You do something good and draw good attention from good people. You do something bad and attract bad attention from bad people. You do something illegal and the police come. You do something violent and potential victims flee. You motivate someone to go and they go. You tell someone that they should stay and they stay. That is the way things go in the movies and in our dreams.
But, sometimes things go in the opposite direction as predicted or wanted. One example is in Mark 5- the story of a demon possessed man. My best thinking about predictable movement in this story would be as follows. A demoniac, a wild man, who knows that his days are numbered runs away from the approaching Jesus while Jesus pursues the evil to destroy it. Once exposed, the demons seek to escape any further exposure by fleeing as far as they can escape. Jesus sends the demons to their final, eternal separation so they would no longer bother anyone. The crowd, seeing the miracle, asks Jesus to stay and do more of the miraculous, protect them from evil they feared all along. The delivered man looks forward to reconnecting with his family, ties long ago severed. But, Jesus asks the man to accompany him to demonstrate his new commitment and sacrifice as a living illustration. He thus follows the lead of all the apostles before him and leaves his life (nets or whatever he might do) to follow Jesus.
Now the reality: everything is the opposite from at least my expectations as spelled out above. The wild man, who knows his days are numbered, approached Jesus (verse 2). The demons who faced ejection wanted to stay in the neighborhood (verse 10). Jesus complied and left their final destruction to another day (verse 13). The crowd, witnessing the man’s deliverance, asked Jesus to leave (verse 17) their region. The delivered man asked to go with Jesus (verse 18). Jesus told the man to return home (verse 19) and witness to the locals providing no care for the new Christian’s discipleship.
It is the theologian and the historian who craft sound explanation and rationale for each move, making it all look so natural. But, I cannot begin to describe how many times I have been approached by the common reader with many questions as to “why” the movement was as it was in this story. Most expect opposites in one or more of these elements. The fact of the matter: Jesus asks us to do some surprising things. And, the outcome of Jesus’ own actions and our obedience does not always produce the most favorable or expected outcomes.
I long ago quit trying to figure out why people who have benefited from my life want to create distance from my ministry and those who I have barely touched somehow are impacted and grow, longing to be closer. I long ago quit fussing over people objecting to my good efforts and intentions. I long ago quit trying to figure out why some people go when they have better reason to stay and why others stay when they have better reason to go. I have stopped wondering why Jesus allows some badness to remain at some times and removes it at others.
The most salient feature for today’s Christian in reading this story when it comes to movement, is that when Jesus tells us to go, we should go and when he tells us to stay, we should stay. We should not expect that our behavior would necessarily result in attracting the good and repelling the bad. We should simply respond to Jesus and enjoy the ride. He will do unpredictable but good things. We will experience unpredictable and sometimes stretching things along the way.
We have recently experienced some unpredictable movement in response to some unwanted activity in our lives. It is as though Jesus has been saying to us, “I have everyone in this drama right where I want them, not right where they want to be.” I scratch my head, but always love the outcome when Jesus is on the scene. I know the end of the story is better when Jesus is in it, regardless of the trajectory of the players. He directs well.