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MISDIRECTED FOCUS

 So the demons begged, "If you cast us out, send us into that herd of pigs."  "All right, go!" Jesus commanded them. So the demons came out of the men and entered the pigs, and the whole herd plunged down the steep hillside into the lake and drowned in the water.  The herdsmen fled to the nearby city, telling everyone what happened to the demon-possessed men.  The entire town came out to meet Jesus, but they begged him to go away and leave them alone. – Matthew 8:31-34 (NLT)

      Two demon-possessed men come wandering out of the cemetery and have an encounter with Jesus. The chaos within, caused by the spiritual trespass of evil spirits, have turned them into dangerous men. They are men who have been ostracized by their own community and rejected by those who knew them before inner conflict had taken over their bodies and minds. The Savior views them, not as they are, but as they can be. He sends the demonic horde into the swine and releases the men from spiritual bondage. The pigs rush into the water and are drowned.

      The response to this encounter is quite extra-ordinary. The crowd is upset over the loss of livestock rather than overjoyed at the breaking of the chains that held these men’s souls. It is a classic case of being so fixated on the things of this world that we miss the clear movement of God in our midst. There is cause for rejoicing, yet instead a demand is made for Christ to leave our presence.