Then all the people of the surrounding country of the Gerasenes asked him to depart from them, for they were seized with great fear. So he got into the boat and returned. The man from whom the demons had gone begged that he might be with him, but Jesus sent him away, saying, “Return to your home, and declare how much God has done for you.” And he went away, proclaiming throughout the whole city how much Jesus had done for him. (37-39)
For years, the people of the surrounding country had feared this possessed man who lived in the graveyard, broke iron chains, and ranted and raved in the countryside. Now, when they see him fully healed and in his right mind, they fear even more. This juxtaposition is fascinating. It’s the old adage: “The Devil you know is better than the Devil you don’t.” While they feared the demonic, they understood it and had found a way to live with it. However, this Jewish preacher, who had more power than any other, was even more frightening. In fact, they were so afraid of what they did not know that they begged Him to leave, and more interestingly, He complied. Contrast this with the man whose life had been changed and who intimately understood who Jesus was. He begged Jesus not to leave, or at least to be allowed to accompany Him. Yet, Jesus had a mission for Him to return to the unbelieving and testify about all that God had done; even for a gentile.
It is hard to explain the change that Jesus can make to people who don’t really know Him. It is like trying to explain what an orange tastes like to someone who has never had anything citrus. Some things must be experienced to be understood. Those who do not have the same experience will likely misunderstand. This is why people think you’re crazy to give your life, time, and money to something other than yourself. If you blend in with everyone else, you are not doing it right. The gospel is by its very nature offensive, and apart from the divine guidance of God, it cannot be completely understood. That’s why it is such a miracle when people radically change. I still meet people all the time who were once antithetically opposed to all things Jesus and church, who have an experience that causes them to do a 180. There is no scientific explanation for this phenomenon; it is purely miraculous. Jesus is still setting people free in glorious fashion, just like in this text… and He is still commanding us to go and proclaim all that He has done for us.
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