You would think that the man processed by an unclean spirit would run away from Jesus. You would think that the pain of having this spirit cut out of your body would drive the poor man away. Rather, the man meets up with Jesus and stands right in His face. Perhaps the man had one last thread of hope, rooted in a very dim faith that Jesus could in fact heal him.

There are those of us who are in the same position as the man with the unclean spirit. We want to hold on in hope that Jesus can take pity on us as well and redeem us. Yet, if we too have the audacity to believe in Him, He will accept our contrition however imperfect. He will pick us up and hold us close. He is the one Who is to come. Jesus is the one who nurtures the hope of the once possessed man: “Go home to your family and announce to them all that the Lord in His pity has done for you.”