From the earliest times, Christians believed that Matthew's Gospel was the first to be written and some held that Mark's Gospel was a summary of Matthew's. Whatever truth there may be in that view, it should not blind us to the fact that, in his own way, Mark was like the other three Evangelists, a great story-teller. The passage we read today is an example. This story, with all its details, could not possibly be a "summary" of anything: it is in itself a wonderfully significant story.

All the Gospel stories, whether the stories told by Jesus as parables or the stories recorded by the Evangelists, serve the purpose of revealing Jesus to us. Thus the purpose of Mark's very detailed account about the demoniac and how no one could subdue or control him is not simply to embellish a good story but to call attention to the greatness of Jesus' miracle: many things are impossible for human beings to accomplish, but nothing is impossible with God.

We have learned that most miracle stories are also parables. Jesus indicates that by telling the cured man: "Go home to your family and tell them how much the Lord in his mercy has done for you."