“Then the whole multitude of the country of the Gadarenes round about besought him to depart from them; for they were taken with great fear: and he went up into the ship, and returned back again.” (Lu 8:37 AV)
I think it is quite ironic that the people feared Jesus more than the devil-possessed man. The man whom Jesus healed was a terror to those people. He ran around naked, cutting and hurting himself, casting dirt and ashes in the air. He did this day and night. No doubt he was not the best person to have in town. He was the one person everyone avoided. This devil-possessed man struck fear in everyone with whom he had to do. They walked on the other side of the street. When they saw him coming, they ducked into a storefront. If perhaps their meeting was a momentary one, no doubt the sane would flee the possessed. Then Jesus came along and cast out the evil spirit. The insane became sane. The possessed was not in his right mind. He sat with the Savior over bread. This is what terrified the people. Rather odd! They were more comfortable with the possessed being possessed than they were the possessed being in his right mind.
Those of us who have lived in both the big city and the country are familiar with this phenomenon. Living in the country, one is not faced with the evil of mankind nearly as often as those who live in close quarters. It is not that living a remote lifestyle means less evil. It is that the evil is further removed. Per capita crime is the same regardless of how closely packed or far apart people live. The per capita does not change. People are basically evil. But when living in an urban setting, evil is seen more frequently. You get used to it. Nothing surprises you. In my urban area, there is drug use, theft, armed robbery, and murder. It is seen more often only because we are closely compacted. What surprises me, however, is how used to this people can become. When I moved from rural Kentucky to urban Milwaukee, having heard of the crime in the area, I began to ponder that choice. Doing a quick search, I found that per capita, the crime rate was no different. You get used to it. Hearing sirens is as common as the chirping of birds. Hearing of a shooting doesn’t seem to bother most.
Then along comes a ministry and all of a sudden, people are scared to death. They don’t know what will become of their precious neighborhood. Will the bars with their loud music and violent crowds go away? Will there be psalms and hymns rather than music that celebrates man’s depravity? Will the church bring a standard of decent living to their neighborhood? This is the way the world is. They fear the grace of God more than the wickedness of the devil. It is the very definition of insanity. It makes no sense. Much like a biting dog who does so out of fear and not out of dominance, most of the world’s reaction toward the gospel is based in ignorant fear. As odd as it might be, that is the way it is. The place of the saint is to share with the world that which scares them, knowing it is for their own good. Like Mom telling you to take that nasty medicine, and you fear the taste but know it will cure the cold, the gospel may not be appealing at first, but it is for your own good. Mercy, grace, and salvation come at the end of uncomfortable conviction and repentance. But it must come! Don’t fear that which changes your mind into a sound one! Embrace the grace!
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