Matthew 8:34 Then the whole town went out to meet Jesus. And when they saw him, they pleaded with him to leave their region.
People often make choices based on reasons that are unknown to those around them. “Why would they have done that?” “That is not like them at all.” “I would never have believed they were capable of such a thing.” We often hear this kind of thing spoken after some horrific crime. But it applies in everyday life. Motive is often a mystery.
This is even true of ourselves. Sometimes we are not even aware of all the reasons we make decisions. We sometimes make snap decisions, or decisions based on our ‘gut.’ We aren’t fully aware of the reason our ‘gut’ spoke to us. And some of these decisions are the best ones we make. Our ‘gut’ can be correct, even though our thinking gets bypassed.
We have an account of a very odd encounter Jesus had with two people under the influence of demons. (And yes, they do still exist.) These demons wanted to not face their final destruction, which they knew Jesus would bring. So, knowing that Jesus was going to kick them out of their human hosts, they ask to be sent into a herd of pigs nearby. Jesus obliges. They are sent into the pigs.
Now the pigs want nothing to do with the demons, too they jump off a cliff. But watching this whole episode are the caretakers of the herd of pigs. They freak out and head back into the town and describe what has happened.
So the townspeople, perhaps the owners of the pigs, or stockholders in the pork futures market, go out to meet this man who has caused the destruction of their investment, their future bacon commodities. They were looking forward to a big ham at their feast.
And what do you suppose happens, they are so upset that they plead with Jesus to leave. This is the odd part. They don’t take into account the two men whose lives have been saved by the expulsion of the demons. No, they focus on the pigs and their loss.
Now much of what I have just said is speculation. We have no idea from the text why they asked Jesus to leave. They were told about the pigs and the demon=possessed men. And when they see Jesus, they plead!
They didn’t ask the Man with this kind of power to come and heal those who were sick in their midst. They didn’t ask for a life-lesson like the Sermon on the Mount. They didn’t want to hear more of what Jesus had to say. No, they wanted Him to leave.
So often in life, when upheaval of this kind presents itself, the change is too much for us to handle. We would rather stay with the known we have that have to adjust to a new unknown. The known, even if really terrible, has become comfortable, even if it is uncomfortable.
These townspeople were OK with having the two demon-possessed men living outside their town. They didn’t much care about their wrecked lives. Their lives were manageable. But this turmoil that Jesus has brought is just too much.
Are there things in your life that you have become comfortable with that really need to change? Are you willing to trust Jesus to be with you and walk you out of that pain?
The Arnold Journey 