Main news for 5 May 2025

Reading the Gospel, we often encounter situations where Jesus is not welcome. They are very different, and each of those who do not welcome Him usually has his own reasons for it. But they all have something in common: He is not welcome when people do not want change. Of course, not everyone admits to such motives behind his own unwillingness to see Jesus. Deeply religious and often in their own way sincere people, such as the Pharisees, for example, would never have admitted, not only to others but even to themselves, that they feared not for the people and not for the true faith, but for themselves, for their religiosity, which Jesus' testimony threatened to destroy.

But in the region of the Gadarenes there lived the most ordinary secular people, whom we are accustomed to call pagans, though one cannot speak of any special religiosity of theirs, even pagan religiosity. Simple people, and in their own way frank. They were frankly afraid and just as frankly sorry for the lost herd of swine.

And as simple people they were not ashamed to say directly and point-blank that they did not want to see Him to the One whom they truly did not want to see. Of course, they had witnessed a miracle. And of course they understood it quite correctly; it was simply impossible to understand it otherwise. But the point is that fallen man does not really need miracles. At least not those that cannot be controlled. And fallen man usually does not need God. Fallen man needs not God, but a genie from a magic Eastern tale. One who could do everything, but would require nothing from his master and, when not needed, would sit quietly in his bottle or magic lamp, in no way revealing his presence.

The people who witnessed the healing performed by Jesus, for all their simplicity, understood that this Wonderworker was not a genie. If He were allowed to stay, He would not limit Himself to one healing. And no one could say exactly what else He would do. The matter might well not end with the loss of one herd of swine. But the main thing was not even material damage. Intuitively, in the depth of his own subconscious, each person understood: if this Man is allowed to act, you will lose not only your herds, but your life.

He will take your life for Himself. Yes, of course, not for His own sake. Perhaps for the sake of that Kingdom of which He speaks. But your life will no longer be yours. And you yourself will no longer belong to yourself, but will belong to Him, the King of an unknown Kingdom. And this is always frightening. The only question is whether to overcome this fear for the sake of the Kingdom or to step back. Into outer darkness. To one's herds, to one's life. And to one's death.