Evil is real. The biggest error made by politicians, philosophers, and social scientists today is a belief that humanity is essentially good and can get better, along with a corollary belief that evil is just the result of people not knowing how to do what is right. "If only we could educate the masses better!" they cry. "Then we could create our utopia!"
When we see Jesus at work in Mark 5:1-20, we see a confrontation with real evil. The demons represent the kingdom of Satan trying to keep control away from Jesus. In this case, the demons are themselves the problem; in other situations, especially in our world today, Satan and his forces work behind the scenes to promote and encourage evil. In either case, the evil is real.
This should make us stop and think. As those who believe on Jesus, we confront evil every day. It may be someone battling an addiction that resulted from poor choices. It may be people in positions of power who attempt to hold down those underneath them. It may be miserable people chained to a job, a relationship, a group that keeps them from realizing who they are in God's sight. Just as the man in our story was controlled by an evil spirit, many today are controlled by evil desires. When we look at our world, we are overwhelmed by the extent of evil.
The story does not end there, of course. Jesus demonstrates that He has power over evil. For all the demonic pleading, they were subject to the Master of all creation. Even their attempt to remain in the area by entering the herd of pigs failed. (I wonder if the pigs sensed the presence of the demons, and reacted instinctively to escape their power at any cost.) Jesus brings peace out of strife, order out of chaos, and redemption out of oppression.
Perhaps the saddest part of this story is the reaction of the townspeople. At least one had just suffered a substantial loss (depending on how many owners there were of the herd), and I think that had a large impact on their view of Jesus. Sure, He had power over demons, and He had made that crazy man down by the tombs right again, but He also upset the way things were in the town. They chose to ask Jesus to leave rather than risk more changes they might not foresee. (The fact that Jesus was a Jewish rabbi in a Gentile region probably didn't help.)
How do we react to Jesus today? Do we ignore Him and struggle under the burden of evil? Do we see His power but decide we don;t want our lives changed, that the risk is too great? Or, like the man who was released, do we desire to follow Jesus and to spread the word about Him wherever we go?
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