God has offered all people an opportunity for eternal life in Christ, and each person is allowed to make his or her own decision. In Matthew 8:28-34 and Luke 8:26-39, we learn of the event where Jesus entered the region of the Gadarenes (or Gerasenes). In that region, there were two men who were possessed by demons. Luke focuses specifically on the one man who was possessed by numerous demons. These men lived in tombs and were violent. The result of the encounter with these two men possessed by demons was that Jesus ordered the demons to leave the men and go into a herd of pigs. The possessed pigs then ran down a steep bank into the lake and they all died.
This event seems rather bizarre, yet this event exposes the sins of the people in that region. First, the region of Gadarenes was in the territory of what use to be Israel. A combination of people who were Jewish and people who were not Jewish probably lived there. Yet one thing is for sure: Jewish people were not supposed to be eating bacon, ham, or pork chops. The law given by God through Moses prohibited eating pig meat as is stated in Leviticus 11:7-8 and Deuteronomy 14:8. Those pig herders were probably not raising pigs for pets. They were going to sell the meat. I am convinced this is why Jesus allowed the demons to go into the pigs.
The end result was the two men were rescued from the demons. Luke details how the one demon possessed man was healed. “…When they came to Jesus, they found the man from whom the demons had gone out, sitting at Jesus’ feet, dressed and in his right mind…” (Luke 8:35). But the people were not grateful. Instead, the end of that verse reveals their response: “…they were afraid” (Luke 8:35). Their response resulted in them asking Jesus to leave. “Then the whole town went out to meet Jesus. And when they saw him, they pleaded with him to leave their region” (Matthew 8:34). And from Luke: “Then all the people of the region of the Gerasenes asked Jesus to leave them, because they were overcome with fear… (Luke 8:37).
What did Jesus do? “…So he got into the boat and left” (Luke 8:37). Tragically, those people put their cash crop or other sins over being with Jesus. And Jesus honored their decision to reject Him.
We people have a choice today still. Jesus does not force Himself upon anyone in a spiritual manner just as He did not force Himself upon the people in the region of the Gerasenes. You can be with Jesus or you can reject Him. Receiving Jesus through faith results in eternal life, and rejection of Jesus results in spiritual death. Why? Because we all need God our creator for everlasting life. And Jesus is God the Son who came into the world to save people.
Rejection of Jesus in this world continued to the extent of Jesus being murdered on a cross. Yet it fulfilled the mission of Jesus who died on a cross for the forgiveness of sins of anyone. Jesus was the sacrificial atonement for the consequence of sins which is spiritual death. Then Jesus was resurrected. If you believe in Jesus as your Savior and Lord, you will have eternal life in Christ. Thanks to Jesus, you have the opportunity to be saved from your sins. What you need to do to be saved is believe in Jesus.
Hunter Irvine
+ Thank You Jesus for giving us all the opportunity to believe in You and thus be saved from our sins, and thus be with You forever. Personally, may I be grateful daily that I have been saved.
It is through Your loving name Jesus I pray. Amen.
