He asked him, "What is your name?" And he answered, saying, "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

Yesterday we read that on the same day when He spoke of His parables, when evening had come, He said to them, "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.    Here is the "other side of the sea," the opposite side of the Sea of Galilee from the home base of the disciples.  This is strange country, indeed.  Here dwells a man who needs to live among the tombs, and even there he is out of control, uncivilized, untamable.  Even chains cannot hold him.  His destructive pattern extends also to self-destruction, as night and day he was both in the mountains and in the tombs, crying out and cutting himself with stones.  He is, perhaps, a picture of life far away from the "civilizing" aspects of Mosaic Law, left to fend for himself against the afflictions of demons.   This country of the Gadarenes was still in Galilee, and is an area with many Gentiles living among the Jews.

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.   The word worshiped is translated from a word that means literally to become prostrate toward someone, an attitude and position of worship.  Contained in the meanings of the word is the sense of kissing the ground of worship before the object of worship (It is indeed a word often used to mean "worship.")  However we wish to interpret this particular word, the conflict between what this man truly desires and what the demons want is clear.  The large herd of swine are evidence that those in this region are not Gentiles but rather apostate Jews, fitting in with the theme of a kind of abandonment of what is best for human beings or at least for "God's people."  The text would seem to indicate that for financial considerations, they've taken on swine-herding as a practice.  In this context, to send the demons into the swine is "fitting," as they are considered unclean animals in the Mosaic Law (Deuteronomy 14:8).   The name "Legion" gives us a further sense of oppression and occupation by enemy forces, the military might of the demons multiplied where God is not honored, as a Roman legion consisted of several thousand men.

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.  Those who herd the swine care less about the value of this restored human being than they do about the value of their swine.  My study bible says that the fact that this man did not perish under the influence of the demons (for we know their destructive activity, as evidenced by the mass suicide of the swine), shows that he was still under God's protection.  It also tells us of the incomparable value of human beings, whose salvation is worth every sacrifice.

One thing we can notice about today's reading is that Christ has a job for this man who's been tormented by the demons all this time.  His life was indeed, among the dead, so to speak -- as the one place he was fit to live was among the tombs.  Not only that, but as a Jew, he was in this place where other Jews had abandoned the Mosaic Law, and clearly preferred that Jesus leave because of the loss of their swine.  The apparent healing and restoration of this man meant much less in terms of sheer value.  I think it's important that we note that Jesus has good counsel for him, that he must go to the Decapolis (a region of Gentile influence, and mixed populations of Gentiles and Jews) and tell his friends there "what great things the Lord has done for you, and how He has had compassion on you."   He will testify, there is a new life before him, and not simply a return to the old.  He is one redeemed from this place of abandonment, of those who have abandoned their own faith practices, and who don't care about his well-being and welfare, but more so about the value of their swine.  We must read this story in the context of the Jews and Jewish practices, and not merely in terms of some kind of modern context of what foods or animals are considered to be clean.  We'd be wise to remember that St. Paul writes of Judgment, "For as many as have sinned without law will also perish without law, and as many as have sinned in the law will be judged by the law (for not the hearers of the law are just in the sight of God, but the doers of the law will be justified; for when Gentiles, who do not have the law, by nature do the things in the law, these, although not having the law, are a law to themselves, who show the work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness, and between themselves their thoughts accusing or else excusing them) in the day when God will judge the secrets of men by Jesus Christ, according to my gospel"  (Romans 2:12-16).  We would do well to remember that the Gospels were written during the times of the early Church, in which Gentiles were already participating.  The comparison here is between those who would abandon God in favor of their material good, and in so doing, abandon this human being and also reject Christ.  The message of the "civilizing" and restorative nature of the love of God is clear, as is the "incomparable value of human beings," as my study bible puts it.  We can respond to the holy with the type of fear shown by those who have lost their swine, or we can follow Christ, leave behind those with values that do not truly support human welfare, and find our places in His call for us.  This remains the choice before us, and we will find just such situations every single day around us, if we but look for them.  We are always faced with such a choice, even if history changes the context in which we see it.