It's the Little Things: Mark 5:18-20

Attention to detail matters.  One of the fundamental tenets I use when judging another person is this: If I cannot trust you in the small things, then I certainly won’t trust you with anything that matters to me.  For example, if you can’t be trusted to genuinely stop at a stop sign when nobody is looking, why would I trust you with something of greater importance?  If I cannot trust my students to complete their homework on time in a consistent manner, why should I trust them with greater expectations?  The reality is that people who pay attention enough to get the small things right usually care enough to get the big things right when it counts.

Jesus is paying attention to the details here in this story.  The majority begged Jesus to leave the region.  Mark tells us He went to get into the boat without protest.  Jesus knew He wasn’t going to be able to accomplish anything significant, so He headed for the boat.

The man he healed, however, wants to spend time around Jesus by coming with Him.  The majority may not want Jesus, but at least one man does.  In an interesting move, Jesus tells the man that he healed that he cannot come with Jesus.  Jesus doesn’t permit the man to travel with him and grow.

Hopefully, this detail in the story causes a bit of an eyebrow raise.  Why would Jesus not permit someone to follow Him and grow in discipleship?  Certainly Jesus doesn’t care that the man was possessed by a legion of unclean spirits.  Is there really a spiritual difference between having one spirit and having a legion?  Jesus hasn’t had any trouble in the past healing people from unclean spirits and letting them hang out.  I doubt Jesus had any issue with the man’s nationality since it was likely he wasn’t Jewish.  If that was the case, why would Jesus even come in the first place?  What’s going on here?

Notice what Mark tells us about the man after Jesus leaves.  The man goes around telling people about Jesus.  The man testifies to the people in the whole surrounding area about the healing he received.  There was substantial anger towards Jesus because of the economic loss and there was fear about His clear demonstration of power.  The people were not open to Him.  The man, though, had plenty of openings.  The man could accomplish in the people what the people would not let Jesus accomplish.

Jesus is indeed paying attention.  He’s also humble enough to accept the limitations that others imposed on Him.  Rather than get in the face of the people and likely cause more conflict, He went away so the tension could simmer down.  As He went away, He slipped in someone who could make a difference.  In a couple of chapters, Jesus will return to this region; we’ll see the difference this man with the unclean spirits made.

Attention to detail matters.