate relationship with Christ and follow Him obediently. It is to Christ that the believer's soul will return (see Ecclesiastes 12:7), and eternity will become his experiential reality. Once a man dies and is interred in the ground, his memory will fade not unlike the fading of the lettering inscribed on the headstones of the dead. All will be lost in this temporal world; thus, he should be motivated to prepare himself for his eternal dwelling with the Lord.
Rick Warren has said that "Christians should carry spiritual green cards to remind us that our citizenship is in heaven." If we have everything to gain in eternity and everything to lose here, it sounds like we should be motivated by what we will experience just over the horizon.
Wednesday, April 30, 2008
Tuesday, April 29, 2008
Discerning the Origin of Life
Ecclesiastes 8:17: "Then I saw all that God has done. No one can comprehend what goes on under the sun. Despite all his efforts to search it out, man cannot discover its meaning. Even if a wise man claims he knows, he cannot really comprehend it."
As one gazes upon the world around him, he cannot help but be overwhelmed with its beauty and its order. One only need to stand at the edge of a tall mountain and look at the world below him or sit on the beach and watch the waves crashing on the shore to see that this world is a magnificent sight.
Recently, I had the opportunity of watching Ben Stein's movie, Expelled. It saddened me to see scientific minds adamantly concluding that the universe was the chance assimilation of proteins to form life. These "intellectuals" had rather far-fetched notions of the origins of life; some even concluded that crystals or aliens might have been the catalyst for life to begin. The Darwinists in the documentary seemed to be so adamant that they had figured out how life began; yet, their theories were disturbingly inconclusive. Although these minds were rather hostile to the thought of "intelligent design," their flawed opinions left much to be desired.
We find in the passage quoted above that man is not able to comprehend fully the work of God in this world. To be sure, God has revealed His "eternal power and divine nature" through His creation so that no one can say, "there is no God" (see Romans 1:20). The beauty and expansiveness of the universe necessitates that we must consider that something or someone greater than ourselves has brought this to pass. What God has chosen to tell us in His Scriptures is that He is the One who has created everything (see Genesis 1). His revelation to us and our sensory reflection forces us to a point of crisis where we must respond by faith to the conclusion that He is the Sovereign Creator. And, of course, if one will affirm God as Creator, one must also understand that God has the right and the power to call the shots. This necessitates a second crisis point of submission to God's rightful Lordship. I believe that this second decision highly influences the decision of the origins of life for the evolutionist. That is, the evolutionist is not willing to surrender himself to God; he would rather see himself as his own lord. He wants to call his own shots without any accountability whatsoever. This is why these evolutionary "intellectuals" are so hostile to the teaching of "intelligent design" in educational settings. They are quite averse to any notion of Divine creation being taught, even though some of these brilliant minds will conclude that aliens or crystals were the creative spark starting life.
As I have conversed with Darwinists, I have yet to have the question answered, "From where do the foundational elements that started evolution originate?" Each Darwinist will scurry from answering that question, for they cannot assert their conclusion with 100% certainty. One atheist from Europe with which I had a dialogue about 5 years ago said quite tellingly, "No one for certain can know where the primordial elements originate." To which I replied, "Then your assertion that evolution is science is in actuality a theory." There was no returned response.
Each of us must come to the point of crisis in which we must affirm or deny that the Sovereign Lord is the Creator of the world and is thus worthy of our submission. My hope for you is that the Lord will reveal to you that He is in fact the Creator!
As one gazes upon the world around him, he cannot help but be overwhelmed with its beauty and its order. One only need to stand at the edge of a tall mountain and look at the world below him or sit on the beach and watch the waves crashing on the shore to see that this world is a magnificent sight.
Recently, I had the opportunity of watching Ben Stein's movie, Expelled. It saddened me to see scientific minds adamantly concluding that the universe was the chance assimilation of proteins to form life. These "intellectuals" had rather far-fetched notions of the origins of life; some even concluded that crystals or aliens might have been the catalyst for life to begin. The Darwinists in the documentary seemed to be so adamant that they had figured out how life began; yet, their theories were disturbingly inconclusive. Although these minds were rather hostile to the thought of "intelligent design," their flawed opinions left much to be desired.
We find in the passage quoted above that man is not able to comprehend fully the work of God in this world. To be sure, God has revealed His "eternal power and divine nature" through His creation so that no one can say, "there is no God" (see Romans 1:20). The beauty and expansiveness of the universe necessitates that we must consider that something or someone greater than ourselves has brought this to pass. What God has chosen to tell us in His Scriptures is that He is the One who has created everything (see Genesis 1). His revelation to us and our sensory reflection forces us to a point of crisis where we must respond by faith to the conclusion that He is the Sovereign Creator. And, of course, if one will affirm God as Creator, one must also understand that God has the right and the power to call the shots. This necessitates a second crisis point of submission to God's rightful Lordship. I believe that this second decision highly influences the decision of the origins of life for the evolutionist. That is, the evolutionist is not willing to surrender himself to God; he would rather see himself as his own lord. He wants to call his own shots without any accountability whatsoever. This is why these evolutionary "intellectuals" are so hostile to the teaching of "intelligent design" in educational settings. They are quite averse to any notion of Divine creation being taught, even though some of these brilliant minds will conclude that aliens or crystals were the creative spark starting life.
As I have conversed with Darwinists, I have yet to have the question answered, "From where do the foundational elements that started evolution originate?" Each Darwinist will scurry from answering that question, for they cannot assert their conclusion with 100% certainty. One atheist from Europe with which I had a dialogue about 5 years ago said quite tellingly, "No one for certain can know where the primordial elements originate." To which I replied, "Then your assertion that evolution is science is in actuality a theory." There was no returned response.
Each of us must come to the point of crisis in which we must affirm or deny that the Sovereign Lord is the Creator of the world and is thus worthy of our submission. My hope for you is that the Lord will reveal to you that He is in fact the Creator!
Monday, April 28, 2008
It's the Inward Change that Counts
Joel 2:13: "Rend your heart and not your garments. Return to the Lord your God, for he is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love, and he relents from sending calamity."
The prophet Joel arrived on the scene in Israel as the messenger of God during a severe locust plague in Palestine. In an ironic twist of loyalty, the people of Israel had forsaken the very hand of God that had brought prosperity to them. As they gorged themselves on the abundant harvest of the land, they fell into the trap of thinking that they were self-sufficient. These covenant people did not think that they needed to follow the Lord, rather they believed that they were on the throne of their lives and should satistfy their own desires above anyone else, including God. Oh, they were good at holding religious services, and they even thought they were spiritual people. But in reality, their hearts were far from surrender to the One True God.
In turn, God brought a severe plague and a drought upon the people to get their attention. Even as God was using Joel to speak a message of the coming day of ultimate judgment (i.e. The Day of the Lord), He encouraged His people to respond with true repentance. This was not a mere outward ceremony of allegiance to the Lord (again, the people of Israel were great at external show without internal substance); rather, God expected that the people change ("rend") their hearts. If the people would respond to God's judgment with a true spirit of contrition and repentance, God would return the blessings that they had enjoyed previously. God declared Himself to be "gracious, compassionate, and abounding in love." He desired to bless His people, but He knew that they first must respond with loyalty to Him above all other things (including themselves).
We always must remember that merely going through the motions of spirituality will not impress God. What God expects is a heart completely surrendered to Him. Begin today by working on the person within, and commit yourself to Him wholely and obediently. God is the Sovereign One who blesses those who are found faithful.
The prophet Joel arrived on the scene in Israel as the messenger of God during a severe locust plague in Palestine. In an ironic twist of loyalty, the people of Israel had forsaken the very hand of God that had brought prosperity to them. As they gorged themselves on the abundant harvest of the land, they fell into the trap of thinking that they were self-sufficient. These covenant people did not think that they needed to follow the Lord, rather they believed that they were on the throne of their lives and should satistfy their own desires above anyone else, including God. Oh, they were good at holding religious services, and they even thought they were spiritual people. But in reality, their hearts were far from surrender to the One True God.
In turn, God brought a severe plague and a drought upon the people to get their attention. Even as God was using Joel to speak a message of the coming day of ultimate judgment (i.e. The Day of the Lord), He encouraged His people to respond with true repentance. This was not a mere outward ceremony of allegiance to the Lord (again, the people of Israel were great at external show without internal substance); rather, God expected that the people change ("rend") their hearts. If the people would respond to God's judgment with a true spirit of contrition and repentance, God would return the blessings that they had enjoyed previously. God declared Himself to be "gracious, compassionate, and abounding in love." He desired to bless His people, but He knew that they first must respond with loyalty to Him above all other things (including themselves).
We always must remember that merely going through the motions of spirituality will not impress God. What God expects is a heart completely surrendered to Him. Begin today by working on the person within, and commit yourself to Him wholely and obediently. God is the Sovereign One who blesses those who are found faithful.
Thursday, April 24, 2008
Finding the Will of God
Psalm 5:8; Prov 2:3-9 "Tell me clearly what to do, and show me which way to turn . . . . And if you call out for insight and cry aloud for understanding, and if you look for it as for silver and search for it as hidden treasure then you will understand the fear of the LORD and find knowledge of God. For the Lord gives wisdom, and from his mouth comes knowledge and understanding. He holds victory in store for the upright he is a shield to those whose walk is blameless, for he guards the course of the just and protects the way of His faithful ones. Then you will understand what is right and just and fair-every good path."
If we are looking for the will of God in our lives, we must first seek the Lord! Although this statement may seem a bit elementary, it nonetheless is missed by most people looking for God's will. We must seek the Lord as seeking for hidden treasure.
I often have used an illustration to prove this important point. In my teaching I have asked people what they would do if someone walked into the class and told them that they had a chest full of priceless jewels buried in their back yard. Without hesitation, every person in the class said that they would leave immediately, grab a shovel, and start digging. Nothing would thwart their determination to dig up the chest to get the treasure. This is how we are to pursue God. We are to be consumed with a passionate pursuit of Our Lord above all other persons and things, and it is when we are intent at seeking Him first that He begins to reveal His truth and will for our lives.
The opposite is true as well When a person gives to God the leftovers of his life . . . when he doesn't seek the Lord first but inquires of the Lord only when it is expedient, God tends not to answer. For God to respond at the beckoned call of the person who sees Him as a cosmic bellhop to be summoned only when a need arises would be to reinforce a attitude of indifference to His Holiness. God will never contribute to any apathy that we may have toward Him; He will close the portals of heaven until we seek Him purposefully and intently. Sometimes we have to hit rock bottom before we are inclined to look toward heaven with unadulterated focus on the Lord. And though this downward spiral is a painful one, it nevertheless teaches us that our hope and purpose are found in God alone.
No one who has determined in his heart to seek the Lord first in his life has later regretted it. To the one who truly seeks the Lord, He in turn will provide knowledge and wisdom, victory and protection, intimacy and purpose.
Jeremiah 29:13 reinforces this profound truth: "You (oh man) will find me (God) when you seek me with all your heart." Let us strive with all of our heart, soul, mind, and strength to pursue the Lord first in our lives!
If we are looking for the will of God in our lives, we must first seek the Lord! Although this statement may seem a bit elementary, it nonetheless is missed by most people looking for God's will. We must seek the Lord as seeking for hidden treasure.
I often have used an illustration to prove this important point. In my teaching I have asked people what they would do if someone walked into the class and told them that they had a chest full of priceless jewels buried in their back yard. Without hesitation, every person in the class said that they would leave immediately, grab a shovel, and start digging. Nothing would thwart their determination to dig up the chest to get the treasure. This is how we are to pursue God. We are to be consumed with a passionate pursuit of Our Lord above all other persons and things, and it is when we are intent at seeking Him first that He begins to reveal His truth and will for our lives.
The opposite is true as well When a person gives to God the leftovers of his life . . . when he doesn't seek the Lord first but inquires of the Lord only when it is expedient, God tends not to answer. For God to respond at the beckoned call of the person who sees Him as a cosmic bellhop to be summoned only when a need arises would be to reinforce a attitude of indifference to His Holiness. God will never contribute to any apathy that we may have toward Him; He will close the portals of heaven until we seek Him purposefully and intently. Sometimes we have to hit rock bottom before we are inclined to look toward heaven with unadulterated focus on the Lord. And though this downward spiral is a painful one, it nevertheless teaches us that our hope and purpose are found in God alone.
No one who has determined in his heart to seek the Lord first in his life has later regretted it. To the one who truly seeks the Lord, He in turn will provide knowledge and wisdom, victory and protection, intimacy and purpose.
Jeremiah 29:13 reinforces this profound truth: "You (oh man) will find me (God) when you seek me with all your heart." Let us strive with all of our heart, soul, mind, and strength to pursue the Lord first in our lives!
Tuesday, April 22, 2008
Mourning Better Than Feasting?
Ecclesiastes 7:2-3: "It is better to go to a house of mourning than to go to a house of feasting, for death is the destiny of every man; the living should take this to heart. Sorrow is better than laughter, because a sad face is good for the heart."
Boy, these verses sound like the ultimate "downer." If one were to open the Scriptures for the first time and read this passage, he might think, "Well I was hoping to find some encouragement from the Bible, but all I get is this depressed guy telling me that I need to be sad rather than happy because death is staring me in the face."
Boy, these verses sound like the ultimate "downer." If one were to open the Scriptures for the first time and read this passage, he might think, "Well I was hoping to find some encouragement from the Bible, but all I get is this depressed guy telling me that I need to be sad rather than happy because death is staring me in the face."
We must remember that this writer of the book of Ecclesiastes had it all. According to Ecclesiastes chapter 2, he had all the pleasures of life; he completed great building projects, and he collected vast amounts of silver and gold. In 2:10, he said, "I denied myself nothing my eyes desired; I refused my heart no pleasure." Again, this guy had it all according to earthly standards, but as he surveyed the temporal reality of life, he realized that everything that he acquired would be handed over to someone after him.
A better way to understand the writer's words in the verses cited above is to see that the writer wants each reader to have a proper perspective on life. Those "fools" as he calls them, seem to deny the ephemeral nature of life; they progress through it not stopping with sobering reflection to understand what life is all about. In the gaiety of their haphazard pursuits, they live for the moment . . . their motto is "Who cares about tomorrow, for today I can have it all."
By encouraging the reader to mourn instead of feasting and laughing through life, the writer wants people to stop and think about life's ultimate purpose. Life certainly is not about the fulfillment of our selfish desires, but it is an understanding that I am created with a purpose, which is to glorify God. Contrary to eastern mystical thinking, we only have one shot at this life. We are given a set number of days to be all that we can be for the Lord and His kingdom (Psalm 139:16). And YES, we are all staring death in the face. For some of us, it will be sooner than later, but for all of us, it will beckon us to follow in due time. Thus, no matter how much we enjoy life, we always are brought back to this ultimately reality. It sobers us and forces us to repeatedly ask, "Am I fulfilling my purpose in life?"
I believe that the writer of Ecclesiastes gives us an idea of what we should be pursuing in 7:1: "A good name (Hebrew: shem) is better than find perfume (Hebrew: shemen). In this literary passage of alliteration and assonance, the writer wants to drive home the point that material acquisition and consumption is not the purpose of life, and the man who is consumed with such superficial passions is the ultimate fool. Instead, a man should be driven by the understanding that he must live a life of obedience to a Righteous and Holy God (see Ecclesiastes 12:13); fortunately, his reflection upon his eventual death should motivate him to ask the tough but right questions about life. And if he is willing to contemplate these realities, then what has been said by the writer is true: "mourning is better than feasting."
Monday, April 21, 2008
Stop Talking and Start Listening
Ecclesiastes 5:1-2; 6:11: "Guard your steps when you go to the house of God. Go near to listen rather than to offer the sacrifice of fools, who do not know that they do wrong. Do not be quick with your mouth, do not be hasty in your heart to utter anything before God. God is in heaven and you are on earth, so let your words be few . . . . The more the words, the less the meaning, and how does that profit anyone?"
We live in a world today where there is a lot of talking and not a lot of listening. You only need to watch television talk shows to see that people have opinions and want others to know it; few are willing to stop their exhaustive speech to listen for a change.
The writer of Ecclesiastes tells us that the more that one spews out the product of his tongue, the less profit it has for the hearers. A man will talk incessantly to "win" an argument or impress his hearers; but in the end, it's just a bunch of bunk. It has no substance whatsoever.
Particularly when we approach the Lord, we should have a reverential respect and an openness for Him to impart His truth to us. We should never approach God thinking that we're going to tell Him a thing or two; God despises such haughtiness. Our disposition should be one of humility and contrition. We should confess our sins to Him and permit Him to pour into us His eternal Word. We need to stop talking and start listening!
And when we have been transformed by the Lord, we will find contentment within Him; thus, we will be able to share His Word with others in a spirit of love. We will not feel as if we are on a debate team and must vanquish our philosophical foes by winning the "God" argument. To be sure, we must share the propositional truths of Scripture, but we do so in a spirit of love with the hope of transforming redemption for the hearers. We must remember that we are not the ones who "save" people. It is the Holy Spirit who transforms lives (see I Corinthians 12:3).
So let's stop following the trend of the babbling world, that uses a lot of words to say nothing substantive. Let us instead present God and His offering of grace by our spirit of meekness, humility, and love for others. A few words of truth shared through the power of God are as beautiful as "apples of gold in settings of silver" (Proverbs 25:11).
We live in a world today where there is a lot of talking and not a lot of listening. You only need to watch television talk shows to see that people have opinions and want others to know it; few are willing to stop their exhaustive speech to listen for a change.
The writer of Ecclesiastes tells us that the more that one spews out the product of his tongue, the less profit it has for the hearers. A man will talk incessantly to "win" an argument or impress his hearers; but in the end, it's just a bunch of bunk. It has no substance whatsoever.
Particularly when we approach the Lord, we should have a reverential respect and an openness for Him to impart His truth to us. We should never approach God thinking that we're going to tell Him a thing or two; God despises such haughtiness. Our disposition should be one of humility and contrition. We should confess our sins to Him and permit Him to pour into us His eternal Word. We need to stop talking and start listening!
And when we have been transformed by the Lord, we will find contentment within Him; thus, we will be able to share His Word with others in a spirit of love. We will not feel as if we are on a debate team and must vanquish our philosophical foes by winning the "God" argument. To be sure, we must share the propositional truths of Scripture, but we do so in a spirit of love with the hope of transforming redemption for the hearers. We must remember that we are not the ones who "save" people. It is the Holy Spirit who transforms lives (see I Corinthians 12:3).
So let's stop following the trend of the babbling world, that uses a lot of words to say nothing substantive. Let us instead present God and His offering of grace by our spirit of meekness, humility, and love for others. A few words of truth shared through the power of God are as beautiful as "apples of gold in settings of silver" (Proverbs 25:11).
Saturday, April 19, 2008
A Pursuing Faith
Mark 5:8;17;27-29;32-34: "Jesus said to him (the demon-possessed man), "Come out of this man, you evil spirit!" . . . . Then the people began to plead with Jesus to leave their region. . . . . When Jesus had again crossed over by boat to the other side of the lake . . . A woman was there who had been subject to bleeding for twelve years . . . . When she heard about Jesus, she came up behind him in the crowd and touched his cloak, because she thought, 'If I just touch his clothes, I will be healed.' Immediately her bleeding stopped and she felt in her body that she was freed from her suffering . . . Then the woman, knowing what had happened to her, came and fell at his feet and, trembling with fear, told him the whole truth. He said to her, 'Daughter, your faith has healed you. Go in peace and be freed from your suffering.'"
In this gospel account, Jesus was traveling through the Galilean region praying (Mark 1:35), preaching the Word of the grace of God (Mark 1:14, 2:2), and healing people of their illnesses (Mark 1:42; 2:11; 3:5). With all of the healings that were taking place, large crowds started to follow Jesus; people were coming from as far away as Judea, Idumea, and areas across the Jordan region. Despite receiving such a popular response, Jesus decided to leave the crowds behind and board a small boat with His disciples to cross the Sea of Galilee and minister to the Gerasenes on the other side. During the trek, a "furious squall came up," and the disciples feared that the boat would be sunk. They called out to Jesus who was sleeping during the episode, and after rebuking them for their lack of faith, Jesus calmed the storm. The disciples' fear of the storm was transferred to this man that they were following; in fact, the original Greek translation could be read "and they were feared with great fear (at Jesus)." They kept saying to each other in the boat, "Who is this? Even the wind and the waves obey Him!"
When Jesus and the disciples arrived to the other side of the large lake, He was met by a man possessed by evil spirits. This man dwelt among the tombs and hills crying aloud and cutting himself. The people of the town had tried on several occasions to subdue him with chains, but he was able to break the chains and return to his place among the tombs. As soon as the demons that indwelt the man saw Jesus coming, they forced the possessed man to run to the Messiah and beg not to be tortured. The demons knew who the Messiah was, and they respected His Divine power to subdue and punish them. Jesus knew that these demons were attempting to save themselves, as they pleaded not to be sent out of the area. Jesus then permitted them to indwell 2000 swine who were feeding on a hillside; but when they entered the animals, the pigs rushed frantically down a steep bank and were drowned in a lake.
When word of these events reached the local townspeople, they were quite alarmed. They went out to where Jesus and the man were, and they saw the once disheveled man now sitting calmly before the Savior. Instead of celebrating this victory, the people were afraid of Jesus and they asked Jesus to leave the region. Maybe they were angered because they liked the status quo and didn't like people coming into town stirring up change. Maybe they thought they at least were able to control the situation by letting the insane man roam around the graves and the hills. Now that he had been healed, they would have to deal with his re-assimilation into their community.
Jesus consented to their requests and he boarded the boat again and crossed back over the sea. He again found a large crowd awaiting His arrival, and they pressed upon Him for His healing and His teaching. At this point in the story, we find a woman in the crowd who had had a bleeding disorder for 12 years. For years, she had consulted doctors concerning her illness, but she was not able to find relief. By the time she had met Jesus, she had spent all of her money on treatments. This woman could have become an embittered person. She could have stayed at home, thinking "what's the use . . . if the doctors haven't been able to do anything for me, then certainly Jesus can't help either." In reality, this woman's faith in Jesus caused her to want to approach Christ, not avoid Him or ask Him to leave. She just wanted the chance to touch his cloak, believing that God could heal her. When the woman touched Jesus' cloak, she was healed of her sickness and responded by falling at His feet. Jesus was aware that power had gone out from him, because someone had approached Him in faith. His response was telling, "Daughter, your FAITH has healed you. Go in peace and be freed from your suffering."
This woman's faith resulted in her pursuit of God, not a distancing from God. And this faith brought incredible results. Whereas the people of the region of the Gerasenes wanted nothing to do with Jesus, the woman wanted nothing less than Jesus.
Jesus never returned (to my knowledge) to the Gerasenes again. They would not experience the power of God in their lives anymore. In contrast, the healed woman was transformed for life. She had experienced the power of God and would live the rest of her life proclaiming God's goodness to her. There is an incredible difference in these two accounts, namely that a faith that pursues the Lord will find His presence, His power, and His transformation.
In this gospel account, Jesus was traveling through the Galilean region praying (Mark 1:35), preaching the Word of the grace of God (Mark 1:14, 2:2), and healing people of their illnesses (Mark 1:42; 2:11; 3:5). With all of the healings that were taking place, large crowds started to follow Jesus; people were coming from as far away as Judea, Idumea, and areas across the Jordan region. Despite receiving such a popular response, Jesus decided to leave the crowds behind and board a small boat with His disciples to cross the Sea of Galilee and minister to the Gerasenes on the other side. During the trek, a "furious squall came up," and the disciples feared that the boat would be sunk. They called out to Jesus who was sleeping during the episode, and after rebuking them for their lack of faith, Jesus calmed the storm. The disciples' fear of the storm was transferred to this man that they were following; in fact, the original Greek translation could be read "and they were feared with great fear (at Jesus)." They kept saying to each other in the boat, "Who is this? Even the wind and the waves obey Him!"
When Jesus and the disciples arrived to the other side of the large lake, He was met by a man possessed by evil spirits. This man dwelt among the tombs and hills crying aloud and cutting himself. The people of the town had tried on several occasions to subdue him with chains, but he was able to break the chains and return to his place among the tombs. As soon as the demons that indwelt the man saw Jesus coming, they forced the possessed man to run to the Messiah and beg not to be tortured. The demons knew who the Messiah was, and they respected His Divine power to subdue and punish them. Jesus knew that these demons were attempting to save themselves, as they pleaded not to be sent out of the area. Jesus then permitted them to indwell 2000 swine who were feeding on a hillside; but when they entered the animals, the pigs rushed frantically down a steep bank and were drowned in a lake.
When word of these events reached the local townspeople, they were quite alarmed. They went out to where Jesus and the man were, and they saw the once disheveled man now sitting calmly before the Savior. Instead of celebrating this victory, the people were afraid of Jesus and they asked Jesus to leave the region. Maybe they were angered because they liked the status quo and didn't like people coming into town stirring up change. Maybe they thought they at least were able to control the situation by letting the insane man roam around the graves and the hills. Now that he had been healed, they would have to deal with his re-assimilation into their community.
Jesus consented to their requests and he boarded the boat again and crossed back over the sea. He again found a large crowd awaiting His arrival, and they pressed upon Him for His healing and His teaching. At this point in the story, we find a woman in the crowd who had had a bleeding disorder for 12 years. For years, she had consulted doctors concerning her illness, but she was not able to find relief. By the time she had met Jesus, she had spent all of her money on treatments. This woman could have become an embittered person. She could have stayed at home, thinking "what's the use . . . if the doctors haven't been able to do anything for me, then certainly Jesus can't help either." In reality, this woman's faith in Jesus caused her to want to approach Christ, not avoid Him or ask Him to leave. She just wanted the chance to touch his cloak, believing that God could heal her. When the woman touched Jesus' cloak, she was healed of her sickness and responded by falling at His feet. Jesus was aware that power had gone out from him, because someone had approached Him in faith. His response was telling, "Daughter, your FAITH has healed you. Go in peace and be freed from your suffering."
This woman's faith resulted in her pursuit of God, not a distancing from God. And this faith brought incredible results. Whereas the people of the region of the Gerasenes wanted nothing to do with Jesus, the woman wanted nothing less than Jesus.
Jesus never returned (to my knowledge) to the Gerasenes again. They would not experience the power of God in their lives anymore. In contrast, the healed woman was transformed for life. She had experienced the power of God and would live the rest of her life proclaiming God's goodness to her. There is an incredible difference in these two accounts, namely that a faith that pursues the Lord will find His presence, His power, and His transformation.
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