Mark 5: Clothed and in His Right Mind

The account of Legion is well known. A man is possessed by a host of demons. The result was exclusion from polite society, dwelling in tombs among the rotting remains of the dead. There are other descriptions of him, but one is not known until after he is healed by the Lord, “Then they came to Jesus, and saw the one who had been demon-possessed… clothed and in his right mind” (v 15). The man’s lack of sanity and restraint (vv 4-5) had caused him to roam naked among the dead.

I spend a lot of time each week in nursing homes. One thing that takes some getting used to is the fact that those in these places who lack their mental faculties are prone to disrobe for no reason. They lack the normal sense of shame associated with being seen naked or devoid of proper clothing.

We live in an age of exhibitionism. People, and especially women, routinely post near naked photos of themselves on social media for the world to see. Every Hollywood awards show features women trying to be as close to naked without being censored. “Sexting” is a term coined to describe sending texts containing lewd or naked photos of oneself to another. This is a problem in the local school where my wife teaches SIXTH GRADE.

In Exodus 32:25, the children of Israel were said to have been naked before their enemies as they practiced religious whoredom. Micah spoke of the shame of nakedness in Micah 1:11.

In 2018, a group in New Hampshire sued a municipality for forbidding women from appearing topless in public, claiming such constitutes discrimination since men can go topless in public. Such ignores the long known biological differences between the sexes and male propensity for visual stimulation.

There is, or at least should be, an inherent sense of shame in exposing oneself to the world. In an age where women claim to desire the respect of and proper treatment by men, it is only safe to assume those who are advocating for even greater nakedness cannot be in their right mind, especially given the inevitable negative attention it is sure to invoke.

Ladies, remember this when you dress and buy clothes for your daughters. Dress and demand dress indicative of women in their right minds, professing godliness.