Friday Thought -- May 20, 2011

Good Morning Friends,

"A large herd of pigs was feeding there on the hillside.  The demons begged Jesus to let them go into them, and he gave them permission.  When the demons came out of the man, they went into the pigs, and the herd rushed down the steep bank into the lake and was drowned.  When those tending the pigs saw what had happened, they ran off and reported this in the town and countryside, and the people went out to see what had happened.  When they came to Jesus, they found the man from whom the demons had gone out, sitting at Jesus' feet, dressed and in his right mind; and they were afraid.  Those who had seen it told the people how the demon-possessed man had been cured. Then all the people of the region of the Gerasenes asked Jesus to leave them, because they were overcome with fear.  So he got into the boat and left."  (Luke 8:32-37)

Jesus worked a marvelous miracle in the midst of the people of this story.  A man's life was totally changed.  He was demon-possessed and lived a crazed life in the wilderness and Jesus healed him.  The demons were gone, the man returned to his right mind.  The man got his life back!  And how did the people respond when they saw what Jesus had done?  They were afraid.  They were so filled with fear that they asked Jesus to leave their region and go somewhere else!

The people couldn't understand what Jesus had done and so they didn't want anything to do with Him.  They weren't willing to grapple with what the miracle meant.  They didn't want to face what this meant about who Jesus was.  They just wanted to return to their lives undisturbed.

There are many people like that in our world.  They've seen things about Jesus.  They've heard things about Him.  But they are afraid.  They don't want their lives disturbed.  They want to ignore Jesus, because to explore Him would mean change in their lives.  They like their lives as they are and turn away from Jesus.

And what do they miss when they turn away from Jesus!  Change -- yes.  Being disturbed -- yes.  Being challenged -- yes.  Jesus does all of those things.  Loving, saving, healing, and so much more, too.

His, by Grace,

Steve