And he went his way and proclaimed throughout the whole city what great things Jesus had done for 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.  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 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 

 

In yesterday's reading, we read that Jesus taught (continuing from 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.  Once again, Jesus' encounter with demons results in their identifying Him.  In this case, He is called Son of the Most High God.  It is important to understand that although these demonic spirits essentially rebel against the purpose for which they were created, they still have no power to resist Christ.  It's also important to note the disorder in which this man is found, a direct effect of the hostile demons.  This man has been driven to deeper isolation, violence, and self-destruction.  He lives only among the dead.

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.   The reference to the abyss is a reference to the ultimate judgment, and the place to which the demons know they will be assigned, a place of non-existence.  But it is not yet that time, so they beg to enter the swine, an animal considered unclean to the Jews.  My study bible comments that some teach that the presence of swine would indicate a Gentile population.  But, since Christ forbade His disciples to go to the Gentiles (Matthew 10:5), and was Himself reluctant to seek out the Gentiles (Matthew 15:24), it's likely that these are Jews engaged in what for hem was a sinful occupation, profiting from the sale of the swine to the Gentile population.  The destruction of the entire herd of swine reveals several things.  First, while animals are a venerable part of creation, human beings are of far greater value.  Also, Christ removes a source of sin, as swine herding was an abomination to the Jews (Deuteronomy 14:8).  Demons have no power over creation, my study bible further notes, but are subject to the will of God.  They can only enter the swine at the command of Christ.  People are protected under the providence of God, otherwise, the demon-possessed man would have come to the same death as the swine. 

When those who fed them saw what had happened, they fled and told it in the city and 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.    These same people who were herding the swine show themselves to be quite hard-hearted.  Rather than glorifying God for the healing of this man who is now clothed and in his right mind, all they consider is the economic loss of their swine, and they fear Jesus so much that they as only that He depart from them.  The magnitude of their financial loss will nevertheless remain for them as a sign of the power of Christ.

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.  The healed man, now in his right mind and whole, gains a renewed life thanks to Christ.  He become an evangelist bearing the good news to others at Christ's command, glorifying God.

In some sense, today's story bears resemblance to the powerful mythic stories of the ancient world, notably that of the Odyssey, in that Jesus and the disciples cross the Sea of Galilee to a strange and unknown place for the disciples, and encounter this demon-possessed man.  But it also tells us a powerful story of healing, and the many dimensions of the impact of Jesus on a disordered and strange, uncivilized world.  For these Jews in this place to be raising the swine is first of all something very wrong for the devout Jews who form Jesus' disciples.  It shows the locals' preference for the financial rewards they will reap, over the religious law of the Jews.  But by far the greater sign of terrible disorder is the man possessed by the legion of demons.  In him we find all the outward symptoms of a disordered and broken culture.   He is the one in whom all the disorder of a world that has lost its way manifests, and he's held hostage to the demons and their influence.  He can't even wear clothing, nor live in a house.   He must live among the tombs, among the dead.  In some sense, he is symbolically in hell.  He is out of control, and must be bound in chains and shackles and kept under guard.  And yet the demon, we're told, has simply driven him further into the wilderness, away from community into a stark and terrifying isolation.   It is as if he himself has been driven into the abyss the demons fear, at their hands.  It teaches us of cruelty and injustice, the destructiveness of the demons and their influence, the torment which seems to be their only product in this world for those whom they afflict.   So there is a story within a story here, of the influence of that which is against God, against Christ, and the disorder it afflicts upon human beings and human society.  All the values are out of whack; the profiteering of the swine-herders goes hand in hand with their priorities over and against human health and the value of this tormented man.  Do we simply discard the unwell?  Are our cares only for what is convenient and profitable for us?  Do we give up on what is good and the historical values we know are good?  What makes for a healthy human society?  It is the power of God at work in this story that restores those things, even in this seemingly God-forsaken place, where the people have clearly forgotten about their God and reject Christ.  But there is nevertheless one who is saved, and that is the one who was most badly afflicted through the rejection of God by that community, the one whom the demons wanted to control and destroy.  Interestingly, the healed man also remains, in some sense, alone.  He is the only one who has faith in Christ, and praises God.  But, like Christ, he is not alone in the sense that God is with him (John 16:32), and he is commissioned by Christ with purpose and meaning, and becomes an evangelist in his city.  Christ not only commands the demons, but also gives this formerly afflicted man purpose and reason.  He restores his health, and in so doing, sets him in proper relationship to God.  This once afflicted man seems to have a choice in his life.  He could waste his time wondering why God let him be occupied by a legion of demons.  Or he could accept this special position of being the one for whom Christ set sail across the Sea of Galilee in a storm, and rescued him from the legion, and who now lives to tell the story -- following Christ and glorifying God by doing so.  In some sense, this story also offers us a similar choice.  Will we face the demons -- figurative or otherwise -- in our own lives with the help of God?  Will we be angry for our troubles and difficulties, or seek out the help we need?  Do we glorify the One who is always there for us, even when it seems we're alone?   Set in right-relationship to Christ, we are also in right-relationship to the world, even when it is the world we knew that let us down.