When profit costs more than Christ's presence

To depart out of their coasts.—The Saviour was sacrificed rather than sinful gain. A great many cannot afford to have Christ. Consider a man renting his buildings for obscene and abominable purposes; his revenues depend upon lust and vice. If the Spirit of God comes to regenerate him, he cannot afford to have Christ with him. He must reform his entire revenue system and lose much possession; thus he beseeches Christ to depart out of his coast.

There are many who traffic in intoxicating liquors, knowing in their secret consciences they live upon the destruction of their fellow-men. They cannot afford to give up their traffic for the sake of becoming Christians. When the power of the Holy Ghost is upon them, they beseech Christ to depart out of their coast. They have the opportunity of reformation and rejuvenation; life, immortality, and glory are within their reach—but there are the swine.

In order to sit at the feet of Christ, they must lose their herds of unclean beasts, their unjust profits and wicked pleasures. Rather than lose these, they sacrifice the Saviour. There was no doubt as to the miracle and its beneficence. Yet they prayed Christ, through whose instrumentality God's power had been made manifest, to depart out of their coast. One would suppose they would have besought Him to remain and continue His works of mercy; but no—they prayed Him to depart. (H. W. Beecher)