Reverence vs. Terror
It was a normal fall Saturday night for my wife and I, that is until we heard “bang, bang!” At first, we thought it was merely fireworks, but as we approached the front window to investigate, “bang, bang” again, this time the flashes were distinct, and we knew it was gunfire, right outside in our quiet suburban home. I was gripped with fear, thinking it was just a matter of time before a stray bullet was coming through our window to strike one of us.
Fear is one of the most powerful forces in the human heart. It can drive a person to action, silence their voice, harden their heart, or push them to run in the opposite direction of truth. However, scripture shows us that not all fear is the same. There is a fear that leads people away from God, and there is a fear that draws people closer to Him.
Luke 8:26–39 gives us one of the clearest pictures of these two types of fear standing side by side.
In this passage, Jesus crosses the Sea of Galilee and enters the country of the Gerasenes. There He encounters a man possessed by many demons. So many demons, that the demons may have thought they could imitate Jesus. The man had been living among tombs. He had no home, no peace, and no control over his life. Chains could not hold him. Society had pushed him away. Yet in a moment of divine authority, Jesus commands the demons to leave. The man who had been tormented becomes calm, clothed, and restored.
It should have been a moment of celebration for all in the surrounding areas. Think of it – the fear of this man was removed. It should have been replaced by a reverent fear for Jesus. Instead, the people respond with fear. But the kind of fear they experience reveals something profound about the human heart.
A Region Terrified by Power
After Jesus casts the demons into a herd of pigs, the animals rush down a steep bank into the lake and drown. The herdsmen run into the city and surrounding countryside and report what happened. People gather to see for themselves.
What they find is astonishing. The once violent man now sits quietly at the feet of Jesus.
Luke describes the moment with striking simplicity:
“Then people went out to see what had happened, and they came to Jesus and found the man from whom the demons had gone, sitting at the feet of Jesus, clothed and in his right mind, and they were afraid.” - Luke 8:35
Then the reaction intensifies.
“Then all the people of the surrounding country of the Gerasenes asked him to depart from them, for they were seized with great fear. So he got into the boat and returned.” - Luke 8:37
Instead of inviting Jesus to stay, they ask Him to leave.
Why?
Because the power of Christ confronted their world in a way they could not control.
Fear That Protects Comfort
The people in the region had likely known the demon-possessed man for years. His condition had become part of the background of their lives. He was frightening, but predictable. They knew where he lived. They knew how to avoid him.
Then Jesus arrived and changed everything in an instant. The supernatural power of God disrupted their normal life.
A man was restored. A herd of pigs was lost. Authority greater than anything they had seen was now standing in front of them.
Instead of worship, their instinct was self-protection.
Worldly fear often works this way. It values comfort over truth. It prefers the familiar over the transformative. When God moves in a way that threatens control, people pull back rather than draw near.
The reaction of the Gerasenes shows that fear can cause people to reject the very presence of Christ.
This is not unique to them. Scripture shows the same response again and again.
When the Israelites heard God speak from Mount Sinai, they trembled and asked Moses to stand between them and the Lord.
“Now when all the people saw the thunder and the flashes of lightning and the sound of the trumpet and the mountain smoking, the people were afraid and trembled, and they stood far off.” - Exodus 20:18
The holiness of God exposed their weakness, and distance felt safer than surrender.
Fear That Drives Us Away
The fear in Luke 8:37 is not reverence. It is resistance.
It is the fear of losing control.
Jesus had demonstrated nothing was beyond His authority. Demons obeyed Him, nature would later obey Him. Life itself was subject to His command. Ultimately, death would be defeated.
For the people watching, that level of power was unsettling. The reality is that Jesus never enters a life or a community simply to make it slightly better. His presence exposes what is broken and demands transformation.
The Gerasenes were not ready for that. Sure, the loss of the pigs played a role, as economic stability matters to people. When God’s work appears to threaten financial security, hearts often grow cautious. Yet the irony is impossible to miss. They were willing to send away the One who could heal souls because His power had affected their livelihood.
Worldly fear is quick to calculate the cost before it recognizes glory. Jesus Himself later warned about divided loyalty.
“No servant can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other.” - Luke 16:13
The people of the region chose security and comfort over the Savior.
The Fear That Draws Us Near
The contrast in this story is found in the man who had been delivered.
While the crowd asked Jesus to leave, the healed man begged to go with Him.
“The man from whom the demons had gone begged that he might be with him, but Jesus sent him away.” - Luke 8:38
Two groups see the same miracle and respond in opposite ways. One group wants distance. One man wants to draw near.
What made the difference?
The delivered man understood what Jesus had done for him and his ultimate need. He had experienced mercy firsthand. His fear had turned into reverence. He did not want Jesus out of his life. He wanted to remain with Him.
This is the fear Scripture commends. It is not paralyzing fear. It is awe. It recognizes the holiness and authority of God while trusting His goodness.
Proverbs captures this idea clearly.
Reverent fear opens the door to wisdom because it acknowledges who God truly is. It does not push Him away. It bows before Him.
Reverent Fear and True Worship
Throughout the Bible, the proper response to God’s power is worship rather than avoidance.
Psalm 33 speaks to this posture.
“Let all the earth fear the Lord; let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of him.” - Psalm 33:8
Notice the connection between fear and awe. This kind of fear does not lead to retreat. It leads to reverence.
When Isaiah saw the Lord high and lifted up in the temple, he became fully aware of his own sinfulness.
“Woe is me! For I am lost; for I am a man of unclean lips.” - Isaiah 6:5
Yet Isaiah did not run away. Instead, he received cleansing and responded to God’s call. Reverent fear humbles a person while drawing them closer to the grace of God.
The people in Luke 8 felt fear, but they missed the invitation hidden within it.
When Fear Becomes a Barrier
There is something sobering about the final detail of Luke 8:37.
Jesus leaves. The Son of God does not force His presence on people who reject Him. When the people ask Him to depart, He gets into the boat and returns across the lake.
Moments of divine opportunity do not last forever.
In the Gospels, there are times when entire towns reject Jesus. Matthew records one of the most sobering examples.
“And he did not do many mighty works there, because of their unbelief.” - Matthew 13:58
Unbelief and fear can close hearts to the work God wants to do. The Gerasenes were not witnessing a threat. They were witnessing mercy. Yet fear distorted their perspective.
The same dynamic still exists today. When God begins to reshape our priorities, expose besetting sin, or calls us to deeper obedience, we can so easily respond with hesitation. We can keep Christ at a safe distance, like a fire extinguisher, “break in an emergency.”
They want improvement without surrender.
The Mission of the Delivered Man
Before Jesus leaves, He gives the healed man a specific mission.
“Return to your home, and declare how much God has done for you.” - Luke 8:39
Instead of traveling with Jesus, the man becomes a witness in the very region that had rejected Him. Luke records that the man proclaimed throughout the city how much Jesus had done for him.
It is possible that the testimony of this man prepared the region for future encounters with the gospel. Sometimes the seed of truth takes time to grow.
But the man’s response remains powerful. He did not allow fear to define his relationship with Christ. He allowed gratitude to shape it.
Reverent fear recognizes that Jesus has the authority to transform lives. It also recognizes that His power is not meant to destroy us but to restore us.
Two Responses That Still Exist
Luke 8:26–39 leaves readers with a quiet question.
Which fear do we have?
The fear that pushes Christ away or the fear that draws us near.
Worldly fear is concerned with control, comfort, and stability. When God disrupts those things, it reacts defensively.
Reverent fear sees the authority of God and responds with humility, trust, and worship.
One type of fear says, “Leave us alone.”
The other says, “Let me be with you.”
The difference between those responses shapes the direction of an entire life.
The Apostle Paul later wrote these words to Timothy.
“For God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.” - 2 Timothy 1:7
Faith does not eliminate the awareness of God’s power. Instead, it transforms how we respond to it.
When Christ confronts darkness and restores what is broken, the appropriate response is not retreat. It is reverence. It is gratitude.
It is the quiet posture of a restored man sitting at the feet of Jesus, clothed and in his right mind, recognizing that the One who holds ultimate authority is also the One who brings ultimate redemption.
Closing Prayer
Father God, help us to remember that you are for us, and that if you are for us, who can be against us, therefore, let us not fear the world, but approach the throne of grace with reverence and awe of the only one worthy. Thank you Jesus for the blood that changes everything, let us live to glorify your name. In Your mighty name we pray, amen!
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