Be Still And Know

Matthew 8:33-34 The herdsmen fled to the nearby town, telling everyone what happened to the demon-possessed men. Then the entire town came out to meet Jesus, but they begged him to go away and leave them alone. Jesus’ healing ministry triggered a complete range of reactions. Many people understandably responded with joy and relief, but in the town in our reading it was completely different. Jesus had just healed two demon-possessed men. So far so good. But the demons had entered a herd of pigs nearby who had then hurtled down the steep hillside into the lake and drowned. This was not good news as far as the herdsmen were concerned. In an instant they had lost their livelihood, so they and the townspeople begged Jesus to leave them alone. Jesus always brings change; something that is welcomed by many but never by all. The apostle Paul said that “anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!” (2 Corinthians 5:17). When Jesus becomes the Lord of our