“And they come to Jesus, and see him that was possessed with the devil,
and had the legion, sitting, and clothed, and in his right mind: and they were afraid.
And they that saw it told them how it befell to him that was possessed with the devil, and also concerning the swine.
And they began to pray him to depart out of their coasts.” Mark 5:15-17
Here in Mark 5 is one of the most instructive examples of man’s depravity. The Gadarenes are relieved of a devil-possessed maniac who was roaming the countryside and rather than praise and glorify God, they worry about their swine business. For doing good, these people return evil and bid the Lord Himself to depart from them. And so it is with us. We are more concerned with our swine. If we have criminals and addicts roaming the streets of America so be it as long as we have our coins to count! We prefer our swine.
The devil-possessed man is a powerful depiction of our unregenerate nature: morbid, self-destructive, impossible to control. Yet Jesus seeks out and saves that which was lost1, and after conversion we find ourselves clothed with the righteousness of Christ, and in our right minds.
And after clothing us and justifying us we are given our instructions:
“Go home to thy friends, and tell them how great things the Lord hath done for thee, and hath had compassion on thee.”2
Scriptures:
1 Luke 19:10
2 Mark 7:19
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