The Hermit

"Jesus did not let him, but said, 'Go home to your family and tell them how much the Lord has done for you, and how he has had mercy on you.'"  Mark 5:19

Scripture:  Mark 5:1-20


Demon possession.  Sounds like a fun discussion, huh?  (I hope you note my sarcasm!)  Our passage today is not the easiest for us to understand or even fathom.  Most of us could probably say that the closest thing we have seen to demon possession has been splashed across the big screen in movies such as The Exorcist.  Many of us have not even experienced a feeling of being in the presence of true evil.  Given the previous two statements, let's instead start with something we probably have experienced - the feeling of rejection.


The unnamed man we read of today had been forced into a life of seclusion.  His strange and even terrifying behavior made him an outcast, a hermit.  I can only imagine how people must have felt to observe his behavior.  Did they have a strange fascination?  Were they mortified?  Did they whisper about him?  Did they give up on him?


The Hermit definitely had a strong and evil presence within him that was begging to be released.  It was only when this legion of demons encountered the Living God - Jesus - did they realize there was hope.  Jesus' power was so great that it was felt "from a distance."  When Jesus cast the demons out of the Hermit and relieved his suffering, the reaction of the masses is quite interesting.  Instead of rejoicing and praising the fact that the Hermit was healed, they shunned Jesus and ran him out of town.  The could not grasp what they had just witnessed an were to proud to admit that maybe there was a little of this evil inside of themselves.


Now what became of the Hermit?  Encountering the Christ altered his life in such a dramatic fashion that he begged to follow Jesus on His travels.  But, Jesus had another plan.  He asked the Hermit to stay put, to share what he had felt and learned with others.  The Hermit heeded these words and traveled to Decapolis; this was an area of ten cities clustered around the Sea of Galilee.  They were amazed at the Hermit's account and accepted him into their society.  Despite being rejected for much of his life, he was able to find comfort and purpose through the love of Jesus Christ.


Adult Reflections:

• Have you ever felt rejection?  How did you handle these types of situations?  Do you turn to Christ or to other things for comfort?
• If you turn to other things, how does this impact your life?  Are you spending money, relying on alcohol, taking your rejection out on others, etc.?
• Are there "demons" in your life that need to be released?
• What are you doing to help or hinder this process?

Teenage Reflections:

• Discuss the first question under the adult section with your children.  If possible, give them an example of when you have turned to Christ in the face of rejection.
• Has God ever done something great in your life?  Have you been as willing as the Hermit to share this experience with others?
• Do you ever make others feel like an outcast?  How can you work towards correcting this behavior?

Elementary Reflections:

• This passage could be scary and hard to explain to certain children of this age.  Feel free to rephrase as appropriate.
• Focus on the feeling of rejection.  Have you every been teased or bullied?  How did this make you feel?
• Discuss how they think Jesus views people versus the way the we sometimes view people.  How can we view others more like Jesus?

Preschool Reflections:

• See the first point under elementary reflections.
• Talk about how the Hermit was sad.  Jesus made him feel better by being kind and nice.
• Have your preschool think of something nice they can do for someone else in the family (even a pet or stuffed animal).  Help them carry out their "plan."