Not all of Jesus' miracles were received with gladness. An account in three of the four Gospels—Matthew, Mark, and Luke—relates an incident where a wonderful healing took place, and the response was great fear.
Jesus and his disciples came by boat across the Sea of Galilee to the country of the Gerasenes. There they were met by a madman, a victim of demons who so tormented him that he lived naked and homeless in the cemetery among the tombs. He was so wild that no one could restrain him; he had been tied up many times, but he broke the ropes and snapped the chains. Night and day he wandered among the burial caves and in the hills, howling and slashing himself with sharp stones.
When the man saw Jesus, still a long way off, he ran and bowed before Him as if to worship. But then he screamed and the evil spirits within bellowed, "Why are you interfering with me, Son of the Most High God? In the name of God, don't torture me!"
"Tell me your name," Jesus commanded the spirit presence, and it answered, "Mob. I am a rioting mob," but then as Jesus began to order them to come out, they pleaded not to be totally banished. A large herd of pigs—2000 of them—were rooting and feeding on a nearby hill. "Send us into the swine," they begged desperately. Jesus gave His permission, and the whole herd of crazed pigs plunged wildly down the steep hillside and into the lake where they all drowned.
Those who were tending the pigs were scared to death. They fled to the nearby town, spreading the news as they went. A crowd gathered around Jesus and saw there with Him the man who had been delivered from the demon mob. He was wearing decent clothes and making sense when he spoke. It was a miracle! And the crowd's response? They were all afraid and demanded that Jesus go away and leave them alone.
Why were people afraid in the face of a miraculous healing? True, they had lost their pigs. "If Jesus stays here, performing more of these miracles, it's hard telling how many of us will lose our livelihood. Let's run Him off!"
The social structure is upset. "This is too much change, way too fast. We don't understand it at all. It's just scary."
And if there's no wild man in the community to whom can we feel superior? "You think I'm crazy? No, that guy out in the cemetery is crazy."
Having finished just this one mission on the far side of the lake, Jesus started to get back into the boat. The delivered man begged to go along, but Jesus told him, "No, go home to your own people. Tell them your story, how the Master had mercy on you." He did just that, witnessing throughout the whole area of the amazing thing Jesus had done for him. By proclaiming his testimony, the delivered man avoided the tragedy of a return to the caves.
Once a person has grown accustomed to the darkness of his/her emotional self-destruction, ruinous habits, or antisocial behavior, the light may seem too much to bear. It is not at all unusual for those who are celebrating wellness to creep back into the familiarity of the "cave" where they have lived for a long time. Being free and responsible and happy is just too great a change. It's scary! He/she was not happier or healthier in the cave, but it is dear and familiar, and sometimes there is the temptation to find "safety" in that well-known place.
Jesus said, "If the Son sets you free, you are truly free." (John 8:36) But one has to accept that freedom and not fear being well.
MaryMartha
(All rights reserved)
Scripture quotation taken from The Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. United States of America. All rights reserved.
Email: mrymrtha@gmail.com
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