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In yesterday's reading, we read that when evening had come, Jesus said to His disciples, "Let us cross over to the other side." Now when they had left the multitude, they took Him along in the boat as He was. And other little boats were also with Him. And a great windstorm arose, and the waves beat into the boat, so that it was already filling. But He was in the stern, asleep on a pillow. And they awoke Him and said to Him, "Teacher, do You not care that we are perishing?" Then He arose and rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, "Peace, be still!" And the wind ceased and there was a great calm. But He said to them, "Why are you so fearful? How is it that you have no faith?" And they feared exceedingly, and said to one another, "Who can this be, that even the wind and the sea obey Him!"
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
Then they came to the other side of the sea, to the country of the Gadarenes. Here, we and the disciples with Christ find ourselves in Gentile territory. This is a place where pigs are raised, which were considered unclean by Jews. We are on the other side of the Sea of Galilee, which was crossed in the storm in yesterday's reading.
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. Here's a very descriptive and vivid image of this man with an unclean spirit. The tombs here are caves cut out of soft rock. This episode in Mark's Gospel could almost remind us of stories of Jason or Odysseus, but in this case the leader of this voyage across the sea into strange territory is Jesus. It is He who has directed them to this place, where this tormented man is found. The description here is very strong: no one can bind him, not even with chains. He goes about in his broken shackles and chains; he's untameable. He can't live among the civilized, but he's in the mountains and tombs. His life is self-destructive: we can hear the wail of someone ceaselessly tortured by their own inner lives -- day and night he was crying out and cutting himself with stones. He is fully isolated by his affliction from any sort of community life with other human beings.
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." My study bible tells us, "The deranged man worshiped Jesus; the demons see Him and fear torment. Not only are the demons unable to resist Jesus' command, they are unable to escape confrontation with Him. though they have power over the man, they have no power over Jesus. Jesus' words accomplish in an instant what shackles and chains cannot." The word for torment here can also mean a kind of examination or trial using beatings or torture.
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. My study bible says that "out of the country perhaps reflects both the wretched man's fear of being compelled to leave his homeland and the demons' fear of being cast out of the man." A Roman army legion consisted of several thousand foot soldiers with cavalry. In contrast to the demons' fear of trial by torment, Jesus' examination is a simple and straightforward one: "What is your name?"
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. My study bible says that "the destruction of the unclean swine was appropriate according to Jewish law." In this sense the "unclean" demons go into an "unclean" territory. Their effect on the swine is the same self-destructive impulse witnessed in the tortured man.
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. A note in my study bible says, "They ('those who fed the swine') fear Jesus' power, which they do not understand, and possible further disturbance from Him. Their primary concern is with animals and property rights; Jesus is more concerned about the life of a demon-possessed man."
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. My study bible tells us: "Jesus allows an exception to the messianic secret: this man may tell others. Perhaps in Gentile territory misunderstanding of Jesus' mission was not so much a problem, because the Gentiles had no preconceptions about the Messiah." The Decapolis ("Ten Cities") was a Greek-speaking region east of Galilee, and included a city called Gadara.
One thing is very clear from this story: Jesus' power and authority extend way beyond the boundaries of Jewish life, beyond the boundaries of Israel. Here, in this foreign territory, His power extends over a legion of demons who possess one man who cannot be subdued or tamed. And in that sense, it is another illustration of the parables taught in Monday's and Tuesday's readings. The growth of this Kingdom is surprising, and its seeds may be sown anywhere. We can't really tell where the good ground may be found. Even in this most unlikely of places, good ground is found in this poor man tormented by a legion of demons, who lives among the tombs and the herds of swine, and surrounded by people who only want Jesus to leave them. That the man himself worshiped Jesus is important, because it tells us about the heart. We can be going through a sea of afflictions and difficulties, with all kinds of strikes against us in our lives, but the love of Christ transcends all of that. Most importantly, Christ's response to our love sees past all of that. And we get down, once again, to the heart of this Gospel: Jesus is the stronger man who has come to subdue the strong man (and his legions) that afflict us. There is hope, wherever we are and whoever we are. This is why we refrain from judgment, and the judgment is not ours: it's Christ's. He is the knower-of-hearts. So in this Legion demoniac we have illustrated a very vivid example of Jesus' teaching about the heart, and about how we receive the Kingdom. This demoniac recognized the One who'd come to the place from afar and was capable of healing him, helping him, and fell down on his knees before Jesus, even as he continued to be afflicted by the presence of the demons. This is the literal meaning of the word translated as worship here in the text: it is a full physical way of showing obeisance and love. At the heart of this word (proskyneo) is a word meaning "to kiss" as in an act of profound reverence. There are so many things that we can see in this reading of the demoniac in Mark's Gospel. But for today, let us look at the heart of this man in forsaken territory among the tombs, and with so many afflictions, so many strikes against him. Nothing in this world could make him a part of community, but the power of Christ responds to faith and love, to a heart that cries out in prayer and recognition of this Savior, this "stronger man." Let us remember that wherever we are we have this hope, in whatever circumstances we may be found -- or those of others we wish to help -- He is there with His response, and sees through all things that might seem to stand in the way of His love for us.
