What to do with Jesus this year - 28 January 2025

Two very dangerous people who were possessed by demons, lived in the mountains. What did the Lord do? He sent the demons into some nearby pigs and the whole herd rushed down a cliff, and was drowned in the lake. “That was a clever trick,” said the townspeople, “but seeing that we lost a lot of money when our pigs were killed, please go and do your tricks in another town.”

The above is a free translation of a poem by the renowned Dutch writer and painter, Rien Poortvliet. The townspeople saw the greatness of the miracle, but were more concerned by their monetary loss than the miracle itself.

One can understand something of their dilemma. What, after all, do you do with this man who was able to cast out demons, miraculously heal sick people, raise up the dead and was very much against the legalistic religion practised in his time?

This strange person, who even claimed to be the Messiah, had to be silenced as soon as possible, as he was upsetting their old sureties, turning things upside down and making them uneasy. His ideas and sermons were too radical. Where, for heaven’s sake, have you ever heard that you should love your enemies! The easiest way out was to crucify him, but that was just the beginning of their problems, as he was raised from the tomb and his followers started a completely new religion.

Here, at the beginning of a new year, Jesus also confronts us with the question: what are you going to do with me? The people of Gadara had a very easy solution to the problem: “Just go away,” they told him. The Jewish authorities also had an easy solution: “Hand him over to the Roman authorities.” Lots of people were crucified, so what difference would one more dead Jew make and by doing so, their thorny problem would be solved. However, there is another way for you and me. The story about Zacchaeus in Luke 19:6 tells us: “Zacchaeus hurried down and welcomed him with great joy.”

Prayer: Our Father in heaven, please make me a “Zacchaeus” this year. Help me to welcome Jesus into my life with great joy. Amen