Help Someone Get Their Miracle - Part 4 of The “Inserted” Series
Let’s get acquainted with two inserted people in the New Testament who provide a roadmap to Jesus.
The first story is the woman at the well. Most of us are familiar with this story. Jesus has dialogue with a Samaritan woman that includes describing her not so great life circumstances and the mundane, but necessary task of getting water. He offers her the solution to the problem when He talks about living water. Her response is, “Please sir, the woman said, give me this water. Then I'll never be thirsty again, and I won't have to come here to get water.” John 4:13. He offers her the solution - HIMSELF. When she receives the revelation that He is the Messiah and the living water that she needs for her circumstances, she runs back to her village and starts sharing.
Many Samaritans from the village believed in Jesus because the woman had said, “He told me everything I ever did.” When they came out to see him, they begged him to stay in their village. So he stayed for two days, long enough for many more to hear his message and believe. John 4:39
Then they said to the woman, “Now we believe not just because of what you told us, but because we have heard him ourselves. Now we know that he is indeed the Savior of the world.” John 4:42
Her name is not mentioned. But her sharing changed the lives of the people in her village.
The next story is the story of the demon possessed man.
So they arrived at the other side of the lake in the region of the Gerasenes. When Jesus climbed out of the boat, a man possessed by an evil spirit came out from the cemetery to meet him. This man lived among the burial caves and could no longer be restrained, even with a chain. Whenever he was put into chains and shackles - as he often was- he snapped the chains from his wrists and smashed the shackles. No one was strong enough to subdue him. Mark 5:1-4
This possessed man encountered Jesus. The evil spirit named Legion, (because there were many) responded to Jesus’s command to leave the man. Jesus gave Legion permission to enter the pigs that was on the nearby hillside. The result was 2,000 pigs plunging into the lake and drowning. Mark 5:9-13. The herdsmen spread the news about the events that took place, but not in a positive sense. But it drew people back into the village so that they could see what took place with the “demon” possessed” man who encountered Jesus.
A crowd soon gathered around Jesus and they saw the man who had been possessed by the legion of demons. He was sitting there fully clothed and perfectly sane and they were all afraid. Mark 5:15
The crowd began pleading with Jesus to go away and leave them alone. Mark 5:17
As Jesus was getting into the boat, the man who had been demon possessed begged to go with him. v18
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. v19
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. v20 .
In both stories, our main characters were living in less than desirable circumstances. Both could be considered insignificant as their names were not mentioned. However, both took the time to share the transformation that took place in their lives when they encountered Jesus. They took their story to where there was more people. People could receive hope after they saw what we done in them. They were helping others receive their miracle.