Disturbing the Peace...Or Creating It?
He lived in the graveyard. "Among the tombs," the Bible says in Matthew 8. He would cry out all day and all night long. He cut himself until he bled. People tried to chain him up for obvious reasons. This guy sounds terrifying and absolutely insane, but he was also so strong that he could literally break the chains off.
So people kept trying to chain and restrain him. Except Jesus. Jesus set Him free.
After falling at Jesus' feet in submission, the demons that occupied this man were forced to flee at the command of Christ. Suddenly, the tomb-dwelling, self-cutting, chain-breaking man was sitting upright, dressed, and in his right mind.
The screams that the villagers heard throughout the day and night ceased. The people no longer had to worry about this crazy man who lived among the tombs. They didn't need to chain him up to protect themselves, their families, and their children from him anymore. You would think that the people of the village would be thankful to Jesus. You would think that they would celebrate the returned sanity of the village creep. Instead, they become absolutely terrified and they ask Jesus to leave their village and leave them alone.
As I was reading this story this week, I got to thinking a lot about the response of the town people. It seems strange...or does it? I tried to see things from the perspective of the villagers, and I wondered if they thought Jesus was barging in and disturbing their peace. He definitely upset the status quo. For as much as we know, the village people had been dealing with this demon-possessed man for a long time. When Jesus came and upset the balance of things, the people did not know what to do. So they asked him to leave. Funny how resistant to change we can be.
The people perceived Jesus as disturbing the peace when really He was creating it.
How often does Jesus intervene in our lives and we kindly ask him to leave? Please, Lord, don't let me go through this right now. I can't handle any more change in my life. What are you doing, barging in and changing things up?
What we may view as "disturbing our peace" or "upsetting the balance of things" or "changing the status quo", Christ is really using to set us free.
A man loses his job and doesn't know how he will make ends meet. Christ is using it to set him and his family free from the chains of self-sufficiency so that they can come to know God as their provider and highest treasure.
A woman experiences trouble with her marriage.Christ is using it to set her free from the chains of self-reliance so that she can find redemption and restoration in Him.
A teenage girl battles an eating disorder. Christ is using it to set her free from the chains of self-dependency so she can find her beauty and worth in Him.
A family faces death and loss unexpectedly, at too early of a time. Christ is using it to free them from grief and world attachment so that they can come to know Him as their highest gain in this life and the life to come.
A person faces a conflict that carries on day after day. Christ is using it to set them free from the chains of bitterness and anger so that they can find the meaning of grace and the gospel.
The truth is that Christ is in the business of setting us free from the things that hold us captive. The solution to our struggles, anxieties, conflicts, and addictions is not to chain them up, but to let Christ cast them out. And when He does, it may seem like He is bothering with the delicate balance that we have tried so hard to create for ourselves, but really the tower we have built is laid upon sinking sand, ready to topple over any minute. So God comes in and helps us rebuild our toppling tower and sets us on a sure foundation - the solid rock of Jesus Christ. He creates a new balance for us. He is setting us free. He is not disturbing the peace; He is bringing it to reality.
So people kept trying to chain and restrain him. Except Jesus. Jesus set Him free.
After falling at Jesus' feet in submission, the demons that occupied this man were forced to flee at the command of Christ. Suddenly, the tomb-dwelling, self-cutting, chain-breaking man was sitting upright, dressed, and in his right mind.
The screams that the villagers heard throughout the day and night ceased. The people no longer had to worry about this crazy man who lived among the tombs. They didn't need to chain him up to protect themselves, their families, and their children from him anymore. You would think that the people of the village would be thankful to Jesus. You would think that they would celebrate the returned sanity of the village creep. Instead, they become absolutely terrified and they ask Jesus to leave their village and leave them alone.
As I was reading this story this week, I got to thinking a lot about the response of the town people. It seems strange...or does it? I tried to see things from the perspective of the villagers, and I wondered if they thought Jesus was barging in and disturbing their peace. He definitely upset the status quo. For as much as we know, the village people had been dealing with this demon-possessed man for a long time. When Jesus came and upset the balance of things, the people did not know what to do. So they asked him to leave. Funny how resistant to change we can be.
The people perceived Jesus as disturbing the peace when really He was creating it.
How often does Jesus intervene in our lives and we kindly ask him to leave? Please, Lord, don't let me go through this right now. I can't handle any more change in my life. What are you doing, barging in and changing things up?
What we may view as "disturbing our peace" or "upsetting the balance of things" or "changing the status quo", Christ is really using to set us free.
A man loses his job and doesn't know how he will make ends meet. Christ is using it to set him and his family free from the chains of self-sufficiency so that they can come to know God as their provider and highest treasure.
A woman experiences trouble with her marriage.Christ is using it to set her free from the chains of self-reliance so that she can find redemption and restoration in Him.
A teenage girl battles an eating disorder. Christ is using it to set her free from the chains of self-dependency so she can find her beauty and worth in Him.
A family faces death and loss unexpectedly, at too early of a time. Christ is using it to free them from grief and world attachment so that they can come to know Him as their highest gain in this life and the life to come.
A person faces a conflict that carries on day after day. Christ is using it to set them free from the chains of bitterness and anger so that they can find the meaning of grace and the gospel.
The truth is that Christ is in the business of setting us free from the things that hold us captive. The solution to our struggles, anxieties, conflicts, and addictions is not to chain them up, but to let Christ cast them out. And when He does, it may seem like He is bothering with the delicate balance that we have tried so hard to create for ourselves, but really the tower we have built is laid upon sinking sand, ready to topple over any minute. So God comes in and helps us rebuild our toppling tower and sets us on a sure foundation - the solid rock of Jesus Christ. He creates a new balance for us. He is setting us free. He is not disturbing the peace; He is bringing it to reality.
Comments
Post a Comment