September 16, September 2026

Many of us are familiar with the saying, ‘… caught between the devil and the deep red sea’. We might be equally familiar with, ‘out of the frying pan, into the fire’. But few of us would use either of those to describe our adventures with Jesus.

Had they had such expressions in their time, the disciples probably would have used them to speak of their training with Y’shua. I imagine them saying to themselves that with Y’shua they encountered both the devil and the deep red sea! Consider Today’s Holy Nougat

Mark 5:1-2 CEB

[1] Jesus and his disciples came to the other side of the lake, to the region of the Gerasenes.

[2] As soon as Jesus got out of the boat, a man possessed by an evil spirit came out of the tombs.

Adventures with Y’shua

Thankfully, despite the storm, the disciples made it safely to the other side. Imagine their surprise when they found themselves on the shores of Gadara, the walled-in city, home to the silent objectors (for that’s what Gadara means). Moreover, they were in Decapolis, Gentile territory. Siblings, Y’shua was with them, in fact He landed them there. Nevertheless, I suspect that they were still caught by surprise at the discovery of where they were. It wasn’t very socially acceptable to be seen with Gentiles. The Jesus Who calmed the storm with a simple command could easily have steered them into friendly waters.

But He didn’t.

Self-Check

How often have we bought into the theory that life with Y’shua is incident free? Why are we surprised to find that isn’t the case?

Digging Deeper

While they would have registered that they were in unfamiliar territory, the disciples would also have realised that the Gadara drama had only just begun. Awaiting them on ‘the other side’ was a demoniac. His situation was dire: he went *from the tombs* to meet Y’shua at the shore.

Siblings, nothing about this sounds comfortable or comforting. Strange territory and what seemed to be spiralling into a possible attack from a man whose demons had him in a graveyard!

They escaped the stormy sea to be confronted by the devil! Oy!

But Y’shua was with them.

No one knew what would happen next. But they had the assurance that Y’shua was awake and with them in that moment.

We don’t know whether they fully grasped the implications of His presence. But we do.

In our own adventures with Y’shua, we will find ourselves in unfamiliar, possibly hostile territory. It may also present itself during or immediately after a major storm: unemployment, terminal illness, betrayal, financial fallout, forced migration, death of loved ones. We may have scarcely escaped that storm alive. To discover that ‘the other side’ is actually the devil’s playground will be troubling.

But Y’shua is with us.

He is resurrected, restored to God’s right side, interceding for us, *and* sustaining us with His Spirit.

We need not fear; impossible though it seems.

God is on our side.

Y’shua is with us.

God’s Spirit is within us.

Peace. Be still. Y’shua is in control.

Point to Ponder

Are we willing to follow Y’shua’s lead after being rescued through the storm?

Peace! Be still.

—

May all we seek be found in Christ