Resisting

The man was out of control. “No man could bind him,” even with chains (v. 3). He was disrupting the whole area, screaming “and gashing himself with stones” (v. 5). Then Jesus arrived and delivered the demons from the man. Instantly, the man was under control and “in his right mind.” A great miracle had taken place.

We might have expected that the community would have been relieved and even rejoiced. Instead, “they became frightened” (v. 15). Instead of being grateful, they begged Jesus to leave their region. Ultimately, they did not want to change. They wanted their own personal lives and life in the community to return to normal.

Many people are like this today. They may believe in God and think they are followers of Jesus, but they really don’t want to change. They don’t want to go deeper in their relationship with God or experience more of His life-changing truth.

Others simply don’t want to consider that the Gospel is true. They just reject the message. They are prepared to ignore the evidence and countless testimonies.

We shouldn’t be surprised by this reaction. The Bible tells us, “the god of this world has blinded the minds” of unbelievers (2 Corinthians 4:4). Many just can’t see the light. And many just don’t want to change.

Be ready to let God use you. Seek to be His servant. Pray for all who reject the Gospel.