homeless, but never hopeless

26 They sailed to the region of the Gerasenes, which is across the lake from Galilee. 27 When Jesus stepped ashore, he was met by a demon-possessed man from the town. For a long time this man had not worn clothes or lived in a house, but had lived in the tombs. 28 When he saw Jesus, he cried out and fell at his feet, shouting at the top of his voice, “What do you want with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I beg you, don’t torture me!” 29 For Jesus had commanded the impure spirit to come out of the man. Many times it had seized him, and though he was chained hand and foot and kept under guard, he had broken his chains and had been driven by the demon into solitary places.

30 Jesus asked him, “What is your name?”

“Legion,” he replied, because many demons had gone into him. 31 And they begged Jesus repeatedly not to order them to go into the Abyss.

32 A large herd of pigs was feeding there on the hillside. The demons begged Jesus to let them go into the pigs, and he gave them permission. 33 When the demons came out of the man, they went into the pigs, and the herd rushed down the steep bank into the lake and was drowned.

34 When those tending the pigs saw what had happened, they ran off and reported this in the town and countryside, 35 and the people went out to see what had happened. When they came to Jesus, they found the man from whom the demons had gone out, sitting at Jesus’ feet, dressed and in his right mind; and they were afraid. 36 Those who had seen it told the people how the demon-possessed man had been cured. 37 Then all the people of the region of the Gerasenes asked Jesus to leave them, because they were overcome with fear. So he got into the boat and left.

38 The man from whom the demons had gone out begged to go with him, but Jesus sent him away, saying, 39 “Return home and tell how much God has done for you.” So the man went away and told all over town how much Jesus had done for him.

Today, right before we went into prayer, we witnessed a drunk man stumbling away from the police. He was muttering indiscernible words and having trouble staying on two feet. To be honest, when I saw this gentleman, one word came into my head: hopeless. This was my prideful heart speaking. Unconsciously analyzing the situation in my head, I could see of no way how "such a man as this" could possibly restore his life.

However, it was at this point when God humbled me, like crazy. I thought back to the story of the demon-possessed man whom Jesus heals. In Jesus' eyes, this man, who had been rejected by society, who terrorized villagers in unleashed fury, was not "hopeless." Not in the very least. Jesus saw the problem through spiritual eyes. He didn't see what everyone else saw; He acknowledged the demon and cast it out of the man.

I'm not saying that the application of this story is to find every man like the one we saw by the SEPTA station and begin exorcising. But, I want Jesus to open my eyes to the real battles that are going on. I'm tired of seeing things through the lens of the world, the same lens that just relegates the homeless into the "hopeless" category. I'm tired of allowing my own reasoning lead to me conclusions that are not glorifying to God. I want to see in these people the same sin that poisons my own life and take comfort in the grace of God.