“And they began to pray him to depart out of their coasts.” (Mark 5:17)
Jesus encountered a devil-possessed man and miraculously set him free from the unclean spirits who were possessing him. This man, who was found living among the tombs, was now found “sitting, and clothed, and in his right mind.”
One would think this would have made everyone happy. I mean, come on…not only had this man’s life been saved, but now his family could be restored again. Now, his wife would get her husband back, and his children would get their father back. It seemed like a win-win for everyone…but not so.
Verse 17 says the people began asking Jesus to leave! They were not happy with Jesus at all! Now, they were not angry because the man had been set free. They were angry because Jesus had sent the unclean spirits into a nearby herd of swine and the swine ran into the sea and drowned.
In other words, the people were more angry at losing their swine, than having their friend back. The truth about the matter was they preferred their SWINE to the SAVIOR. When they had to make a choice between their swine or Jesus…Jesus had to go!
Listen, friend, that is the choice we all must make. Will we keep our swine, or do we want Jesus… because we can’t have both. When Jesus comes, the unclean things in our lives (the swine) must go!
The greatest hindrance to the spread of the Gospel isn’t so much satanic power, but human selfishness…we don’t want to let go of the swine! We cannot have the swine AND Jesus. If we want God’s presence in our lives, if we want God’s richest blessings in our lives…the swine must go!