Devotionals

The One Before Us

by Jennifer Woodley 
09/12/20
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‘And when Jesus had stepped out of the boat, immediately a man out of the tombs with an unclean spirit met him.’ Mark 5:1 (NRSV)

Jesus loved passionately the one who stood before Him. He felt the man’s pain. He understood his anguish. The one before Jesus was all that mattered in that moment. The man was a dishevelled mess. Frightening to look at, offensive to watch. But Jesus ignored this. Instead, he saw his suffering and the desperation in the man’s heart to be free from a living hell.

So Jesus stopped and gave His full attention to the man before Him. With the power and authority given to Him, Jesus commanded that the unclean spirits go. And they did. The man was transformed in a moment. Dignity restored. Gratitude overflowing.

How does this story challenge us? Is this story an invitation to stop and pay attention to the cry of another? Who is in our path that needs our compassion and empathy? How can we support that one with the Holy Spirit power that God has given us? Jesus came in the power of the Spirit to serve and His Spirit enables and prompts us to do likewise (John 13:14-15). Only then will they see Christ’s power at work in us in all its glory.

‘Father, forgive me for walking past another with indifference and unfeeling. My insensitivity has robbed both myself and others of seeing your power at work. By the power of the Spirit, renew my mind to love and compassionately reach out to the one in need you bring to me today. Amen.’