Psalm 73 ministries

 So far we've been talking about this unlikely preacher in a very peculiar way. He lives in an unlikely place, he has an unlikely behavior, he has had an unlikely encounter with Jesus but today I want to focus on the people around him, the people of the  country of the Gerasenes (Mark 5, Luke 8) or the country of the Gadarenes (Matthew 8). You will ask which country is it? Well it's both. Gerasa is a little town or village, which is about six miles  around the curve of the lake (opposite Galilee Luke 8:26), right on the shore. Gadara was further south inland and was the bigger town, probably the county seat. It was a gentile country. There was an unlikely crowd Despite the awesome thing Jesus had done for this man, the crowd acted towards Jesus not quite as you would expect. Look at what happens: 1. They started spreading the news "The herdsmen fled and told it in the city and in the country."  I don't believe they were trying to spread the news in a positive way ...

 We've been talking about this unlikely preacher for a little bit now, and we have found out  a few things about him. First, we learned that he lived in an unlikely place and second, we learned that he had an unlikely behavior. Perhaps, you'll see things here that I mentioned before, but it's because this is such a pivotal moment in the Mark 5 passage that some things are worth repeating. The demoniac had an unlikely encounter I can recall from the Scriptures another unlikely encounter in Acts 9 and that's the story of Paul's conversion. He saw a light that blinded him for three days.  Because of that light he fell to the ground and heard a voice asking him: " Saul, Saul why are you persecuting me" and Paul answered: "Who are you Lord?" And the voice said: " I am Jesus whom you are persecuting". Wow! What an encounter! Maybe this is a great topic for another time but the fact of the matter is that this Demoniac had also an encounter wit...

 We continue the story of the Gerasene Demoniac in Mark chapter 5. We first mentioned that he lived in an unlikely place but he also had an unlikely behavior (verses 3b-5). Obviously, the reason for his behavior was that he had many demons residing in him and therefore he acted utterly strange and sometimes dangerous. Why an unlikely behavior? 1) He had an unlikely strength. "But he wrenched the chains apart, and he broke the shackles in pieces". People had tried to subdue him several times but with no success:  "And no one could bind him anymore, not even with a chain, for he had often been bound with shackles and chains, . No one had the strength to subdue him." This shows us how serious a demonic possession is. Can you imagine yourself wrenching chains apart and breaking shackles into pieces with your bare hands? I think not. It would have to be some supernatural forces giving you the strength to do that. In this case they were demons, and many. Never minimize wh...

 In Mark chapter 5, there's the incredible story of the Gerasene demoniac that undoubtedly is one of the most powerful stories told in Scripture. Obviously the miracle is that Jesus healed him by taking the demons out of him because they were "many" (verse 9). The demons were so aware of the power of Jesus as the Son of God that they earnestly begged Him not to torment them or "send them out of the country". They had a request: " Send us to the pigs; let us enter them" (verse 12) an He gave them permission. (Verse 13). After the demons entered the pigs, they were all rushed down into the sea and they all drowned. Interestingly enough they were about 2000 pigs but they were more demons than pigs. This is why. Jesus asked the unclean spirit: "What is your name", the spirit responds: "My name is Legion" (verse 9). A legion according to the dictionary is: " a unit of 3000 to 6000 in the ancient Roman army". No wonder they were...

 One day, I was meditating on Psalm 73, and as I kept reading and reading, God showed me how we human beings often have the wrong perspective on things. Asaph, the author of the Psalm, complains about the wicked and how blessed they are in the first few verses. But he doesn't stay in that condition. In verse 17, it says he entered the sanctuary of God and he finally understood he wasn't viewing things from the perspective of God. That's exactly what I would like to do with this blog. I want to help you and myself to view things from the perspective of God based on what His Word has to say and also offer some encouragement to your soul as I'm encouraged by His Word as I read it and study it. So sit back, relax, and read on. May the Lord bless you! Juan G