A lot of pigs...

So I was reading in Mark chapter five today, specifically the story of the demon-possessed man who Jesus heals. Here, Jesus meets a man possessed by a legion of demons, referred to, in fact, as Legion. He casts them out of the man, but per their request sends them into a herd of pigs, which subsequently rushed down a steep bank and drowned in the Sea of Galilee.

Many Christians have read this passage before, but today I noticed something I've never heard anyone point out before. Verse fourteen says, "The herdsmen fled and told it in the city and in the country."

"The herdsmen." The people whose income depended on those pigs surviving that day. Jesus knew what would happen, yet he still sent the demons into the herd. I'm glad I read this today, since I needed reminding that God's will is more important than anything else. He doesn't want to see people suffer, nor does He enjoy it. However, sometimes I think, "Oh, well, God wouldn't do that," or, "God doesn't want me to do that because it would get in this person's way, and He would never have me do that." I sometimes take the verse, "I have become all things to all people, that by all means I might save some," but forget about this one: "For am I now seeking the approval of man, or of God? Or am I still trying to please man? If I were still trying to please man, I would not be a servant of Christ."

I don't often think this way, and some people might even strongly disagree with me, but serving and loving those around us is not the ultimate goal of Christianity. Serving and loving God comes first, and although those two are almost always hand-in-hand, sometimes we may have to choose between serving God and making things hard for someone else, or choosing to please those around us and ignoring God's call.

Peace.