Matthew 8:28-34

Jesus restores two demon-possessed men

²⁸When he arrived at the other side in the region of the Gadarenes,^[^c^] two demon-possessed men coming from the tombs met him. They were so violent that no one could pass that way.²⁹“What do you want with us, Son of God?” they shouted. “Have you come here to torture us before the appointed time?”

³⁰Some distance from them a large herd of pigs was feeding. ³¹The demons begged Jesus, “If you drive us out, send us into the herd of pigs.”

³²He said to them, “Go!” So they came out and went into the pigs, and the whole herd rushed down the steep bank into the lake and died in the water. ³³Those tending the pigs ran off, went into the town and reported all this, including what had happened to the demon-possessed men.³⁴Then the whole town went out to meet Jesus. And when they saw him, they pleaded with him to leave their region.

In the run up to the election, I heard some one say: “Everyone wants change but no one wants to be the one who changes.” The question that these two men asked Jesus was, “What do you want with us?” The tone of this question, revealed the heart and fear behind it, that what Jesus wants for us is not going to be good. That the change that he wants may not be as much about an external world that follows our desires but an internal shift. Familiar brokenness can feel safer than the unknown of what Jesus is leading us into. The devil’s tactics are not surprising but they are effective - he does not want us to experience peace and freedom and so he provokes distrust in Jesus. We cling to what we know is wrong or damaging because it serves us in some way. Perhaps our anger makes us feel powerful, or our judgmental mindset makes us feel superior. We are fed by our sin.

After these men are healed, Jesus is begged to leave by the whole town. They did not trust him of the change that he wanted for them either.