When they came to Jesus, they saw the man who had been possessed by the legion of demons, sitting there, dressed and in his right mind; and they were afraid.
Mark 5:15 NIV
The synoptic gospels, Matthew, Mark, and Luke, all record this story. Jesus and his disciples stepped out of their boat and were greeted by a wild man. A multitude of demons possessed him, and he was uncontrollable, self-destructive, loud, and naked. Jesus cast the demons out of the man, sending them into a herd of pigs, who immediately committed suicide. The swineherds ran into town and reported what had happened, and the townsfolk went out to see for themselves.
When they arrived, the transformation of the formerly possessed man was undeniable. He was dressed, sitting quietly, and in his right mind—quite a contrast to the man who had been haunting the region before this.
You might think the townsfolk would be thankful for what Jesus had done. But instead, they responded in fear and begged him to leave the area.
Why did they respond in fear? It seems clear that it was, at least in part, because of the transformation that Jesus had brought into this man’s life. And maybe a fear of what one with so much power and authority might do to them.
No doubt, many people today reject Jesus because of the fear of what he might do in their lives. And that is a well-founded fear. Jesus is satisfied with nothing less than a complete transformation of our lives.
And how many of us are like the demon-possessed man in this story? Not that we were initially in his condition. But our lives have been so transformed that the world clearly sees the difference Jesus has made (Acts 4:13). They may react with fear and rejection like the townsfolk in this account. Or they may be attracted to Jesus, wanting what they see in us. But unable to deny that something is making us different.
