Wednesday, September 4, 2019

Go Away!

"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."  Mark 5:15 NIV

Jesus had just cast a legion of demons out of a man who had clearly been suffering :"Night and day...he would cry out and cut himself with stones." (Mark 5:5). But instead of rejoicing at the transformation of the suffering man, the people were afraid and begged Jesus to leave them. They were happy when Jesus gave physical healing but a spiritual miracle was something else.  What were they afraid of? Did they recognize his holiness and their own sinfulness? The demon-possessed man had approached Jesus and received healing.  The villagers sent Jesus away and were left in their spiritual distress.

Do I sometimes ask Jesus to leave me alone with my sinfulness?  Do I prefer to wallow in selfishness and a critical spirit rather than ask Jesus to drive evil out of me? Do I find it unsettling when someone else is delivered spiritually?  I pray I will be like the demoniac and go to Jesus for healing.