Following after Jesus #54

Just when Jesus and His disciples came safely to shore after the storm, look when happens next:
28 And when he came to the other side, to the country of the Gadarenes, two demon-possessed men met him, coming out of the tombs, so fierce that no one could pass that way. 29 And behold, they cried out, “What have you to do with us, O Son of God? Have you come here to torment us before the time?” 30 Now a herd of many pigs was feeding at some distance from them. 31 And the demons begged him, saying, “If you cast us out, send us away into the herd of pigs.” 32 And he said to them, “Go.” So they came out and went into the pigs, and behold, the whole herd rushed down the steep bank into the sea and drowned in the waters. 33 The herdsmen fled, and going into the city they told everything, especially what had happened to the demon-possessed men. 34 And behold, all the city came out to meet Jesus, and when they saw him, they begged him to leave their region.

This is not the kind of Welcome Wagon the disciples were hoping for - two demon filled men standing in their way - not just oppositional, but downright nasty.  But the disciples were fine, as long as they stayed with Jesus. That's because the demons knew Who they were dealing with - the Son of God. Sad, but true, demons and demon-driven unbelievers often hold higher reverence and understanding for Christ than many professing followers do.  Jesus does not need to say much. We will see in the other gospels that He says far less than the freely talking demons; that might be a clue to us about what it means to follow Him. The only word Matthew records here is "Go." That one word is worth two thousand pigs, which ran over the cliff and into the Sea of Galilee. When the herdsmen go to tell everyone in town, including the owners, they come out and invite Jesus to leave. Jesus and His disciples had received a hostile response, and now they are asked to leave, without ever getting into town.  But Biblical history will show us this event left an impression.  They would have within their midst two witnesses forever changed by Jesus, the Son of God.