Key Verses: 4, 13, 17, 19, 23, 25, 34, 36
What
a contrast! This man who was filled with many demons had lived a life of
helplessness against their forces. No one had been able to bring any relief.
But Jesus simply speaks and they are gone. The demons had been screaming for
years, and Jesus just speaks and poof! They are gone. They think it is Judgment
Day and that eternal fires are awaiting them. They like the neighborhood,
graves and pigs, and want to hang around a little longer. This fits with Jesus’
plans, so He allows them to enter a herd of pigs. The pigs aren’t very happy
about this and they kill themselves rather than hang around with the demons.
(Maybe a little stretch here.)
And
again a contrast: the people of that area liked the demon-possessed man better
in his original state. When he is dressed and in his right mind, they don’t
know what to do with him. He is now out of place. He feels at home with Jesus,
just as the towns-people felt at home with the demons. And Jesus sends the man,
the center of their uncomfortable feelings, right back into the middle of them
to tell the Good News.
What
are the influences of Satan that we allow to live around us, in our homes, in
our lives? Are we more comfortable with them than with Jesus? Jesus brings the
unknown into our lives, which can be extremely scary.
The next two people we meet
encountering Jesus are very different. One is a wealthy leader of his community
and the other is an outcast. Both are desperate and both seek out Jesus. Jesus
meets them at the point of their need and uses their need to demonstrate His
power of physical sickness, even death itself.
Both must exercise faith. The woman
when she reached forward, touched, and then came forward to testify to what she
did. The man when he trusted Jesus’ word over the reports of his family and
friends. Faith often takes great courage. We must be willing to leave family
and friends behind in order to follow. We must be willing to leave everything
behind. Pretty scary!
But faith is not a jump in the dark.
It is a step into the loving arms and compassionate care, creative strength and
protective power of Jesus. He can simply speak and all the demons in our lives
must shut up and leave. Sickness and even death no longer hold any sway over
our lives. There is nothing more to fear when we trust Jesus. He has our back,
our front and every place we will ever travel. Faith is standing on the only
solid that exists in this universe.