What have we to do with You, Jesus, You Son of God? Have You come here to torment us before the time?

 

 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 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 

 

Yesterday we read that, in Capernaum, when Jesus saw great multitudes about Him, He gave a command to depart to the other side of the Sea of Galilee.  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?"  Now a good way off from them 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.  My study Bible comments on today's passage that the demons, who recognize Jesus as the Son of God, are surprised that their power is being terminated before the time of the last judgment.  Although their malice is great, they can't do anything against the will of God.  Thus, they can only enter the swine at Christ's command.  Moreover, my study Bible adds, the immediate destruction of the herd reveals that these men had been protected by God's care; without it, they would have perished under the demonic influence.  Additionally, it reinforces that swineherding was not lawful for the Jews.  It shows the incomparable value of human beings, whose salvation is worth every sacrifice. 

 

 This story also appears in the Gospels of St. Mark and St. Luke, but there are a few distinctive differences.  In the story according to Sts. Mark and Luke, there is only one demoniac mentioned, but as there are also more details given to us of his story following his healing, it seems quite possible that those accounts were written about a particular man, while in St. Matthew's Gospel, there are two in need of exorcism.  This is a Gentile region, with a population of mixed Jews and Gentiles, and our story takes place outside of city, in the countryside.  But the people who raise swine are likely Jews who herd and sell swine for a Gentile population, which already tells us something in terms of their adherence to their faith.  Moreover, many sources assure us that such demonic possession is not possible without prior participation in some forms of demonic rituals or practices.  These men live in the tombs among the dead, and so uncleanness is associated with everything in this environment.  It's possible they practice a kind of idolatry; according to at least one Church Father (Chromatius, Bishop of Aquileia, late 4th cent.), this might include venerating the memories of dictators or images of the dead.  All of these are practices forbidden in Judaism.  Over the course of the past few readings we've witnessed Jesus moving to save and heal those who are in some sense unclean, touching the leper to heal him in Saturday's reading, and a willingness to enter the home of the centurion to heal his servant in Monday's reading.  Let us keep in mind also the remarkable story of the journey to get to this place, as Jesus has taken His disciples across a threatening and stormy Sea of Galilee to come here (see yesterday's reading, above).  What it tells us in a nutshell is about the character of Christ, Savior and Redeemer, who will go through any and all lengths required to save what is salvageable.  Of course, this understanding reflects the whole of the story of Christ's Incarnation, and particularly His death on the Cross, and the Resurrection and Ascension that followed.  The fierceness and chaos in these two men reflect the effects of the demonic, the affliction that tears people from civilization and renders them rudderless save for the malice of the demons.  Note that the demons recognize Jesus first, and even indignantly demand to know if He's come to torment them before the time of the Judgment to come.  They know all about Jesus; they know He is the Son of God and call Him so.  Then they bargain before exorcism; they wish Him to send them into the herd of swine, who become suicidal en masse under their influence.  Those who keep the swine flee into the city and tell all to the people.  The whole city returns to beg Jesus to leave their region.  This tells us about an environment as a whole, a people for whom the exorcism of these demons means nothing compared to the loss of their swine.  But again, the stories that appear in the Gospels of St. Mark and St. Luke tell us about one man now freed from demonic possession who will go on to proclaim in the city what great things the Lord has done for him.  Today's story is a kind of reflection of spiritual battle, a picture of Christ -- our ultimate commander and Lord -- who can go into the worst of afflicted environments and yet still command the demons who desire to resist His rule.  He is authority over all; at the conclusion of St. Matthew' Gospel Jesus will declare to the disciples, "All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth" (see Matthew 28:18-20).  Clearly we are given to understand that there are no limits to the depth or the breadth of Christ's authority, and this is what St. Matthew's Gospel teaches.  Let us take heed for our faith, and remember that He is with us always, even to the end of the age.

 

 

 

 

 

So He came and took her by the hand and lifted her up, and immediately the fever left her. And she served them

 

 Now as soon as they had come out of the synagogue, they entered the house of Simon and Andrew, with James and John.  But Simon's wife's mother lay sick with a fever, and they told Him about her at once.  So He came and took her by the hand and lifted her up, and immediately the fever left her.  And she served them.  

 

At evening, when the sun had set, they brought to Him all who were sick and those who were demon-possessed.  And the whole city was gathered together at the door.   Then He healed many who were sick with various diseases, and cast out many demons; and He did not allow the demons to speak, because they knew Him. 

 

Now in the morning, having risen a long while before daylight, He went out and departed to a solitary place; and there He prayed.  And Simon and those who were with Him searched for Him.  When they found Him, they said to Him, "Everyone is looking for You."  But He said to them, "Let us go into the next towns, that I may preach there also, because for this purpose I have come forth."  And He was preaching in their synagogues throughout all Galilee, and casting out demons. 

 

Now a leper came to Him, imploring Him, kneeling down to Him and saying to Him, "If You are willing, You can make me clean."  Then Jesus, moved with compassion, stretched out His hand and touched him, and said to him, "I am willing; be cleansed."  As soon as he had spoken, immediately the leprosy left him, and he was cleansed.  And He strictly warned him and sent him away at once,  and said to him, "See that you say nothing to anyone; but go your way, show yourself to the priest, and offer for your cleansing those things which Moses commanded, as a testimony to them."  However, he went out and began to proclaim it freely, and to spread the matter, so that Jesus could no longer openly enter the city, but was outside in deserted places; and they came to Him from every direction.

 

- Mark 1:29-45 

 

 Now after John was put in prison, Jesus came to Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God, and saying, "The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand.  Repent, and believe in the gospel." And as He walked by the Sea of Galilee, He saw Simon and Andrew his brother casting a net into the sea; for they were fishermen.  Then Jesus said to them, "Follow Me, and I will make you become fishers of men."  They immediately left their nets and followed Him.  When He had gone a little farther from there, He saw James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother who also were in the boat mending their nets.  And immediately He called them, and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired servants, and went after Him.  Then they went into Capernaum, and immediately on the Sabbath He entered the synagogue and taught.  And they were astonished at His  teaching, for He taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes.  Now there was a man in their synagogue with an unclean spirit.  And he cried out, saying, "Let us alone!  What have we to do with You, Jesus of Nazareth?  Did You come to destroy us?  I know who You are -- the Holy One of God!"  But Jesus rebuked him, saying, "Be quiet, and come out of him!"  And when the unclean spirit had convulsed him and cried out with a loud voice, he came out of him.  Then they were all amazed, so that the questioned among themselves, saying, "What is this?  What new doctrine is this?  For with authority He commands even the unclean spirits, and they obey Him."  And immediately His fame spread throughout all the region around Galilee. 

 

  Now as soon as they had come out of the synagogue, they entered the house of Simon and Andrew, with James and John.  But Simon's wife's mother lay sick with a fever, and they told Him about her at once.  So He came and took her by the hand and lifted her up, and immediately the fever left her.  And she served them.  Passages such as this in the Gospels (see also Matthew 8:14-15, Luke 4:38-39) and 1 Corinthians 9:5 (in which Peter is called Cephas) show us that St. Peter was married.  My study Bible comments that the Lord's healing miracles are diverse.  Here, He heals by touch.  Elsewhere, such as in rebuking the unclean spirit in yesterday's reading (see above), He heals with a word.  This healing of St. Peter's mother-in-law  is immediate and complete; others are gradual (Mark 8:22-25) or they require the cooperation of the person healed or of his loved ones (Luke 8:54-55).  All of Christ's miracles or signs (the word used in St. John's Gospel) manifest His redemption of ailing humanity.  In the case of St. Peter's mother-in-law we must recognize that her serving this early ministry of Christ is a restoration of her place in the household, as one who serves Christ.  In modern language and culture, we might fail to recognize that this is an honored place.  The word translated as "served" is διακονέω/diakoneo, from which we derive the English word "deacon."  In effect she takes her place one who ministers to Christ.

 

 At evening, when the sun had set, they brought to Him all who were sick and those who were demon-possessed.  And the whole city was gathered together at the door.   Then He healed many who were sick with various diseases, and cast out many demons; and He did not allow the demons to speak, because they knew Him.  Once again, the Gospel emphasizes that Jesus' messianic identity is to be kept a secret; therefore He did not allow the demons to speak, because they knew Him.  See also yesterday's reading and commentary.  

 

 Now in the morning, having risen a long while before daylight, He went out and departed to a solitary place; and there He prayed.  And Simon and those who were with Him searched for Him.  When they found Him, they said to Him, "Everyone is looking for You."  But He said to them, "Let us go into the next towns, that I may preach there also, because for this purpose I have come forth."  And He was preaching in their synagogues throughout all Galilee, and casting out demons.  My study Bible comments that here Jesus sets forth for us an example of spiritual life.  Although He was God incarnate, he prayed continually, and often found a solitary place to be freed from distraction -- despite everyone's need of Him.  My study Bible notes that the Lord's ministry comes forth from His communion with the Father and the Holy Spirit and flows to people in their needs.  His praying in the morning teaches that we must put as first priority our commitment to God, and only then we will be equipped to properly serve others.

 

 Now a leper came to Him, imploring Him, kneeling down to Him and saying to Him, "If You are willing, You can make me clean."  Then Jesus, moved with compassion, stretched out His hand and touched him, and said to him, "I am willing; be cleansed."  As soon as he had spoken, immediately the leprosy left him, and he was cleansed.  And He strictly warned him and sent him away at once,  and said to him, "See that you say nothing to anyone; but go your way, show yourself to the priest, and offer for your cleansing those things which Moses commanded, as a testimony to them."  However, he went out and began to proclaim it freely, and to spread the matter, so that Jesus could no longer openly enter the city, but was outside in deserted places; and they came to Him from every direction.  The biblical law concerning leprosy is found in Leviticus 13; 14.  In Deuteronomy 24:8 we may find the requirement for purification of lepers and leprous houses, a duty which was entrusted to the priests.  My study Bible explains that leprosy was considered a direct punishment for sins, and as lepers were unclean, they weren't permitted to live in community or to worship in synagogues or the temple.  To touch the unclean was forbidden (Leviticus 7:21), but Jesus touched the leper, expressing His compassion, and showing that Christ is not subject to the Law but is over it.  To the clean, my study Bible notes, nothing is unclean (see Romans 14:14; Titus 1:15).  

 

 What do we make of St. Peter's mother-in-law, who, upon her immediate healing by Jesus, being lifted up by Him, served Jesus and His disciples in their family home?  This word used for her act of serving, as noted above, is the basis for our word in the Church for those who serve, deacon.  Essentially we can read that she is ministering to Christ's ministry, to Him and to His first called disciples in her home which would become the ministry headquarters for Jesus.  It tells us a kind of story of the traditional roles of women in the Church, as it was women who ministered to the ministry, so to speak, by supporting it out of their own resources.  In Luke 8, we read these women:  "Now it came to pass, afterward, that He went through every city and village, preaching and bringing the glad tidings of the kingdom of God. And the twelve were with Him, and certain women who had been healed of evil spirits and infirmities—Mary called Magdalene, out of whom had come seven demons, and Joanna the wife of Chuza, Herod’s steward, and Susanna, and many others who provided for Him from their substance" (Luke 8:1-3).  At the Cross, St. Matthew tells us quite literally:  "And many women who followed Jesus from Galilee, ministering [my italics] to Him, were there looking on from afar, among whom were Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James and Joses, and the mother of Zebedee’s sons" (Matthew 27:55-56).  So, just as these women (especially Mary Magdalene) would also become known as apostles to the apostles after they are the first to see the risen Christ and so spread the news to the apostles of Christ's Resurrection, during His earthly ministry, they are "ministers to the ministers," if you will.  In a modern context, we are tempted to equate serving with a diminished status, but for these women this is not so.  Their roles are indispensable.  Without them, Christ's ministry could not have been supported and carried on as it was; they are an integral part not only of His ministry, but of the entire story of salvation.  Without them, events would not have unfolded as they did, for these women went even to His tomb to anoint and care for His body, even when the apostles were in hiding.  Thus, just as they literally supported His ministry, they were the first to hear, believe, and proclaim the Resurrection -- see Luke 24:1-10.  Theirs are not simply secondary roles available to women in a society in which women had diminished status.  These are roles given through the spiritual reality of Christ's ministry, which these women filled with strength, resourcefulness, resilience, and a kind of courage that at time surpassed that of the apostles.  Let us not make the common present assumption that because they served, their roles are not as honorific as were the men's.  One would consider that a misreading and misunderstanding of what is being communicated to us in the Gospels, and what a tremendous honor they had to serve God in this integral and essential way.  Moreover, this would be a neglectful understanding of the impact which Christ's ministry and specifically His treatment of women would have on the whole of society and in every place in which Christianity became practiced; those effects are undeniable.  A woman's soul is essential to the salvation plan of Christ as any man's, and this is made clear through His ministry.  The many early martyrs in the Church who were young women who chose not to marry as their families demanded, but to claim their soul's redemption even if it meant death is, in fact, testimony to this.  Today, of course, because of the effects of Christianity on culture and history, our societies differ from Christ's immediate contemporaries, and so new questions arise for the role of women in the Kingdom and in ministry.  But let us not project upon the past and diminish these women's roles and their powerful sanctification as embraced by Christ and enshrined in the Church as God's work in the world.  Let us not apply a worldly standard to the truth of the truly counter-cultural reality of Christ, for whom His followers participated in a Kingdom which rendered them in the world but not of it.  

 

 

 

He casts out demons by the ruler of the demons

 

 When Jesus departed from there, two blind men followed Him, crying out and saying, "Son of David, have mercy on us!"  And when He had come into the house, the blind men came to Him.  And Jesus said to them, "Do you believe that I am able to do this?  They said to Him, "Yes, Lord."  Then he touched their eyes, saying, "According to your faith let it be to you."  And their eyes were opened.  And Jesus sternly warned them, saying, "See that no one knows it."  But when they had departed, they spread the news about Him in all that country.  As they went out, behold, they brought to Him a man, mute and demon-possessed.  And when the demon was cast out, the mute spoke.  And the multitudes marveled, saying, "It was never seen like this in Israel!"  But the Pharisees said, "He casts out demons by the ruler of the demons." 

 

- Matthew 9:27–34 

 

Yesterday we read that a ruler of the synagogue came and worshiped Jesus, saying, "My daughter has just died, but come and lay Your hand on her and she will live."  So Jesus arose and followed him, and so did His disciples.  And suddenly, a woman who had a flow of blood for twelve years came from behind and touched the hem of His garment.  For she said to herself, "If only I may touch His garment, I shall be made well."  But Jesus turned around, and when He saw her He said, "Be of good cheer, daughter; your faith has made you well."  And the woman was made well from that hour.  When Jesus came into the ruler's house, and saw the flute players and the noisy crowd wailing, He said to them, "Make room, for the girl is not dead, but sleeping."  And they ridiculed Him.  But when the crowd was put outside, He went in and took her by the hand, and the girl arose.  And the report of this went out into all that land.

 

  When Jesus departed from there, two blind men followed Him, crying out and saying, "Son of David, have mercy on us!"  And when He had come into the house, the blind men came to Him.  And Jesus said to them, "Do you believe that I am able to do this?  They said to Him, "Yes, Lord."  Then he touched their eyes, saying, "According to your faith let it be to you."  And their eyes were opened.  And Jesus sternly warned them, saying, "See that no one knows it."  But when they had departed, they spread the news about Him in all that country.  As they went out, behold, they brought to Him a man, mute and demon-possessed.  And when the demon was cast out, the mute spoke.  My study Bible comments that, according to Isaiah, the messianic age is signified when "the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf shall hear" (Isaiah 35:5).  These healings, it notes, are a sign that Jesus is the awaited Messiah, as is the use of the title Son of David by the blind men, which expresses their faith in this truth.  

 

And the multitudes marveled, saying, "It was never seen like this in Israel!"  But the Pharisees said, "He casts out demons by the ruler of the demons."   To cast out demons by the ruler of demons is impossible, my study Bible says, for the aim of the devil is to consolidate power, not to destroy it.  Moreover, Jesus cleansed  lepers, raised the dead, and remitted sins -- works which demons could not perform.

 

 We note that the Pharisees, by now no doubt somewhat challenged and alarmed by the fact that the multitudes marveled over Christ's works, call His works evil, saying that He casts out demons by the ruler of the demons.  Already we can see Jesus is growing in fame and renown for the great works He is doing, so that the people marvel, and thus He is becoming something of a rival in the eyes of the Pharisees, the ones who seek to regulate the faith and wield power within the religious institutions of the Jews, especially in interpreting the Scriptures and hence, the Law.  Jesus is not a member of the establishment, not among their number, not a scribe.  Neither is He a part of the Levitical priesthood.  He is an outsider, and His ministry -- as we read when He took on Matthew the tax collector as a disciple (in this reading) -- is a also a ministry that includes outsiders.  In fact in many ways we see Christ's calling not only to those left out, in some sense, who could not be included according to the Law, but also to those excluded for violations of the Law, such as lepers and the woman with the years-long blood flow in yesterday's reading (see above).  In His preaching and teaching to His disciples, and the use of their power and authority in His Church to come, He will also emphasize the care of the outliers, the ones on the edge, the ones with little to no power or social stature.  These He will call "little ones" and His constant call will be to avoid misleading them, offenses in the use of power toward them, and the greatest of care to see in them not only Himself, but also the One who sent Him (see, for example, Matthew 18:1-14).  The parable of the lost sheep found in the last few verses of that passage emphasizes the same.   In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus open His sermon with the first Beatitude:  "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven" (Matthew 5:3).  The "poor in spirit" are those with the attitude of the poor, those who in their humility are dependent upon God.  They are the outliers, the ones whose heart comes not from social position but the love of God, regardless of outward status.  But for the Pharisees, this "outside" status of Jesus reflects for them only opposition, and so they label all that He does the power of the devil, the evil one, regardless of the goodness of outcomes.  In today's reading, the prophecy of Isaiah regarding the time of the Messiah is fulfilled, and yet the Pharisees still see Him this way, and openly label His works those of the ruler of the demons.  As we know, evil seeks to destroy, but Christ's works fulfill the blessed potentials of human beings, enabling the blind to see, and the mute to speak, restoring humanity as Creator to creature.  It's easy to label our seeming opponents as evil, if we see them as rivals for something, and in so doing, these Pharisees are not only slandering Jesus, they're committing blasphemy.  This same accusation by the Pharisees will come again, even more explicitly, in chapter 12 (notably in the case of a demon-possessed man who is both blind and mute), and Jesus will make it very clear what kind of sin it is to label the works of God evil (see Matthew 12:22-32).  Perhaps there is a great lesson for us in the types of healing in today's reading, in how one sees and how one speaks, for while Christ heals, it is the Pharisees who do not see clearly, and who speak untruths, even blasphemies against the work of God.  It is Christ who heals us in every way, in how we see, and teaches us how to speak, and for this reason we seek Him for our own healing in all ways.  He Himself is the antidote to the blindness of the Pharisees, and their reckless ways of using their power.  We seek Him so that He can do His good work in us.  As St. John says, "We love Him, because He first loved us" (1 John 4:19).  

 

 

They brought to Him all sick people who were afflicted with various diseases and torments, and those who were demon-possessed, epileptics, and paralytics; and He healed them

 

 And Jesus, walking by the Sea of Galilee, saw two brothers, Simon called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea; for they were fishermen.  Then He said to them, "Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men."  They immediately left their nets and followed Him.  Going on from there, He saw two other brothers, James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, in the boat with Zebedee their father, mending their nets.  He called them, and immediately they left the boat and their father, and followed Him.  

 

And Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing all kinds of sickness and all kinds of disease among the people.  Then His fame went throughout all Syria; and they brought to Him all sick people who were afflicted with various diseases and torments, and those who were demon-possessed, epileptics, and paralytics; and He healed them.  Great multitudes followed Him -- from Galilee, and from Decapolis, Jerusalem, Judea, and beyond the Jordan. 

 

- Matthew 4:18-25 

 

Yesterday we read that when Jesus heard that John the Baptist had been put in prison, He departed to Galilee. And leaving Nazareth, He came and dwelt in Capernaum, which is by the sea, in the regions of Zebulun and Naphtali, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Isaiah the prophet, saying: "The land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, / By the way of the sea, beyond the Jordan, / Galilee of the Gentiles: The people who sat in darkness have seen a great light, and upon those who sat in the region and shadow of death light has dawned."  From that time Jesus began to preach and to say, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand." 

 

  And Jesus, walking by the Sea of Galilee, saw two brothers, Simon called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea; for they were fishermen.  Then He said to them, "Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men."  They immediately left their nets and followed Him.  Going on from there, He saw two other brothers, James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, in the boat with Zebedee their father, mending their nets.  He called them, and immediately they left the boat and their father, and followed Him.   My study Bible asks us to understand that these first disciples had already heard the preaching of John the Baptist, and so they were prepared to accept Christ immediately.  Although they were illiterate and unlearned in religion, it notes, these "people of the land" whom Jesus calls will be revealed at Pentecost to the be the wisest of all.  

 

 And Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing all kinds of sickness and all kinds of disease among the people.  Then His fame went throughout all Syria; and they brought to Him all sick people who were afflicted with various diseases and torments, and those who were demon-possessed, epileptics, and paralytics; and He healed them.  Great multitudes followed Him -- from Galilee, and from Decapolis, Jerusalem, Judea, and beyond the Jordan.  My study Bible says that we should note that these crowds do not swarm Jesus when He commands repentance (as in yesterday's reading; see the final verse, above), but only as He begins to heal and work miracles.  This fact, it says, shows that the people misunderstand the true nature of His Kingdom.  It also shows Christ's concession, according to Theopylact, "to give credibility to what He teaches" among the fickle multitudes.  

 

Jesus reveals the presence of the Kingdom with Him in the healings that He does.  He heals diseases and torments, epilepsy, paralysis, and of course this goes hand in hand with casting out demons from those who were possessed.  This is all an expression of the Kingdom very present with Him, and of course, a manifestation of His power and authority in His identity as Son.  But, as we discussed in yesterday's reading and commentary, all the things that Christ is, and that entire presence of the Kingdom that encompasses all that He teaches and will do, including even Judgment, are part and parcel of what comes with Christ.  We can pick and choose healing, or casting out demons, but we can't leave out repentance, for this is basic and fundamental to His gospel message.  It is a sad and tragic thing when people suffer; when they suffer from diseases that afflict in terrible ways, when people die.  These things are "not fair."   In the historical understanding of the Church, these afflictions are a part of the effects of sin in the world, and that includes death and all that comes with it.  But each one of us will contend with death in one way or another, and what that means is that the ways in which we meet death, or any of the varied forms of death we encounter in life, such as illness and suffering, injustice, and the entire gamut of myriad things that are detrimental to life, must first of all be the encounter with Christ.  He is the One who transfigured death on the Cross, defeated it, but in His suffering created meaning and purpose.  We also, turning to Him in our distress, must meet all of our suffering and ailments with Him, and the fullness of what He is and teaches us.  Many people look to the amazing healings described in the Gospels and think that prayer's effectiveness is only about those times of trouble we have and the banishing of that trouble, like using a magic wand to fix our problems, or saying particular words that will have this effect.  Some see Christ's preaching as teaching us that all we have to do is believe that we have what we want, and call on His name, and it will be manifest.  But this is not the fullness of His ministry and message.  Even St. Paul writes that he had to accept an affliction, for he had received so many blessings and revelations, and been granted so many graces by God that, as he says, "a thorn in the flesh was given to me, a messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I be exalted above measure."  Praying about this "thorn in the flesh," this "messenger of Satan," he was told by God, "My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness."  Can we, in our quest for healing, accept what St. Paul says here?  That his own thorn in the flesh, a messenger of Satan, was allowed intentionally for the greater glory of God, that his weakness was in fact a way through which God's strength is made perfect?  How many of us can accept so fully this gospel that we could meet our own afflictions this way, finding meaning and even intention and purpose in our suffering?  But St. Paul met his suffering in prayer, and embraced the message that God had for him.  He concludes, "Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ’s sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong" (see 2 Corinthians 12:7-10).  It is a healthy and good thing to seek life, to reject death in all its forms, and to find the good and abundant reality of creation which God has given us and of which we are a part.  But when we substitute something else, an idol even of something nominally good, for the fullness of Christ and the meanings and grace to be found in the transfiguration of life possible through faith, then we're missing the mark -- we're failing to find what God has in mind for us and the beauty therein.  None of us wants to suffer; even more so, none wants to see their loved ones suffer in any way.  The mother of God, Mary, comes to mind when we think of her watching her Son suffer and die.  This kind of agony we wish upon no one.  And yet, she accepted God's reality for her; it was her faith that guided her response to even the worst cruelties of life.  These things are also great and profound mysteries; they are difficult to fathom, more difficult even to see when we are in distress.  But prayer will see us through them, even in the times when God's grace must be sufficient for us, when God's strength is made perfect in our weakness, or that of someone we love.  An acceptance of the potentials of meaning even within suffering shifts our perspective to one of compassion, and transcendence.  We find a dignity in forbearance but most of all in our capacity for care in the midst of imperfection, a beauty in seeing the grace that is still possible in the expression of faith and of love and the strength made perfect in weakness.  For we are on a journey to God which takes us through all kinds of things in life, even the sad things of this world.  Let us find His way and the comfort in His easy yoke, and light burden (Matthew 11:20).

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

He begged Him earnestly that He would not send them out of the country

 

 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 so 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 in 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, after Jesus had been preaching in parables, on the same day, 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.   My study Bible comments that the country of the Gadarenes was in Galilee, an area of many Gentiles living among the Jews. 

 

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 so 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.  Let us note the signs of this man's terrible affliction, an occupation by a legion of demons.   He can't be bound, and has a kind of superhuman strength, even pulling apart his chains, and breaking his shackles in pieces.  He's a picture of chaos, and cannot be tamed.  He cannot live in community but among the dead in the tombs, nor can he live a healthy life, constantly crying out and cutting himself with stones.  He has no rest from this, night and day.  But nevertheless, there remains a part of this man who runs to Christ for help, for 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. My study Bible comments that these demons recognize Jesus as Son of the Most High God.  Note how this legion of demons do not want to be sent out of the country. 

Now a large herd of swine was feeding there in 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.  In this region of mixed populations, Gentile influence caused many Jews to take on Gentile practices, such as raising swine, which was forbidden by the Law (Deuteronomy 14:8).  Perhaps they raise swine for the Gentile market, a lucrative practice.  My study Bible comments that, although some teach that the presence of the swine indicates these are Gentiles, we know that the Lord forbade His disciples to go to the Gentiles (Matthew 10:5) and was Himself reluctant to seek out the Gentiles (Matthew 15:24), so it is more likely these are Jews engaged in what is for them a sinful occupation.  My study Bible comments that although the malice of these demons is great (for we observed the torment of this man), they can do nothing against the will of God.  So they can only enter the swine at the command of Christ.  It notes that the immediate destruction of this herd shows that the man had been protected by God's care, otherwise he would have perished under the demonic influence.  It also reinforces that swineherding was unlawful for the Jews, and shows the incomparable value of human beings, whose salvation is worth every sacrifice.  

  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.  Again, emphasizing the lack of response to faith in these people, we see that they care far more for their swine than for this man and the remarkable healing of a human being.  They respond simply with fear, and plead with Jesus to depart from their region.  They want nothing to do with Him.  They care only for the swine they have lost.

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.  Clearly we can understand how this formerly demon-possessed man does not want to remain in this region, where he's been plagued by demons, and in which the people care more for their swine than for the healing of a human being.  Moreover, the people here have rejected Christ.  But Jesus has an alternate plan for him:  He will go home to his friends, tell them what great things the Lord has done for him -- and he began to proclaim in Decapolis, a place of both Gentiles and Jews, all that Jesus had done for him, so they all marveled.  

I marvel myself at today's story, because one is able to find so many things of value in it.  One thing we might note in today's reading is that much seems to be connected to place.  The demons beg not to be sent out of the country.  The demons don't want to leave this place; it seems they've found a home here.  The people of this area, the swine-herders, reject Jesus as a community, and plead with Him to depart from their region.   There is a kind of effect to the story that seems to suggest there is more that happens with such an occurrence than meets the eye, that the place itself may become somehow tainted by bad influence and the lack of faith that invites or accepts such influence, even rejecting Christ.  This is seen in the Old Testament Scriptures, as the land is depicted as a gift from God, and responds with fruitfulness or not depending on the people's faithfulness or rejection of God.  This seems to be especially clear in the story of the Promised Land (see Leviticus 26:3-5; Deuteronomy 11:26-28; 2 Chronicles 7:14).  In Christian tradition, home blessings remain a regular part of Orthodox Christian practice, and to sprinkle holy water in places of growing things such as gardens and agricultural produce is very common.  This author can attest to the effects I seem to have observed upon my own gardens over time.  While in a very secular modern context, we seem to treat land as something neutral, which our own plans and construction can turn into whatever we want, certainly place in the context of the Scriptures is something that is responsive in the way human life is responsive to spiritual faithfulness or the lack of it.  We've all heard stories of haunted houses, and seemingly haunted places such as battlegrounds where terrible deaths and killing have taken place, and we may take that as we might.  Nonetheless, the reality of faithfulness becomes part of the story of the Scriptures, and its effect upon the land we inhabit and cultivate.  This tells us a special story about the connectedness of all things, but not external to the centrality of God and our faith and our living of that faith.  We can picture the life in the Garden we're given of our earliest ancestors, in which all things are in communion under faithfulness to God, and the effects of sin on that peaceful and productive life.  So, for today, let us consider how "place" is not a neutral concept, but is also a part of how our lives become changed and challenged by our faithful living -- or the lack of it.  What do we tolerate and what do we want to send away from us?  Do we see people in our lives like this demon-possessed man, and what do we think forms part of the healing solution to these problems?  Do we turn to God for order out of chaos when we experience such unbalances in one way or another in any aspect of our lives?  Let us consider more than simply ourselves and our bodies within the limited concept of life that we think we inhabit and in which we practice our faith, for life is much more to us than that.  Let us observe that, according to the Scriptures, God places human beings in the world to tend and to keep the garden -- and all in it -- which God has created and given to us (Genesis 2).  We are to be like God, setting things in order and making them fruitful, learning from our faithfulness and growing in God's likeness.  But the first sin changes everything, and even the ground becomes cursed; effects on human life are shaped through that as well (Genesis 3).  So let us consider the power of faith and all the things of which life consists, for under God we are part of the whole and there is nothing left out.  Yet, even so, that interconnectedness and its state also depends upon how we live in relationship to God, not simply upon our own constructs and theories.  How do you treat a gift such as this? 

Yes, Lord, yet even the little dogs eat the crumbs which fall from their masters' table

 

 Then Jesus went out from there and departed to the region of Tyre and Sidon.  And behold, a woman of Canaan came from that region and cried out to Him, saying, "Have mercy on me, O Lord, Son of David!  My daughter is severely demon-possessed."  But He answered her not a word.  And His disciples came and urged Him, saying, "Send her away, for she cries out after us."  But He answered and said, "I was not sent except to the lost sheep of the house of Israel."  Then she came and worshiped Him, saying, "Lord, help me!"  But He answered and said, "It is not good to take the children's bread and throw it to the little dogs."  And she said, "Yes, Lord, yet even the little dogs eat the crumbs which fall from their masters' table."  Then Jesus answered and said to her, "O woman, great is your faith!  Let it be to you as you desire."  And her daughter was healed from that very hour.

 

- Matthew 15:21-28 

 

Yesterday we read that the scribes and Pharisees who were from Jerusalem came to Jesus, saying, "Why do Your disciples transgress the tradition of the elders?  For they do not wash their hands when they eat bread."  He answered and said to them, "Why do you also transgress the commandment of God because of your tradition?  For God commanded, saying, 'Honor your father and your mother'; and, 'He who curses father or mother, let him be put to death.'  But you say, 'Whoever says to his father or mother, "Whatever profit you might have received from me is a gift to God" -- 'then he need not honor his father or mother.'  Thus you have made the commandment of God of no effect by your tradition.  Hypocrites!  Well did Isaiah prophesy about you, saying, "Hypocrites!  Well did Isaiah prophesy about you, saying:  'These people draw near to Me with their mouth, and honor Me with their lips, but their heart is far from Me.  And in vain they worship Me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.' When He had called the multitude to Himself, He said to them, "Hear and understand:  Not what goes into the mouth defiles a man; but what comes out of the mouth, this defiles a man."  Then His disciples came and said to Him, "Do You know that the Pharisees were offended when they heard this saying?"  But He answered and said, "Every plant which My heavenly Father has not planted will be uprooted.  Let them alone.  They are blind leaders of the blind.  And if the blind leads the blind, both will fall into a ditch."  Then Peter answered and said to Him, "Explain this parable to us."  So Jesus said, "Are you also still without understanding?  Do you not yet understand that whatever enters the mouth goes into the stomach and is eliminated?  But those things which proceed out of the mouth come from the heart, and they defile a man.  For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies.  These are the things which defile a man, but to eat  with unwashed hands does not defile a man."  

 Then Jesus went out from there and departed to the region of Tyre and Sidon.  In yesterday's reading (see above), we read that the scribes and Pharisees had come from Jerusalem, and began to criticize and question Christ regarding His disciples.  Here He has gone to the Gentile region of Tyre and Sidon, a coastal area west and north of Galilee.  He has gone here not to preach, but to withdraw from the faithless Pharisees.  In Mark's Gospel, we read that Christ "wanted no one to know" He was there (Mark 7:24).

And behold, a woman of Canaan came from that region and cried out to Him, saying, "Have mercy on me, O Lord, Son of David!  My daughter is severely demon-possessed."  My study Bible comments here that this woman shows immeasurable love, in that she so identifies with the sufferings of her daughter that she cries to Jesus, "Have mercy on me."  This indicates that she sees her daughter's well-being as her own, and her daughter's sufferings as her own.

But He answered her not a word.  And His disciples came and urged Him, saying, "Send her away, for she cries out after us."  But He answered and said, "I was not sent except to the lost sheep of the house of Israel."  My study Bible explains that Christ refuses to answer, not only because this woman is a Gentile, and, as He tells her, His ministry before His Passion is first to the Jews.  But by refusing initially, He also reveals this woman's profound faith and love.  Several commentaries in patristic literature view the disciples' request to send her away as an attempt to persuade Jesus to heal her daughter, as if the disciples are saying, "Give her what she wants so that she will leave."  Jesus' response seems to tell us this interpretation is proper, because He again refuses to heal her daughter.  

Then she came and worshiped Him, saying, "Lord, help me!"  But He answered and said, "It is not good to take the children's bread and throw it to the little dogs."  And she said, "Yes, Lord, yet even the little dogs eat the crumbs which fall from their masters' table."  Then Jesus answered and said to her, "O woman, great is your faith!  Let it be to you as you desire."  And her daughter was healed from that very hour.   My study Bible notes that, as Christ has now evoked this woman's love and persistent faith, here He reveals her humility.  She accepts her place beneath the Jews, who were the chosen people of God, but she still desires a share in God's grace.  It says that Christ's hesitancy was not a lack of compassion, but a conscious means of revealing the virtues of this woman -- both to the disciples and for her own sake.  My study Bible further notes that this woman's ultimate acceptance by Christ points to the gathering of the Gentiles into the Church after Pentecost, no longer as dogs ("outside" creatures), but as children who are invited to eat the bread of eternal life.  

I'm always struck by the word-play in this passage.  My study Bible notes for us on today's reading that it reveals the Jewish orientation of St. Matthew's Gospel.  As noted above, this story also appears in St. Mark's Gospel, but with two important differences.  First, Matthew writes of Christ's words regarding being sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel while Mark doesn't; and second, St. Matthew reports this woman using the title Son of David, which is a Jewish term for the Messiah, while Mark does not.  In this context, Jesus tells the woman (after refusing her a couple of times, and noting He was only sent to the lost sheep of Israel), "It is not good to take the children's bread and throw it to the little dogs."  Little dogs can be understood in various ways, one of which is potentially a deep insult.  But, we hesitate to note, "little dogs" means house dogs, puppies -- not the outside dogs so scorned in Middle Eastern cultures.  In that sense we can understand a kind of allusion to little puppies begging under the table while children eat their food, in the same way this woman is repeatedly and insistently begging for healing for her daughter!  (Anyone who knows what begging puppies under the table are like can understand this undeniable persistence!)  But this woman's persistence, alacrity, humility, and wit all play into the good graces of Jesus, and He praises her for her reply to Him.  She receives His rebukes not just with patience and persistence but even good humor, and gives Him a good response with an intelligence that shows she has grasped everything He told her, but is also figuring for herself how she can remain persistent for what she sees He offers as hope.  And this must be a model for us of what a good prayer is like, for all of this together is an attitude and response that is pleasing to our Lord.  When we have setbacks, and God seems to refuse us something we desire and feel we need, we could take a good page from this woman's book and consider where our humility, persistence, and intelligent reply might come into it.  It seems that the Gospels teach us that Jesus does not want merely obedient sheep, but also intelligent sheep capable of discerning for themselves and responding with faith.  For in this way our faith is made even stronger.  There is a similar example by St. Paul.  He writes, "And lest I should be exalted above measure by the abundance of the revelations, a thorn in the flesh was given to me, a messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I be exalted above measure. Concerning this thing I pleaded with the Lord three times that it might depart from me. And He said to me, 'My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.' Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ's sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong" (2 Corinthians 12:7-10).  We don't know what his "thorn in the flesh" was exactly, but we see, like the woman, he has pleaded with the Lord three times about it.  The response he finally received was not what he desired, but his own wit, discernment, persistence, and humility has brought him to an illumined perspective and a deeper faith.  So it is also with this woman.  Let us consider our own seeming setbacks, when God seems to give us refusal or silence.  Let us think about how these qualities are those Christ desires, and how our own response and perception may be all the better for adapting them ourselves.  

If You cast us out, permit us to go away into the herd of swine

 

 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 

 

Yesterday 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 if 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?"  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.  My study Bible comments that the demons, who recognize Jesus as the Son of God, are surprised that their power is being terminated before the time of the last judgment.  Although the malice of the demons is great, they can do nothing against the will of God.  So, therefore, they can only enter the swine at the command of Christ.  The immediate destruction of the herd is evidence that these men had been protected by God's care.  Otherwise, they surely would have perished under this hostile demonic influence.  Also, my study Bible adds, this reinforces that swineherding was not lawful for Jews, and it shows the incomparable value of human beings, whose salvation is worth every sacrifice.  

This story (and the similar stories in Mark and Luke) remind me of the ancient myths found in the Odyssey or the stories of Jason.  The disciples were told by Jesus to set sail across the Sea of Galilee, which immediately plunges them into a kind of frightening adventure, in which they fear they are perishing (see yesterday's reading, above).  All this takes place while Jesus is asleep in the boat, and let us keep in mind that several of these men are seasoned fishermen, whose livelihoods were pursued on the Sea of Galilee.  But then once they arrive at this strange place on the other side of the sea (considered to be east of the Sea of Galilee, and in Gentile territory), they encounter an even stranger and perhaps terrifying sight.  In the Gospels of Saints Mark and Luke, the demon-possessed is a single man, but he is possessed by a legion of demons, and therefore gives his name as Legion.  Here, we are told these are two demon-possessed men who are rendered so exceedingly fierce that no one could pass that way.  Like the stories in Mark and Luke, they live among the tombs in this seemingly forsaken place, as they are out of control and disordered, and so unable to live in community with the living.  This is also Gentile territory, in a place of mixed Gentile and Jewish populations.  So while it might be common to assume the swineherders are Gentiles, it's suggested that possibly it is more likely they are Jews engaged in what for them is a sinful pursuit of raising swine in order to sell to the Gentile market.  Thus, when they beg Christ to leave their territory, they continue in such choices, as their preference is for their swine to the men who are now freed from demonic possession and influence.  In this sense, this story can be viewed as an illustration of the choice between God and mammon; their longing is for the material gain they've lost over the miraculous healing Jesus has effected.  For their focus on the loss of their swine, they are unable to receive Christ and what He offers.  In the stories in Mark and Luke, the healed man seeks to come and follow Jesus and enter into the boat with the disciples.  But Christ sends him back to his home, to tell his friends what great things the Lord has done for him.  Perhaps one important thing we can take away from this story today is noticing the lack of gratitude in these townspeople for the miraculous healing they've witnessed.  It's as if they prefer the demonic influence, which is what they are used to -- even such an influence of violence and destruction that would cause the swine to crash down a cliff into the sea, as well as one that kept these men from being able to dwell among the living and fit only to live among the tombs.  In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus preached that we cannot serve God and mammon (riches): "No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other.  You cannot serve God and mammon" (see this reading).  The Sermon on the Mount was a full teaching on what are the blessings of the Kingdom.  Perhaps in light of this story and that Sermon we have so recently read through, we should consider for ourselves the things for which we're grateful.  Do we value the blessings of the Kingdom?  Or has life taken on for us a supreme importance of material things which we think will make us happy, or give us some kind of status among others that we value?  Is it blessed to please God, do we find joy in that?  Let us consider the choices we have before us, and what real healing and "life" might look like, even when that is contrary to expectations or desires. Sometimes healing means going away from what we know, separating from what we're used to but is not good for us.   We might pause to consider that the word "swine" has often been used as an epithet for a very coarse, brutish, and cruel person.  Such may be fitting company for the demonic, but not for those who love Christ.  Let us also note that in a world permeated with sin and evil, Christ finds us where we are, and works with us where we are.  This is most exemplified in today's reading in the demon-possessed men, for whom Jesus has apparently crossed the Sea of Galilee with His disciples in a threatening storm.  In the other Synoptic Gospels, Jesus gave the now demon-free man a particular job to do, and a place to go (home among his own people).  Let us be assured that even when we need to separate from what we've known, He will find a place among "our" people for us as well (Mark 10:29-30). 

He Himself took our infirmities and bore our sicknesses

 

 Now when Jesus had entered Capernaum, a centurion came to Him, pleading with Him, saying, "Lord, my servant is lying at home paralyzed, dreadfully tormented."  And Jesus said to him, "I will come and heal him."  The centurion answered and said, "Lord, I am not worthy that You should come under my roof.  But only speak a word, and my servant will be healed.  For I am also a man under authority, having soldiers under me.  And I say to this one, 'Go,' and he goes; and to another, 'Come,' and he comes; and to my servant, 'Do this,' and he does it."  When Jesus heard it, He marveled, and said to those who followed, "Assuredly, I say to you, I have not found such great faith, not even in Israel!  And I say to you that many will come from east and west, and sit down with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven.  But the sons of the kingdom will be cast into outer darkness.  There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth."  Then Jesus said to the centurion, "Go your way; and as you have believed, so let it be done for you."  And his servant was healed that same hour.  

Now when Jesus had come into Peter's house, He saw his wife's mother laying sick with a fever.  So He touched her hand, and the fever left her.  And she arose and served them.  

 

When evening had come, they brought to Him many who were demon-possessed.  And He cast out the spirits with a word, and healed all who were sick, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Isaiah the prophet, saying:

"He Himself took our infirmities

And bore our sicknesses."

- Matthew 8:5–17 

 

In yesterday's reading, we read that when Jesus had ended the Sermon on the Mount (His "sayings"), the people were astonished at His teaching, for He taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes.  When He had come down from the mountain, great multitudes followed Him.  And behold, a leper came and worshiped Him, saying, "Lord, if You are willing, You can make me clean."  Then Jesus put out His hand and touched him, saying, "I am willing; be cleansed."  Immediately his leprosy was cleansed.  And Jesus said to him, "See that you tell no one; but go your way, who yourself to the priest, and offer the gift that Moses commanded, as a testimony to them."

 

 Now when Jesus had entered Capernaum, a centurion came to Him, pleading with Him, saying, "Lord, my servant is lying at home paralyzed, dreadfully tormented."   In the context of today's reading, it is important to understand that this is a man with worldly authority.  If we look at the reading from yesterday, we understand that St. Matthew has emphasized Jesus' teaching as one having authority, which astonished the people.  My study Bible explains that a centurion (a Gentile) commanded 100 men in a Roman legion.  It says that Christ is the Savior of all, and in Him all ethnic distinctions are void.

 

 And Jesus said to him, "I will come and heal him."  My study Bible points out that I will come has been read by many Greek scholars to be a question:  "Shall I come?  Nonetheless, Jesus is ready to deal gracious with this Gentile, even to enter His house.  My study Bible says that to do so would make Him unclean in the eyes of the Jews.  Again, this is pertinent to the reading from yesterday, in which Jesus touched a leper in order to heal him -- touching the unclean was prohibited.

The centurion answered and said, "Lord, I am not worthy that You should come under my roof.  But only speak a word, and my servant will be healed.  For I am also a man under authority, having soldiers under me.  And I say to this one, 'Go,' and he goes; and to another, 'Come,' and he comes; and to my servant, 'Do this,' and he does it."  My study Bible comments that this centurion is expressing unusual faith, as he calls Jesus, who is a Jew, Lord.  His statement, "Lord, I am not worthy that You should come under my roof," is often quoted in liturgical texts as an ideal expression of humility.  

When Jesus heard it, He marveled, and said to those who followed, "Assuredly, I say to you, I have not found such great faith, not even in Israel!"  There are two places in the Gospels where it is said about Jesus that He marveled.   Once is at the unbelief He finds in His hometown of Nazareth (Mark 6:6), and here at the belief of this foreigner.  

"And I say to you that many will come from east and west, and sit down with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven.  But the sons of the kingdom will be cast into outer darkness.  There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth."  Then Jesus said to the centurion, "Go your way; and as you have believed, so let it be done for you."  And his servant was healed that same hour.   My study Bible notes that here Jesus nullifies any ideas of ethnic superiority.  Those rejected sons of the kingdom He refers to here are both the Jews who deny Christ, and also those raised in the Church who do not live their faith.  Outer darkness and weeping and gnashing, it explains, are descriptions of the state of the unrighteous dead in Sheol (Hades) in the Jewish tradition (see, for example, Enoch 108).   These are common expressions in St. Matthew's Gospel (Matthew 13:42, 50; 22:13; 24:51, 25:30), and appear also in St. Luke's Gospel (Luke 13:28).  

 

 Now when Jesus had come into Peter's house, He saw his wife's mother laying sick with a fever.  So He touched her hand, and the fever left her.  And she arose and served them.  When evening had come, they brought to Him many who were demon-possessed.  And He cast out the spirits with a word, and healed all who were sick, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Isaiah the prophet, saying:  "He Himself took our infirmities / And bore our sicknesses."  In this passage and in 1 Corinthians 9:5 (in which Peter is called Cephas) tell us that St. Peter was married.  My study Bible comments that our Lord's healing miracles are diverse.  Here, He heals by touch, where in healing the centurion's servant, He healed by a word.  This healing of St. Peter's mother-in-law  is immediate and complete, whereas others are gradual (Mark 8:22-24, or they need the cooperation of the person healed or of that person's loved ones (Luke 8:54-55).  St. Matthew quotes from Isaiah 53:4. 

We must note that, in these first few encounters of Christ just after He completes the Sermon on the Mount, everything is done with the aim of healing.  If Christ speaks with authority, while He possesses no earthly signification of authority (He's not a Levitical priest, and holds no special office nor recognition from the authorities), then that authority is used with a purpose -- and the clear evidence of that, from the two healings done now after completing the Sermon on the Mount, is healing.  Jesus heals.  And I think we can apply this statement, that Jesus heals, to just about everything we know about Christ.  At His Return, we say, will be the final judgment.  But judgment in this case doesn't mean a simple sorting of good and bad, and it doesn't mean only "the end" in the eschatological sense.  It means the healing of all things, putting everything in order, rectifying all and reconciling all.  To heal is to set in good order, to balance all things into the proper balance, to resolve heaven and earth into the place of peace, the New Jerusalem.  All balance and order is restored in Christ and especially in what He does.  Therefore, when we consider His "sayings" in the Sermon on the Mount, and when we think about these individual healings of both the leper and the centurion's servant in the past couple of readings, we should understand that all of these teach us about His effective healing.  His sayings and commands are for our own health and well-being, on every level.  We are given teachings to help us balance and to learn good spiritual healing, which transmits to all other things in life, teaching us what it is to be truly "in order."  He has just given us His commands in the Sermon, but then when He touches the leper, He expresses another aspect of Law, its aim, and the purpose for which He has given us everything -- especially in His role as Lord -- is for healing.  That is, the healing of community, of our world, of our sense of ourselves, of righteousness, all things.  And then we come to the centurion's servant, and the marvelous (literally, for the Lord marveled) understanding and faith of the centurion, who immediately grasps Christ's authority, and receives healing for the one for whom he prayed to the Lord.  Christ heals all the nations and all people, and in this we also find His healing and balance for us.  He is repairing our sense of our world, our sense of ourselves, our understanding of purpose and worship, our understanding of God and where God wants us to go with our lives.  For to understand is also part of faith and healing, for this is the evidence of the centurion's great faith which surpasses even all Israel.  Finally, we also come to the healing of St. Peter's mother-in-law, also found in the gospels of St. Luke and St. Mark.  This woman is unable to fulfill her function, which is her place of honor, in the house, because of fever.  But at Christ's touch, she rises, restored and once again set into order, so that she may fulfill her honor to serve the Lord and His ministry as the senior woman in her home.  If we fail to understand this, it is likely because more modern concerns about the place of women keep us from doing so.  Let us ask always for Christ's healing, because these stories coming on the heels of His preaching the Sermon on the Mount truly give us the message about His authority and purpose, to heal us.  We should recall here His reason He will give for the preaching of parables:  "Therefore I speak to them in parables, because seeing they do not see, and hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand.  And in them the prophecy of Isaiah is fulfilled, which says:  'Hearing you will hear and shall not understand, and seeing you will see and not perceive; for the hearts of this people have grown dull. Their ears are hard of hearing, and their eyes they have closed,  lest they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears, lest they should understand with their hearts and turn, so that I should heal them.' "   Let us note that Jesus here quotes from Isaiah 6:9-10, in which it is given that the ultimate goal of understanding with the heart is to be healed.  Ultimately, as we understand Christ, "He Himself took our infirmities / And bore our sicknesses."

 

 

Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men

 

 And Jesus, walking by the Sea of Galilee, saw two brothers, Simon called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea; for they were fishermen.  Then He said to them, "Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men."  They immediately left their nets and followed Him.  Going on from there, He saw two other brothers, James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, in the boat with Zebedee their father, mending their nets.  He called them, and immediately they left the boat and their father, and followed Him.  

And Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing all kinds of sickness and all kinds of disease among the people.  Then His fame went throughout all Syria; and they brought to Him all sick people who were afflicted with various diseases and torments, and those who were demon-possessed, epileptics, and paralytics; and He healed them.  Great multitudes followed Him -- from Galilee, and from Decapolis, Jerusalem, Judea, and beyond the Jordan. 

 

- Matthew 4:18-25 

 

Yesterday we read that when Jesus heard that John the Baptist had been put in prison, He departed to Galilee.  And leaving Nazareth, He came and dwelt in Capernaum, which is by the sea, in the regions of Zebulun and Naphtali, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Isaiah the prophet, saying:  "The land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, by the way of the sea, beyond the Jordan,  Galilee of the Gentiles:  The people who sat in darkness have seen a great light, and upon those who sat in the region and shadow of death light has dawned."  From that time Jesus began to preach and to say, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand."

 

 And Jesus, walking by the Sea of Galilee, saw two brothers, Simon called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea; for they were fishermen.  Then He said to them, "Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men."  They immediately left their nets and followed Him.  Going on from there, He saw two other brothers, James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, in the boat with Zebedee their father, mending their nets.  He called them, and immediately they left the boat and their father, and followed Him.   My study Bible tells us that these first disciples had already heard the preaching of John the Baptist, and they were prepared to accept Christ immediately.  It notes that although they were illiterate and unlearned in religion, these "people of the land" whom Jesus calls will be revealed at Pentecost to be the wisest of all. 

 

And Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing all kinds of sickness and all kinds of disease among the people.  Then His fame went throughout all Syria; and they brought to Him all sick people who were afflicted with various diseases and torments, and those who were demon-possessed, epileptics, and paralytics; and He healed them.  Great multitudes followed Him -- from Galilee, and from Decapolis, Jerusalem, Judea, and beyond the Jordan. My study Bible asks us to note that the crowds do not swarm Jesus when He commands repentance (see the final verse in yesterday's reading, above), but only when He starts to heal and to work miracles.  What this shows is that the people misunderstand the true nature of Christ's Kingdom.  Moreover, according to Theophylact (as quoted in my study Bible), it shows Christ's concession "to give credibility to what He teaches" among the fickle multitudes.

Perhaps the most remarkable thing to note in today's reading is the "immediate" quality of this new ministry, this beginning of Christ's public ministry.  The text seems to emphasize its explosive and remarkable growth.  The disciples follow Him immediately in response to His call to "Follow Me."  The rapidity with which His fame spreads not only through Galilee, but through every region of Israel people is remarkable, among all the Jewish communities even in the nearby Gentile areas.  This is significant, because it, in fact, mirrors the rapid spread of Christianity that would occur after Pentecost.  My study Bible correctly points out, however, that the people aren't responding so quickly to Christ's call to repentance, but rather to His healing miracles, including exorcism.  On display is His healing power, giving people something they desperately want.  But Jesus is all of a package, and we can't separate His message from His Kingdom and from the rest of His ministry.  In time, this will prove the case, and the "fickle multitudes" as my study Bible calls them, will show their character.  However, there is another thing we must note that is important in this context both of character, and also Christ's calling to the disciples.  He speaks to these fishermen by calling them not to an amorphous set of principles or values, a mere "belief" system, but to a vocation.  And perhaps most importantly, the vocation to which they're called, their new life in Christ, is one that accentuates and develops something they are already trained to do.  Jesus speaks to them in a language they understand from their own lives as fishermen, telling them, "Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men."  (By the way, the Greek word translated as "men" means people or humanity, human beings.)   This gives us an insight to key issues of both identity and our places in God's Kingdom, how we are called to the kingdom of heaven which is at hand.  Christ's power transforms.  Our proximity and our faith (or perhaps one should say our "faithfulness") works to give us new identity, but within the parameters of a kind of transfiguration.  We remain the same person, and yet we are changed -- and from the inside out.  They will not simply become fishers of men because they go around collecting followers for Jesus, bodies to populate this new movement.  They will become fishers of men by becoming disciples of Christ, living with Him, learning from Him, growing in understanding, and being transformed themselves through this process of faithful living and trust in Him.  What we should always remember is that we, like the fishermen, are called toward something.  We are called on a journey of repentance, meaning "change of mind."  It is a journey of transformation, in which all that we are, all that might be constituted as part of "mind" -- and beyond only the intellect -- is changed, transfigured, turned around.  We don't become someone else, but we are drawn out of our circumstances and given a deeper and truer sense of who we are, and the image in which we have been created, in this communion that constitutes the kingdom of heaven.  This is the immediate response, a deep recognition of where the heart truly is, and where we find the one thing -- the One Person -- in whom we can deeply trust to show us the way.