What are you willing to sacrifice for someone else to receive their miracle?

One New Testament story that always leaves me in awe is Jesus’ healing of a demon possessed man. This man was so violent he had broken every attempt to chain or restrain him. 

Left to wander in the cemetery, constantly screaming and slashing himself with sharp stones, I imagine parents must have been wary to let their children play anywhere near that place. His cries, echoing in the distance, must have been deeply unsettling. His presence was probably a constant source of distress for the people in the region of Gerasenes.

When Jesus arrives in their region, the demon possessed man approaches him. Having compassion, Jesus rebukes the demons, sending them into a herd of two thousand pigs – who immediately stampede towards a cliff and fall to their deaths.

All of the townspeople rush to see this instantly healed man for themselves. He was speaking clearly, no longer the chaotic, unpredictable person he once was. An undeniable miracle!

And yet, their response? They begged Jesus to leave.

Commentators’ best guest for this reaction is the economic loss incurred because of the pigs’ deaths. Can you imagine being so afraid and concerned about financial loss that you reject the very man who brought healing and restoration to the town outcast? Not to mention that the people benefited from their newfound ability to walk through the countryside without fear of being harassed by this man.

It’s unclear as to whether they would have preferred for things to stay the same – with the deranged man still roaming the cemetery – or if they accepted this man’s healing but tragically chose to reject the one who brought it.  

How quickly they turned inward when it cost them something. I can’t help but wonder: If the reaction of those pig farmers had been different, and if Jesus had been welcomed in their town, would he have restored their means for financial stability? After all, he is the one who fed five thousand with just a kid’s sack lunch.

Sometimes we do the same. We are all good with someone else’s miracle as long as it doesn’t require a personal sacrifice. As long as it doesn’t rock our world.  As long as we don’t have to give up our time, our resources, or our money. But what if we are the God-orchestrated miracle. What if our resources were given to us, not to hoard, but so they could be used as the answer to someone else’s prayer?