Are You Imploring Christ to Leave?

I read a verse the other day that really bothered me. A verse that made me hurt for a small place called “the country of the Gadarenes.” In Matthew chapter 8, beginning in verse 28, the disciple of Jesus tells us that Jesus crossed the Sea of Galilee and entered “into the country of the Gadarenes.” Matthew tells us that Jesus was met there by two demon-possessed men who were extremely violent. The demons began a dialogue with Jesus in which they recognize His authority over them. Notice two things about their dialogue. First, that they have an understanding of a future torment in store for them which Jesus will bring about. Second, that they have no power to remain in a place from which Jesus casts them out. They didn’t say to Jesus, “You can try to cast us out, but we’re not going. We plan on remaining in these two men and continuing to carry out our own desires through them.” These two demons recognized Jesus’ authority over them and could only ask Him to direct them into the herd of pigs. Upon Jesus’ consent and command the demons left the two men, entered the pigs, and the whole herd of pigs committed suicide – running down a steep bank and into the water. Verse 33 says that the men who were herding the pigs ran into the city and reported all that had taken place, (and this is important) “including what had happened to the demoniacs.” The men didn’t just report to the city that Jesus had come into their region and at his arrival all of their pigs had committed suicide. The men reported that Jesus had cast out the demons. And then the verse that really bothered me:

“And behold, the whole city came out to Jesus; and when they saw Him, they implored Him to leave their region.”

Think about that for a moment. An entire city of individuals, all of whom were held captive by sin, came out to the only One who could redeem them and liberate them from their sin and their guilt, and they begged and pleaded with Him to leave. The One who had just demonstrated His power over the ruler of this world was turned away. The people in the city were more comfortable with the presence of two extremely violent, demon-possessed men than they were with the presence of Jesus. Reading that makes my heart hurt for those people.

But then I got the sense that God was asking me a question: “Matt, aren’t there times when you turn Me away?” And my immediate response to Him was “No, God! That would be crazy! Why would I ever want to turn You and Your presence in my life, my family, my ministry or any other part of my life away?” And then I felt like God asked me one more question: “But Matt, you know all of those times that you go about life, family, and ministry on your own; all those times when you attempt to do things in your own strength; all of those times when you are comfortable just keeping the status quo and managing things without ever calling on me to do the supernatural. Could it be that you are really communicating to Me that you are comfortable with things as they are and that you really don’t want the change that my presence might bring to the circumstances in your life?” That was a tough question. The reality of it is, when I got honest with myself, is that I couldn’t say to God that I was imploring Him to invade every area of my life, family, and ministry. I wasn’t actively asking God to leave, but the truth is, is that my lack of dependency on Him in essence seemed to be communicating that I didn’t need Him around. And that was gut wrenching. The idea that my lack of dependency on God and my lack of pleading with Him to come into every area of my life and make a difference on a daily basis might actually be communicating to Him the same thing that this city was imploring Jesus to do was nothing short of frightening.

The next verse, the first verse of chapter nine, is another scary verse. “Getting into a boat, Jesus crossed over the sea and came to His own city.” Jesus honored the request of this city. They asked Him to leave and He did. He took His presence, His power, and His life giving words and departed. I don't believe that God takes salvation from those who have truly trusted in Him, but it seems that for those who are not interested in a having a sense of His presence, His power, or His influence, He will and does take those things away.

So then how should we be living? It looks like the next several verses in chapter 9 help to give us some ideas. In verse two of chapter nine we find men bringing a paralytic to Jesus. These men seem to have a completely different outlook than did those from the country of the Gadarenes. The people from the country of the Gadarenes did not want the change that Christ could and would bring to their community. They seemed to have been content with the way things were. The men bringing the paralytic had a different idea. One had come into their town who could do the supernatural and they weren’t going to settle for anything less. And rather than waiting for Christ to come to them they set off seeking Him and implored Him to do the supernatural in their lives. Verse two tells us that Jesus saw their faith. He saw their faith on display when they brought this man to Him and made their request to Him, believing that He could heal Him. Then Christ does His greatest act of healing first by proclaiming that his sins had been forgiven. He follows that up by bringing physical healing and restoration to the life of the paralytic. These men recognized their need for Christ, sought Him out, asked Him to do the supernatural, and He did! Does that sound like a couple of guys not interested in change because they were comfortable with the way things were? Matthew follows that account up with his first personal encounter with Christ, beginning in verse nine of chapter nine. Jesus said to Matthew, “Follow me.” Matthew’s response wasn’t “That’s alright. I’m good. I’ll catch up with you another time.” Matthew says he got up and followed Him. And in the next verse we see that all of his buddies had come over and were hanging out with Jesus too. Doesn’t sound like a community disinterested in the presence of Christ among them. We notice that when the Pharisees come on the scene they questioned what Jesus was doing because it did not seem proper for Him to be spending time with a crowd of tax collectors and sinners, but Jesus’ response is incredibly important: “It is not those who are healthy who need a physician, but those who are sick . . . for I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners.” Jesus says that His primary reason for coming was to bring salvation to sinners.

So allow me to share some points of application that I’m going to try to make in my own life. (1) I want to be resolved to never communicate to Christ, either actively or passively, that I do not want His life changing presence in my life, family, community, etc. (2) I want to recognize Christ’s ultimate purpose in coming every day – that He came to call sinners. (3) Then I want to do the opposite of what those individuals in the country of the Gadarenes did. I want Him to see my faith as I beg and plead with Him that He would come into my community and bring about the supernatural change that only He can bring and then expect Him to do it. I want to implore Him to save lost people and I want to ask myself constantly if there is a lost individual that I am trying to carry to Christ, like the men carrying the paralytic did. I want to be resolved not to get so comfortable with where I am personally, and in my family life, and in my ministry that I begin to do things in my own strength. Rather I want to be daily imploring Christ to continue to do a radical work in those areas so that I am transformed more into His image, so that my family reflects better the image of Christ, and so that my ministry will continue to build up God’s Kingdom. I am convinced that Christ’s presence in our lives and the supernatural work that He can do, although it may bring change, will be far better than the status quo in which neither His presence nor His power is there. My prayer is that you will be convinced of the same thing and that you will daily implore Christ to do the same in your life.