28 When He arrived at the other side in the region of the Gadarenes, two demon-possessed men coming from the tombs met Him. They were so violent that no one could pass that way. 29 “What do you want with us, Son of God?” they shouted. “Have you come here to torture us before the appointed time?” – Matthew 8:28-29
Evil lay in graves. If you want a moral judgment of those in your life, look for their heartbeat and the shadows they cast. It is no throwaway line that Matthew includes the small detail of where these two came from. The contrast is stark. These two, thriving in death, making residence in the grave. And then Jesus comes with His friends. A few fumbling and unremarkable members of a new movement of grace. These few beating hearts were far from perfect – a matter proven in their clumsy fascination with Jesus. What separated these followers from the two demons was a willingness to be something other than they were.
Good
Alive
Good spawns life. When we read the accounts of Jesus, we see an abundance of such life. Just a few lines previous to this account, we see Him calming a storm and teaching a different perspective on such life to His friends in the boat. Even in matters of death – like that of His own – we see an explosion of enriched life. Like the story in the boat, His own crucifixion teaches us a life beyond death, a living beyond circumstances.
In Christ, there is freedom.
This freedom is no longer bound to the restraints of context.
On this side of heaven there is death in much. Our hearts linger by the tombs, drawn to settle. Perhaps it takes a daily conscious decision to walk beyond the grave towards a new life. There is more mystery in life than there is in death. For death is final and life still breathes with possibilities.
Today, take a walk beyond circumstances and death.
Matt simon blog 