Thanks But No Thanks

The devil you know.  Keep your enemies close.  These little nuggets are so warm and fuzzy aren't they?

There is an event recorded in the Bible where Jesus freed some men of the devil THEY knew.  THEIR enemy.

When Jesus arrived at the other side of the lake in the area of the Gadarene people, two men who had demons in them met him.  These men lived in the burial caves and were so dangerous that people could not use the road by those caves.  They shouted, "What do you want with us, Son of God?  Did you come here to torture us before the right time?"

Near that place there was a large herd of pigs feeding.  The demons begged Jesus, "If you make us leave these men, please send us into that herd of pigs."

Jesus said to them, "Go!"  So the demons left the men and went into the pigs.  Then the whole herd rushed down the hill into the lake and were drowned.  The herdsmen ran away and went into town, where they told about all of this and what had happened to the men who had demons.Then the whole town went out to see Jesus.  When they saw him, they begged him to leave their area.  Matthew 8:28-34.

Jesus had just freed men of demons.  These men who were so dangerous because of the demons, that people could not even use the road that was near the caves in which these men lived.

And yet when the townspeople saw Jesus, they begged him to leave their area.  As if to say, hey Jesus, thanks for getting rid of those demons and making our roads safe again, but please don't do it again.  We really actually kind of liked it that way. Thanks anyway.

Do you find that strange?  I WANT to think that I would be begging him to stay.  If he can get rid of demons, isn't that a neighbor that we all want to have?

When we look closely at the text there is at least one implication.  The use of the word 'herdsmen'.  This implies that the pigs Jesus chased the demons into were not wild pigs.  Causing them to run down a hill into a lake and drowning likely affected the herdsmens' livelihood.  Less pigs to tend to and maybe sell?  If Jesus' presence caused a shake up in the herdsmens' cash flow, it could probably happen to the rest of the town as well.  Although they COULD be free of demons.

We all have them.  Demons of compromise.  Demons of bitterness.Addiction.  Need for approval.  Status. Unforgiveness.  There are so many different demons.

Could it be, like the townspeople in the story, we would rather keep our demons than have our livelihoods affected?  Or maybe even just our 'normal'?  God forbid we learn a new normal.  A normal that gives freedom.

It is for freedom that Chris has set us free.  Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.  Galatians 5:1  

I do not want demons and I do not want my enemies close.  Not anymore.

Thanks but no thanks.