WHEN THEY SHOULD HAVE BEEN GLAD
LUKE 8:35-37 NKJV
35 Then they went out to see what had happened, and came to Jesus, and found the man from whom the demons had departed, sitting at the feet of Jesus, clothed and in his right mind. And they were afraid. 36 They also who had seen it told them by what means he who had been demon-possessed was healed. 37 Then the whole multitude of the surrounding region of the Gadarenes asked Him to depart from them, for they were seized with great fear. And He got into the boat and returned.
This is one of the more dramatic stories in the life of Jesus. An amazing miracle that should have brought great joy. Instead, what Jesus did scared people.
Jesus had sailed to an area across from Galilee called the Gadarenes. When He got out of the boat, He was met by a man we would call legitimately crazy.
This man had been tormented by demons for a long time. He wore no clothes and lived in the tombs. He also terrified the people of that area. They were afraid to pass by where he lived.
The man's demon possession caused him to have supernatural strength. The authorities would capture him and put chains and shackles on him. He would break his bonds and run away. He was a scary guy.
Jesus was not afraid of the man and commanded the demons to come out of him. Jesus gave the demons permission to go into a large herd of pigs feeding nearby. The pigs broke and ran off a steep place into the lake and drowned. Good day for the man. Bad day for the pigs.
The pig herders ran and told the people in the city, so this event caused an uproar. But when the people saw the former demon-possessed man clothed, in his right mind and sitting at the feet of Jesus, they were afraid.
And they asked Jesus to leave. You might think they would have wanted Jesus to stay and help others in the town. But no. They wanted Him to go.
The only reason I can think of for wanting to get rid of Jesus is their lack of knowledge of Him. They must have reasoned that He would do them harm. That He would command demons and send demons their way. They should have been glad, but they gave into fear.
APPLICATION:
Jesus still does things that not everyone understands. But never does He do harm.
He set free a poor man plagued by demons. And after his encounter with Jesus, this man was so much better off.
No one who has an encounter with the Lord needs to be afraid. He only comes to give life abundantly, not scare or hurt.