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 that when Jesus saw great multitudes about Him, He gave a command to depart to the other side.  Then a certain scribe came and said to Him, "Teacher, I will follow You wherever You go."  And Jesus said to him, "Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head."  Then another of His disciples said to Him, "Lord, let me first go and bury my father."  But Jesus said to him, "Follow Me, and let the dead bury their own dead."  Now when He got into a boat, His disciples followed Him.  And suddenly a great tempest arose on the sea, so that the boat was covered with the waves.  But He was asleep.  Then His disciples came to Him and awoke Him, saying, "Lord, save us!  We are perishing!"  But He said to them, "Why are you fearful, O you of little faith?"  Then He arose and rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was a great calm.  So the men marveled, saying, "Who can this be, that even the winds and the sea obey Him?"

 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?"   My study bible has an extensive note on today's entire passage.  I will quote from what is relevant here:  "The two Gergesene demoniacs are unsuitable for society and live at great distance from the village.  They are possessed by mental derangement, which makes them aggressive and self-destructive.  The demons in them recognize Jesus as the Son of God.  They know they have nothing in common with Him, for Jesus seeks man's salvation; but His presence torments them and expels them.  They are surprised that their power is being terminated before the time of the last judgment.  Thus, even before His Resurrection Jesus rescues people from the devil's control."  In yesterday's reading, Jesus set off with His disciples across the sea, where they faced great danger in a storm.  Here is the "other side," in Gentile territory; in some sense, it's like a symbolic wasteland or desert.  The encounter here is with demons, and human beings tormented and oppressed by them.

  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.   My study bible's note continues:  "Jesus does not yield to their [the demons'] request, but sends them out by His will:  though the malice and deceitfulness of the demons is great, they can do nothing unless He permits them.  Even the demoniacs had enjoyed God's providential care.  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.  Let us note the environment of the two demoniacs:  it's not a place where healing is appreciated!  All they can think of is the loss of their swine, and Jesus is not welcome.  His power is perhaps too strange, challenging, and frightening. 

There's a potent metaphor here -- or perhaps metaphor isn't a strong enough word -- regarding mental illness.  We note that the environment for these once-deranged men isn't a healthy one; it's not one that supports true healing, which at its root is a spiritual problem.  The healing of these men shakes up their world too much for those around them, and so the "whole city" begs Jesus to leave.  The changes that may be necessary for real healing -- and the resistance that can be felt in an environment surrounding those with mental illness -- are insights here that we can't just gloss over.  The other important part of this story is the very strangeness of the place.  Jesus and His disciples go across the Sea of Galilee, to the "other side" into this Gentile territory where swine (unclean animals for the Jews) are being raised.  The loss of the swine is more important to the people there than the healing Jesus brings to these men, via the casting out of the demons that possessed them.  What is the value of the human beings here, and the value of the swine?  Their values are upside down, and although it's not a place where Jesus is received, nevertheless, His power is at work all over the world:  among the Jews, and among the Gentiles even in this place where the unclean animals are preferred to the healing of the men.  First Jesus has rebuked the wind and the waves of the storm on the sea; here, He rebukes the demons -- even in a place where faith isn't strong.  As for the possessed men themselves, we don't hear from them in this episode in Matthew.  (In other Gospels, similar stories tell us of one man possessed, and in at least one case, he "worships" Jesus.)  But the demons know Jesus, they recognize Him not only as Son but also as Judge.  And here is a recurring sign of the appearance of Messiah.  The demons know what the people don't.  Jesus' power as liberator from sin and oppression extends everywhere, even where people don't know His name, and do not want what He has to offer.  Again, in other stories, the healed demoniac begs to get into the boat with Jesus and the disciples, but Jesus sends him back to his own city and home, to tell his friends what great things the Lord has done for him.  But here, these men are strangely silent, which emphasizes their terrible powerlessness and oppression.  Yet, Christ has come here to liberate them; we simply don't know the rest of the story.  Christ as Messiah is a liberator of captives.  As Isaiah's passage also tells us, He's here to give sight to the blind.  But today's reading shows us we're free to reject that vision He offers, as the people who live in this place beg Him to leave.  In the Gospels, our entire world is a spiritual battleground, and Christ is here as liberator for each one of us.  It doesn't matter where we are, who we are among.  Even the silent prayers of the powerless are heard.  He is still here and His power is over all the world, in every place, in every hour.  Let us understand it's up to us to accept what He offers, and to accept the changes He brings as well.  To be liberated, and to truly see, may involve some adjustment on our part -- just as the disciples had to face their fear as they followed Him across the Sea of Galilee.  Can we follow Him, as well?