A mob formed and demanded that Jesus get out and not come back!

Matthew 8:28-34

28 They landed in the country of the Gadarenes and were met by two madmen, victims of demons, coming out of the cemetery. The men had terrorized the region for so long that no one considered it safe to walk down that stretch of road anymore. 29 Seeing Jesus, the madmen screamed out, "What business do you have giving us a hard time? You're the Son of God! You weren't supposed to show up here yet!" 30 Off in the distance a herd of pigs was browsing and rooting. 31 The evil spirits begged Jesus, "If you kick us out of these men, let us live in the pigs." 32 Jesus said, "Go ahead, but get out of here!" Crazed, the pigs stampeded over a cliff into the sea and drowned. 33 Scared to death, the swineherds bolted. They told everyone back in town what had happened to the madmen and the pigs. 34 Those who heard about it were angry about the drowned pigs. A mob formed and demanded that Jesus get out and not come back.

Food for thought!

Jesus has many ways of teaching us, very many ways, indeed. What is it that Jesus is teaching us this time? He is teaching us that there's nothing he cannot do to save us; that there's nothing to compare in value to our souls; that we could never compare the value of a herd of swine with the value of a man's soul. Now we understand why Jesus did not spare himself to save us. He knows our value, and unfortunately we don't.

Do you know of someone in a helplessness or hopelessness situations, or even yourself? Do you know someone who has given up on life and living? Well, today Jesus proves to you and me that for him there's no hopeless or helpless people or human situation. The gospel says: "The men had terrorized the region for so long that no one considered it safe to walk down that stretch of road anymore." These two men were a danger to everybody including themselves; they had given up on themselves, just as had the people of the region. This is why they lived in a limbo; living people living among the dead!

Jesus performed that miracle thinking of such people like you and me. If you believe in Jesus, as I think you do, why give in to despair? Let Jesus restore your sanity, your holiness, your humanity, your relationship, your life as he did the two men. He will transform your hopelessness and helplessness into hopefulness and helpfulness; he will transform you from a madman or madwoman to a mademan or madewoman.

The supreme tragedy of this story lies in its conclusion. Those who were herding the pigs ran back to the town and told the story; and the result was that the people of the town forced Jesus to leave their territory at once: "A mob formed and demanded that Jesus get out and not come back."

Here is human selfishness at its worst. It did not matter to these people that two men had been given back their sanity, their wholeness, their life. All that mattered to the villagers were their pigs that had perished. It is so often the case that we say in effect, "I don't care what happens to anyone else, if my profits and my comfort and my ease and my interests and my business are preserved. I don't care what happens to you as long as I am fine. I don't care what happens to others as long as my business thrives, as long as I make money." We may condemn the villagers for their insensibility, but we must be careful that we too do not put profit over people.