26 They sailed to the region of the Gerasenes, which is across the lake from Galilee. 27 When Jesus stepped ashore, he was met by a demon-possessed man from the town. For a long time this man had not worn clothes or lived in a house, but had lived in the tombs. 28 When he saw Jesus, he cried out and fell at his feet, shouting at the top of his voice, "What do you want with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I beg you, don't torture me!" 29 For Jesus had commanded the evil spirit to come out of the man. Many times it had seized him, and though he was chained hand and foot and kept under guard, he had broken his chains and had been driven by the demon into solitary places. 30 Jesus asked him, "What is your name?" "Legion," he replied, because many demons had gone into him. 31 And they begged him repeatedly not to order them to go into the Abyss. 32 A large herd of pigs was feeding there on the hillside. The demons begged Jesus to let them go into them, and he gave them permission. 33 When the demons came out of the man, they went into the pigs, and the herd rushed down the steep bank into the lake and was drowned. 34 When those tending the pigs saw what had happened, they ran off and reported this in the town and countryside, 35 and the people went out to see what had happened. When they came to Jesus, they found the man from whom the demons had gone out, sitting at Jesus' feet, dressed and in his right mind; and they were afraid. 36 Those who had seen it told the people how the demon-possessed man had been cured. 37 Then all the people of the region of the Gerasenes asked Jesus to leave them, because they were overcome with fear. So he got into the boat and left. 38 The man from whom the demons had gone out begged to go with him, but Jesus sent him away, saying, 39 "Return home and tell how much God has done for you." So the man went away and told all over town how much Jesus had done for him.Everyone else had written the man off as crazy and dangerous. He was legendary in the worst sort of ways, the subject of wild talk and the object of the hatred that comes from deep-seated fears. Forced to live among the tombs — the living among the dead — the man howled in the pain of physical, spiritual, and emotional torment. His anguished cries only added to the fears of the people living nearby and to his isolation. Nobody wanted anything to do with this pathetic figure. Nobody, that is, except Jesus.
Having just calmed the storm that raged on the Sea of Galilee in an awe-inspiring display of His rule over nature, Jesus sought out the man whom others intentionally avoided to show His power over unnatural forces. Unaccustomed to people desiring to be in his presence, the demon-possessed man rushed to Jesus with a demanding question, "What do You want with me, Jesus?" It's a question that we would do well to ask of Jesus, for His answer to us is strikingly similar to the answer He gives the tortured man held captive by spiritual darkness — as strikingly similar as the natural condition of our souls is to his horrifying state.
What is it that Jesus wanted with this pathetic man? Jesus wanted to set him free from the bondage of sin and death. Jesus wanted to drive out everything that had enslaved his mind and heart and then free the man to set them on Him and His will. Jesus wanted to bring life to the living dead. In short, Jesus wanted to save him. If we saw ourselves in the same wretched state as the man living among the tombs in the region of the Gerasenes we would rush to Jesus just as he did. But unlike this man, we manage to convince ourselves that we are not so bad off. We live comfortable lives. We are productive in our work. We have family and friends with whom we share our lives and spend our time. For us, life is generally good — so good that it is easy for us to never consider asking the question "What do you want with me, Jesus?"
But life isn't always good. Our circumstances can change in an instant. We know what suffering, pain, and loss are because we live in a fallen and broken world. We also know these things from our call to take up the crosses in our lives, crosses that are meant to draw up closer to Christ to increase His grace in our lives. But these hardships can just as easily become snares for us trapping us in despair and enslaving us to our circumstances. What does it take — or will it take — for you to rush into Jesus' presence seeking His liberating power? To what extent does He have go to bring you to the realization that your great need is His love and grace? What fear of loss has you clinging to the emptiness of our world instead of embracing the joy, release, and peace of the Cross? When you take stock of all that He has already done for you, what can keep you from asking in joyful expectation, "What do you want with me, Jesus?" However He may answer that question, you can be certain that what He wants with you -- and for you -- flows from the riches of His grace.
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