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in the graveyard

Mark 5:1&2
"1 And they came over unto the other side of the sea, into the country of the Gadarenes.
2 And when He was come out of the ship, immediately there met Him out of the tombs a man with an unclean spirit,"

We are studying the questions Jesus asked. Last week, we focused on His question to His Disciples, "Who do you say that I Am?" It's the question we all have to answer. The CORRECT answer requires us to acknowledge Jesus as the Messiah, the Son of God, and the Savior of the world. This week we will look at another important question.

We turn to the Gospel of Mark. Jesus and His Disciples sailed across the Sea of Galilee. Along the way, Jesus commanded a fierce storm to stop, and it did! The twelve are so amazed they ask, "Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea OBEY him?" (Mark 4:41).

Today's verses, "And they came over unto the other side of the sea, into the country of the Gadarenes." This is one of the few areas Jesus visited where Gentiles (non-Jews) composed the majority of the population. It is part of the Decapolis, literally “Ten Cities” in Greek; a league of semi-independent Greek cities next to but not part of first-century Israel. And they were all under Roman occupation.

"And when He was come out of the ship, immediately there met Him out of the tombs a man with an unclean spirit," Here, "unclean spirit" is a euphemism for being possessed by demons. And, to underscore that, we read that he is living in the graveyard! It's a very spooky situation. Terrifying to almost everyone...
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