Read Mark 4-6
Mark 5:19 says, "Howbeit Jesus suffered him not, but saith unto him, Go home to thy friends, and tell them how great things the Lord hath done for thee, and hath had compassion on thee." Jesus cast devils out of a man, so the man wanted to join Him and His disciples. But Jesus turned him down, and urged him to stick around home and testify what the Lord had done for him.
We hear about miracles happening all the time. Someone comes on TV and tells what incredible thing happened to him. Someone else writes a book detailing her before-and-after miracle. We have no reason to doubt the word of these people, but we didn’t see it for ourselves, so who knows how great a miracle it might be?
Jesus recognized that a lot of people knew this man. Some knew him or his family personally, but everybody had heard about him. He had a ready-made audience he could tell his story to, who would have to believe it was true, since they knew him before. He might have made a wonderful preacher to strangers, but his most effective work was going to be in his hometown. When we see miracles for ourselves, no one can make us doubt.
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