Matthew 8:32-34 (The Message): "They [the pig farmers] told everyone ... what had happened to the madman and the pigs. Those who heard about it were angry about the drowned pigs. A mob formed and demanded that Jesus get out and not come back."
The villagers were more concerned about the drowned pigs - the loss of income - than they were about the transformation in the demoniac's life. They were so much more concerned, in fact, that they ran Jesus out of town. In one of the stories from Mumbai, India, this week, an angry young man asked a female volunteer, "What makes you think that you should come here when we have our own gods?" The volunteer gave a good answer and the visit ended positively. Reading this story in Matthew, however, reminds me that "the world" will not always rejoice with us as lives are changed by the power of Jesus. When we share the transformational power of the Gospel and lives are liberated, we cannot expect a standing ovation from those who stand to lose in the deal.
Labels: Devotionals