Mark 5:18-20 - Tell them how much the Lord has done for you

5:18

The man wanted to follow Jesus, to be go with him. One can understand this reaction. The man had so many bad memories and associations with the place he was in. He had been despised and feared by the people there and understandably so. Why would he want to stay? On the other hand, Jesus had set him free and completely restored him. Therefore follow Jesus! The man begged Jesus to be able to follow Him. What a contrast to our imploring people to follow Jesus!

5:19,20

Jesus did not permit the man to follow him. Again, what a contrast to how we so often present Jesus. Now, Jesus was not rejecting the man, absolutely not, but He had a different task for him. Jesus is Lord and we need to obey Him. Instead the man was told to go home to his friends and tell them about what Jesus had done for him. These would presumably be friends from the time before he got demon possessed. They would probably be the most receptive. So the man obeyed! Often Jesus told people to keep quiet, this is one of the few occasions where the person obeyed. It seems that he went all around the Decapolis telling people about what Jesus had done for him, and many people marvelled at this. Remember that this region had a large Gentile influence, so this man’s mission may well have laid the groundwork for late evangelistic work after the resurrection.