Jesus Said NO

Mark 5

18 As Jesus was getting into the boat, the man who had been demon possessed begged to go with him. 19 But Jesus said, “No, go home to your family, and tell them everything the Lord has done for you and how merciful he has been.” 20 So the man started off to visit the Ten Towns of that region and began to proclaim the great things Jesus had done for him; and everyone was amazed at what he told them.

Sometimes the best thing Jesus can do for us and for the Kingdom, is to tell us “NO!” That’s what happened here. The man who had formerly been possessed by a legion of demons, and is now cleansed, BEGS to go with Jesus. Jesus tells him that he cannot go with, instead he is to remain where he is. Why? Because the testimony of his life will be MOST POWERFUL in his home region. Everyone knew this dude, and everyone would be able to see the difference in his life because of Jesus. Not everyone is called to go off to distant cities or lands to proclaim the Gospel. Some are called to stay where they are. However, ALL are called to proclaim the Gospel to the people within their sphere of influence. Don’t ignore that part of the instructions here. The man in this story didn’t, and countless numbers of people were blessed because of his obedience.