And behold, the whole city came out to meet Jesus. And when they saw Him, they begged Him to depart from their region

 

 When He had come to the other side, to the country of the Gergesenes, there met Him two demon-possessed men, coming out fo 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 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 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 on this remarkable story that the demons, as they 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, which means they could only enter the swine at Christ's command.  The immediate destruction of the herd shows that the formerly possessed men had been under God's protection and care -- they would otherwise have perished under this demonic influence.  Moreover, it reinforces that swineherding was not lawful for the Jews, and shows the incomparable value of human beings, whose salvation is worth every sacrifice.  

It's frequently assumed about this story (and others which appear in Mark and Luke) that the swineherders are Gentiles.  But in the context of the stories it is more likely that they are Jews who do not abide by the Mosaic Law, as they live in a region of mixed populations, and so raise swine for the Gentile market.  Their materialist orientation shows in their complete failure to value the healing of the two men, and in that the loss of their swine is all that matters to them.  So much so, that they beg for Jesus to depart from their region.  They don't think about what healings Christ could do for others among them; they prefer things as they were, with these men demon-possessed and living among the tombs.  There's a not-so-subtle message here about what we tolerate and what we do not, and more than a hint that when we accept to deviate from what we know God would want from us, we're participating in demonic life.  Whether we realize it or not, God is present to us in spirit, just as these demonic beings are also spirits.  Of course they have no power against God, but we can make choices about what kind of life we participate in.  We separate the world into different realities of spiritual and material, but in the Church this is not really a truthful picture.  St. Paul writes that we are all temples of God:  "Do you not know that you are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?" as he admonishes the Corinthians, "If anyone defiles the temple of God, God will destroy him. For the temple of God is holy, which temple you are" (1 Corinthians 3:16-17).  Our choices become significant and powerful because our bodies are not simply material but also spiritual, and included in those "energies," if you will is all the rest of us, including our minds, heart, soul, etc.  Therefore our choices do, indeed, have an impact on everything we are, because we are not really separated and compartmentalized even if we manage to believe we are.  Modern medicine has clearly established a link between self-destructive habitual patterns of thinking and the physical effect that can have on us, for example.  But let us consider the spiritual component of life as if it were always present to us.  If this were vividly the understanding with which we lived, how would we conduct ourselves differently in our interactions with others?  Suppose the throwaway insult handed to someone who was hurt was really hurting us spiritually?  (See Matthew 5:21-22 for Jesus' take on this behavior.)  If we thought about what exactly we were allying with when we took an action or made a choice, it gives us a deeper and richer sense of what life is all about, adding meaning and depth.  There are those who want to believe that what is unseen doesn't exist, but this doesn't hold water in any conventional or scientific sense either.  We can read in the Gospels -- and especially in today's reading -- of the destructiveness and malice of the demonic.  Without taking a deep dive into the theology of evil, let us simply observe and spot the patterns in life that echo what they do in the Gospels, even to the point where these men are forced to live among the tombs, are in total disorder, and cannot function in community.  Let us observe the materialist preference of the people of this region who beg Jesus to leave them.  They make a clear choice to reject Jesus, and they show a marked preference for the life which included the affliction of the demonic on the now-healed men.  Let us think then about the choices we make -- and the things with which we ally ourselves -- when we make choices, including the spiritual component to life that is present to us and within us at all times. 

And behold, the whole city came out to meet Jesus. And when they saw Him, they begged Him to depart from their region

 

 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 

 

On Saturday we read that, after performing many healings, 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 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 recognize Jesus as the Son of God, and they are surprised that their power is being terminated before the time of the last judgment.  Although there is great malice in the demons, it says, they can do nothing against the will of God, and therefore can only enter the swine at the command of Christ.  The immediate destruction of the herd shows that the men had been protected by God's care; otherwise they would have perished under the demonic influence.  Moreover, this story reminds us that swineherding was not lawful for the Jews, showing the incomparable value of human beings, whose salvation is worth every sacrifice.  

This story appears elsewhere in the Gospels (in Mark 5:1-20, Luke 8:26-39).  There are a few differences, but they don't change the substance of the story.  They also flesh out the understanding that those herding swine are likely to be apostate Jews catering to a Gentile market.  Their fear and rejection of Christ (as they begged Him to depart from their region) give an emphasis to the idea that they prefer an environment in which the demons could act freely:  they reject Christ and His incredible healing work.  It's not the healed men that matter to them -- but rather the loss of their swine.  So the story says several things to us.  It asks us to make choices about what's important.  Is it the quality of human life in terms of spiritual health?  Do we care about the torment of the demons and the self-destructive behavior that results?  Their evil is the imposition of strife, of pain, of malice.  Or is what matters a lucrative trade, regardless of what our faith would ask of us?  The townspeople, in effect, make a clear choice for their preferences, and while we may live in what seem like dramatically different times and places, we really do make choices like this all the time.  We look around ourselves and can see these choices offered to people all the time.  How often do we tolerate cruelty or turn a blind eye to suffering or torment because it's inconvenient, or it gets in the way of something in our lives we've chosen?  We might be surprised to truly observe closely.  One thing that is very characteristic of demonic activity, or evil, is simply suffering or cruelty.  The root of the word for evil in Greek means "pain," and we can see that in all the stories of demonic affliction in the Gospels.  While every evil thing we observe cannot be claimed to reveal the presence of demons, we can say that evil is distinguished by the characteristics that are revealed through these stories:  malice, cruelty, unnecessary suffering, and great destruction of human life, hopelessness.  We can observe such things all around us in a modern world, in all kinds of ways:  addiction and its varied characteristics of affliction, mental illness in which people are tormented by their own thoughts and patterns of thinking, petty cruelties and bullying, harassment, neglect, and deliberate abuse of many kinds.  This would also include toilsome work, hardship, oppression.  The "fierce" behavior of the demoniacs as described in the various Gospels we might today characterize as highly disordered.  Again, while we might not necessarily attribute these things to a direct presence of demons, it is useful to observe them as characteristics of demonic activity in the Gospels, for they point to us what is evil and harmful to human beings.  They make us more aware of choices and what we're serving in accepting these choices.  They should open our eyes to looking for a better way, to prayer, to seek Christ's word and teachings and God's presence.  They should get us thinking about what choices and exchanges and preferences are being made -- and remind us that we're told these stories in the Gospels for a reason.  We are meant to look around and identify what is "like" these stories in the Gospels and wake up to the realities still present and with us, and the choices we're making for what might seem convenient, or what we'd prefer to be blind to, rather than waking up to the values we're supposed to embrace.  These stories are in the Gospels for our awareness, and we can see quite clearly that these people prefer their swine to the health of the demon-possessed men and to the presence of Christ whom they reject and beg to leave their region.  The story is a declaration that whole communities can reject what is a higher good, and prefer instead a kind of darkness.  This can be illustrated in well-known patterns of family and community, in what would be called toxic relationships, and enabling of destructive behaviors and outcomes.  There are times when whole countries can evince pathologies based on lies, manipulation, corruption, and evil practices such as genocide or terror.  While the solution to every problem or affliction may not be obvious, we can simply pray for Christ's presence in the midst of them.  We might not be able to fix what is around us, but we are called to make a choice for ourselves and the power we do have in our lives.  We can seek His will for us in how we're taught to live and choose; we can ask for guidance in the practice of compassion.  But most of all, it seems to be our work as faithful to bear His presence into the world, even when we see others reject Him.  For Christ yet carries a holy power, a light unseen by the darkness but there nevertheless, and this is what we're meant to do and be as faithful -- to bear His light and presence into the world, even where only two or three are gathered.  Sometimes the best we can do is prayer, but that alone is far more powerful than we might think or see, than those who can't see would have us believe.

 

 

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 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 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 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 on the demons in today's reading.  It says that they recognize Jesus as the Son of God, and are surprised that their power is being terminated before the time of the last judgment.  Although the malice of the demons is evident, they still can do nothing against the will of God, and therefore can only enter the swine at the command of Christ.  The immediate destruction of the herd of swine, my study bible says, shows that the men had been protected by God's care.  Otherwise, they would have perished under this clearly destructive demonic influence.  Moreover, it's a reinforcement of the unlawful practice of swineherding for the Jews, and it also shows the incomparable value of human beings, for whom salvation is worth every sacrifice. 

It's interesting to think of the protection of these men, although they were demon-possessed.  Clearly the demons are destructive, and they lead the swine to mass suicide.  So what of these men?  Why does God allow evil in the world, and yet the men were protected?  I don't pretend to have the answers to all of the questions raised by such a scenario, for many theologians and philosophers -- geniuses all -- have provided us with various answers.  I can't even pretend to know or understand them all.  But we have been taught to stick with what we know or have experienced, and so I may say that it is my belief that very deeply within us there are choices that are made.  Sometimes, perhaps even often, those choices are made without our conscious knowledge.  We might wonder how we can claim a freedom to choose when we aren't even conscious of rational reasoning about those choices.  Nevertheless, I think it's true that we make choices from such deep places within ourselves that we're not entirely aware of them, and those choices do tell us something about ourselves.  Our deepest impulses of the heart are, importantly, clearly known to God.  This is why it is so significant that Christ is known as the "heart-knower" (see Acts 1:24).  There are things deep within ourselves of which we are not aware, but Christ is aware.  These demonic forces have chosen for destruction of human beings.  Why?  That is another question I could not venture to answer.  I simply know that it is so.  But one thing is clear from the Bible and the Gospels in particular:  that our world is not "fixed" simply because Christ has come into it.  Oh perhaps in an absolute sense this is true, that salvation is already full in a place we cannot access.  But the time when that occurs is "the time" of Judgment, Christ's return, to which the demons allude when they ask if He has "come here to torment us before the time."  Where we are now in time, we human beings live with both evil and good, and we are in the midst of time making choices.  Jesus teaches us, in the Sermon on the Mount:  "You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust" (Matthew 5:43-45).  To my mind it is a clear acknowledgement of the evil and the good existing at once together in this world.  That would include even the demonic influences we see at work in today's reading.  So given this state of the world, one might conclude that it's simple to think why that might be.  We are called to choose the good.  But choosing the good is not so simple.  Christ Himself makes that clear in the teaching just cited from the Sermon on the Mount.  We're not called upon to respond to evil with evil; that does not build up Christ's Kingdom in the world.  We are called instead to "withdraw" into Christ's love and protection, and to follow Him.  This is the way that we build the Kingdom in the world.  It is the way that we live a prayerful life with each decision and step.  It is the sense in which we may start to understand the mysteries He opens to us, that He came into the world to reveal and to draw us into.  And that protective power of God, even to cast off demons, is with Him and in Him and in the life into which He invites us to participate.  It doesn't come with conventional understanding nor conventional weapons.  It comes through the saints, through the Church as a whole, and by doing our best to keep His word, to love God as God loves us.  Let us start there and find our places, even as Jesus calls these demon-possessed men to wholeness as well.  Let us note in the text that those raising swine are most likely meant to be apostate Jews who do not follow the Mosaic Law.  They reject Jesus through fear, and do not embrace what He offers with love.  In that is also a story of how we choose and reveal what is most important to us - and that we cannot embrace both God and mammon, and what Jesus calls the deceitfulness of riches.

What have we to do with You, Jesus, You Son of God?

 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 (in Capernaum), 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 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 says that the demons recognize Jesus as the Son of God, and are surprised that their power is being terminated before the time of the last judgment.  Typically, the demons show great malice, but even they can do nothing against the will of God.  They can only enter the swine at Christ's command.  The immediate destruction of the herd shows that the men had been protected by God's care; such destructive forces would have resulted in their deaths under the demonic influence.  We should keep in mind that for the Jews, these are unclean and unlawful animals.   These swineherds and the people who begged Jesus to depart their region are likely Jews who are unlawfully raising swine for money in this region mixed with Gentiles.  They care much more about the loss of the swine than the healing of these formerly demon-possessed men.  My study bible says the suicidal destruction of the swine emphasizes the incomparable value of human beings, whose salvation is worth every sacrifice.  Indeed, Jesus and the disciples have crossed a frighteningly stormy sea to come here.

Jesus has traveled across the Sea of Galilee to come to this place.  It's seemingly a God-forsaken place, and these men are perhaps like some in the world we can see who are tormented by circumstances, by the things that plague and ail, by demons we don't see.  But perhaps what's important here is that Jesus comes to this place.  It's a sign of the Incarnation, an image we're given that Jesus will go to the far off ends of the earth, away from what we know as civilized, even into the realm of the dead here among the tombs, to reclaim life and to heal human beings.  In becoming a human being, Jesus is able to come and to be with us, to influence our communities, to come to the places where we live regardless of how far off they may seem from something appropriate to Christ, to redeem and to set things right.  It's a picture of a world dominated by malice, by things that cause destruction and harm, people tormented and fears that challenge us -- but He's here to put those problems in their place and render appropriate judgment, to let us know what is right and to teach us how we may be healed, even to wake us out of complacency with what is surely harmful.  The people of the town, we note, have their say.  They beg Jesus to leave.  They prefer their livelihood of the swine to the awesome change and healing in the formerly demon-possessed men.  Perhaps that was what they were used to, and leaving the men in the tombs to live a life of destruction was just acceptable.  But Christ comes to give us new ideals and values and to wake us from what is just acceptable.  Evangelization, in this image, is bringing the good news to all for each one to choose which version of life they prefer.  This is the purpose of the apostolic mission that will come and is ongoing, and we still have that choice, along with the plagues that ail and torment human beings and the violence of the world that denies that there is more to life than what we do for livelihood and material prosperity or property.  Let us make careful consideration before we dismiss this strange, even unusual, story, and consider how many elements here resemble the world in which we live today.  We still have the choice with which He presents us, and the good news He brings, whether others around us accept it, relish it, desire it, or not.  So much depends on where we choose to take our security and place our trust.

What have we to do with You, Jesus, You Son of God?

 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

On Saturday, 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 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.  This story -- or a very similar one -- appears also in the other Synoptic Gospels (Mark and Luke).  One big difference is that in Matthew's Gospel there are two demoniacs, and in the others there is only one.  (There's also a difference in the location; here it is the country of the Gergesenes, elsewhere it is the country of the Gadarenes.   Either way, many commentators note that both were names, respectively, of a little town and a city near one another in the Decapolis, on the shores of the Sea of Galilee.)   Of note is the fact that these demon-possessed men come out of the tombs.  They are also exceedingly fierce, so that no one could pass that way.   Jesus and the disciples have come to the "other side" of the Sea of Galilee.  The Decapolis was a "mixed" territory, so-called as it was constituted by ten cities of  Greco-Roman influence, containing both Gentile and Jews.  So it's a kind of foreign territory, and this story reads like an epic in the ancient Greek tradition, with these two exceedingly fierce men who are so beyond civilized norms that they live among the tombs.   The disciples were already terrified as they crossed the Sea in a ferocious storm, although among then are well-seasoned fishermen by profession.  The strangeness of their situation as Jesus leads them to this place is only amplified by the story.

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?"  The demons know who Jesus is.  This is yet another new "strange" element in the story, as the disciples are brought into this place, following Jesus' directions.  We're given a clue about the spiritual reality that surrounds every biblical narrative.  Jesus comes representing a Kingdom, that is not just of this world.  His opponents are a part of a spiritual battle.  These demons ask Him if He's come before the time of the Judgment.  They are perplexed, says my study bible, that their power is being terminated before that 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.   This frightening event increases in its dramatic and vivid images.  We note the power of Christ over the demons; although their malice and destructive power is great, they still need permission from Christ to enter the swine.  My study bible says that the immediate destruction of the herd shows that the men had been protected by God's care; otherwise, they would have perished under the demonic influence.  It reinforces that swineherding was not lawful for the Jews, and shows the incomparable value of human beings, whose salvation is worth every sacrifice.

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.   Some commentators believe that since these people keep swine, they are not Jews.  But still others say that indeed, these are Jews who are apostate, raising swine unlawfully.  And we see their rejection of Christ -- they are much more deeply concerned about their loss of swine than the restoration of the demoniacs to health and freedom from their oppression.  All of it adds to the strangeness of the place and the experience for the disciples.

This is a story that is really a rarity and a mystery.  Why this place?  Why these men, so isolated from the world that they live among the tombs?  Why has Jesus come here?  In Mark and Luke's versions, there is a single man, and there is more to the story.   He begs to come with Christ and the disciples, but Jesus tells him to go to his home, and tell all the things the Lord has done for him.  So, why two demoniacs here?  There are other occasions in which a story found in other Gospels involving one character is "doubled" in Matthew.  Some speculate that Matthew's Gospel was written primarily for a Jewish audience, and this "doubling" is meant to show that Christ as Messiah is here for both Jew and Gentile.  Some comment that it's not of real importance.  But each version of this particular story has some basic elements that are far more important than any differences:  Jesus has come to this extremely strange and forlorn place, and led His disciples here through a storm in which they were afraid for their lives.  We're invited to ask why, due to the dramatic nature of this story.  Has Jesus come here for these demoniacs?  Well, on one level, we'd have to answer "yes" to that question.  From the other stories, we know the healed man became a type of evangelist in the Decapolis.  On another level, it's a story that teaches all of us about our Lord, and about discipleship.  Nothing stops Jesus from coming to the most hopeless and afflicted and isolated.  There is no obstacle that will stop the healing power of Jesus to change affliction, to restore, and to bring back those dead to life and community for their uncontrollable problem, or the destructive influence by which they are oppressed and rendered far from community or "civilized" life.   This story teaches us that the same is true and expected of His disciples, wherever He leads then in true faith.  There is no problem too tough for Christ, too strange, too outside the box.  This is the message of this story.  There is nothing so far outside of experience that Christ's essential healing power can't come into play and influence.  We note carefully that there is a vested financial influence also at work here in this story, in the people who beg Jesus to leave because they're lost their swine.  Brilliantly, we must also add that as one more obstacle that will not stop Christ from bringing His healing power -- on any level of what that means -- to those who love Him and need Him in faith.  With all the vivid images in this story, we may be tempted to think that it's so strange it couldn't possibly apply to our lives or to situations with which we're familiar, but really we'd be wrong.  All of it applies.  When we think we're in a hopelessly strange situation, when we know of others who are somehow forlorn, when we wonder if anyone has been in so strange a mess as someone or something we've heard about, let us dwell on this story.  It teaches us that there is no surrounding too strange, no situation too tough, no odds so great that Christ can't be there with us.  No oppression is too harmful, nor material interest too strong.  And He will command His disciples to follow.

What have we to do with You, Jesus, You Son of God?

 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

On Saturday, 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 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?"   My study bible has an extensive note on today's entire passage.  I will quote from what is relevant here:  "The two Gergesene demoniacs are unsuitable for society and live at great distance from the village.  They are possessed by mental derangement, which makes them aggressive and self-destructive.  The demons in them recognize Jesus as the Son of God.  They know they have nothing in common with Him, for Jesus seeks man's salvation; but His presence torments them and expels them.  They are surprised that their power is being terminated before the time of the last judgment.  Thus, even before His Resurrection Jesus rescues people from the devil's control."  In yesterday's reading, Jesus set off with His disciples across the sea, where they faced great danger in a storm.  Here is the "other side," in Gentile territory; in some sense, it's like a symbolic wasteland or desert.  The encounter here is with demons, and human beings tormented and oppressed by them.

  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.   My study bible's note continues:  "Jesus does not yield to their [the demons'] request, but sends them out by His will:  though the malice and deceitfulness of the demons is great, they can do nothing unless He permits them.  Even the demoniacs had enjoyed God's providential care.  The demons' entering into the swine, which were unclean for the Jews, is a sign of the reality of the demoniacs' healing.  Jesus' sovereign power is not only over physical infirmity, but over mental illness as well.  It shows us the incomparable value of human beings, whose salvation is worth every sacrifice."

  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.  Let us note the environment of the two demoniacs:  it's not a place where healing is appreciated!  All they can think of is the loss of their swine, and Jesus is not welcome.  His power is perhaps too strange, challenging, and frightening. 

There's a potent metaphor here -- or perhaps metaphor isn't a strong enough word -- regarding mental illness.  We note that the environment for these once-deranged men isn't a healthy one; it's not one that supports true healing, which at its root is a spiritual problem.  The healing of these men shakes up their world too much for those around them, and so the "whole city" begs Jesus to leave.  The changes that may be necessary for real healing -- and the resistance that can be felt in an environment surrounding those with mental illness -- are insights here that we can't just gloss over.  The other important part of this story is the very strangeness of the place.  Jesus and His disciples go across the Sea of Galilee, to the "other side" into this Gentile territory where swine (unclean animals for the Jews) are being raised.  The loss of the swine is more important to the people there than the healing Jesus brings to these men, via the casting out of the demons that possessed them.  What is the value of the human beings here, and the value of the swine?  Their values are upside down, and although it's not a place where Jesus is received, nevertheless, His power is at work all over the world:  among the Jews, and among the Gentiles even in this place where the unclean animals are preferred to the healing of the men.  First Jesus has rebuked the wind and the waves of the storm on the sea; here, He rebukes the demons -- even in a place where faith isn't strong.  As for the possessed men themselves, we don't hear from them in this episode in Matthew.  (In other Gospels, similar stories tell us of one man possessed, and in at least one case, he "worships" Jesus.)  But the demons know Jesus, they recognize Him not only as Son but also as Judge.  And here is a recurring sign of the appearance of Messiah.  The demons know what the people don't.  Jesus' power as liberator from sin and oppression extends everywhere, even where people don't know His name, and do not want what He has to offer.  Again, in other stories, the healed demoniac begs to get into the boat with Jesus and the disciples, but Jesus sends him back to his own city and home, to tell his friends what great things the Lord has done for him.  But here, these men are strangely silent, which emphasizes their terrible powerlessness and oppression.  Yet, Christ has come here to liberate them; we simply don't know the rest of the story.  Christ as Messiah is a liberator of captives.  As Isaiah's passage also tells us, He's here to give sight to the blind.  But today's reading shows us we're free to reject that vision He offers, as the people who live in this place beg Him to leave.  In the Gospels, our entire world is a spiritual battleground, and Christ is here as liberator for each one of us.  It doesn't matter where we are, who we are among.  Even the silent prayers of the powerless are heard.  He is still here and His power is over all the world, in every place, in every hour.  Let us understand it's up to us to accept what He offers, and to accept the changes He brings as well.  To be liberated, and to truly see, may involve some adjustment on our part -- just as the disciples had to face their fear as they followed Him across the Sea of Galilee.  Can we follow Him, as well?

What have we to do with You, Jesus, You Son of God?

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

On Saturday, we read the story of the followers of Jesus, and how their faith was stretched and tested. One scribe came to Him, and said he would follow Jesus wherever He went. But Jesus told him, "Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head." Another follower asked to go first and bury his father. But Jesus told him to "let the dead bury their own dead." Finally, Jesus gets in a boat to go to the other side of the Sea of Galilee with His disciples. He sleeps -- and while He does so, a tremendous storm comes up, so fierce that even the seasoned fishermen among His disciples fear they are perishing. They wake Him up. He says to them, "Why are you fearful, O you of little faith?" They marvel at Him - as He rebukes the sea, the waves, the winds.

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. Jesus arrives on "the other side" of the Sea of Galilee. There He encounters two-demon-possessed men. We have read this story in other gospels, where there is one demon-possessed man. It is one of my favorites, to tell the truth. As happens frequently in Matthew, we find a doubling event here (there are two possessed men in this story). As we continue through the gospel, we will note when this happens again. I often feel this is Matthew's contribution to our understanding of the universality of the message, such as we encountered in last week the passage that included the centurion whose faith made Jesus marvel. We are now clearly in Gentile territory, and Jesus, as Messiah and Son, is here to proclaim through word and deed that God is the God of all people and all nations, and He is Son for all the world - both Gentile and Jew. As in the other stories, the possession of these men makes them extraordinarily fierce. They are threatening enough to themselves and others that they are consigned to live among the tombs, away even from Gentile society.

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?" My study bible points out that these men are possessed "by mental derangement." But the demons in them recognize Jesus as Son of God, and they are surprised that He is there "before the time." That is, before the time of the Judgment, of the end of the age. Of course, this question, "What have we to do with You, Jesus, You Son of God?" is repeated in the gospels. In other places, Jesus warns the demons to be quiet, to keep His messianic secret. But here in Gentile territory, there is no need of such warning: popular expectations about messiah are not the same as in Jewish culture and community. And again, we take note of the judicial language. The word for torment here is the same one the centurion used for the affliction of his servant. The demons expect what they know from their own "system" and its "justice," just as they torment these men. This word for torment in the Greek meant torture -- to extract a confession by beating.

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. Jesus' power clearly is at work before His Resurrection, and before the Judgment which He is here in the world to initiate, especially with the coming of the Spirit at Pentecost. But this is long before that -- and nevertheless His power is clear. His word here carries the power of the Judgment. But the demons, expecting the torment they inflict on others, beg for mercy. Jesus agrees to their request. Clearly, their destructive impact has its effect on the swine. In a context of Matthew's gospel and its Jewish audience, we understand the swine to be considered unclean animals. My study bible notes, "The demons' entering into the swine, which were unclean for the Jews, is a sign of the reality of the demoniacs' healing. Jesus' sovereign power is not only over physical infirmity, but over mental illness as well. It shows us the incomparable value of human beings, whose salvation is worth every sacrifice."

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. In this Gentile region, the people reject Jesus because they are stunned by the loss of the swine. In some commentary, it is noted that these people reject Christ because the swine mean more to them than the healing of the demoniacs, and so we get a hint here into our faith. What do we value more highly? Can we see as God sees, the value of human beings, of individual salvation? We remember the healing of the leper last week, in the same reading as the healing of the centurion's servant. It was just for that one man, and he was told not to tell others about it, but to follow the Law. Our faith, and Jesus' repeated healings, teach us of the value of ministry one by one, of healings one by one, for each of us, and the relationship we each have to Christ. Here, the value is more highly placed on the herd of swine.

In other readings of this story, the healed demoniac (whose name was Legion) wants to follow Christ, to come with Him and the disciples in the boat. But Jesus sends him to go to his home and his friends, and to tell them what great things the Lord has done for him. In effect, he becomes the first evangelist. Here, it's not clear what becomes of the healed men. It will be up to them where their faith leads them; indeed, we don't know their response to Christ at all -- only that they are healed. In other readings, the demoniac confesses His faith in Christ from the beginning. Not so in this story in Matthew's gospel. So, what will it be? In a sense, we can all see ourselves in this story, in our world. What do we respect most? What means the most to us in ministry? Is it great acts that save the world or please the crowds? Or is it in the tender ministry in ways that each one of the flock needs it? What do we recommend most -- the power of the great, the value of great commodities, our wealth? Or does it just come down to healing what needs to be healed, however humble that is -- even these two men who dwell among the tombs, of no use to anybody, only a hindrance. What is our life worth? What is Christ's love, and what does it teach us? We are all faced with a choice of what we will value, and where we place our faith. This place could be our world today, given what we see and hear all around us. How are we going to place our faith, and in what? How are His tender mercies still in need of our assent, our yes? our understanding of His love? our wisdom in the great faith Christ places in human beings? How do we receive His healing and the grace we know He has offered us? Can we follow His humble Way today? Is it good enough for us? Think about what you see, the individuals you may know and encounter, and where Christ calls you today, even if no one else applauds. Sometimes, it seems that we forget Jesus did not spend all of His time moving mountains.