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

Healing of the Demon Possessed (Mark 5), Ottheinrich Bible, 1425-30. Bavarian State Library, Munich, Germany

 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 Jesus had been preaching in 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.  Today's reading takes place across the Sea of Galilee, outside of the familiar territory of Jesus' disciples and His ministry.  This is still in Galilee, however, my study bible says, and it is a place where there are many Gentiles mixed midst with the Jewish population.

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.  The description of the plight of this man is always striking in my view.  He lives among the tombs, far away from life and community and a civilized kind of existence.  No one can bind him, or bring order to his life, although he has often been bound with shackles and chains.  Let us note the details of his life:  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."  The demons, according to my study bible, are surprised that their power is being terminated before the time of the last judgment (see Matthew 8:29).  We note the slavish understanding of these demons; while they use their power to torment and destroy this man, they fear only torment from Jesus.

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.   Many feel that this takes place in Gentile territory, due to the swine being raised in this area.  But still others comment that it indicates apostate Jews who raise swine for money, against the precepts of the Law (Deuteronomy 14:8), as lucrative commodity to sell to the Gentile population.  Living among Gentiles, they have taken on Gentile practices.  The demons essentially beg for mercy, which Christ grants them; but the swine are not protected by God in the same way that the tormented demoniac was, and the demons destroy them.

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.  Two different directions are apparent here.  In the first, those who were raising the swine see this formerly demon-possessed man, sitting and clothed and in his right mind, and it means nothing to them.  They care far more for the loss of their swine, and so they respond with fear and plead with Jesus to depart from their region.  And on the other hand, there is the healed man, who wishes only to get into the boat and go with Jesus, and begged Him that he might be with Him.  But instead, with his faith and his experience of healing, Jesus sends him out as a type of early evangelist and apostle, clearly preparing the way for the future Church:  "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."

One commentary on this story reminds us of Jesus' own journey to come, and how it is reflected in some way in today's reading.  St. Peter Chrysologus, a 5th century bishop known for his homilies, preached, "Behold where is he, who was promised all the glories of this world, found to dwell—where?—in the tombs! Compassed about with the putrid rottenness of dead bodies"  (Sermons 17).  In a certain sense, this man oppressed and driven mad by the demons dwells where Christ brings life, in the tombs.  It tells us about how infinitely and inexhaustibly resilient the human soul is, for even under such conditions, and apparently for a great length of time, he is still capable of running to Christ and recognizing his need of Him.  It also tells us about Jesus' mission, that it is indeed "to the ends of the earth" in this sense of coming to this forsaken place and this forsaken person, left to dwell wild among the tombs with no sense of life nor community nor hope -- until Jesus comes.  Let us also note how Christ Himself aims his journey directly toward this man on this foreign shore of the Sea of Galilee, and remember the storm through which the disciples have passed to get here.   All of this indicates it is deliberate, with Jesus' mission being to redeem this man, despite his circumstances, his history, and the place where he has lived and those among whom he has dwelt.  Nothing is hopeless.  This is our message.  The glory of humanity -- made in the image of God -- remains visible to our Creator, who seeks only to redeem those who still retain the capacity (however elusive) to desire that redemption.  In the light of this story, one must consider that Christ will Himself go into the tomb in order to secure this great depth of hope -- even among death -- for all of humanity, and not only for this poor and oppressed demoniac.  If the actions and conditions of the demoniac resemble what might seem modern-day sights of homelessness and those in need of mental health care, let us not lose sight of the message that "with God all things are possible" (Matthew 19:26).  Speaking from this place, we may indeed consider that it makes little difference whether we are speaking of this abandoned man in the tombs or a wealthy man living in a palace and bound to wealth (as in Matthew 19).  There is always hope, for God has created us so, and Christ has come into the world to teach us so.  The one thing that can keep us from the love of Christ is our continued rejection of such love -- and even then, the depths of the human heart are not even fully known to ourselves, but only to God.  Let us consider the boundless hope expressed in today's reading, the infinite chances we have for redemption, how nothing is lost to God that is given to Christ (John 6:39).   Through all things, let us always remember that it is the slimmest of chances on which Christ stakes His ministry and bets on us, His effort for all of us.  It gives us the great message that we must never give up hope at any time, even against a sea of troubles or a legion of enemies.  There might be times when we also feel like asking, "What have I to do with You, Jesus, Son of the Most High God?"  And the correct answer is, "Everything."