PIGS, POWER, AND REDEMPTION

From Mark 5:1-20.  Jesus Frees a Demon-Possessed Man.

¹⁸ While he was climbing into the boat, the one who had been demon-possessed pleaded with Jesus to let him come along as one of his disciples. ¹⁹ But Jesus wouldn’t allow it. “Go home to your own people,” Jesus said, “and tell them what the Lord has done for you and how he has shown you mercy.”

In this story, a man possessed by demons confronts Jesus upon his arrival in Gerasa, today part of the Golan Heights on the northeastern side of the Sea of Galilee. The man was said to howl night and day and to injure himself. Using chains and leg irons, his fellow Gerasenes attempted to contain him -- but all efforts failed. In frustration and fear the community exiled the man to a cemetery on the fringes of the city. 

The demons within the man recognized Jesus immediately and, anticipating their destruction at Jesus’ hand, asked Jesus to banish them instead into a herd of pigs feeding nearby. Jesus granted their wish, and the pigs immediately drowned themselves in the Sea of Galilee.  The man is returned to complete sanity.

Jesus spoke, and he was healed.

As much as we are drawn to the image of pigs running headlong into the Sea of Galilee, the focus of this passage is not the pigs but Jesus, more specifically the power of Jesus to restore. The man in this story represents all helpless and hopeless people who have been dehumanized by their circumstances and are unable redeem themselves. When confronted by our demons -- whatever they are -- Jesus doesn’t flinch; nothing repels him, no one makes him fearful, no situation lies outside Jesus’ compassion and grace. 

Jesus speaks, and we are healed.

Many years ago, I was like the man in this passage. The demon inside me was the illusion of control. I believed my life was totally under my command. If I planned and executed well enough I could determine all outcomes in my life. Not surprisingly, the harder I tried to impose my will, the more my life spun out of control. I tried everything to shut out the pain and despair of my failures, until I found myself a broken man. With nowhere else to turn I placed my life into the hands of God. Now I wasn’t struck by a bolt of lightning nor did the clouds part and a ray of sunshine illuminate my face, but within a few days the hole that consumed me was filled. For the first time in my adult life I felt at peace. 

Jesus spoke, and I was healed.

Do we see people around us like the man in the story, dehumanized, demoralized, and unable to help themselves? What about you? What demons exerts such power over your life?

Lord, we confess we are at times consumed by demons we cannot control. Pride, greed, anger, and envy fill our hearts and minds. Thank you for never flinching when you see us at our worst, but responding instead with your perfect compassion and grace.  In your mercy, show us the way back to you.

Jesus speaks, and you will be healed.

AMEN