What have we to do with You, Jesus, You Son of God?

When He had come to the other side, to the country of the Gergesenes, there met Him two demon-possessed men, coming out of the tombs, exceedingly fierce, so that no one could pass that way. And suddenly they cried out, saying, "What have we to do with You, Jesus, You Son of God? Have you come here to torment us before the time?" Now a good way off from them there was a herd of many swine feeding. So the demons begged Him, saying, "If you cast us out, permit us to go away into the herd of swine." And He said to them, "Go." So when they had come out, they went into the herd of swine. And suddenly the whole herd of swine ran violently down the steep place into the sea, and perished in the water. Then those who kept them fled; and they went away into the city and told everything, including what had happened to the demon-possessed men. And behold, the whole city came out to meet Jesus. And when they saw Him, they begged Him to depart from their region.

- Matthew 8:28-34

On Saturday, we read the story of the followers of Jesus, and how their faith was stretched and tested. One scribe came to Him, and said he would follow Jesus wherever He went. But Jesus told him, "Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head." Another follower asked to go first and bury his father. But Jesus told him to "let the dead bury their own dead." Finally, Jesus gets in a boat to go to the other side of the Sea of Galilee with His disciples. He sleeps -- and while He does so, a tremendous storm comes up, so fierce that even the seasoned fishermen among His disciples fear they are perishing. They wake Him up. He says to them, "Why are you fearful, O you of little faith?" They marvel at Him - as He rebukes the sea, the waves, the winds.

When He had come to the other side, to the country of the Gergesenes, there met Him two demon-possessed men, coming out of the tombs, exceedingly fierce, so that no one could pass that way. Jesus arrives on "the other side" of the Sea of Galilee. There He encounters two-demon-possessed men. We have read this story in other gospels, where there is one demon-possessed man. It is one of my favorites, to tell the truth. As happens frequently in Matthew, we find a doubling event here (there are two possessed men in this story). As we continue through the gospel, we will note when this happens again. I often feel this is Matthew's contribution to our understanding of the universality of the message, such as we encountered in last week the passage that included the centurion whose faith made Jesus marvel. We are now clearly in Gentile territory, and Jesus, as Messiah and Son, is here to proclaim through word and deed that God is the God of all people and all nations, and He is Son for all the world - both Gentile and Jew. As in the other stories, the possession of these men makes them extraordinarily fierce. They are threatening enough to themselves and others that they are consigned to live among the tombs, away even from Gentile society.

And suddenly they cried out, saying, "What have we to do with You, Jesus, You Son of God? Have you come here to torment us before the time?" My study bible points out that these men are possessed "by mental derangement." But the demons in them recognize Jesus as Son of God, and they are surprised that He is there "before the time." That is, before the time of the Judgment, of the end of the age. Of course, this question, "What have we to do with You, Jesus, You Son of God?" is repeated in the gospels. In other places, Jesus warns the demons to be quiet, to keep His messianic secret. But here in Gentile territory, there is no need of such warning: popular expectations about messiah are not the same as in Jewish culture and community. And again, we take note of the judicial language. The word for torment here is the same one the centurion used for the affliction of his servant. The demons expect what they know from their own "system" and its "justice," just as they torment these men. This word for torment in the Greek meant torture -- to extract a confession by beating.

Now a good way off from them there was a herd of many swine feeding. So the demons begged Him, saying, "If you cast us out, permit us to go away into the herd of swine." And He said to them, "Go." So when they had come out, they went into the herd of swine. And suddenly the whole herd of swine ran violently down the steep place into the sea, and perished in the water. Jesus' power clearly is at work before His Resurrection, and before the Judgment which He is here in the world to initiate, especially with the coming of the Spirit at Pentecost. But this is long before that -- and nevertheless His power is clear. His word here carries the power of the Judgment. But the demons, expecting the torment they inflict on others, beg for mercy. Jesus agrees to their request. Clearly, their destructive impact has its effect on the swine. In a context of Matthew's gospel and its Jewish audience, we understand the swine to be considered unclean animals. My study bible notes, "The demons' entering into the swine, which were unclean for the Jews, is a sign of the reality of the demoniacs' healing. Jesus' sovereign power is not only over physical infirmity, but over mental illness as well. It shows us the incomparable value of human beings, whose salvation is worth every sacrifice."

Then those who kept them fled; and they went away into the city and told everything, including what had happened to the demon-possessed men. And behold, the whole city came out to meet Jesus. And when they saw Him, they begged Him to depart from their region. In this Gentile region, the people reject Jesus because they are stunned by the loss of the swine. In some commentary, it is noted that these people reject Christ because the swine mean more to them than the healing of the demoniacs, and so we get a hint here into our faith. What do we value more highly? Can we see as God sees, the value of human beings, of individual salvation? We remember the healing of the leper last week, in the same reading as the healing of the centurion's servant. It was just for that one man, and he was told not to tell others about it, but to follow the Law. Our faith, and Jesus' repeated healings, teach us of the value of ministry one by one, of healings one by one, for each of us, and the relationship we each have to Christ. Here, the value is more highly placed on the herd of swine.

In other readings of this story, the healed demoniac (whose name was Legion) wants to follow Christ, to come with Him and the disciples in the boat. But Jesus sends him to go to his home and his friends, and to tell them what great things the Lord has done for him. In effect, he becomes the first evangelist. Here, it's not clear what becomes of the healed men. It will be up to them where their faith leads them; indeed, we don't know their response to Christ at all -- only that they are healed. In other readings, the demoniac confesses His faith in Christ from the beginning. Not so in this story in Matthew's gospel. So, what will it be? In a sense, we can all see ourselves in this story, in our world. What do we respect most? What means the most to us in ministry? Is it great acts that save the world or please the crowds? Or is it in the tender ministry in ways that each one of the flock needs it? What do we recommend most -- the power of the great, the value of great commodities, our wealth? Or does it just come down to healing what needs to be healed, however humble that is -- even these two men who dwell among the tombs, of no use to anybody, only a hindrance. What is our life worth? What is Christ's love, and what does it teach us? We are all faced with a choice of what we will value, and where we place our faith. This place could be our world today, given what we see and hear all around us. How are we going to place our faith, and in what? How are His tender mercies still in need of our assent, our yes? our understanding of His love? our wisdom in the great faith Christ places in human beings? How do we receive His healing and the grace we know He has offered us? Can we follow His humble Way today? Is it good enough for us? Think about what you see, the individuals you may know and encounter, and where Christ calls you today, even if no one else applauds. Sometimes, it seems that we forget Jesus did not spend all of His time moving mountains.