"And all the people in the region of the Gerasenes begged Jesus to go away and leave them alone, for a great wave of fear swept over them." In this story Jesus deliberately went to a Gentile region and ministered there. As He got out of the boat after crossing the Sea of Galilee, a man possessed by many demons ran up to Jesus screaming and begging Jesus not to torture them or send them to the underworld prison of evil spirits. Jesus gave them permission to possess a herd of pigs that was nearby and the entire herd plunged down a hillside and into the lake and drowned. The herdsmen saw all this and fled to the nearby town and told the people what happened. A crowd of people from the town gathered around Jesus. They observed the man who had been possessed by the demons and had terrorized the countryside now was sitting at the feet of Jesus, fully clothed and perfectly sane. It is at that point they begged Jesus to leave! This story has some amazing events take place in it, but none is more amazing than people who see the great goodness, mercy, and power of God and completely reject it! No, we can't have Jesus here they say, because He will hurt the economy, He will change the way we do things, He will change people. So Jesus returned to the boat and left, but fortunately He did provide them with a second chance:
"The man who had been freed from the demons begged to go with him. But Jesus sent him home, saying, No, go back to your family, and tell them everything God has done for you. So he went all through the town proclaiming the great things Jesus had done for him" (vs. 38-39). Now, the really amazing part of this story is the love God has for all people: in the same way as this man that Jesus delivered, you are the second chance that God provides for people when you proclaim the great things Jesus has done for you!
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