Luke 8:
26 They sailed on and landed in the region of the Gerasenes, which is opposite the Galil. 27 As Yeshua stepped ashore, a man from the town who had demons came to meet him. For a long time he had not worn clothes; and he lived, not in a house, but in the burial caves. 28 Catching sight of Yeshua, he screamed, fell down in front of him and yelled, “Yeshua! Son of God Ha‘Elyon! What do you want with me? I beg you, don’t torture me!” 29 For Yeshua had ordered the unclean spirit to come out of the man. It had often taken hold of him — he had been kept under guard, chained hand and foot, but had broken the bonds and been driven by the demon into the desert. 30 Yeshua asked him, “What is your name?” “Legion,” he said, because many demons had entered him. 31 They begged Yeshua not to order them to go off into the Bottomless Pit.
32 Now there was a herd of many pigs, feeding on the hill; and the demons begged him to let them go into these. So he gave them permission. 33 The demons came out of the man and entered the pigs, whereupon the herd rushed down the hillside into the lake and were drowned.
34 When the swineherds saw what had happened, they fled and told it in the town and in the country; 35 and the people came out to see for themselves. They came to Yeshua and found the man out of whom the demons had gone, sitting — dressed and in his right mind — at the feet of Yeshua; and they were frightened. 36 Those who had seen it told how the formerly demonized man had been delivered.
37 Then all the people of the Gerasene district asked him to leave them, for they had been seized with great fear. So he boarded the boat and returned. 38 The man from whom the demons had gone out begged that he might go with him; but Yeshua sent him away, saying, 39 “Go back to your home and tell how much God has done for you.” He went away proclaiming throughout the whole town how much Yeshua had done for him.
(Complete Jewish Bible).
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The man Jesus encountered who lived among the tombs was clearly a danger to himself and others. The evidence in the story suggests that the people of that region had responded to the man’s condition with fear, with attempts to isolate and restrain him. Strikingly, Jesus instead set out to help and heal the man, an approach that must have initially looked hopeless but in the end had a wonderfully positive outcome.
• This man was a frightening, disturbing figure. In biblical times, both the actions of evil beings and conditions we call “mental illness” were all classified as “demon possession.” What resources exist today that did not exist in Jesus’ day that might help a man like that? How did Jesus’ focus on healing and helping set the stage for the man’s life to change?
• Change, even positive change, can make us uncomfortable. Perhaps puzzlingly at first, we read that the townspeople reacted to the sight of the man dressed and sane with fear. Likely, they weren’t sure they could trust the change to last. What directions does Jesus’ example suggest for our society in dealing with people whose mental ills may incline them to violent actions?
Prayer: Lord Jesus, just as you calmed the storms on the sea of Galilee, you calmed the inner storms that had torn the poor man’s life apart. Give me the wisdom to take in, and to share, your calming, healing presence. Amen.
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Read today's Insight by Matt Ozment
Matt is the Media Services Production Manager in the Tech Arts ministry at Church of the Resurrection. He joined the staff in December 2014 and supports the technology needs of each special or weekly event outside of weekend worship at Resurrection Leawood. In his free time, he spends time with his 2 kids, supports his wife’s cake business, and aspires to be a novelist.
This is one of those stories in which I have always felt so much is happening that’s not mentioned. One is Jesus’ disciples. They’re not mentioned much, except that they traveled there with Jesus. I imagine them standing back in fear, distancing themselves from an obviously possessed man while Jesus is marching forward to face the demons head on. I can see them standing between Jesus and a cliff. That cliff, over which the demons drove the pigs, led straight down to the Sea of Galilee, in the center of which a common belief at that time said were the gates to the Abyss (a very fitting location for the demons to go back to).
Jesus never addresses his disciples during this interaction (at least not in a way that’s recorded). In keeping with this image, supposing the disciples are huddled together in fear, I can see Jesus looking back and at least thinking the same thing he’s been telling them all along. “Why are you so afraid? Fear not, for I am here with you.” This is something I so often need reminded of. How many times I’ve been faced with challenges or an opportunity to help someone, but just shy away out of fear. How many times have I been clearly met with a moment in which God has called me to move forward, but I just didn’t? Now, this isn’t fear of a legion of demons nearby. It’s more a fear of how others might judge me. Or maybe it’s a fear of failing. What I need to keep being reminded of is that when any of us are met with these opportunities, God has called us to that place and time to be his missionary, to share his love with others. The good news of this Gospel story is that no matter how fearful we are, Jesus is there to lead and guide us. We just have to choose to be the person who wants to be a disciple versus a disciple shivering in the background.
I also often think about the man who had been possessed. As soon as he’s healed, he begs to follow Jesus and to stay with him. He knows that he’s already been rejected by his own community, and after this spiritual healing experience, that likely won’t change. Instead, Jesus told him to go and share the story. I think about the number of times I’ve had one of those mountain-top experiences where I encounter fully the presence of God, and am reminded of the calling to go back and share his love. If I’m being honest, it’s difficult to reenter the same world that hasn’t changed after I’ve had that kind of change of heart. But I’m not called to go back to my old ways, to fall back into the comfortable lifestyle I’m used to. I’m called to share those stories, to challenge the status quo, and to spread the love I received from Christ. I, and probably many of us, just have to remember that with Christ, we have nothing to fear. As Pastor Adam often says: We just have to be willing to say, “Yes.
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Read today's Insight by Matt OzmentMatt is the Media Services Production Manager in the Tech Arts ministry at Church of the Resurrection. He joined the staff in December 2014 and supports the technology needs of each special or weekly event outside of weekend worship at Resurrection Leawood. In his free time, he spends time with his 2 kids, supports his wife’s cake business, and aspires to be a novelist.
This is one of those stories in which I have always felt so much is happening that’s not mentioned. One is Jesus’ disciples. They’re not mentioned much, except that they traveled there with Jesus. I imagine them standing back in fear, distancing themselves from an obviously possessed man while Jesus is marching forward to face the demons head on. I can see them standing between Jesus and a cliff. That cliff, over which the demons drove the pigs, led straight down to the Sea of Galilee, in the center of which a common belief at that time said were the gates to the Abyss (a very fitting location for the demons to go back to).
Jesus never addresses his disciples during this interaction (at least not in a way that’s recorded). In keeping with this image, supposing the disciples are huddled together in fear, I can see Jesus looking back and at least thinking the same thing he’s been telling them all along. “Why are you so afraid? Fear not, for I am here with you.” This is something I so often need reminded of. How many times I’ve been faced with challenges or an opportunity to help someone, but just shy away out of fear. How many times have I been clearly met with a moment in which God has called me to move forward, but I just didn’t? Now, this isn’t fear of a legion of demons nearby. It’s more a fear of how others might judge me. Or maybe it’s a fear of failing. What I need to keep being reminded of is that when any of us are met with these opportunities, God has called us to that place and time to be his missionary, to share his love with others. The good news of this Gospel story is that no matter how fearful we are, Jesus is there to lead and guide us. We just have to choose to be the person who wants to be a disciple versus a disciple shivering in the background.
I also often think about the man who had been possessed. As soon as he’s healed, he begs to follow Jesus and to stay with him. He knows that he’s already been rejected by his own community, and after this spiritual healing experience, that likely won’t change. Instead, Jesus told him to go and share the story. I think about the number of times I’ve had one of those mountain-top experiences where I encounter fully the presence of God, and am reminded of the calling to go back and share his love. If I’m being honest, it’s difficult to reenter the same world that hasn’t changed after I’ve had that kind of change of heart. But I’m not called to go back to my old ways, to fall back into the comfortable lifestyle I’m used to. I’m called to share those stories, to challenge the status quo, and to spread the love I received from Christ. I, and probably many of us, just have to remember that with Christ, we have nothing to fear. As Pastor Adam often says: We just have to be willing to say, “Yes.
”Like this post? Share it!
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Scripture quotations are taken from The Common English Bible ©2011.
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