Mark 5:4-5

New International Version

No one was strong enough to subdue him. Night and day among the tombs and in the hills, he would cry out and cut himself with stones.

For Meditation

Nothing illustrates the ravages of sin in human lives more than the story of the Gerasene demon-possessed man who lived in the tombs that Jesus delivered – a classic story of the cruelty of Satan (Mk. 5:1-20). Even now, the carnage goes on everywhere around the world.

Some years back, my wife introduced a young man to me. He was intelligent and handsome, with a college degree in English. Over the years, I watched this young officer wreck his life over alcohol.

When his drinking got worse, he stayed out of work and hung out with the boys in the neighborhood. Despite his drinking problems, we loved him and took him in as part of our family. Buck would accept Christ, clean up for a while, then fall back into his reckless habits.

His younger brother, Ayag, dearly loved him. Unfortunately, Ayag died in a car accident after an all-night out partying with friends the night before his departure to the US for an advanced degree. He was the heart of their mother, and it devastated her. Not quite forty days after, Buck also died. It crushed her spirit. A staunch Roman Catholic, she blames Saint Jude for dealing unfairly with her. She now lives alone in her big house in Accra, still grieving the loss of her two sons in that way.

Similar stories abound in countless families all over the world. They testify to the ravages of sin and cruelty of Satan, whose goal has always been to destroy human lives since the Garden of Eden.

Walk around the major cities in the world and observe countless homeless people living on the streets and in alleys. Some have doctoral degrees, while others have millions of dollars in banks, yet they eat from garbage dumps. Look into the eyes of women and children in poverty-stricken nations, and you will see nothing but sadness, starvation, and death. But does the world realize the work of Satan in these? He has blinded the minds of people to the glory of God in the face of Christ Jesus (2 Cor. 4:4) and made them believe in His lies (Jn 8:44). He is a cruel taskmaster and deceiver.

What Jesus said in John 10:10 is so true.

The thief (Satan) comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life and have it to the full.

That is why Calvary is so beautiful. It is where the love of God brought mercy and grace to the penitent heart to redeem the soul. The call of God to all is that people will seek Christ and receive life in Him (Jn. 3:16).

However, before Calvary was the story of Christmas – the day God came to dwell with us on earth (Matt. 1:23) and to die to take away our sins (Jn. 1:29).

So, as you celebrate Christmas this year, remember that the Manger Child (Lk. 2:12) is the same Jesus whose story culminated in Calvary to deliver you from the cruelty of Satan (Col. 1:13; Heb. 2:14-15). Let that undergird your joy this season. Amen!