This lakeside town had an unusual problem. Visitors were sometimes met by a naked man who screamed at people! He would be bound in chains and placed under guards, only to break free and roam around again.

But things were different when Jesus came. The demons possessing this man knew Jesus and were afraid of him. Incredibly, Jesus healed the man by allowing the demons to go into a herd of pigs. And the next thing we know, the man was “sitting at Jesus’ feet, dressed and in his right mind.”

A crowd gathered. They saw the man in his right mind. They saw the pigs drowned and floating in the water. They saw Jesus. And how did they react? They were terrified, and instead of welcoming Jesus to their neighborhood, they asked him to leave!

How did the healed man respond? He begged to stay with Jesus! But Jesus told him to go back to the very people who had asked him to leave, and to tell them all about what God had done for him.

Now here is good news: Jesus still changes lives today—some­times quietly in faithful Christian living, and sometimes dramatically through a radical life change.

What kind of neighbors are we? When we see Jesus at work, do we shut down in fear, or do we speak up about what the Lord is doing for us?