Fear and Bravery

Then all the people of the surrounding country of the Gerasenes asked him to depart from them, for they were seized with great fear. So he got into the boat and returned.

Luke 8:37

Jesus had just done the unthinkable. You see there was a man who was notorious in this part of the country. He was demon possessed. Not by one demon. Not by two. But by so many that when Jesus asked the demon its name it replied, "My name is Legion, for we are many" (Mark 5:9). Having been possessed by so many demons, this man had uncommon strength. He could not be bound or restrained even by a chain. But he also lived the tortured existence that the enemy wants for us all. He was driven out from society into solitary places. He lived among the dead in the tombs. He no longer wore clothes but went around like a wild animal.

So, you can imagine the stir that it caused when the people of the area heard that Jesus had cast the demons out of this man. When they came to investigate and saw the man clothed and in his right mind, sitting at Jesus' feet, Scripture says they were afraid. 

Now, you may disagree with what I am going to say next, but I would argue that fear was the right response. Scripture says that the "the fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom" (Proverbs 9:10). When you glimpse how big and powerful and amazing God is, fear is the only wise response. But fear can push us in two directions. Fear of the LORD can push us toward God or away from Him, and this is where they went wrong. Their fear ought to have caused them to fall at Jesus' feet asking for mercy and forgiveness. Instead, it poisoned them against Jesus, causing them to reject Him. Perhaps... if I can suggest this without sounding heretical... perhaps they saw in Jesus some of what they had seen in the demon-possessed man: great power that they could not restrain or control. They wanted to be free of such power, so, they sent Him away. 

Don't make the same mistake. Fear God. But draw near to Him. Tremble at His presence. But fall at His feet as you do so. Be glad that God is so fearfully powerful and mighty. We need Him to be so, because the devils among us are more powerful than we are also. Only a God who is more powerful still can save us. So fear God, but be brave enough to draw near to Him.