The Lesser Evil
Sometimes we would rather live with a problem than to pay the consequences of having it resolved.
When he came to the other side, to the country of the Gadarenes, two demoniacs coming out of the tombs met him. They were so fierce that no one could pass that way. Suddenly they shouted, ‘What have you to do with us, Son of God? Have you come here to torment us before the time?’ Now a large herd of swine was feeding at some distance from them. The demons begged him, ‘If you cast us out, send us into the herd of swine.’ And he said to them, ‘Go!’ So they came out and entered the swine; and suddenly, the whole herd rushed down the steep bank into the lake and perished in the water. The swineherds ran off, and on going into the town, they told the whole story about what had happened to the demoniacs. Then the whole town came out to meet Jesus; and when they saw him, they begged him to leave their neighborhood. - Matthew 8:28-34
Jesus encounters two men possessed, living in the caves, and they know he can cast them out, so they choose an alternative that has consequences for the people living there. They choose to inhabit the herd of pigs.
We don't know if the herders had any trouble with the demoniacs, but we can assume their presence was a threat of some kind. Yet they may have been a threat they were willing to live with.
Why rock the boat?
Ridding the town of the demons cost the herders their livelihood, and that turned out to be too steep a price to pay, especially since they were not looking to fix the problem.
The lesser evil in their case was to live with the threat.
I wonder how many times we do the same, to choose to keep things the way they are rather than pay the price to fix them.
Jesus tried to show us the things we value come at a price. We risk what really matters for what we think matters more now.
The choices we have made to shut down our businesses and livelihood to help avoid the consequences of the virus are a lot like the choice to rid the tombs of the demons. The price is high, and even after it is all over, we may still be at risk.
Jesus wants us to know life comes with risks and the choices we make determine whether we live in fear or live in peace.
Which choice we make determines what we value more.
More to come...