What have I to do with You, Jesus, Son of the Most High God?

 Then they sailed to the country of the Gadarenes, which is opposite Galilee.  And when He stepped out on the land, there met Him a certain man from the city who had demons for a long time.  And he wore no clothes, nor did he live in a house but in the tombs.  When he saw Jesus, he cried out, fell down before Him, and with a loud voice said, "What have I to do with You, Jesus, Son of the Most High God?  I beg You, do not torment me!"  For He had commanded the unclean spirit to come out of the man.  For it had often seized him, and he was kept under guard, bound with chains and shackles; and he broke the bonds and was driven by the demon into the wilderness.

Jesus asked him, saying, "What is your name?"  And he said, "Legion," because many demons had entered him.  And they begged Him that He would not command them to go out into the abyss.  Now a herd of many swine was feeding there on the mountain.  So they begged Him that He would permit them to enter them.  And He permitted them.

Then the demons went out of the man and entered the swine, and the herd ran violently down the steep place into the lake and drowned.  When those who fed them saw what had happened, they fled and told it in the city and in the country.  Then they went out to see what had happened, and came to Jesus, and found the man from whom the demons had departed, sitting at the feet of Jesus, clothed and in his right mind.  And they were afraid.  They also who had seen it told them by what means he who had been demon-possessed was healed.  Then the whole multitude of the surrounding region of the Gadarenes asked Him to depart from them, for they were seized with great fear.  And He got into the boat and returned. 

Now the man from whom the demons had departed begged Him that he might be with Him.  But Jesus sent him away, saying, "Return to your own house, and tell what great things God has done for you."  And he went his way and proclaimed throughout the whole city what great things Jesus had done for him. 

- Luke 8:26-39

Yesterday, we our reading began with the continuation of Jesus' talk to the disciples about the parable of the Sower:  "No one, when he has lit a lamp, covers it with a vessel or puts it under a bed, but sets it on a lampstand, that those who enter may see the light.  For nothing is secret that will not be revealed, nor anything hidden that will not be known and come to light.  Therefore take heed how you hear.  For whoever has, to him more will be given; and whoever does not have, even what he seems to have will be taken from him."  Then His mother and brothers came to Him, and could not approach Him because of the crowd.  And it was told Him by some, who said, "Your mother and Your brothers are standing outside, desiring to see You."  But He answered and said to them, "My mother and My brothers are these who hear the word of God and do it."  Now it happened, on a certain day, that He got into a boat with His disciples.  And He said to them, "Let us cross over to the other side of the lake."  And they launched out.  But as they sailed He fell asleep.  And a windstorm came down on the lake, and they were filling with water, and were in jeopardy.  And they came to Him and awoke Him, saying, "Master, Master, we are perishing!"  Then He arose and rebuked the wind and the raging of the water.  And they ceased, and there was a calm.  But He said to them, "Where is your faith?"  And they were afraid, and marveled, saying to one another, "Who can this be?  For He commands even the winds and water, and they obey Him!"

 Then they sailed to the country of the Gadarenes, which is opposite Galilee.  And when He stepped out on the land, there met Him a certain man from the city who had demons for a long time.  And he wore no clothes, nor did he live in a house but in the tombs.  When he saw Jesus, he cried out, fell down before Him, and with a loud voice said, "What have I to do with You, Jesus, Son of the Most High God?  I beg You, do not torment me!"  For He had commanded the unclean spirit to come out of the man.  For it had often seized him, and he was kept under guard, bound with chains and shackles; and he broke the bonds and was driven by the demon into the wilderness.  This particular Gospel story reads like an adventure worthy of Odysseus; except this isn't a myth.   In yesterday's reading, Jesus told the disciples to set out for the other side of the Lake, or the Sea of Galilee.  They've already come through a frightening storm, which was violent enough to send these experienced fishermen into absolute fear for their lives.  Here they sail to this country opposite Galilee, and meet a man so overcome by demons and for such a long time that he wore no clothes, and lived in the tombs among the dead.   Christ has wasted no time immediately commanding the unclean spirits to come out of the man, and the demons respond in fear, having recognized Him, something with which we're already familiar in Luke's Gospel.  But this is an extreme case; this poor man was kept under guard, bound with chains and shackles, and has broken the bonds and was driven by the demon into the wilderness. 

Jesus asked him, saying, "What is your name?"  And he said, "Legion," because many demons had entered him.  And they begged Him that He would not command them to go out into the abyss.  Now a herd of many swine was feeding there on the mountain.  So they begged Him that He would permit them to enter them.  And He permitted them.  In this story we're given the image of the occupying legion of demons, as a hostile military force who've taken this man hostage.  Fittingly, the language we have for angels is also military; we're given a picture of hostile forces in a battle for lives, minds, souls.  The demons beg to enter the swine, an animal considered unclean by the Jews.

Then the demons went out of the man and entered the swine, and the herd ran violently down the steep place into the lake and drowned.  When those who fed them saw what had happened, they fled and told it in the city and in the country.  Then they went out to see what had happened, and came to Jesus, and found the man from whom the demons had departed, sitting at the feet of Jesus, clothed and in his right mind.  And they were afraid.  They also who had seen it told them by what means he who had been demon-possessed was healed.  Then the whole multitude of the surrounding region of the Gadarenes asked Him to depart from them, for they were seized with great fear.  And He got into the boat and returned.   This shocking sight of the herd of swine running violently down the steep place into the lake and drowning gives us a picture of the true nature of the demons, and how destructive they are.  My study bible comments that it shows us how human beings -- even this man in this place and under such circumstances -- are protected and loved by God, as such a fate did not happen to him.  There are many who understand this event as happening in Gentile territory, but it seems more likely that in fact these are apostate Jews raising swine for money, most likely to sell to Gentile populations.  We note the contrast between the frightening death of the swine and the now calm, clothed, and mentally fit many who was formerly tormented by the demons.  But this community to whom the swine belonged simply respond with great fear, asking Jesus to depart from them.  So Jesus does not stay with this community.

Now the man from whom the demons had departed begged Him that he might be with Him.  But Jesus sent him away, saying, "Return to your own house, and tell what great things God has done for you."  And he went his way and proclaimed throughout the whole city what great things Jesus had done for him.   As we might think understandable, this healed man does not wish to stay in this and among these people who preferred the swine to his healing.  But Jesus has an interesting task for him; he's to return to his own house -- presumably not among this particular community -- and to tell the good news to those who know him.  He proclaimed the news of Jesus and the great things He had done for him throughout the whole city, becoming a type of evangelist preparing the way for the apostles who will go out to the world.

This story of the demon-possessed man who gave the name "Legion" due to so many demons is a powerful reminder of the possibilities of a world given over to a darkness that despises the light of Christ.  It's not simply a cautionary tale, but one also of great wonder and true healing.  It teaches us, first of all, that there is no situation or circumstance too great for Christ to address, to help, and to heal.  Seemingly, Christ has directed His disciples to this place precisely in order to find this man, so afflicted and oppressed, in order to set him free.  It is, in that sense, a story of a Liberator, Christ who comes into our world precisely in order to set us free from the things that oppress and afflict us.  He brings His greater power and authority over the demons in order to release us as captive to forces we might not always be able to control.  We note the chaos created by the demons; there is an entire breakdown of order in the life of this man.  He's so far out of control that he's been bound with chains, but breaks them and is driven out into the wilderness, and living in the tombs rather than among the living.  Moreover, the only people around him are those so hard-hearted -- and devoted simply to making money in any way they can regardless of the religious restrictions for Jews regarding swine -- they care less for his healing than the loss of their source of income.  We might find easy parallels there among homeless populations afflicted with addiction and mental illness and living on the street among others who care less for them than what money might be made from their afflictions.  The breakdown of this man's life into pure chaos is also something modern societies are familiar with, including the total isolation that results.  The story is a strange one, coming to the disciples in a place perhaps unknown to them across the sea -- but it presents us who live in modern societies with an unfortunately familiar picture in some aspects, and in this sense gives us a very compelling pertinent picture of our modern need for Christ.  Even in the picture of alienation and isolation of this man we find modern parallels we need to address with important considerations of what it is that really creates community.   We frequently overlook, in modern societies, the very roots of social rules that come from faith designed to give community in the first place -- and the results that seem to give us persistent problems which social programs fail to cure.  While the text reads like an adventure, our modern sensibilities encounter all-too-often scenaria of those left behind and forgotten, alienated from what would be considered "home" and without means to escape from what torments them.  When the demons ask, in the voice of the possessed man, "What have I to do with You, Jesus, Son of the Most High God?" we might just hear the voice of a wretched and forlorn person seemingly forgotten by the world, and given over to the hostility of affliction in all its forms (including prizing material gain over human life).  We clearly remain human beings who need help, and need to recall from whence that help comes.  We call upon the One who can restore order in chaos, who comes not just to help but to liberate us from affliction, and with the compassion that supersedes all things.  Let us consider what we see around ourselves in this light, and question our own values and concerns for healing and what it takes.  We may have to reconsider our priorities to do so, as those who've lost their swine in the story fail to do -- and remember the good news of the great things that God has done for those who've found healing from Christ.