Mark 5:1-5
1 Then they came into the other side of the sea, into the region of the Gerasenes. 2 And when he had stepped out of the boat, just then a man coming out of the tombs[1] with an unclean spirit met him. 3 He lived among the tombs; and no one could confine him anymore, even with a chain; 4 because he had often been confined with shackles and chains, but the chains he tore apart, and the shackles he broke in pieces; and no one had the strength to subdue him. 5 Night and day among the tombs and on the mountains he was always howling and beating himself with stones.
the challenge of the unconfinable
Every village has its people on the fringe, but some defy any kind of societal control. The more you try to bring order to your life, the more these kinds of people will challenge you. You might try to avoid them, but if you go where Jesus wants you to go, avoidance will not always work. Standing your ground will take self-control, which will seem even harder to manage in the face of those who have relinquished all control.
LORD, show us how to trust you when we encounter unconfinable people and unmanageable situations.
[1] μνημειον (5:2; 6:29; 15:46; 16:2f, 5, 8).
