Luke 8: 37 says that all the people in the region of the Gerasenes asked Jesus to leave them because they felt afraid of having him with them. So Jesus got into the boat and sailed across to the other side of the lake (the sea of Galilee.)
There, on the other side, Luke 8: 40 says that a crowd of people welcomed Jesus with great joy, because they had been waiting for Him.
Two sides of the lake; two completely different attitudes towards Jesus. Both groups of people had seen evidence of Jesus' supernatural power to heal, restore and deliver. The group on the Gerasene side of the lake had just witnessed how Jesus completely transformed the life of a man who had been oppressed by demons for many years. On the other side of the lake, some of the people had previously seen Him teach, heal the sick, raise the dead and cast out an evil spirit. Both of them had evidence of who Jesus was, yet one group was fearful of what Jesus' presence might mean for them and the other group was joyful. One group begged Him to go away and the other group gave Him a warm welcome. Why such a huge difference in reaction? What could be behind the enormous contrast between these two groups of people?
Could it be something to do with what happened to the pigs? (vs 33) Yes, a man's life had been saved, but there had been an enormous financial cost involved. Were the people on the Gerasene side of the lake afraid that Jesus' priorities and values (believing that one man was more valuable than a whole herd of pigs) might imply too great a cost for them?
How many of us subconsciously keep Jesus at a distance today because letting Him closer would be costly for us? We instinctively know that it will cost us time, effort, money, pride or independence, and so some people choose not to let Jesus get too close. Which side of the lake are you on?
