Not that kind of deviled ham, but rather the story of the pigs that got devils sent into them. In Mark 5, we meet a man who knew the feeling of hopelessness all too well. He lived among the tombs. It pushed him to the edges of humanity, isolating him to a place of death and despair. It is a testament to how sin dehumanizes and strips away dignity and hope.
People tried to help by binding him with chains. Their efforts were futile. Human strength and physical chains couldn’t break the hold. He was too strong, or perhaps, the evil within was stronger still. But then, Jesus arrived. Not with a struggle, not with a battle, but with a word. “Come out of him, you impure spirit!” And just like that, the chains of darkness shattered and the demons were sent into a herd of pigs.
What an amazing contrast! All the strength of humanity couldn’t hold him for even a moment, yet a single word from Christ shattered his chains and set him completely free. It reminds us that our fiercest battles—the ones that drive us into our own dark “tombs”—are powerless against the voice of Jesus. No matter how alone or diminished you feel, His word still brings us life.
I’m Lonnie Davis, and these are thoughts worth thinking.