We have been looking at some questions leading up to Easter...Who is Jesus? What is the evidence for Jesus? And today we will be asking Why did Jesus come? Next week we will look at what did Jesus teach.
Mark 5:1-20 illustrates several reasons that answer this question. This story illustrates Jesus' "I came to" statements.
Mark 5: 1-20 tells the story of a man oppressed and tormented. Naked, no hope, no future, no peace, no joy, no friends, no family. Satan was at work in this man and had taken everything from him.
1.Jesus came to destroy the works of the devil.
1 John 3:8 "Whoever makes a practice of sinning is of the devil, for the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil.
2. What were the works of Satan? What he started in the garden
A. Lies and deception John 8:44 "You are of your father the devil, and your will is to do your father's desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks out of his own character, for he is a liar and the father of lies."
B. Sin and temptation
C. Death and destruction John 10:10 "The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy."
3. How did Jesus destroy the mess
A. Jesus taught the truth and in fact is the truth. John 18:37 "Then Pilate said to him, 'So you are a king?' Jesus answered, ' You say that I am a king. For this purpose I was born and for this purpose I have come into the world-to bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is the truth listens to my voice.'"
John 14:6 "Jesus said to him,'I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.'"
B. Jesus paid for sin and offered deliverance from it. Mark 10:45 "For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many."
C. Jesus is the live and in him we live forever John 10:10 " The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly."
John 3: 16 "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life."
Someday Satan's destruction will be complete and death itself will be destroyed. 1 Cor. 15:26
What Satan messed up in the Garden of Eden, Jesus is making right. He is crushing the head of the serpent. Gen. 3:15
Jesus came to fix Eden. We see this played out in the demon possessed man's life.
4. Jesus came to draw all people to himself
Jesus was undoing what was done at the tower of Babel in Genesis 11. God dispersed the people and changed their languages so they were no longer 1 people. Then God called Abraham and all families of the earth would be blessed.
We see this demonstrated in this story in Mark 5. Jesus and the disciples crossed the Sea of Galilee to the country of the Gerasenes. The people were largely gentiles. This was part of the Decapolis Region, which was a league of 10 Greek cities east of the Jordan river. Their purpose was to promote pagans, this can be seen in the fact that they had pigs, which were "unclean" to the Jews. There were temples of worship to Greek gods in this region. It was strange that He would come to this pagan area. Jesus didn't come just for the Jews. His ministry began with the Jews and was focused on the Jews, however He had several interactions with gentiles documented, the Canaanite woman, the Roman Centurion servant, the Centurion at the cross, the Magi, the Samaritan woman, perhaps healing of deaf and mute man found at the end of Mark 7.
Once Jesus arrived on Gentile territory He immediately has an interaction with the demon possessed man. No Greek gods had helped him, but when the man saw Jesus he cam running and fell down before Jesus. He knew who Jesus was Mark 5:7 "What have you to do with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I adjure you by God, do not torment me." The demons begged Jesus not to cast them out of the country but begged Him to cast them into a heard of pigs. Once he did the pigs (about 2000) ran off the cliff and drown in the sea. The herdsmen witnessed what had happened and ran to the city and told the people of the town what had happened and to come see. The people were afraid and begged Jesus to leave their region. As Jesus was getting into the boat the man begged Jesus to let him go with him. The man was willing to give up his life to follow Jesus, but Jesus had a different assignment for him. Jesus wanted him to go home and tell his friends what the Lord had done for him.
The whole town should have been excited to see this man healed, but they weren't. Why? They loved their sin, they loved their money, they loved their way of life. Some rejected Him then and still do today.
The man wanted to come with Jesus, but Jesus sent him home to the Decapolis region. Jesus seemingly came to this region for this encounter. Jesus would return to this region. 1 would become many. Jesus returned to the area and heals a deaf and mute man and then in Mark 8 we read about a crowd of 4000 who listen to His message and he performed a miracle and fed them with 7 loaves of bread and a few fish and had leftovers. How many of the were there due to the demoniacs testimony. The people were hungry to hear what Jesus had to say. We see a similar story in Mark 6 in Galilee where Jesus fed 5000 men with 5 loaves and 2 fish and had 12 baskets of leftovers. In these 2 separate stories we see Jesus treating both Jews and Gentiles the same. Jesus came to draw all people to himself.
He came to save sinful people. Luke 19:10, Matt. 9:11-13
He came to save every nation. Psalm 22:27, Rev. 5:9, John 12: 32-33
Jesus draws all people to himself through the cross
People will argue theology, but it is hard to argue a changed life.
5. Jesus came to die
By dying on the cross He draws people to Him. His death proves God's love for us. Jesus took our place . God sent His Son to take our place and reconcile us to Himself Romans 5:8-10
Because of Jesus we are made new and we should be willing to go and share God's love has done for us.
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