The Unheard of Evangelist

The great apostle Paul was baptized by Ananias, but who baptized Ananias?

There is a verse that says, “He went away and began to proclaim in Decapolis what great things Jesus had done for him; and everyone was amazed” (Mark 5:20). Who was this man? Although we don’t know his name, his story is very well known.

Decapolis encompassed a very large portion of land that includes current-day Jordan and Syria. Damascus was the northern-most of the ten cities of Decapolis. So this unheard of evangelist covered a lot of ground sharing his testimony and winning many to Christ. This occurred while Jesus was still alive and possibly following His death. That means that this man was preaching in this region for close to ten years before Paul entered its gates.

This man had a unique perspective of those who felt trapped, unloved, and thrown away without any hope. Even after he was delivered of upwards of 7,000 demons, those who knew of him still considered him to be a threat – so much so that they were “overwhelmed by great fear.” Did the man plead to leave with Jesus because now he was afraid of the angry mob? Can you relate to this turn of events? Being angry and abusive yourself with others wanting nothing to do with you, to finding the peace of Jesus and have those same people getting angry with you?

The man didn’t want to be any where near the people who had excommunicated him to the tombs. Jesus, however, didn’t want the man to live in fear for the rest of his life, avoiding his home and neighbors, so He would not allow the man to come with Him. This man not only faced his fears, he went and preached to one of the largest regions east of Israel.

I wonder how many demons this man cast out. He had no training and no commission from the Lord to “cast out demons.” But I’m sure that didn’t stop him. Can you imagine him meeting someone who was struggling with demons trying to tell him, “I’m good, really.” I can hear him say, “No, you’re not and I’m going to help you.” I’m sure that no demon stood a chance with him because he knew them very well. He spent a lot of time with the worst of them and knew their calling cards. I’m sure they fled when he just walked by.

Just maybe it was the Garasenes man who helped Ananias turn his life around for Jesus.