Jesus tells his disciples to cross to the other side of the lake, to a place no devout Jew would willingly enter: a land of pagans, pigs and tombs. The sermon works through Mark 5 and the story of a man possessed by a legion of demons, a man everyone had long written off. It turns out that for Jesus there are no people on the wrong side, and his power reaches those we would not even stoop to notice. Listen, and consider who you are being sent across to today.
Discussion questions
For your small group or for personal reflection after the sermon.
- Why might crossing to the other side, to the region of the Gerasenes in the Decapolis, have been shocking and uncomfortable for the disciples? What did that land mean to a devout Jew?
- When the townspeople see the healed man sitting there, dressed and in his right mind, they beg Jesus to leave. What do you think frightened them, and what does this reveal about our own reactions to God at work?
- Jesus sacrifices about 2,000 pigs for one tormented man. What does this scene say about the value of a person in His eyes compared with money and everything else?
- The sermon mentioned an experiment where simply dividing boys into random groups was enough for them to favor their own. Where do you notice "us versus them" thinking in your own life?
- The freed man wants to go with Jesus but is told: "Go home to your own people and tell them how much the Lord has done for you." Why can testimony among our own people matter so much, and what fruit did it bear when Jesus returned to the Decapolis?
- Who is one person "on the other side" in your life, perhaps a family member you no longer speak to or someone you argue with about politics? What concrete step toward them can you take this week?
