“Then they went out to see what had happened, and came to Jesus, and found the man from whom the demons had departed, sitting at the feet of Jesus, clothed and in his right mind. And they were afraid. They also who had seen it told them by what means he who had been demon-possessed was healed. Then the whole multitude of the surrounding region of the Gadarenes asked Him to depart from them, for they were seized with great fear. And He got into the boat and returned. Now the man from whom the demons had departed begged Him that he might be with Him. But Jesus sent him away, saying, “Return to your own house, and tell what great things God has done for you.” And he went his way and proclaimed throughout the whole city what great things Jesus had done for him.”
Luke 8:35-39 NKJV
I’ll never forget the first time I visited Shady Grove. I walked back out almost as soon as I walked in after noticing the chairs against the wall, seeing people laying all over the red carpeted floors, and hearing the craziest compilation of singing, crying, and laughing I’d ever heard. I was a little freaked out truth be told. I didn’t understand it at all and thought it was very weird. I never could have guessed as I drove away that night that I would return about 5 years later and become one of those people who was laid out.
I think my reaction wasn’t an uncommon one at all. After all, it’s human nature isn’t it to run from or turn from that which scares us? Sure, some run towards fear, but I doubt that’s the majority.
That’s what happened in Luke’s account of the demon possessed man. The deliverance and restoration of his life was so radical that it scared people. They’d never seen anything like it before but they couldn’t deny something was different. In a single instance he went from unable to speak or control his own body to sitting calmly before Yeshua and speaking to Him, man to Man.
And the crowds? They were “seized” – or synechō (squeezed like cattle into a cattle guard, pressed and pushed down, oppressed and afflicted) by a great fear (phóbos – alarm or fright, exceedingly afraid or fearful, besieged by terror). The fear controlled, consumed, and motivated them.
Fear is a powerful, paralyzing force that can destroy relationships and derail hope. And while fears are very real – there are also instances my fears have been founded in misunderstandings and imaginations.
I’ve often wonder how my life would have gone if I didn’t run that day. Would I have been spared the pain and brokenness of those 5 years? Of course I don’t know and thankfully He has made beauty from the ashes of my life. For me, fear is still something I face – even today in fact. Yet when it comes to the supernatural, I’ve learned not to fear what I do not understand. I don’t want to be seized by fear at His coming that I send Him away. I want to be like the man who was healed, one begs Him to stay and whose testimony transforms lives.
Father – thank You for Your Word and Your Son. You are good and You keep doing good. Your leadership in my life is perfect and You can be trusted. Amen.
Daily Reading: Matthew 13, Luke 8
October 14, 2022