My name is Legion; for we are many

Then they came to the other side of the sea, to the country of the Gadarenes. And when He had come out of the boat, immediately there met Him out of the tombs a man with an unclean spirit, who had his dwelling among the tombs; and no one could bind him, not even with chains, because he had often been bound with shackles and chains. And the chains had been pulled apart by him, and the shackles broken in pieces; neither could anyone tame him. And always, night and day, he was in the mountains and in the tombs, crying out and cutting himself with stones. When he saw Jesus from afar, he ran and worshiped Him. And he cried out with a loud voice and said, "What have I to do with You, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I implore You by God that You do not torment me." For He said to him, "Come out of the man, unclean spirit!" Then He asked him, "What is your name?" And he answered, saying, "My name is Legion; for we are many." Also he begged Him earnestly that He would not send them out of the country. Now a large herd of swine was feeding there near the mountains. So all the demons begged Him, saying, "Send us to the swine, that we may enter them." And at once Jesus gave them permission. Then the unclean spirits went out and entered the swine (there were about two thousand); and the herd ran violently down the steep place into the sea, and drowned in the sea.

So those who fed the swine fled, and they told it in the city and in the country. And they went out to see what it was that had happened. Then they came to Jesus, and saw the one who had been demon-possessed and had the legion, sitting and clothed and in his right mind. And they were afraid. And those who saw it told them how it happened to him who had been demon-possessed, and about the swine. Then they began to plead with Him to depart from their region. And when He got into the boat, he who had been demon-possessed begged Him that he might be with Him. However, Jesus did not permit him, but said to him, "Go home to your friends, and tell them what great things the Lord has done for you, and how He has had compassion on you." And he departed and began to proclaim in Decapolis all that Jesus had done for him; and all marveled.

- Mark 5:1-20

In yesterday's reading, Jesus and His disciples were crossing the Sea of Galilee, when a great storm arose. Jesus was sleeping on a pillow in the stern, when the storm became so threatening that His disciples feared for their lives as the boat was filling with water. They woke Him up, telling Him, "Don't you care that we are perishing?" Jesus rebuked the storm and the waves, telling them to be silent, stopping the howling wind. The apostles were bewildered at His power, still fearful, but Jesus told them, "Why are you so fearful? How is it that you have so little faith?"

Then they came to the other side of the sea, to the country of the Gadarenes. We remember from yesterday's reading that Jesus and His disciples (including the twelve apostles) crossed the Sea of Galilee during a raging storm, after Jesus preached to a multitude assembled on the sea shore. Here, they come to a region in Gentile territory (the Gadarenes are Gentiles), where Jesus will continue His mission.

And when He had come out of the boat, immediately there met Him out of the tombs a man with an unclean spirit, who had his dwelling among the tombs; and no one could bind him, not even with chains, because he had often been bound with shackles and chains. And the chains had been pulled apart by him, and the shackles broken in pieces; neither could anyone tame him. And always, night and day, he was in the mountains and in the tombs, crying out and cutting himself with stones. We get the picture of a man abandoned by the world, by his community, his family and friends. He's too wild for them, and cannot be tamed, even by the chains. He is so used to being bound and imprisoned, but nothing holds him. He's so ferociously powerful that he pulls apart the chains and breaks the shackles. This, however, is not an image of freedom for the man, but of constant torment. His chaos is like the chaos of the sea in the previous reading - he howls and rages. Night and day, we are told, he was in the mountains and in the tombs, crying out and cutting himself with stones. It is a self-destructive torment of chaos, of hurt, of living among the empty tombs! My study bible teaches that these tombs were caves cut out of soft rock. We see him in the darkness of these caves, crying out, and nothing can help him in his own self-destruction - a wild rage has caught hold of him.

When he saw Jesus from afar, he ran and worshiped Him. And he cried out with a loud voice and said, "What have I to do with You, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I implore You by God that You do not torment me." For He said to him, "Come out of the man, unclean spirit!" Here we have an inner conflict exposed: the first reaction of the man to Jesus' command against the unclean spirit is to run and worship Jesus. This is what is in his true heart, the desire to be saved, to find One powerful enough to "silence" or "muzzle" the things that torment Him (just as in yesterday's reading, in the New Testament Greek language of Jesus' rebuke of the wind and waves). But the power of the demons is in the loud voice that asks, "What have I to do with You, Jesus, Son of the Most High God?" While the demons have been torturing this afflicted man, they ask Jesus not to torment them. And, of course, as in other earlier readings about the casting out of unclean spirits, they know who Jesus is. My study bible says, "Not only are the demons unable to resist Jesus' command, they are unable to escape confrontation with Him. They have power over the man, but they have no power over Jesus."

Then He asked him, "What is your name?" And he answered, saying, "My name is Legion; for we are many." A Legion, according to the Oxford Annotated Bible, was a major unit in the Roman Army, and it consisted of four to six thousand men. It's an important understanding in some sense that the chaos of this man's life is created by all of these "unclean spirits" in him, this demonic energy, and yet they speak with one voice in him. I'm reminded of the reading a few days ago, in which Jesus was accused of casting out demons by the ruler of demons. Jesus taught then what it was to have a house or kingdom divided against itself - and that it was His job to "bind the strong man" in order to establish His own kingdom in place of what the demons had power over. So it is a powerful virtual "army" of unclean spirits at work together in this poor man; yet they are subject to Christ.

Also he begged Him earnestly that He would not send them out of the country. Now a large herd of swine was feeding there near the mountains. So all the demons begged Him, saying, "Send us to the swine, that we may enter them." And at once Jesus gave them permission. Then the unclean spirits went out and entered the swine (there were about two thousand); and the herd ran violently down the steep place into the sea, and drowned in the sea. The demons don't want to be sent away, "out of the country." They want to somehow retain possession of what they have. Since we are in Gentile territory, these people are raising swine, an animal considered unclean to the Jews. The two thousand swine are "occupied" by this legion of unclean spirits - and their self-destructive presence causes the herd of swine to rush into the sea and drown.

So those who fed the swine fled, and they told it in the city and in the country. And they went out to see what it was that had happened. Then they came to Jesus, and saw the one who had been demon-possessed and had the legion, sitting and clothed and in his right mind. And they were afraid. And those who saw it told them how it happened to him who had been demon-possessed, and about the swine. Then they began to plead with Him to depart from their region. This must have been quite a scene. But instead of being happy for the healing and cleansing of the unclean spirit, the people are terrified. They respond with fear. We recall from yesterday's reading that fear seems to be the opposite of faith or trust, that which interferes with our faith and conflicts with it. Perhaps, understandably, they don't like the fact that their swine have been destroyed in such a bizarre way! But clearly, they reject Jesus' presence and His message. They cannot receive it from fear, and ask Him to leave. It's a dilemma - should they look to the destruction of the herd or to the healing of the man? They choose the former. In some sense, this unavoidable confrontation with the status quo on the part of Jesus will give us similar dilemmas in our lives to choose from. I feel that the Spirit will propel us forward into situations in which we, too, are to make such choices. In this case, the Gadarenes choose concern for their property, the swine, over Jesus' power and act of cleansing and healing.

And when He got into the boat, he who had been demon-possessed begged Him that he might be with Him. However, Jesus did not permit him, but said to him, "Go home to your friends, and tell them what great things the Lord has done for you, and how He has had compassion on you." And he departed and began to proclaim in Decapolis all that Jesus had done for him; and all marveled. They have arrived by boat, and they will leave by boat. But a remarkable thing happens here, to my eyes. The healed man wishes to belong to Jesus and His work, His apostles and disciples. Where else is he to go? The people of this region have rejected Christ and asked Him to leave. The healed man will be an unwanted reminder of the loss of their swine. But Jesus has a mission, a job for the man who is now one of His flock. He is to go home, wherever His home is from which he was sent to live among the tombs and in the mountains, and tell his friends "what great things the Lord has done for you." We recall that Jesus has not even sent the apostles out on their first mission yet -- but here, this man who is healed and reclaimed for the kingdom, will become the first evangelist. Scholars suggest that perhaps since this man will go into Gentile territory, the secret of Jesus' Messianic identity will not be such a problem to reveal, as Gentile expectations are not the same as those of the Jewish people. But whatever the reason, this man healed from a legion, an army, of demons or unclean spirits, becomes the first appointed and sent out on a mission. My study bible points out that he is sent among his own people, to preach the power of Christ and to show them "what great things the Lord has done" for him.

So, my question today is, how do we reveal who we are in the healing light of Christ? How do you show "what great things the Lord has done for you?" Like the healed demoniac (and Jesus) in this scenario, we may find that those immediately affected by the change in us reject its effects. But on the other hand, there will be those who welcome the change, and marvel at the "great things the Lord has done for us." Those great things, evident in us and in our own testimony, will give hope to others. How do you show yourself in this way? In what ways does God's work for you reveal itself as good news for others?