Begging Jesus to Leave

Jesus Heals the Demonic and the SwineThe blessings of Christ are open to us all. But take a moment and think of what would happen if it became known that the gifts promised by Jesus were really bestowed upon you individually. Who would be angry or disappointed? The answer might surprise you . . . but the foundations of that answer were laid in the Gospels.

Today’s Gospel of Matthew reading tells of Jesus’ healing of two demon-possessed people; Jesus sent the demons into a herd of swine, which proceeded to run into the sea and drown themselves. The swineherds reported this to their town, and there’s a wonderful line in the Gospel: Thereupon the whole town came out to meet Jesus, and when they saw him they begged him to leave their district. (Matthew 8:34)

Why was the town insistent that Jesus leave? There are any number of reasons, but I suspect one of the primary was that they were upset at losing a whole bunch of money (in the form of livestock). Obviously the good outweighed the ill in this situation – some pigs are a small price to pay for giving meaningful life to two people – but there was still “collateral damage” that was upsetting for the other townspeople.

So what are some of the promises of Christ, and who would react poorly to them?

Christ promises us a life free of fear. That’s anathema to countless forces that would profit on our anxieties: panic-stoking politicians, unscrupulous news agencies, peddlers of doomsday supplies, purveyors of eschatological “insight.”

Christ promises us peace and contentment. That would be terrible for the creators of countless distractions of the modern world: bars where people drink to forget, vacation locales offering opulent delights, gambling establishments enticing with the possibility of easy riches, dealers in illicit drugs where a moment’s respite from reality is just an injection away.

Christ promises us unconditional love and an acceptance of our broken selves. That’s awful for those who want to sell us their version of “acceptance”: expensive cliques that encourage us to consume more than we need, clubs where membership is a paycheck away, medical professionals who can claim to solve our ennui or dissatisfaction with a lifetime prescription.

Christ promises us a Sacrament that forgives our sins. That’s bad news for those who benefit from everyone’s fallen natures: those who seek to control or diminish others by refusing to let go of past wrongs, those who claim you can be relieved of your faults by sending them money.

Christ promises us a church built upon the rock of Peter, one where “the gates of the netherworld shall not prevail against it.” (Matthew 16:18) That’s a bitter pill for those who want their own religions, tailor-made to “coincidentally” accept or reject what they already believe to be true.

Christ promises us entry into an eternal life of infinite love, a life beyond the greatest wonders we can even consider. That’s odious to those who want you to believe this world is the only one worth thinking about: every element that would seek to fill the spiritual hole in our lives with material goods or physical comfort. The futility of that effort is good for them, because it means they can keep selling to us over and over and over . . .

The fact is, for every one of us who would receive a blessing from Christ, there are countless others who would beg Jesus to leave town for doing so. Perhaps you yourself would beg Jesus to leave if He truly impacted your life, or the life of someone close to you; the true implications of a life renewed in Christ are staggering. The power of Christ is world-changing, and if enough of us were truly committed to His majesty and message, a seemingly endless number of people would beg Him to leave our hearts, their livelihoods ruined like pigs drowned in the sea.

About the Author

Despite being a professional writer and editor for over 15 years, Steven Marsh is more-or-less winging it when it comes to writing about matters of faith. Steven entered the church in 2005, and since then he's been involved with various ministries, including Pre-Cana marriage prep for engaged couples, religious education for kindergarteners, and Stephen Ministry's one-on-one caregiving. Steven lives in Indiana with his wife and son. Despite having read the entirety of the Bible and the Catechism of the Catholic Church, he's still surprised at elements he rediscovers or reflects upon in new ways. The more Steven learns about the faith, the less he feels he knows; he's keen to emphasize that any mistakes are his own.

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  1. As concerning the Word of life, Luke 10 section 25-28 says: On one occasion an expert in the law stood up to test Jesus. “Teacher,” he asked, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?” “What is written in the Law?” he replied. “How do you read it?” He answered: ” ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind’; and, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.'” “You have answered correctly,” Jesus replied. “Do this and you will live.”
    Luke 18 section 18-25 says: A certain ruler asked him, “Good teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” “Why do you call me good?” Jesus answered. “No one is good–except God alone. You know the commandments: ‘Do not commit adultery, do not murder, do not steal, do not give false testimony, honor your father and mother.'” “All these I have kept since I was a boy,” he said. When Jesus heard this, he said to him, “You still lack one thing. Sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.” When he heard this, he became very sad, because he was a man of great wealth. Jesus looked at him and said, “How hard it is for the rich to enter the kingdom of God! Indeed, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.”
    Matthew 5 section 43-48 says: “You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? And if you greet only your brothers, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that? Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.
    In Old Testament, the Jewish people and their ancestors were given the Law to observe. First, What Adam and Eve should observe was that they could not eat the fruits from the tree of wisdom. Then, their son Cain was told that he should not kill. As sins became increased, the laws were also added more. Up to the generation of Moses, the Law in Old Testament was given to Israelites. We know that the Law is good and the Law is used to punish people who commit sins, but people cannot obey the Law because the sinful spirits are in people. Even that we know stealing and giving false testimony are sinful, but greedy and pride spirits in us drive us to do sinful things. So as Old Testament prophesied we need to get rid of our sinful nature from our spirits.
    Jeremiah 31 section 31-33 says: “The time is coming,” declares the Lord, “when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah. It will not be like the covenant I made with their forefathers when I took them by the hand to lead them out of Egypt, because they broke my covenant, though I was a husband to them,” declares the Lord. “This is the covenant I will make with the house of Israel after that time,” declares the Lord. “I will put my law in their minds and write it on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people.
    Ezekiel 36 section 24-27 says: “‘For I will take you out of the nations; I will gather you from all the countries and bring you back into your own land. I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean; I will cleanse you from all your impurities and from all your idols. I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws.
    The prophecies are fulfilled when Jesus begins to teach love. The two greatest commandments are ” ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind’; and, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.'” Love is above the Law and if people have love they are free from the law of sin and death. If people who are full of love will not think about stealing or giving false testimony but feed hungry people or give thirsty people something to drink or invite strangers in or clothe people who need clothes. The Law is for people who commit sins. Nobody will say that he will get reward because he does not steal before. But love is the grace we get. And with love we will get eternal life.
    Romans 13 section 8-10 says: Let no debt remain outstanding, except the continuing debt to love one another, for he who loves his fellowman has fulfilled the law. The commandments, “Do not commit adultery,” “Do not murder,” “Do not steal,” “Do not covet,” and whatever other commandment there may be, are summed up in this one rule: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” Love does no harm to its neighbor. Therefore love is the fulfillment of the law.
    Luke 17 section 20-21 says: Once, having been asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, Jesus replied, “The kingdom of God does not come with your careful observation, nor will people say,’ Here it is,’ or ‘ There it is,’ because the kingdom of God is within you.”
    John 4 section 23-24 says: Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in spirit and in truth.”

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