Have you ever been around something that is so unbelievable, so unprecedented that you were scared? I remember the first time I was up close to a sky jump hill. When I realized that people flew off that ramp and were in the air that long and fell that far, I felt fear rising in me. I wasn’t even wearing skis! There was no way I was going to be going down that hill, but I still sensed the fear of falling that far that fast with nothing but a couple thin boards strapped to your feet.
Or this past weekend we saw the Blue Angels perform their stunts in Lakeland, Florida. Those jets traveling so fast, with so much power, and doing all those twists and turns at such high G forces, was scary. And the sound of the engine roars as they flew past! My grandchildren clung to adult bodies like a third layer of clothing. They were shaking and quaking.
Jesus has brought deliverance to a man who had been controlled by demons. His life had been one of misery and solitude, at least from other people. The demons never left him alone. But Jesus has sent the demons packing and now the man is whole again.
He is able to sit still. Now that might not seem like much, but when I was a child, sitting still was one of the most difficult things for me to do. I am ADHD! I have so much energy that it bursts out in unexpected directions. Even today I must choose to focus, or I bounce like a playground bouncy ball, pinging from one thing to the next. My teachers would always remark that I would do so much better in school if I could just learn to sit still. Oh if they could see me now, they would not believe I was the same person. I am able to sit still.
This man is wearing clothes. You don’t have to shield your child’s eyes as he walks past. This man is said to be in his right mind. He is in control of all his mental faculties. He doesn’t run around naked, screaming and yelling, cutting himself with stones. He can carry on a conversation. He can answer questions. If you didn’t know his history, you would welcome him into your neighborhood without reservation, but that is not what the people do.
What a strange reaction! Think of the contrast between this man who lived in the cemetery, was uncontrollable, who mutilated his body by cutting it with stones and this man sitting next to Jesus in his right mind. And they are afraid of this healthy, restored person. A little bit upside down, don’t you think! They should welcome sanity, but they don’t. They reject him.
The people who were tending the pigs and witness what happened tell the story, an unbelievable story that puts Jesus at the center. And not only do they not want the man around, they want Jesus to leave as well. Health can be a scary thing!
The people must be afraid of so many things. If they recognized that Jesus pinpointed the pig industry because of its sin implications, then what industry would be next! What other area of their lives would Jesus disrupt? What other losses would they incur? They don’t want to find out, so they tell Jesus that he is persona non grata, a person not wanted. Jesus brings healing and wholeness, and they reject Him.
Some families reject other family members when they become Jesus-followers. They are cutoff from all connections, holidays, finances, conversations, support. They become a little fanatical about following Jesus and it can be scary. The light gets brought into a dark closet and the tendency is to turn off the light rather than face what is in the closet.
The Arnold Journey 