Introduction:
“Maria” cleaned up her own blood from a stairwell in an East Side apartment building. “Maria” was not attacked or in an accident — she intentionally cut herself with a razor blade. You’ll find out why in a moment, but first you need to know that “Maria” suffers from a disorder called “self-mutilation,” which is also known as “cutting.”
“Maria” says, “People can see [my scars], and I’m too afraid to tell them about a razor blade because I don’t think they understand, so I just tell them that they’re scratches, and that they’re just like a nervous habit.”
But it’s not just a nervous habit — it’s a serious psychological disorder that requires medical attention. “Maria” is now getting help from her psychotherapist, Dr. Steven Levenkron.
Dr. Levenkron says, “Self-mutilation is cutting yourself, burning yourself, lacerating your skin, attacking your skin in a variety of ways to perceive the pain and to feel the pain involved, because the pain involved and the blood that is seen distracts people from their emotional pain. . . . “We are not talking about people with healthy, intact relations to people. We are talking about people that feel profoundly lonely and profoundly separate from the rest of the world.” “Maria,” who is a 30-year-old pre-med student, also suffers from an eating disorder — anorexia.
It’s estimated that up to three million people — mostly women — are cutters. The disorder usually begins around puberty and Doctor Levenkron says the psycho-logical symptoms include withdrawal, moodiness and depression. The obvious physical symptoms are many scratches and nicks on their forearms, chest or stomach.
Therapy is not easy for cutters like “Maria.” Dr. Levenkron says it could take years to help a patient stop cutting themselves because the disorder is a complex web of low self-esteem and a lack of self-respect. Dr. Levenkron concludes: “We can’t just take away the razor blade and say, ‘Now you’re all right.’ The razor blade is the tip of the iceberg.”
But “Maria” says no matter how long it takes, she’s going to hang in there so she can learn how to cope with her pain without shedding her blood.
Cutting is not new. Let me introduce to you a man in the Bible who was a cutter. But this man did not need a psychotherapist. He needed Jesus Christ.
Read Mark 5:1-13.
Notice the similarities between Maria and the demoniac Jesus healed. Maria felt profoundly lonely, separate from the rest of the world. The demoniac lived in the moun-tains, alone, and had no one to help him. Do you feel lonely sometimes? Do you feel withdrawn, moody, or depressed? I’m not saying you are a candidate for becoming a cutter. I am saying you are a candidate for Jesus to change your life.
You and I may not be a cutter, but we do struggle with the same things cutters do at some level. Jesus wants to change us just as He did this man. Today, the Lord wants to examine our hearts with His Word, and show us our response to Jesus Christ’s life-changing power in our lives. He truly wants to change us. Will you look with me at the four responses to Jesus in the next seven verses?
1. (V. 14) – Some Are Appalled.
When the swine herders’ lives were changed by Jesus, they were appalled. They were taken aback. They were offended. Their own income was taken away, and they could have cared less about the poor man just healed of demonic possession. They only cared about themselves. They were simply appalled by the change Jesus brought to their lives.
Today, a great many people will not receive Christ because of the changes He may send their way. We hear it in their rejections all the time. We hear people say:
• I’ll just have to give up all my fun.
• What will my family think?
• I’ll lose my job! (How like these swine herders!)
Others are incredulous that it is possible that someone might possibly be changed by a Jesus they cannot see. They think it is ridiculous, uneducated, foolish, and childish to trust in Jesus Christ, and they are appalled when others do. This is the attitude of the mainstream media, the politicians, academia, and scientific community. I often wonder what might have happened if the swine herders had not been appalled, but had believed? Might the Lord have doubled their herds later?
The problem was that the swine-herders had only themselves in mind. They had no love for others, and certainly no desire to be changed.
Love does not seek its own, but hurt people become more and more self-seeking and selfcontained. In this climate the love of God waxes cold. A natural example of this is the two seas in the Holy Land. The Sea of Galilee freely receives and gives out wa-ter. It has an abundance of life, nurturing many different kinds of fish and plant life. The water of the Sea of Galilee is carried by way of the Jordan River to the Dead Sea. But the Dead Sea only takes water in and does not give it out. There are no living plants or fish in it. The living waters from the Sea of Galilee become dead when mixed with the hoarded waters of the Dead Sea. Life cannot be sustained if held onto: It must be given freely.
How do you feel at the prospect of Jesus stepping into your life and changing things? Are there some things you will not give Him to change? Your job? Your life-style? Your income bracket? Your hobbies? Your forms of entertainment? Your week-ends? Your traditions of worship? Your boyfriends or girlfriends?
While some may be appalled at the thought of Jesus changing their lives…
2. (V. 15) Some Are Afraid.
When the swine-herders went into town and told the people, the townspeople came out to find the lunatic whom no one could help or control sitting calmly, dressed neatly, and talking coherently. It scared them that there was among them someone powerful enough to bring about such a dramatic change so quickly when no one else could accomplish anything.
Many people today are afraid of Jesus. They are afraid that someone with such power would bypass them. They are afraid that someone with such power would unleash it in wrath upon them. They are afraid that the change would not hold. They are afraid of just about anything. Consider the following “phobias.”
•Peladophobia: fear of baldness and bald people.
•Aerophobia: fear of drafts.
•Porphyrophobia: fear of the color purple.
•Chaetophobia: fear of hairy people.
•Levophobia: fear of objects on the left side of the body.
•Dextrophobia: fear of objects on the right side of the body.
•Auroraphobia: fear of the northern lights.
•Calyprophobia: fear of obscure meanings.
•Thalassophobia: fear of being seated.
•Stabisbasiphobia: fear of standing and walking.
•Odontophobia: fear of teeth.
•Graphophobia: fear of writing in public.
•Phobophobia: fear of being afraid.
We all know the famous quote from President Franklin Delano Roosevelt: “We have nothing to fear but fear itself.” Fear is a very destructive force. Satan knows that. He is trying to strike fear into the hearts of mankind everywhere. Fear is the opposite of faith. The Bible says that perfect love casts out fear, and those with faith in Christ are not in bondage to the spirit of fear, but of love and a sound mind.
Those who were fearful of Jesus Christ sent Him away. Jesus should not be sent away, but received. They should have invited Him into their lives, and experienced the change He wanted to bring to their lives. Likewise, we should receive Christ, invite Him into our lives, invite His change. It will always be a blessing.
In The Chronicles of Narnia, an allegory by C. S. Lewis, the author has two girls, Susan and Lucy, getting ready to meet Aslan the lion, who represents Christ. Two talk-ing animals, Mr. and Mrs. Beaver, prepare the children for the encounter.
“Ooh,” said Susan, “I thought he was a man. Is he quite safe? I shall feel rather nervous about meeting a lion.”
“That you will, dearie,” said Mrs. Beaver. “And make no mistake, if there’s anyone who can appear before Aslan without their knees knocking, they’re either braver than most or else just silly.”
“Then isn’t he safe?” said Lucy.
“Safe?” said Mr. Beaver. “Don’t you hear what Mrs. Beaver tells you? Who said anything about safe? Of course he isn’t safe. But he’s good. He’s the king, I tell you!”
While we may fear, we must face Christ – for who else can make the changes we need made to our lives? Who else can cast out fear? Who else can grant safety of our souls? Who else than Jesus Christ, the Redeemer, the Crucified and the Resurrected?
Some are appalled by the changes Christ wishes to make in their lives, others afraid of them.
3. (Vv. 18-19) Some Are Appreciative.
Looking from the perspective of the demoniac, one would think that he would be appreciative. He had nothing to lose, had just gained everything, and with nowhere to go, may as well have followed Christ. But Jesus had another mission for him – to tell the whole nation about what had just happened to him. He did it because he was very appreciative. He was so glad, so thrilled, so different because of Christ that anything Je-sus wanted him to do he did so joyfully, enthusiastically, and diligently.
I’ve often wondered why the church is growing increasingly silent about the change that Jesus offers to all who come to Him. Perhaps it is because too many have come to the church for comfort, not change. Perhaps too many have come to the church for acceptance, not change. Their own lives have not been changed by Christ. They may have a new lifestyle, but they don’t have new hearts. They are not new creatures, created in Christ Jesus. They have only different outward habits, without inward transforma-tion. They are silent about the change Jesus offers because they have not experienced it.
Perhaps they have grown used to it. The blessings of God can be taken for granted. I believe that if the stars would only come out once a year, the world would all be watching on that night. But since they come out every night, few bother to take the time to enjoy them at all. Do you know how to tell if a person is truly from New York City? He has never been to the Statue of Liberty!
But Jesus’ changes in our lives are profound. And they are life-changing, deep, and eternal.
When we express our gratitude to God, it’s easy to emphasize material prosperity and the qualities of life that are wonderful to have but easy to lose. Good health is a great blessing, but it could be gone tomorrow. Into the most loving families and friend-ships, death intrudes when we least expect it. Our tables may be loaded with food today, but we could be out of work tomorrow and wondering about our next meal.
How about taking a new approach to giving thanks today? Instead of focusing on the traditional areas of food, family, and friends, let’s thank God for what we cannot lose.
Romans 8:35-39 is a great place to begin. After considering the difficulties and calamities that can strip away the externals from our lives, Paul concluded that none of them “shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord” (v. 39). God’s love is unfailing, unceasing, unchanging, and unconquerable.
Heavenly Father, if we have to be away from home and family today, if we are frail in body or spirit, if there is an empty place in our heart, if we have nothing to eat, we still give thanks for Your love in Christ, because no person or problem can take Your love away. - DCM
What believers can not lose:
•Eternal life (Jn. 10:28)
•Forgiveness (1 Jn. 1:9)
•God’s presence (Heb. 13:5)
•Access to the Lord through prayer (Heb. 4:15-16).
Some are appalled by the changes Christ makes, some afraid, and some appreciative.
4. (V. 20) Some Are Admiring.
When the man told everyone everywhere what Jesus had done, they all marveled. It does not say that they were changed. They admired what had happened, and they admired the man who had done it. In all their amazement, they remained unchanged. They did not come to Jesus. They were not saved. Jesus’ famous words to Thomas in the upper room after His resurrection (John 20:29 Jesus saith unto him, Thomas, be-cause thou hast seen me, thou hast believed: blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed.) might have applied to them, but they did not believe. They did not see Christ, but heard and saw the results.
Everyone in this generation has to believe rather than see. We might see the re-sults of the wind. We might see the results of Christ. We believe rather the wind than the Savior. Too many are unchanged.
Are you changed today? Or do you simply admire those who are faithful? Have you ever only wished your faith would rise to the level of a Billy Graham or a Luis Palau? Have you ever admired the heroes of the faith? Don’t simply admire them. Trust the Savior that changed them to change you. Trust Him today.
Invitation:
Jesus Christ has brought you here today to be changed. Your life will be changed upside down from what you are used to, but it will be set right side up as it should be. He will give you a new life, free from the oppression of fear, loneliness, and insecurity that Satan gives, and replace that with companionship, courage, and confidence in the living Christ. Who Jesus sets free, they are free indeed. Will you be free?
How will you respond to the change that Christ offers? Are you appalled by the thought? Are you afraid to come to Him and let Him change you? Are you willing to give Him everything to be changed by Him? Or will you simply sit there amazed that He would do that at all to anyone, while you remain unchanged?
