BIBLE READING FOR THE DAY:
Those tending the pigs 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 saw the man who had been possessed by the legion of demons, sitting there, dressed and in his right mind; and they were afraid. Those who had seen it told the people about what had happened to the demon-possessed man-- and told about the pigs as well. Then the people began to plead with Jesus to leave their region.
As Jesus was getting into the boat, the man who had been demon-possessed begged to go with him. Jesus did not let him, but said, "Go home to your own people and tell them how much the Lord has done for you, and how he has had mercy on you." So the man went away and began to tell in the Ten Cities how much Jesus had done for him. And all the people were amazed.
- Mark 5:14-20
THOUGHT: This passage tells the story of a man who was possessed by a 'legion' of demons (evil spirits-- a commonly understood and accepted force during that time) that forced him to live in a graveyard and hurt himself. It might be easy to relate to his issues by thinking of something like a mental illness-- his mind and soul was not quite free. But Jesus, with the authority he claimed to have from God, ordered the evil spirits out of the man into a herd of pigs, where they passed away by running themselves into a river. This passage recounts the reactions of those who saw this incident.
One thing I find very interesting is that those people who had known of this man all their lives-- and probably feared him for his strange behavior and not-quite-there mind-- were afraid when they saw him made right again. Jesus had gotten rid of a legion (2000, according to the military term) evil spirits in their region, and their response was to make Jesus leave.
The power and restoration that Jesus seems to offer us is both amazing and really scary. It requires effort and adjustment on our part! Do we really want things to be made right? Do we really want to embrace our own freedom? Are we scared of all the change we'll have to experience in order to live in a just world? Do we get scared and ask God to leave when we start seeing change in our lives?
CHALLENGE: Think of some area in your life where a new kind of freedom is offered to you in place of a hurt you've been holding on to. Maybe it's forgiveness from something that happened in a relationship that mattered to you, or maybe it's taking the leap to rejoice in the blessings you have instead of criticizing and complaining about a life that never seems to measure up. The freedom of grace, joy, love, forgiveness, etc are all being offered you constantly.
On one hand, you could stick with the status quo, and keep poking and pushing your emotional and spiritual bruises to make sure they're still there. Think of what makes it so hard to step into that freedom. Maybe the wounds and hurts you've been holding have been a defining part of your identity in some ways, or maybe it just takes a lot of effort to adjust in your relationships or life to a different perspective.
But I challenge you, this week, to "ask Jesus to stay", instead of shooing freedom away in fear. Step into that freedom and shed that part of your identity. Let the status quo go, in trust that there is something better, even though adjusting is hard and change is scary.
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