They came to Jesus and saw the man who had been demon-possessed, sitting there, dressed and in his right mind. —Mark 5:15
When I think of having a “sound mind,” I recall a scene from Jesus’ ministry that’s even more remarkable considering the turmoil preceding it. Jesus had just disembarked from His disciples’ boat, having miraculously calmed their fear by rebuking a storm (Mark 4:39). In so doing, He had enabled His followers to regain self-control.
No sooner had Jesus set foot on dry land than He encountered a man possessed by demons. Because of his violent nature, people had tried to restrain the poor man with chains. Yet he’d always escape. Here was a man in deep anguish, extremely out of control. But by the end of his confrontation with Jesus, he’s sitting quietly with Him, “dressed and in his right mind.”
In both instances—the disciples in the storm as well as the possessed man on the seashore— the common denominator in their recovery of self-control was a firsthand encounter with the living Christ. He was their only hope. Just as He is our only hope.
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Adorned: Living Out the Beauty of the Gospel Together
©2017 Nancy DeMoss Wolgemuth
Scripture taken from The CSB
Make it Personal
Think of a time when Jesus enabled you to practice self-control. How did He give you hope when nothing else could?