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First, a little background …
Last night I was re-reading Mark 5:1-20 and then this morning Luke 8:26-39. Both of these narrative recount Jesus’s encounter with a demon-possessed man in the land of Gerasenes.
The afflicted man “lived among the tombs and could not be restrained, even with a chain.” “No one was strong enough to control him. All day long and throughout the night, he would wander among the tombs and in the hills, screaming and hitting himself with stones.”
How’s that for creating a visual? But then it gets even better:
As Jesus approached the man saw him, rushed forward and fell down at his feet shrieking, “Why are you bothering me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? For God’s sake, don’t torture me!”
When Jesus asked “What is your name?” the spirit inside the man replied Legion, for I am many [a Roman legion consisted of 3000-6000 soldiers; in other words, a big bunch or a whole lot].
Then the spirits begged Jesus not to throw them into the bottomless pit, and Christ gave them permission to enter a herd of pigs feeding nearby instead.
The demons obeyed, entered the pigs, and the entire herd of two thousand plunged down the steep hillside and drowned in the lake. The healed man asked to go with Jesus, but Christ told him, “No, go home to your friends, and tell them what wonderful things the Lord has done for you and how merciful he has been.”
But instead of being thrilled by the miracle they’d witnessed, the local townspeople (who were certainly Gentiles, since Old Testament law considered pigs unclean. Pigs couldn’t be eaten, or even touched, by a Jew.) were badly frightened, and “began pleading with Jesus to go away and leave them alone.”
Hmmm. I mean, Hmmmm. What’s that all about?
Wouldn’t ya think that after living with such a dangerous, chain-tearing freakazoid in their midst for so long the crowd woulda been absolutely thrilled that Christ could order the demons to leave a man just by using his voice?
Nossir, the local folks were scared silly, “for a great wave of fear swept over them.” But what were they so afraid of, after all?
You Can’t Make a Silk Purse from a Pig’s Ear
The Life Application Study Bible suggests two reasons for the crowd’s fearful reaction to what was they’d seen: (a) They were frightened by Christ’s awesome power, and were worried (b) Jesus might take a stroll through the neighborhood, and destroy a few thousand more pigs. And being Gentiles, pig-farming constituted the bulk of their incomes and livelihoods.
Casting out demons is one thing, but seeing their silk purses plunge down a cliff to drown in the lake was something else entirely. The possibility of taking a huge “drop” really struck a financial nerve.
Like, “Hey Jesus, thanks for everything … but we’re fine now, so would ya mind catching a gear? And the next time you’re passing by, please do.”
Reckon those old hog farmers recognized supernatural power when they saw it, and were scared witless that Christ might leave them broke and pig-less? I think you’d have a hard time arguing that the town folks grasped the big picture, and had their piggish priorities in order.
Yeah that’s Cool, but …
Have you been thinking So What? for the past 10 paragraphs? Have you been wondering, in this day and age, what demons have to do with anything? Maybe you don’t believe in demons, but maybe you do know a little bit about sin:
“The demons’ goal was to control the humans they inhabited. Jesus’ goal was to give people freedom from sin and Satan’s control.”
I can imagine the people crossing their fingers and thinking, Getting rid of sin is one thing, but don’t let it be my pigs that you send wind-surfing off the nearest cliff, thanks. Because I love the pigs I’ve got.
We Still Wanna Go Out and Bring Home the Bacon
Take a look back at the awesomeness of Christ’s power: the demons recognized Jesus soon as they saw him, and his voice alone was sufficient in its authority to command literally thousands of Satan’s finest from the man they’d been torturing for years.
So what do ya think he can do with the sins in our lives … if we’ll let him?
But naah, we might be more like the townspeople who’re frightened of losing their slop-swillers and beg Christ to be on his way, hoping he’ll walk off into the sunset and just leave us alone with our sins.
Pork Futures Spiral Downward in Mixed Trading
Especially with the sins we consider tiny and pleasant, the ones we’ve convinced ourselves aren’t really so bad … the ones that “aren’t really hurting anybody” … the ones we keep secret in our certainty that “nobody knows what I’m doing.”
Pigs Can’t Fly ... or even walk away from a landing
And neither can pigs have Godly marriages, be Christ-like in their relationships, manage or be the steward of their finances, or keep themselves from wallowing and settling for the slop pigs love and know best.
-all Scriptural quotes from The Life Application Study Bible, New Living Translation
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