Go Home and Tell Them

Mark 5:19. The man who had lived among the tombs, who had broken chains and cut himself with stones, now sits clothed and in his right mind. He asks to go with Jesus. It is the most natural request in the world. And Jesus says no. Go home to your own people, he tells him, and tell them how much the Lord has done for you and how he has had mercy on you.

Notice what Jesus does not say. He does not say go and explain the doctrine of deliverance. He does not say go and argue. He says tell them what happened to you and what mercy looks like from the inside. That is a message any of us can carry.

Home is the hardest audience. The people there remember who you were. They know the old stories, and some of them were hurt by them. That is exactly why Jesus sends him there. A changed life is the most stubborn evidence there is, and it speaks loudest to the people who watched the before. If you have been given mercy this week, the place to begin talking about it is not far away. It is probably the kitchen table.