Departed

Jesus and His disciples
Departed for the other side
To the Gadarenes
For a divine appointment was in store

Two demon-possessed men
So wild and violent, no one dared to pass by
They lived among the tombs
The spiritually dead among the physically dead

When they saw Him
They knew, it was God incarnate
The Son of God stood before them
The One Whom they had rebelled against in eternity past

They knew their day was coming
For torment and eternal punishment
They cried, “What have we to do with You, Jesus”
They begged Him, “Cast us into the herd of swine”

He commanded, “Be gone!”
The demons obeyed, departed and entered the swine
At breakneck speed they hurled themselves
Over a cliff, headlong into the sea and drown

Quickly the herdsmen departed
Made their way into the city
They declared all that had happened
Including a tale about tormented men set free

The townsmen made their way to Jesus
They witnessed for themselves
Two formerly demon-possessed men
Now clothed and in their right minds

They were overcome
With great fear
Urgently pleaded with Jesus
Depart from here

Before Jesus departed
One man begged to come with Him
“No,” He responded, “Depart”
“Proclaim to all you encounter what God has done for you.”


By Susan Wachtel
November 3, 2015