There is a cartoon that I like based on the following Gospel passage:
When Jesus came to the territory of the Gadarenes, two demoniacs who were coming from the tombs met him. They were so savage that no one could travel by that road. They cried out, “What have you to do with us, Son of God? Have you come here to torment us before the appointed time?” Some distance away a herd of many swine was feeding. The demons pleaded with him, “If you drive us out, send us into the herd of swine.” And he said to them, “Go then!” They came out and entered the swine, and the whole herd rushed down the steep bank into the sea where they drowned. The swineherds ran away, and when they came to the town they reported everything, including what had happened to the demoniacs. Thereupon the whole town came out to meet Jesus, and when they saw him they begged him to leave their district.
The cartoon makes me chuckle, but the actual event challenges my sensibilities. Why would Jesus allow the demons to decimate an entire herd of marketable swine? Couldn’t he have freed the demoniacs in a different way?
It seems that Jesus presses a choice upon the people in the Gadarenes. Embrace me despite losing your pigs? Or reject me for what it seems to cost?
Although we are not always in this same dilemma, perhaps there are times when a similar choice presents itself to us. Spiritual wellness plus material poverty? Or material wealth plus spiritual corruption?
Something to reflect on for today.
