Have you ever noticed that there are some people that you have a hard time getting along with in life? You know what I’m talking about. It takes extra effort to stay focused when they talk to you. Maybe you have to bite your tongue in order not to say what you really think or you make an excuse to break away from the conversation. Or perhaps you duck out of sight when you see them coming.
As I read our text for today, I wonder if any of the disciples wanted to get back into the boat when they saw this man from the tombs rushing toward them. It had been a tough night in the boat. They thought they were going to die. I am sure he looked the part. How would you look if you lived in the cemetery? Would you want an encounter like this after a hard night?
They have landed in the territory that the two and a half tribes chose when Israel had left Egypt and were ready to enter the Promised Land. These tribes chose to stay on the wrong side of the Jordan. All the tribes were supposed to cross the Jordan and take over that land, but they got lazy. They took the easy road, the road frequently traveled. They began compromising with God’s promises and the compromises continued. We find that they now raise pigs! Talk about compromise! Good Jews don’t eat pig. It isn’t kosher. So either they had a thriving export business, or they were eating meat they weren’t supposed to eat.
The disciples would have know this history when they landed. So why was Jesus going to this area where the people had rejected God’s best? And of course the first person they encounter when they land reinforces every negative stereotype they might have had about these people. Have you ever been somewhere and thought to yourself, “These people are crazy.” I know I have been in places like that. And I wanted to get out of there as fast as I could.
Notice that the man comes to meet Jesus before Foxnews has even reported that Jesus has arrived. How did this man know that Jesus was coming? There is a source of knowledge about which we know very little. The demons tap into this source and get this spiritual intel long before anyone else. The demons somehow know about Jesus’ movements. Don’t ask me how. Perhaps there is a WiFi network set up for demonic powers!
So how do you react when that ‘someone’ approaches you unexpectedly? Jesus was willing to meet the man right where he was. He didn’t expect the man to change prior to their meeting. He was there to meet him. He was willing to talk. He was willing to listen. He was willing to meet the man’s need. Are we?
The Arnold Journey 