They asked Him to leave. Check that…they BEGGED Him to leave.
Savior…Healer…Redeemer…Messiah.
Why?
He had arrived in a boat, climbed out, and freed a demoniac.
A man they feared.
A man who couldn’t be contained. By guards or chains or Great Danes.
A man who made himself at home in the cemetery and became their
worst nightmare.
A man who no doubt was the reason they were “packin’.”
Mr. Insanity. Mr. Naked. Mr. Whacko Jacko.
THAT man.
That man was sitting at the feet of Jesus fully clothed and
fully sane; and the people were afraid.
Luke 8:37 NLT says, “And all the people in the region of the Gerasenes
begged Jesus to go away and leave them alone, for a great wave of fear swept
over them.”
What? A great wave of fear?
Jesus had just turned Mr. Insanity himself sane.
The man they had lived in fear of was now peacefully sitting
with Jesus. Clothed. (That’s reason enough
right there to be relieved.)
So what could they have possibly been afraid of now? Jesus?
Did the fact that He had just handled their demon-possessed
giant like a grasshopper cause them to fear Him?
Yes, Jesus had very authoritatively cast out the demons and
sent them into a herd of pigs that subsequently took a dive off a cliff and
drowned…but I mean, were they imagining they were next in line to be sent
swimming?
Bishop J. Todd Nichols preached a message recently and
touched on the fact that they were not supposed to be messing with pigs. Under
Moses, not only were Jews forbidden to eat pigs, God had forbidden them to even
touch them. Pigs were considered filthy and unclean. And the Gadarenes had
gotten so far from the presence of God that they were raising them!
No, the Gadarenes didn’t fear Jesus; their flesh feared the
life He was calling them back to. He’d killed their precious pigs. He’d taken
away the main source of their livelihood. He was calling them back to a life of
leaning on Him, rather than their livestock…a life of following Him, rather
than their flesh. The demoniac-turned-disciple signaled to them that their
carnal party was over…and their flesh wasn’t happy. Didn’t matter that they
lived in fear due to the demoniac running rampant; it was easier. They could
take a life of fear over a life of faith. They would rather put up with some
mess than walk righteously and be blessed. Their flesh said, “No thanks, Jesus.
Keep the miraculous. We’ll take the mess.”
It’s amazing what we’ll get involved in and who we’ll become
when we get away from God’s presence. We will choose to hang with pigs. We will
choose the messy over the miraculous. Our lives can be filled with unhealthy
relationships, addictions, sexual immorality, sickness, and the like…and all
the while, the One who can meet our needs, heal our bodies, and give us the
best life is kept at bay because we’re unwilling to change. We’re comfortable. We’re
content to let demons run rampant. We’re content to let depression fill our
lives. We reject the miraculous because we’re not interested in a life of
faith. It’s too hard. Too narrow. I don’t want a cross. I don’t want a process.
Give me the broad way. The broad way is easy. The broad way brings immediate
gratification. (It also leads to eternal destruction…but that part tends to be
forgotten.)
Choose to walk with Him. Choose the miraculous over the
messy. The life He has planned for you is so much greater than the life you
could make for yourself.
And besides…as for me and my “house”…no naked, insane
demoniacs allowed. Not today. Not tomorrow. Not ever.
by Brandi Burton & Greater Faith Webteam
