The man from Decapolis was anything but free before he met Jesus. He lived in the tombs among the dead, because for all intents and purposes—that’s what he was. But it wasn’t always that way for him. He once had a life. He was someone’s son, grandson, probably a brother, nephew, and cousin. Maybe he was even a husband and a father. But that was all in the past. Satan has taken hold of his life and wouldn’t let go.
The people who loved him seemed to have done everything they could for him. But no one could control him. He was a danger to himself and others, so as a last resort, they bound him with chains. Yet even this extreme measure didn’t work. With demonic strength he broke through his bonds and ended up in the only place he really belonged—in the tombs among the dead.
But all that changed one day. A boat pulled up on the shore. and greater was He who got out of the boat than the spirits who were tormenting the man. All that was left for them to do was beg. The demons left the man and he went off to tell people what the Lord has done for him. That’s freedom.
Are we experiencing freedom as followers of Jesus—or are we still dragging some chains around? If we are, here are a few thoughts on how to get rid of those chains.
1. Stop hanging around the tombs. Why would anyone want to hang around the tombs? The only reason this man did was because he had nowhere else to go. But as soon as he was freed from his demons, he left. He left because the person who cast out those demons told him to leave. If there are dead places you’re frequenting—physical places where you have no business being or places you visit in your mind or heart, remember this: there’s no life to be found in the tombs—get out!
2. Say goodbye to your pigs. We’re told “the large herd” of pigs that plunged into the water and drowned was about 2,000 in number (Mark 5:13). That’s a lot of pigs. If they belonged to one person, it would have been a devastating loss. If it was a community herd, it would still have resulted in substantial hardship. Whatever the economic impact might have been, this much seems clear: the loss of their pigs was the price they paid for the man to be whole again and their community to be cleansed of demons. It looks a little different when you frame it that way.
The pigs went into the water and drowned. The people of the community had a choice to make—did they want to embrace the man’s wholeness and their community’s healing or hold on to dead things? They were unable to let go of their pigs.
My guess is that many of us have some dead things in our lives that we need to let go of. Maybe it is something important that didn’t turn out the way we wanted it to, or someone hurt us in some way, or perhaps it’s just old, tired ways of thinking. You can hold on to your pigs if you want to—just understand that while you’re holding on to them, life is passing you by. And if you want to get on board—you can only do so at the price of your pigs.
3. Think about what the Lord has done for you and get busy doing something for Him. Freedom isn’t only about what we get rid of—it’s about what takes its place. If we’re not busy living for the Lord, we’re busy dying for something else. It’s only as we get busy doing something for God we find freedom in its fullness.
A Taste of Grace with Bruce Green 