In a perfect world, compassion and acts of kindness would be universally applauded and encouraged. But sometimes compassion comes at too high a price in the minds of some. At least it did on one occasion when the aftermath of Jesus miraculous work was more than people were willing to handle.

Matthew chapter 8 records an incident where Jesus and his disciples travel to the region of the Gadarenes. They came to an area people avoided. Violence had made it one of those places you didn’t want to visit—like an inner city neighborhood invested by gangs or corruption. But in this case, the problem came from only two individuals. Matthew describes them as demon-possessed. From other accounts in scripture it appears that they may have been disfigured, loud, incredibly strong, and malevolent. We’re told, “They were so violent no one could pass that way.” (See Matthew 8:28.)

One would assume that anyone who could eliminate the threat of these me would be loved and appreciated. Jesus did just that. He did not destroy these men. Instead he freed them from the evil influence caused by demons. Matthew does not answer many of the questions that come to our minds about the nature, role, power, and limits of demons and their relationship to people. His point seems to demonstrate two qualities of Christ—his power over all the forces of the supernatural world, and his compassion.

This miracle of mercy did have some collateral damage. Instead of tormenting men, the demons turned their attention to a herd of pigs. This caused the pigs to become self-destructive, and all of them died through drowning.

For Christ, two restored men were more valuable than a loss to the pork producers of the region. (You may recall that pork was unclean for orthodox Jews.) But the residents of the region did not see it that way. The owners were no doubt irate about the financial setback. As a result, many leaders in the town came to the shore to meet with Jesus. Respectful of his power, they pleaded him to leave. (See Matthew 8:34.)

One principle I see at work here is that when Jesus improves our lot as humans through his restorative grace and mercy, there may be consequences that are not appreciated.

• When the “black sheep” of the family becomes ethical, moral, and loving it changes the “normal” dysfunctional relationship in ways that some family members may not like.
• When Christ invites us to find life through his death and resurrection, he summons us to serve him as Lord. This may interfere with our vocational aspirations, our checkbook, and our priorities.
• When Jesus forgives our sins he requires that we do the same for others—and this can be one of the most difficult moral challenges we sometimes face in life.

Christ’s compassion will create collateral damage. Because he does not meet us in 2010 just to fix us. He invites us to cultivate a different loyalty, to shape our lives around different values, to treasure the unseen realities of his Father’s kingdom more than the tangible things that compete for our attention. Eternal life in Christ is free—but it’s not cheap. It messes with the things that mean so much to most of us. But in the process it frees us to become what we were designed to be. We may just have to lose a few pigs along the way.