Daily Devotional

If you did not know how this story ended, you would expect a parade. Two men who had terrorized the region were free. The road was safe again. Instead, the whole town came out, took one look at Jesus, and begged him to leave. It has been said that they chose swine over souls.

Their decision rested on two things: fear and economics. They were afraid of anyone with that kind of power, and they were worried about what he would cost them next. In a way, they understood something true about Jesus. He cannot be contained. He does not stay in the small box we build for him, and there is no telling what he will turn upside down once he is welcome.

Look closely at the word “begged.” It is the same word Matthew used of the demons in verse 31. The demons begged, and the town begged, and both wanted the same thing: leave us alone. Sinful people recoil in the presence of holiness. Peter once fell at Jesus’ knees and said, “Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord” (Luke 5:8). The difference is that Peter said it in worship, and Jesus drew him closer. The Gadarenes said it in self-protection, and Jesus got back in the boat.

We still ask Jesus to leave, though rarely out loud. He can have Sunday mornings, but not my business. He can have my prayers, but not my money. He can have my marriage, but not my calendar. We keep him at a polite distance because if we really let him in, there is no telling what he might send over the cliff. And here is the sobering truth: when they asked him to leave, he did not argue. Sometimes Jesus gives us exactly what we ask for.