Return to your own house, and tell what great things God has done for you

 

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

 

Now a herd of many swine was feeding there on the mountain.  So they begged Him that He would permit them to enter them.  And He permitted them.  Then the demons went out of the man and entered the swine, and the herd ran violently down the steep place into the lake and drowned.  

 

When those who fed them saw what had happened, they fled and told it in the city and in the country.  Then they went out to see what had happened, and came to Jesus, and found the man from whom the demons had departed, sitting at the feet of Jesus, clothed and in his right mind.  And they were afraid.  They also who had seen it told them by what means he who had been demon-possessed was healed.  Then the whole multitude of the surrounding region of the Gadarenes asked Him to depart from them, for they were seized with great fear.  And He got into the boat and returned.  Now the man from whom the demons had departed begged Him that he might be with Him.  But Jesus sent him away, saying, "Return to your own house, and tell what great things God has done for you."  And he went his way and proclaimed throughout the whole city what great things Jesus had done for him.

 

- Luke 8:26–39 

 

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

 

  Then they sailed to the country of the Gadarenes, which is opposite Galilee.  And when He stepped out on the land, there met Him a certain man from the city who had demons for a long time.  And he wore no clothes, nor did he live in a house but in the tombs.  When he saw Jesus, he cried out, fell down before Him, and with a loud voice said, "What have I to do with You, Jesus, Son of the Most High God?  I beg You, do not torment me!"  For He had commanded the unclean spirit to come out of the man.  For it had often seized him, and he was kept under guard, bound with chains and shackles; and he broke the bonds and was driven by the demon into the wilderness.  Jesus asked him, saying, "What is your name?"  And he said, "Legion," because many demons had entered him.  And they begged Him that He would not command them to go out into the abyss.  My study Bible comments that these demons recognize Jesus as the Son of the Most High God.  Notice that the demons speak through the man, saying, "I beg You, do not torment me!" when clearly this man, occupied by a legion of demons, is tormented by them himself.  A Roman legion consisted of over 5,000 men divided into ten cohorts, so we can imagine what this name "Legion" meant at the time the Gospels were written -- at a time when the Roman Empire had expanded to its largest extent.  The text describes the man's torment under this legion of demons:  it had often seized him, and he was kept under guard, bound with chains and shackles; and he broke the bonds and was driven by the demon into the wilderness.   His life is in such a miserable isolated state that he wore no clothes and lived among the dead in the tombs.  

Now a herd of many swine was feeding there on the mountain.  So they begged Him that He would permit them to enter them.  And He permitted them.  Then the demons went out of the man and entered the swine, and the herd ran violently down the steep place into the lake and drowned.  My study Bible comments that, although the malice of these demons is great, they can do nothing against the will of God.  Therefore, they can only enter the herd of many swine if Christ permitted them.  The immediate destruction of these swine, my study Bible says, shows that the man had been protected by God's care.  Otherwise, he would have perished under the demonic influence.  Additionally, it reinforces that swineherding was not lawful for the Jews -- plus it shows the incomparable vale of human beings, whose salvation is worth every sacrifice.  There are those who say that the presence of the swine indicates a Gentile population.  But, my study Bible comments, since our Lord forbade His disciples to go to the Gentiles (Matthew 10:5) and was Himself reluctant to seek out the Gentiles (Matthew 15:24), it's likely that these were Jews engaged in a sinful occupation.  

 

When those who fed them saw what had happened, they fled and told it in the city and in the country.  Then they went out to see what had happened, and came to Jesus, and found the man from whom the demons had departed, sitting at the feet of Jesus, clothed and in his right mind.  And they were afraid.  They also who had seen it told them by what means he who had been demon-possessed was healed.  Then the whole multitude of the surrounding region of the Gadarenes asked Him to depart from them, for they were seized with great fear.  And He got into the boat and returned.  Now the man from whom the demons had departed begged Him that he might be with Him.  But Jesus sent him away, saying, "Return to your own house, and tell what great things God has done for you."  And he went his way and proclaimed throughout the whole city what great things Jesus had done for him.    My study Bible comments that the magnitude of the economic loss of the herd of swine would remain as a sign for the hard-hearted people who fled the region.  Their response is simply to treat Jesus with great fear, clearly caring more for their economic loss rather than the marvelous healing of this man who had suffered so extremely.  Note that although this man has no community among these people who simply want to banish Jesus, Christ Himself appoints a place for him, and a good mission:  "Return to your own house, and tell what great things God has done for you."  And so he did.

Lately I have been reading a lot and pondering quite a bit over the idea of giving thanks.  How important is gratitude in our lives?  Some say that the whole of our well-being depends upon how able we are to give thanks, or not.  How do we experience gratitude, and what are we grateful for?  Is it possible that without his horrible "occupation" by a legion of demons, this man never would have known Christ?  It's very strange indeed how Christ comes straight across the Sea of Galilee, and through a very frightening storm of wind and waves in which the disciples thought they were perishing, to come to this one man.  What loneliness it must have been, living among the tombs, unable even to wear clothes, and tormented night and day by a legion of demons!  It is almost a metaphorical image of a child subject to terrible abuse, the isolation and torment that he would have survived.  Certainly the "hard-hearted" (as my study Bible describes them) people around him cared little that he was cured, finding the man from whom the demons had departed, sitting at the feet of Jesus, clothed and in his right mind.   They had no use for him, but the swine were their livelihood (likely Jews selling to a Gentile market in this region of mixed populations), and that's what they cared about.   So this man is saved, but wants to go on with Jesus, because there is seemingly no tie for him here where people do not care for his life and salvation.  It seems they were happier when he lived among the dead and with the daily terrible punishment and torment of the demons.  But Jesus finds a place for him, an honored place -- he becomes a kind of evangelist under Christ's direction.  This is the saving nature of Christ's command, which brings this man beyond the lack of mercy of such people, and under Christ's authority,  "Return to your own house, and tell what great things God has done for you."  So he does:  and he went his way and proclaimed throughout the whole city what great things Jesus had done for him.   A good mission, a good identity, under the saving yoke of Christ, who is gentle and lowly in heart.  Indeed, we may presume that sooner or later, he will come under the care of the Church to come, and remain a disciple.  Surely we can imagine the gratitude this man feels to Christ, who singled him out enough to come across the sea to save him.  But what of his early life experiences?  Perhaps to find this singular place in the Gospels, a man who had demons for a long time, and who survived to tell of the great things Jesus had done for him, the first from his region to proclaim this good news, experienced a tragic beginning.  For some of us who have survived harmful things, this may be the best story of all, and with the best outcome -- the truth of Christ's saving redemption from the callous to a life of dedication and mission and belonging, to the unique identity only He can give.  

 

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

 

Then they came to the other side of the sea, to the country of the Gadarenes.  And when He had come out of the boat, immediately there met Him out of the tombs a man with an unclean spirit, who had his dwelling among the tombs; and no one could bind him, not even with chains, because he had often been bound with shackles and chains.  And the chains had been pulled apart by him, and the shackles broken in pieces; neither could anyone tame him.  And always, night and day, he was in the mountains and in the tombs, crying out and cutting himself with stones.  When he saw Jesus from afar, he ran and worshiped Him.  And he cried out with a loud voice and said, "What have I to do with You, Jesus, Son of the Most High God?  I implore You by God that You do not torment me."  For He said to him, "Come out of the man, unclean spirit!"  Then He asked him, "What is your name?"  And he answered, saying, "My name is Legion; for we are many."  Also he begged Him earnestly that He would not send them out of the country.  Now a large herd of swine was feeding there near the mountains.  So all the demons begged Him, saying, "Send us to the swine, that we may enter them."  And at once Jesus gave them permission.  Then the unclean spirits went out and entered the swine (there were about two thousand); and the herd ran violently down the steep place into the sea, and drowned in the sea.  So those who fed the swine fled, and they told it in the city and in the country.  And they went out to see what it was that had happened.  Then they came to Jesus, and saw the one who had been demon-possessed and had the legion, sitting and clothed and in his right mind.  And they were afraid.  And those who saw it told them how it happened to him who had been demon-possessed, and about the swine.  Then they began to plead with Him to depart from their region.  And when He got into the boat, he who had been demon-possessed begged Him that He might be with Him.  However, Jesus did not permit him, but said to him, "Go home to your friends, and tell them what great things the Lord has done for you, and how He has had compassion on you."  And he departed and began to proclaim in Decapolis all that Jesus had done for him; and all marveled. 

 

- Mark 5:1-20 

 

Yesterday we read that, when evening had come, Jesus said to the disciples, "Let us cross over to the other side."  Now when they had left the multitude, they took Him along int he 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.  And when He had come out of the boat, immediately there met Him out of the tombs a man with an unclean spirit, who had his dwelling among the tombs; and no one could bind him, not even with chains, because he had often been bound with shackles and chains.  And the chains had been pulled apart by him, and the shackles broken in pieces; neither could anyone tame him.  And always, night and day, he was in the mountains and in the tombs, crying out and cutting himself with stones.  When he saw Jesus from afar, he ran and worshiped Him.  And he cried out with a loud voice and said, "What have I to do with You, Jesus, Son of the Most High God?  I implore You by God that You do not torment me."  For He said to him, "Come out of the man, unclean spirit!"  Then He asked him, "What is your name?"  And he answered, saying, "My name is Legion; for we are many."  Also he begged Him earnestly that He would not send them out of the country.  Now a large herd of swine was feeding there near the mountains.  So all the demons begged Him, saying, "Send us to the swine, that we may enter them."  And at once Jesus gave them permission.  Then the unclean spirits went out and entered the swine (there were about two thousand); and the herd ran violently down the steep place into the sea, and drowned in the sea.  So those who fed the swine fled, and they told it in the city and in the country.  And they went out to see what it was that had happened.  Then they came to Jesus, and saw the one who had been demon-possessed and had the legion, sitting and clothed and in his right mind.  And they were afraid.  And those who saw it told them how it happened to him who had been demon-possessed, and about the swine.  Then they began to plead with Him to depart from their region.  And when He got into the boat, he who had been demon-possessed begged Him that He might be with Him.  However, Jesus did not permit him, but said to him, "Go home to your friends, and tell them what great things the Lord has done for you, and how He has had compassion on you."  And he departed and began to proclaim in Decapolis all that Jesus had done for him; and all marveled.   My study Bible comments that the country of the Gadarenes was in Galilee, an area where many Gentiles lived among the Jews.  It explains that Gentile influence on the Jews caused many of them to take on Gentile practices, such as raising swine, which was forbidden by the Jewish Law (Deuteronomy 14:8).  Once again, the demons recognize who Jesus is, and identify Him as Son of the Most High God.  We notice the power of Christ:  although the malice of the demons is great, my study Bible point out they can do nothing against the will of God, and so they can only enter the swine at Christ's command.  The destruction of the swine shows the real effect of these demons, and we may conclude that the man had been protected by God's care:  otherwise he would have perished under their influence.  My study Bible adds that it reinforces that swineherding was not lawful for Jews, and shows the incomparable value of human beings, whose salvation is worth every sacrifice.  

There are some details we must notice about this story.  First of all the demon-possessed man clearly reminds us of some things we  might see in a modern Western city:  some homeless who are afflicted with mental illness.  He's wild and disordered, uncontrolled:  no one can bind him even with shackles and chains.  The text says that no one could tame him.  And night and day he was crying out and cutting himself with stones.  He lives among the tombs, because he can't live among the living; he is not a part of any community or society.  But the demons in him nevertheless know Jesus, and Christ comes and restores order; even the effects upon the swine have a reasonable teaching behind them.  For if we look at the environment here, we see several things.  First of all, as Jesus taught His disciples only to go to the Jews we can assume that although this is a region of mixed Gentiles and Jews, these are Jews who are raising swine for the Gentile market, in violation of the Jewish Law.  Therefore we may conclude from several aspects of this story that their values are purely materialistic:  they care about the money they might gain much more than a desire to honor God.  We can see it in their attitude toward the miraculously healed man who is now sitting and clothed and in his right mind:  they are just afraid of Jesus and beg Him to leave their region, for they've lost their swine, and that was clearly the only thing they cared about.  That the healed man becomes an early evangelist for Christ tells us about his transformation and redemption.  He goes to the Decapolis, a region of ten cities (this is the meaning of the name Decapolis, "ten cities") of Greek and Roman cultural establishment, but with mixed populations including Jews.  If we could make a modern metaphor out of this story, we might come to see a disordered environment that produced this tormented man, one that preferred wealth and materialism over the transcendent values of God.  This man is afflicted by what is hidden behind the scenes but nonetheless present and apparently thriving in such an environment:  the demonic activity that destroys souls, and the evil that seeks to afflict those who would come to love Christ.  The life among the tombs is a life we might see as one lived among the spiritually dead, where the only thing that matters is material wealth, and not the things of God.  Certainly love is missing from this picture.  The disordered man, we might say, is simply the evidence of a disordered society with disordered values.  Those who herd the swine are perfectly content with the way things are; they are simply distraught by Jesus who sets things in order, and in so doing upsets their own apple-cart and shakes up their material world.  But the formerly demon-possessed man has found himself, and Jesus sends him out with the gospel message that the Lord has done great things for him, and especially telling the story of the Lord's compassion.  The thing that characterizes those who herd the swine is selfishness; even in the sending away of the demon-possessed man among the tombs and the mountains we can see a world content to distance itself from problems so long as they are compartmentalized away and do not interfere with the pursuit of wealth.  We may find ourselves in such an environment, where the things of God matter not in terms of the real choices that people make.  Healing is fine as long as it simply enables those afflicted by the cold detachment of unloving values can function without disrupting that materialist system.  Some of us may even find ourselves living in a family environment like this.  But, as in this story, in a modern setting we also may find that faith in Christ comes to teach us different values, upsetting the apple-cart of those who prefer their swine to the spiritual health and well-being of those who need the love of God alive in their hearts and in their lives, who cannot truly live among the cold tombs of emptiness and abandonment except in pain and obvious disorder.  Jesus will say to one who comes to Him but wants to delay discipleship for a family duty to bury his father:  "Follow Me, and let the dead bury their own dead" (Matthew 8:21-22, Luke 9:60).  In Luke's Gospel, He adds, ". . . but you go and preach the kingdom of God."  So it is with this man healed from the affliction of a legion of demons, and so it may be with all those who recognize a disordered world without the love and compassion of God to guide us, where the love of money and faith in its solutions prevails instead.

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

 

 Then they sailed to the country of the Gadarenes, which is opposite Galilee.  And when He stepped out on the land, there met Him a certain man from the city who had demons for a long time.  And he wore no clothes, nor did he live in a house but in the tombs.  When he saw Jesus, he cried out, fell down before Him, and with a loud voice said, "What have I to do with You, Jesus, Son of the Most High God?  I beg You, do not torment me!"  For He had commanded the unclean spirit to come out of the man.  For it had often seized him, and he was kept under guard, bound with chains and shackles; and he broke the bonds and was drive by the demon into the wilderness.  Jesus asked him, saying, "What is your name?"  And he said, "Legion," because many demons had entered him.  And they begged Him that He would not command them to go out into the abyss.  Now a herd of many swine was feeding there on the mountain.  So they begged Him that He would permit them to enter them.  And He permitted them.  Then the demons went out of the man and entered the swine, and the herd ran violently down the steep place into the lake and drowned.  

 

When those who fed them saw what had happened, they fled and told it in the city and in the country.  Then they went out to see what had happened, and came to Jesus, and found the man from whom the demons had departed, sitting at the feet of Jesus, clothed and in his right mind.  And they were afraid.  They also who had seen it told them by what means he who had been demon-possessed was healed.  Then the whole multitude of the surrounding region of the Gadarenes asked Him to depart from them, for they were seized with great fear.  And He got into the boat and returned.  Now the man from whom the demons had departed begged Him that he might be with Him.  But Jesus sent him away, saying, "Return to your own house, and tell what great things God has done for you."  And he went his way and proclaimed throughout the whole city what great things Jesus had done for him.

 

- Luke 8:26–39 

 

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

 

  Then they sailed to the country of the Gadarenes, which is opposite Galilee.  And when He stepped out on the land, there met Him a certain man from the city who had demons for a long time.  And he wore no clothes, nor did he live in a house but in the tombs.  When he saw Jesus, he cried out, fell down before Him, and with a loud voice said, "What have I to do with You, Jesus, Son of the Most High God?  I beg You, do not torment me!"  For He had commanded the unclean spirit to come out of the man.  For it had often seized him, and he was kept under guard, bound with chains and shackles; and he broke the bonds and was drive by the demon into the wilderness.  Jesus asked him, saying, "What is your name?"  And he said, "Legion," because many demons had entered him.  And they begged Him that He would not command them to go out into the abyss.    My study bible comments that the demons recognize Jesus as the Son of the Most High God.  It says that although the malice of the demons is great, they can do nothing against the will of God.  Therefore, begged Him that He would not command them to go out into the abyss, the place of total abolition or destruction of being.  Additionally, they may only enter the swine because Christ permitted them. 

 

Now a herd of many swine was feeding there on the mountain.  So they begged Him that He would permit them to enter them.  And He permitted them.  Then the demons went out of the man and entered the swine, and the herd ran violently down the steep place into the lake and drowned. My study bible comments that the immediate destruction of the herd shows that the man had been protected by God's care -- otherwise he would have perished under this destructive demonic influence.  It adds that some teach that the presence of swine indicates Gentile population.  However, since Christ forbade His disciples to go to the Gentiles (Matthew 10:5), and was also reluctant Himself to seek out the Gentiles (Matthew 15:24), these swineherders are more likely to be Jews engaged in a sinful occupation.  The destruction of the swine reveals that although animals are a venerable part of creation, human beings are of far great value.  Christ also removes a source of sin, as swine herding was an abomination to the Jews (Deuteronomy 14:8).

When those who fed them saw what had happened, they fled and told it in the city and in the country.  Then they went out to see what had happened, and came to Jesus, and found the man from whom the demons had departed, sitting at the feet of Jesus, clothed and in his right mind.  And they were afraid.  They also who had seen it told them by what means he who had been demon-possessed was healed.  Then the whole multitude of the surrounding region of the Gadarenes asked Him to depart from them, for they were seized with great fear.  And He got into the boat and returned.  The magnitude of their economic loss will remain as a sign for these people who fled and who are afraid because of the miraculous recovery of the formerly demon-possessed man.  They show their hardheartedness in their failure to rejoice over his recovery, but instead they beg Jesus to depart from them.

 

Now the man from whom the demons had departed begged Him that he might be with Him.  But Jesus sent him away, saying, "Return to your own house, and tell what great things God has done for you."  And he went his way and proclaimed throughout the whole city what great things Jesus had done for him.  Let us note the healing and recovery of this man, who himself is given a great role to play in the salvation story of Christ.  He became an evangelist, as he proclaimed the good news of the great things Jesus had done for him.

This is one of my favorite stories in the Gospels.  I am intrigued by this hopeless man lost among the tombs, living among the dead, because he's not fit for civilization in the cities and towns.   In the grip of the demons, he's uncontrollable, constantly abusing and hurting himself, unable even to stay clothed.  For some of us, it is a reminder of facets of homelessness and mental illness among our own homeless populations.  But this stark picture in the Gospels of someone so lost and forsaken is hard to shake in spiritual terms.  One of the most striking aspects of the story is how Christ directed the apostles to set out overnight across the Sea of Galilee, through a terribly frightening storm, just to come to this particular forsaken place.  It's as if Jesus directed the disciples to pilot here specifically to save this man, or possibly to rebuke and destroy this hostel for a legion of demons.  The place is also forsaken as a home to Jews who raise swine, and who care so much more for their money-producing swine (to sell to Gentiles in this region) than for the holy healing action of Christ.  In this sense, Jesus is the picture of a type of warrior who goes abroad not with a sword and armaments, but with the spiritual power to reclaim territory for children of God who are occupied, abused, and subject to terrible tortures by a hostile enemy invader army.  This is a picture of a spiritual liberator, who comes to banish a cruelly uncivilized legion from those who would simply be at peace.  We can see the gratitude of the healed man, and his essential good character that it reflects.  Plus he clearly wants to come to be with Jesus.  But Jesus has a better assignment for him:  to spread the good news of God's work in him to his fellow townspeople, an evangelist and witness giving testimony.  Christ's saving work isn't just about the eternal life in the sense of what comes after life in this world; in this story it is a clear story about salvation and Resurrection impacting life as we live it in our present lives day to day, about bringing life to those in the tombs of this world who are lost or forsaken, seemingly hopeless, given up by others.  This is about the impact of Christ's abundant life that restores here and now and in the present, no matter what the problems are, and it is about being released from affliction that destroys on any level of the human soul.  The saving power of Christ works to protect and to heal; it's not an abstract and not a philosophy.  I always take this story to heart because there is more to find in it each time it is read and thought about.  The good news isn't just about what Christ said, it is about life and how it is lived and experienced, and witness testimony to the good things God has done -- for you, for me, for anybody who can testify about life as it is lived. 

You are My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased

 The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.  As it is written in the Prophets:

"Behold, I send My messenger before Your face,
Who will prepare Your way before You."
"The voice of one crying in the wilderness:
'Prepare the way of the LORD;
Make His paths straight.'"

John came baptizing in the wilderness and preaching a baptism of repentance for the remission of sins.  Then all the land of Judea, and those from Jerusalem, went out to him and were all baptized by him in the Jordan River, confessing their sins.  Now John was clothed with camel's hair and with a leather belt around his waist, and he ate locusts and wild honey.  And he preached, saying, "There comes One after me who is mightier than I, whose sandal strap I am not worthy to stoop down and loose.  I indeed baptized you with water, but He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit."

It came to pass in those days that Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee, and was baptized by John in the Jordan.  And immediately, coming up from the water, He saw the heavens parting and the Spirit descending upon Him like a dove.  Then a voice came from heaven, "You are My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased."

Immediately the Spirit drove Him into the wilderness.  And He was there in the wilderness forty days, tempted by Satan, and was with the wild beasts; and the angels ministered to Him.

- Mark 1:1-13

The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.  The beginning of the gospel does not mean the beginning of Mark's writings per se, but rather the beginning of the "good news" or "good tidings" -- as the Greek word (εὐαγγέλιον/evangelion) from which we derive the English gospel means.  This extraordinary good news for the world is that of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. 

As it is written in the Prophets:  "Behold, I send My messenger before Your face, Who will prepare Your way before You."  "The voice of one crying in the wilderness:  'Prepare the way of the LORD; Make His paths straight.'"  John came baptizing in the wilderness and preaching a baptism of repentance for the remission of sins.  Then all the land of Judea, and those from Jerusalem, went out to him and were all baptized by him in the Jordan River, confessing their sins.  This beginning of the good news of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, begins not with John the Baptist, per se, as we might assume.  But it begins long before, with the prophets of Israel.  The Gospel echoes Malachi and Isaiah in two quotations, who foretold the mission of John the Baptist (Malachi 3:1, Isaiah 40:3).  This gives us an idea of the essential importance of John's mission to the advent of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.  As we can read here, John was a towering figure in his time, widely revered as a holy man by the people.  The earliest disciples of Christ came to Him from the Baptist (John 1:35-51). 

Now John was clothed with camel's hair and with a leather belt around his waist, and he ate locusts and wild honey.  And he preached, saying, "There comes One after me who is mightier than I, whose sandal strap I am not worthy to stoop down and loose.  I indeed baptized you with water, but He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit."  John's dress indicates some very important things about him.  He is clothed in a way similar to that of Elijah (2 Kings 1:8).  This gives us another hint about the Baptist's role:  his dress gives us signs that he fulfills the prophecy of Elijah's return before the Messiah (Malachi 4:5-6), as stated also by Jesus (see Matthew 11:11-15).  His dress also tells us about his radical humility, and why John the Baptist would be a model for all Christian monastics to come, an image of one whose entire life was given over to service of the Lord.  John's words here express that depth of humility and service.

It came to pass in those days that Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee, and was baptized by John in the Jordan.  And immediately, coming up from the water, He saw the heavens parting and the Spirit descending upon Him like a dove.  Then a voice came from heaven, "You are My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased."    This event is known in the Eastern Churches as Epiphany (Greek "revelation") or Theophany (Greek "revelation of God").  In the most ancient Church, it was celebrated on January 6th together with Nativity, before Nativity was separated and became celebrated on December 25th.  It is the beginning or the birth of Jesus' public ministry.  As we read from Mark's simple and clear text, it is a revelation of the Trinity:  the Father's voice, the declaration that Jesus is the Father's beloved Son, and the Spirit descending upon Him like a dove. 

Immediately the Spirit drove Him into the wilderness.  And He was there in the wilderness forty days, tempted by Satan, and was with the wild beasts; and the angels ministered to Him.  Immediately the Spirit acts as Christ's worldly ministry begins; the English text tells us that the Spirit drove Jesus into the wilderness.  In the Greek, this word translated as drove means something akin to being thrown, cast, or driven out.  To be tempted, my study bible explains, is to be tested in fundamental areas of faith.  In the wilderness, far away from the structures of religion and society, Jesus is tempted as in a battleground.  It is an image of the world, both a dwelling place of demons and also a source of divine tranquility and victory.  See also Matthew 4:1-10; Luke 4:1-13.

What does it mean to be tempted?  After His Baptism, at which Jesus is revealed to the the divine Son of God, why is He immediately driven out into the wilderness by the Spirit?  He's not crowned king of Israel, He is not immediately heralded by the entire world as One who should be worshiped.  But this is how His ministry begins, in the wilderness, facing hardship and temptations by the devil.  Mark does not give us all the detail of that time of temptation in the wilderness, but he does make it quite clear that this is the immediate effect of the revelation of just who Jesus is.  At least, there is one very important person, a figure central to the time in Israel -- John the Baptist -- who has clearly understood this truth.  So why is it not declared, proclaimed from the rooftops?  This great "good news" remains something hidden, which must spread and become open in a particular way, through particular people and particular means.  But first, Jesus must struggle with temptation in the wilderness.  Our worldly sense of how things can unfold in a social media-saturated world does not lend itself easily to the ways in which God works in the world.  This revelation of the Trinity is essentially a very private event, given perhaps only to two people at the time.  But the internal worlds that connect us to the reality of spirit and soul also take time to manifest in a worldly sense and in "particular" ways, and God uses time also for particular purposes.  We may find in our own lives that while we set specific goals, or get a glimpse of some understanding of our faith, that we are given "time outs" to face particular internal struggles that demand a reconciliation within us.  We are tested in certain areas of faith, as was Jesus, regarding our capacity for humility, for service to God, and struggling with our own specific temptations from what is purely worldly.  Do we choose goals in order to be praised by others, or to receive a kind of worldly fame?  Are our lives governed by how many followers we have in social media?  What is a true goal and purpose of a well-lived life?  What are the true hallmarks of humility and maturity for a human being?  More importantly, how do we serve the greater goals that a love of God asks of us, and how do these conflict with what it seems the world might clamor for?  These questions remain with us as they were temptations for power, acclaim, wealth, and satisfaction of every impulse or human need in Christ's time.  As we can read in Matthew's and Luke's versions of that time of temptation, questions of security, faith, and worldly power have always been with us, and Jesus experienced it first-hand so that we may follow Him.  It may seem strange to say so, but in John the Baptist's radical image of humility and service we find the answers and key to Christ's handling of such temptations and our own.  There is no greater key to "success" in terms of Christian virtue than humility, no deeper way to face temptation of the world and the traps of easy success.  Christ Himself, even as Lord, sets the example for humility.  In our modern world, there are many who understand gratitude as a way to beat anxiety and depression, the ailments of a world that lives so much through image in the eyes of others.  But if we understand the roots of the practice of gratitude on a deeper basis, then we get to the heart of what sets us in a right place.  We are grateful to Someone, we are humble in the face of the One who is so much greater than we are.  In a relationship of love to God, we are set in a right place with a right relatedness to the world and all that is in it.  Let us remember this greatest of virtues -- humility -- in its historical image given to us in the person of John the Baptist.  Because here is the key to the center of this spiritual story, the intersection of history and God's grace, and the great good news of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.

Return to your own house, and tell what great things God has done for you

 Then they sailed to the country of the Gadarenes, which is opposite Galilee.  And when He stepped out on the land, there met Him a certain man from the city who had demons for a long time.  And he wore no clothes, nor did he live in a  house but in the tombs.  When he saw Jesus, he cried out, fell down before Him, and with a loud voice said, "What have I to do with You, Jesus, Son of the Most High God?  I beg You, do not torment me!"  For He had commanded the unclean spirit to come out of the man.  For it had often seized him, and he was kept under guard, bound with chains and shackles; and he broke the bonds and was driven by the demon into the wilderness.  Jesus asked him, saying, "What is your name?"  And he said, "Legion," because many demons had entered him.  And they begged Him that He would not command them to go out into the abyss.  Now a herd of many swine was feeding there on the mountain.  So they begged Him that He would permit them to enter them.  And He permitted them.  Then the demons went out of the man and entered the swine, and the herd ran violently down the steep place into the lake and drowned.

When those who fed them saw what had happened, they fled and told it in the city and in the country.  Then they went out to see what had happened, and came to Jesus, and found the man from whom the demons had departed, sitting at the feet of Jesus, clothed and in his right mind.  And they were afraid.  They also who had seen it told them by what means he who had been demon-possessed was healed.  Then the whole multitude of the surrounding region of the Gadarenes asked Him to depart from them, for they were seized with great fear.  And he got into the boat and returned.  Now the man from whom the demons had departed begged Him that he might be with Him.  But Jesus sent him away, saying, "Return to your own house, and tell what great things God has done for you."  And he went his way and proclaimed throughout the whole city what great things Jesus had done for him.

- Luke 8:26-39

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

Then they sailed to the country of the Gadarenes, which is opposite Galilee.  And when He stepped out on the land, there met Him a certain man from the city who had demons for a long time.  And he wore no clothes, nor did he live in a  house but in the tombs.  When he saw Jesus, he cried out, fell down before Him, and with a loud voice said, "What have I to do with You, Jesus, Son of the Most High God?  I beg You, do not torment me!"  For He had commanded the unclean spirit to come out of the man.  For it had often seized him, and he was kept under guard, bound with chains and shackles; and he broke the bonds and was driven by the demon into the wilderness.  After a terrifying storm on the Sea of Galilee, Jesus and the disciples come to the other side of the Sea.  Here they encounter something strange indeed:  a man who cannot live among men, but lives among the tombs.  He wears no clothing.  He is taken so far outside the commerce of "civilized" life by the occupation of the demons that he's kept under guard, bound with chains and shackles, and driven into the wilderness.  He is a prisoner indeed, afflicted into a state of utmost misery.  But the demons understand who Jesus is, and the Judgment He represents.  Jesus uses His power to command the departure of the demons from the man, and arrives as Deliverer -- a key meaning of the word Savior.

Jesus asked him, saying, "What is your name?"  And he said, "Legion," because many demons had entered him.  And they begged Him that He would not command them to go out into the abyss.  Now a herd of many swine was feeding there on the mountain.  So they begged Him that He would permit them to enter them.  And He permitted them.  Then the demons went out of the man and entered the swine, and the herd ran violently down the steep place into the lake and drowned.  A legion of  the Roman Army at around the time of Christ was about 5,000 men.  It was the largest unit of the Roman Army.  So the elements of "occupation" by a hostile power figure very strongly here.  My study bible says that while some teach that this region across the Sea of Galilee must have been a Gentile region, as evidenced by the presence of the swine, it's more likely that the text is teaching us this is a region where Jews are engaging in what was considered a sinful occupation.  Jesus would forbid His disciples to go to the Gentiles on their first apostolic mission  (Matthew 10:5), and was reluctant to seek out Gentiles Himself (Matthew 15:24).  The destruction of the entire herd of swine suggests several things, according to my study bible.  First, that while animals are a venerable part of creation, human beings are of far more value.  Second, Christ removes a source of sin, as swine herding was an abomination to the Jews (Deuteronomy 14:8).  Additionally, the text teaches us that demons have no power over creation, but are rather subject to the will of God -- they could only enter the swine at Christ's command.  Clearly it is Jesus who has the power in this spiritual realm.  He is the "stronger man" who can bind this hostile force (Mark 3:27).  Human beings are protected under God's providence, otherwise the demon-possessed man would have come to the same end as the swine.  Finally, their great economic loss would remain as a sign for the hardhearted people who fled the region (see the following verses). 


When those who fed them saw what had happened, they fled and told it in the city and in the country.  Then they went out to see what had happened, and came to Jesus, and found the man from whom the demons had departed, sitting at the feet of Jesus, clothed and in his right mind.  And they were afraid.  They also who had seen it told them by what means he who had been demon-possessed was healed.  Then the whole multitude of the surrounding region of the Gadarenes asked Him to depart from them, for they were seized with great fear.  And he got into the boat and returned.  Now the man from whom the demons had departed begged Him that he might be with Him.  But Jesus sent him away, saying, "Return to your own house, and tell what great things God has done for you."  And he went his way and proclaimed throughout the whole city what great things Jesus had done for him.  These apostate Jews who were raising the swine care only for their economic loss.   Although the miraculous healing of this man, who is now clothed and in his right mind, and peacefully sitting at the feet of Jesus must have made an impression, this is not a priority for the people of the region.  When they find how Jesus healed the man, they respond with great fear.  They ask Jesus to depart from them.  But the healed man is ready to proclaim the good news of His Savior, and what great things Jesus had done for him.  

This story tells us so many things.  I always find new things to see in it whenever it comes up.  It's rather striking to us that although the man wants to come with Jesus and the disciples, Jesus has other plans for him.  We may wonder why this is so, considering the hostile environment that perhaps only served as a "welcoming place" for the legion of demons that had afflicted him.  The people are entirely hostile to Christ and His mission.  They don't care at all about the healing of this man, and are rather more saddened and disturbed by the loss of the swine.  They simply respond with fear to Christ's effect on their environment, and ask Him to leave the region.  But Christ's desire for this healed man is to be a kind of light among the darkness.  He will go on to proclaim to others what great things Christ has done for him.  He will be a witness, he will testify.  He will be a sign of the presence of the Kingdom in a dark world, the great changes wrought in him and for his life being evident to all.  What Jesus does is send the man out, back into this place where people apparently prefer a kind of darkness, in order to cling to his truth.  He bears witness to the truth of Christ, to the healing that has happened to him, to the great things Jesus has done for him.  In so doing, he bears a light into the darkness, and his mission -- as given by Jesus -- is simply to continue proclaiming and clinging to that light and bearing it for others.  This, we suspect, is yet another aspect of his healing.  We can see parallels to the terrible imprisonment of this man in modern afflictions of the world.  It bears resemblance to addiction of all kinds and forms, or people who may find themselves stuck in an abusive situation, community, or family.  When we are healed or helped by Christ to be "liberated" from any form of bondage, it's essential that we cling to the truth of that liberation and healing.  When we return to our own environments, we'll still need the strength of Christ's truth and grace to remain in the place He's put us, to remain within the new life He gives.  And we may need to cling to His truth and light to deal with those who don't value our lives in a healthy state.  This remains true for those in recovery of any kind, regardless of the affliction or problems one may describe.  Christ takes this man back into his home town as a changed person, with a new life to live, an experience to tell and teach to others.  He'll need to proclaim and live the "good news" in order to live that new life he's been given.  So we should remember and cherish and live all the good things the Lord has done for us, proclaiming them for ourselves.

I indeed baptized you with water, but He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit

 The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.  As it is written in the Prophets:

"Behold, I send My messenger before Your face,
Who will prepare Your way before You."
"The voice of one crying in the wilderness:
'Prepare the way of the LORD;
Make His paths straight.'"

John came baptizing in the wilderness and preaching a baptism of repentance for the remission of sins.  Then all the land of Judea, and those from Jerusalem, went out to him and were all baptized by him in the Jordan River, confessing their sins.  Now John was clothed with camel's hair and with a leather belt around his waist, and he ate locusts and wild honey.  And he preached, saying, "There comes One after me who is mightier than I, whose sandal strap I am not worthy to stoop down and loose.  I indeed baptized you with water, but He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit."

It came to pass in those days that Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee, and was baptized by John in the Jordan.  And immediately, coming up from the water, He saw the heavens parting and the Spirit descending upon Him like a dove.  Then a voice came from heaven, "You are My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased."

Immediately the Spirit drove Him into the wilderness.  And He was there in the wilderness forty days, tempted by Satan, and was with the wild beasts; and the angels ministered to Him.

- Mark 1:1-13

 The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.  As it is written in the Prophets:  "Behold, I send My messenger before Your face, who will prepare Your way before You."  "The voice of one crying in the wilderness:  'Prepare the way of the LORD; make His paths straight.'"  We've just celebrated Christ's Nativity, or the holiday of Christmas.  But here in Mark we're called to take note:  this is the beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ.  We don't start here with His birth, but rather with the birth of Christ's ministry.  Our great central figure is John the Baptist, also called the Forerunner, for his role in the gospel of Jesus Christ.  Gospel (Greek εὐαγγέλιον/evangelion -- literally "good news" or "good message") refers not to Mark's writings per se, says my study bible, but rather to the story of Jesus Christ:  His life, death, and Resurrection -- but especially it is the good news of our salvation.  This beginning is comprised of the opening events of Christ's ministry, namely the preparation by His forerunner, St. John the Baptist, and Christ's encounter with him.  The story begins with the earlier good messages of the Prophets Malachi and Isaiah (Malachi 3:1 and Isaiah 40:3), whose prophesies are filled in John the Baptist.  John the Baptist - as characterized by Jesus - is the last and the greatest in the lineage of the Old Testament prophets.

John came baptizing in the wilderness and preaching a baptism of repentance for the remission of sins.  Then all the land of Judea, and those from Jerusalem, went out to him and were all baptized by him in the Jordan River, confessing their sins.  Now John was clothed with camel's hair and with a leather belt around his waist, and he ate locusts and wild honey.  And he preached, saying, "There comes One after me who is mightier than I, whose sandal strap I am not worthy to stoop down and loose.  I indeed baptized you with water, but He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit."  Here is more crucial information about John and His importance to the good news, the gospel of Jesus Christ.  His clothing is suggestive of the Prophet Elijah (2 Kings 1:8).  It was prophesied that Elijah would return before the Messiah; Jesus Himself will characterize John as coming "in the spirit of Elijah" (see Matthew 17:11-13).

It came to pass in those days that Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee, and was baptized by John in the Jordan.  And immediately, coming up from the water, He saw the heavens parting and the Spirit descending upon Him like a dove.  Then a voice came from heaven, "You are My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased."  In the Eastern Churches, the event of Epiphany is this one recorded in these verses, and refers to the revelation here of the Holy Trinity (also called Theophany, a revelation of God).  Here appears Father (a voice from heaven), Son (in the message declared to John by the voice), and Holy Spirit (which descends "like a dove"). 

Immediately the Spirit drove Him into the wilderness.  And He was there in the wilderness forty days, tempted by Satan, and was with the wild beasts; and the angels ministered to Him.  Driven into the wilderness by the Spirit, Jesus is in some way exposed (that is, without even the protection of the social and religious establishments) as the frail human being He is, to be tempted by Satan.  The language implies a person being driven out or cast out.  In this we can be sure that He faces the deepest challenges and temptations that we do, as a human being.  As human being, He is prepared for ministry, later ministered to by the angels, and often, we can be sure, deep in prayer.

The great news in this first chapter and beginning of Mark is this tremendous revelation that happens.  We not only have Jesus revealed as the Anointed One (as He is anointed by the Holy Spirit), but also the relation of the Holy Trinity, and Jesus' place as Son.  This has been revealed to the great prophet John the Forerunner, or the Baptist.  To fully understand the greatness of this moment, we have envision what exactly baptism is, and also what it becomes with this action, this story of today's event.  Baptism is a symbolic death and rebirth, the waters covering a person symbolic of burial.  In John's practice, it is a repentance, a symbolic washing clean of sins.  Most importantly it is done as preparation for the coming of the Messiah -- and this was the great message of John, that the peoples must prepare for His appearance, and "make His paths straight," according to Isaiah's prophecy.  Often in icons of the Eastern Church, John the Baptist is portrayed with wings, signifying His role as messenger (as in the prophecy of Malachi:  "I send My messenger before your face, who will prepare Your way for You").  That is because the word angel comes from this word  for "message" in Greek:  angelon (pronounced with a hard g).  The angels are the messengers of God.  And the Gospel, or good news, is the ev-angelion, with "ev" (or "ευ" in the Greek) meaning "good."   It is from this word, of course, that we get the title Evangelist.  So the good news, or the Gospel, isn't just a written book, it is truly the good message we're given.  During the Christmas holidays, I departed from my commentary following the lectionary, and instead blogged on the various readings giving us in the story surrounding the birth of Jesus.  (See readings beginning Saturday, December 20th through Tuesday, December 30th.)   In those readings, we observed this great interworking of all things that brought about the story of the birth of the Jesus, the angels who brought their messages to Zechariah and to Joseph, the prophesy and songs of Elizabeth, Mary, Simeon, and Anna, the angels who appeared to the shepherds in the field with the "good news," even the star by which the wise men came from the East to worship the King -- so that even all of nature somehow cooperated in this birth as human being of the Lord of the cosmos.  Here in this beginning of the story of His ministry, we have so many elements that cooperate:  we hear the words of the Prophets of Israel (major and minor), the "appearance" in John of Elijah who did not die, the vision of the light of the Spirit descending like a dove, the voice of the Father - and the elements of the earth in the water of the Jordan.  All are cooperating in this moment, this great revelation of the greatest news.  Many people ask why Jesus would need to be baptized; He is sinless.  But Matthew reports to us that Jesus said it was "to fulfill all righteousness."   He sets the great example.  And more:  Jesus, as Son, and as anointed by the Spirit, blesses the waters of the world for baptism for the rest of us who follow -- a baptism, as John pointed the way toward, not simply of water but also of the Spirit.  Let us remember this revelation of the Trinity, of the world and all in it (Jesus would go to be with the "wild beasts" in the wilderness) and God born as a human being, signifying what all the world - and we who are in it - are capable of being and merging into.  Thereby we know we may be children of God by adoption, and the world and all in it is made to be filled and blessed by the energy or grace of God.  With God all things are possible, and this is the day that God is revealed among us. 

He commanded them that they should tell no one; but the more He commanded them, the more widely they proclaimed it

 From there He arose and went to the region of Tyre and Sidon.  And He entered a house and wanted no one to know it, but He could not be hidden.  For a woman whose young daughter had an unclean spirit heard about Him, and she came and fell at His feet.  The woman was a Greek, a Syro-Phoenician by birth, and she kept asking Him to cast the demon out of her daughter.  But Jesus said to her, "Let the children be filled first, for it is not good to take the children's bread and throw it to the little dogs."  And she answered and said to Him, "Yes, Lord, yet even the little dogs under the table eat from the children's crumbs."  Then He said to her, "For this saying go your way, the demon has gone out of your daughter."  And when she had come to her house, she found the demon gone out, and her daughter lying on the bed.

Again, departing from the region of Tyre and Sidon, He came through the midst of the region of Decapolis to the Sea of Galilee.  Then they brought to Him one who was deaf and had an impediment in his speech, and they begged Him to put His hand on him.  And He took him aside from the multitude, and put His fingers in his ears, and He spat and touched his tongue.  Then, looking up to heaven, He sighed, and said to him, "Ephphatha," that is, "Be opened."  Immediately his ears were opened, and the impediment of his tongue was loosed, and he spoke plainly.  Then He commanded them that they should tell no one; but the more He commanded them, the more widely they proclaimed it.  And they were astonished beyond measure, saying, "He has done all things well.  He makes both the deaf to hear and the mute to speak."

- Mark 7:24-37

In Saturday's reading, the Pharisees and scribes had come down from Jerusalem to see Jesus.  Now when they saw some of His disciples eat bread with defiled, that is, with unwashed hands, they found fault.  For the Pharisees and all the Jews do not eat unless they wash their hands in a special way, holding the tradition of the elders.   When they come from the marketplace, they do not eat unless they wash.  And there are many other things which they have received and hold, like the washing of cups, pitchers, copper vessels, and couches.  Then the Pharisees and scribes asked Him, "Why do Your disciples not walk according to the tradition of the elders, but eat bread with unwashed hands?"  He answered and said to them, "Well did Isaiah prophesy of you hypocrites, as it is written:  'This people honors Me with their lips, but their heart is far from Me, and in vain they worship Me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.'
"For laying aside the commandment of God, you hold the tradition of men -- the washing of pitchers and cups, and many other such things you do."  He said to them, "All too well you reject the commandment of God, that you may keep your tradition.  For Moses said, 'Honor your father and your mother,; and, 'He who curses father or mother, let him be put to death.'  But you say, 'If a man says to his father or mother, "Whatever profit you might have received from me is Corban" -- ' (that is, a gift to God), then you no longer let him do anything for his father or his mother, making the word of God of no effect through your tradition which you have handed down.  And many such things you do."   When He had called all the multitude to Himself, He said to them, "Hear Me, everyone, and understand:  There is nothing that enters a man from outside which can defile him; but the things which come out of him, those are the things that defile a man.  If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear!"  When He had entered a house away from the crowd, His disciples asked Him concerning the parable.  So He said to them, "Are you thus without understanding also?  Do you not perceive that whatever enters a man from outside cannot defile him, because it does not enter his heart but his stomach, and it is eliminated, thus purifying all foods?"  And He said, "What comes out of a man, that defiles a man.  For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lewdness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness.  All these evil things come from within and defile a man."

From there He arose and went to the region of Tyre and Sidon.  And He entered a house and wanted no one to know it, but He could not be hidden.  Jesus goes north into Gentile territory.  These are Gentile cities on the coast of Palestine.  In previous readings last week, we read that Jesus wanted to be apart with His disciples, so they could rest.  But thousands followed Him and anticipated where He was going in the boat, thus resulting in the feeding of the five thousand and more.  The text says He simply could not be hidden, even He seemingly did not have the power to conceal Himself; this gospel cannot be hidden.

For a woman whose young daughter had an unclean spirit heard about Him, and she came and fell at His feet.  The woman was a Greek, a Syro-Phoenician by birth, and she kept asking Him to cast the demon out of her daughter.  But Jesus said to her, "Let the children be filled first, for it is not good to take the children's bread and throw it to the little dogs."  And she answered and said to Him, "Yes, Lord, yet even the little dogs under the table eat from the children's crumbs."  Then He said to her, "For this saying go your way, the demon has gone out of your daughter."  And when she had come to her house, she found the demon gone out, and her daughter lying on the bed.  We remember we're in Gentile territory.  Jesus' primary mission is to the Jews, but this exceptional encounter comes in Mark's gospel after several forays into Gentile territory.  This Gentile woman comes seeking Jesus although He wants to be hidden, and in a traditional perspective, this teaches us about perseverance.  Specifically, it is often interpreted as teaching us about perseverance in prayer.  My study bible suggests:  "Jesus resists her, not to make her persuade Him, but to test her faith.  Such persistence the Lord seeks from all."  We remember Jesus' role in this Gospel, as the stronger man who comes to liberate people from the "strong man" (Satan) that binds them. So His power responds to her faith, though she has been tested for the depth of that faith.  She comes home to find her daughter well, liberated from that which afflicted and oppressed her.

 

Again, departing from the region of Tyre and Sidon, He came through the midst of the region of Decapolis to the Sea of Galilee.  Then they brought to Him one who was deaf and had an impediment in his speech, and they begged Him to put His hand on him.  And He took him aside from the multitude, and put His fingers in his ears, and He spat and touched his tongue.  The Decapolis was a region of ten cities of mixed population, but centers of Greek and Roman culture and history; each semi-autonomous in rule.  So once again, we're in a Gentile territory, although communities of Jews are also there.  My study bible notes here:  "Jesus heals in various ways.  Sometimes He speaks a word, sometimes He commands people to act, sometimes He touches people.  Here He takes a man aside for a private and unusual act of healing.  The ways of God at times do not make sense to us, not because He is illogical, but because His nature transcends our capacity to understand."  

Then, looking up to heaven, He sighed, and said to him, "Ephphatha," that is, "Be opened."  My study bible notes, "Looking up to heaven is a sign of intimacy with the Father in prayer.  He sighed out of deep compassion for the man's pitiful condition."  This is an extraordinary healing; we must keep in mind the power involved in the perspective of an ancient people to heal an impediment such as this one.  Isaiah predicted of the Messiah:  "Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf shall be unstopped."

Immediately his ears were opened, and the impediment of his tongue was loosed, and he spoke plainly.  Then He commanded them that they should tell no one; but the more He commanded them, the more widely they proclaimed it.  And they were astonished beyond measure, saying, "He has done all things well.  He makes both the deaf to hear and the mute to speak."  My study bible says, "Here Jesus' attempt to keep His messianic identity secret is foiled by the people's enthusiasm.  The gospel is so powerful that it simply cannot be contained."  Neither can this mute man's tongue be "contained" any longer in the liberating presence of Christ.  The "impediment" of the tongue is a "bond" or "chain" that is loosed.  And again, even here in a mixed culture, Gentile territory, the gospel news cannot be hidden, despite Jesus' own commandments. 

We get a sense of events taking their own turn today, seemingly in contradiction to Jesus' own wishes and desires.  It's as if there is a hidden and mysterious hand of the Father at work.  But we simply don't know.  The scripture tells us about Jesus' commands and desires, but it shows us that nothing about Jesus now can be hidden.  He Himself is in some sense compelled to become public.  People seek Him out when He wants to be hidden, and the good news is proclaimed when He wants it to be kept a secret.  We've just read in the previous reading about how conflict is coming with the religious establishment in Jerusalem; perhaps Jesus wants time, as much as possible, for the foundation of His ministry and mission before religious and messianic expectations are stirred that He knows will come in time.  But these are guesses.  What we understand is that this gospel cannot be contained, just as Jesus' power unlooses the bonds of the enemy, and liberates people from their chains and oppression.  This power is at work despite His protests to keep it secret, and it is secret in plain sight for all peoples:  in Gentile territory, in mixed territory, and for "the children."  It's a sign from the Gospel that tells us that this liberation is far too big simply for one people or one lineage:  it's a heritage that belongs to the whole world because it is in fact a cosmic or universal power coming into the world, and it simply is too great to be contained.  God comes to us incarnate in the form of one Man, Jesus, but God's power is absolute, universal, beyond all bounds that we know, boundaries and limitations do not apply.  In fact, a great mystery is at work, far greater than anything we can know.  It comes to liberate and it cannot be bound itself.  It will always surprise us, and grow beyond what we can know or predict, and take forms we can't of ourselves control.  It is like the mustard seed, to which Christ Himself likened it.  When we treat it as anything less than an astonishing power, we may be in for a surprise ourselves and make a great mistake.  It is here to liberate, and cannot be contained itself.

The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me

Then Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit to Galilee, and news of Him went out through all the surrounding region.  And He taught in their synagogues, being glorified by all.

So He came to Nazareth, where He had been brought up.  And as His custom was, He went into the synagogue on the Sabbath day, and stood up to read.  And He was handed the book of the prophet Isaiah.  And when He had opened the book, He found the place where it was written:

"The Spirit of the LORD is upon Me,
Because He has anointed Me
To preach the gospel to the poor;
He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted,
To proclaim liberty to the captives
And recovery of sight to the blind,
To set at liberty those who are oppressed;
To proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD."

Then He closed the book, and gave it back to the attendant and sat down.  And the eyes of all who were in the synagogue were fixed on Him.  And He began to say to them, "Today this Scripture is fulfilled in your hearing."  So all bore witness to Him, and marveled at the gracious words which proceeded out of His mouth.  And they said, "Is this not Joseph's son?"  He said to them, "You will surely say this proverb to Me, 'Physician, heal yourself!  Whatever we have heard done in Capernaum, do also here in your country."  Then He said, "Assuredly, I say to you, no prophet is accepted in his own country.  But I tell you truly, many widows were in Israel in the days of Elijah; when the heaven was shut up three years and six months, and there was a great famine throughout all the land; but to none of them was Elijah sent except to Zarephath, in the region of Sidon, to a woman who was a widow.  And many lepers were in Israel in the time of Elisha the prophet; and none of them was cleansed except Naaman the Syrian."  So all those in the synagogue, when they heard these things, were filled with wrath, and rose up and thrust Him out of the city; and they led Him to the brow of the hill on which their city was built, that they might throw Him down over the cliff.  Then passing through the midst of them, He went His way.

- Luke 4:14-30

 In yesterday's reading, events took place right after Jesus' baptism by John the Baptist.  Luke's Gospel tells us, then Jesus, being filled with the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness, being tempted for forty days by the devil.  Jesus went through three temptations about His ministry. First, in His great hunger, He was told:  "If You are the Son of God, command this stone to become bread."  But Jesus answered him, saying, "It is written, 'Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God.'"  Then Jesus was shown the kingdoms of the world, and told:  "All this authority I will give You, and their glory; for this has been delivered to me, and I give it to whomever I wish. Therefore, if You will worship before me, all will be Yours."  But Jesus replied, "Get behind Me, Satan!  For it is written, 'You shall worship the LORD your God, and Him only you shall serve.' "  Then Jesus was taken to the pinnacle of the temple, and tempted to throw Himself down; Satan quoted Scripture to test Him about God's providence.  But Jesus told Him, "It has been said, 'You shall not tempt the LORD your God.' "    The Gospel tells us that when the devil had ended every temptation, he departed from Him until an opportune time.

 Then Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit to Galilee, and news of Him went out through all the surrounding region.  And He taught in their synagogues, being glorified by all.  Jesus is Galilean, so He's returning home for His ministry, and to gather disciples.  Early on, He meets with great success, and "glory."

So He came to Nazareth, where He had been brought up.  And as His custom was, He went into the synagogue on the Sabbath day, and stood up to read.  And He was handed the book of the prophet Isaiah.  And when He had opened the book, He found the place where it was written:  "The Spirit of the LORD is upon Me, because He has anointed Me to preach the gospel to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed; To proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD."  As is His custom, we are told, Jesus opens the scroll and it is the book of Isaiah.  He reads Isaiah's announcement of the coming of Messiah, His purpose, and His plan.  The Spirit of the Lord, my study bible points out, has anointed Jesus at His baptism.  "Jesus will bring blessings long awaited by the Jewish people," it notes, "thus fulfilling the prophecy of Isaiah."  Jesus is speaking of Himself, to His hometown and the people gathered there in the synagogue.  He's not doing anything differently than He's done elsewhere so far in His ministry. 

Then He closed the book, and gave it back to the attendant and sat down.  And the eyes of all who were in the synagogue were fixed on Him.  And He began to say to them, "Today this Scripture is fulfilled in your hearing."  He announces His good news.

So all bore witness to Him, and marveled at the gracious words which proceeded out of His mouth.  And they said, "Is this not Joseph's son?"  He said to them, "You will surely say this proverb to Me, 'Physician, heal yourself!  Whatever we have heard done in Capernaum, do also here in your country."  He's announcing Himself as Christ, but they can't believe it.  They know Him as Joseph's son; what He has to reveal they are unable to perceive.  Jesus' words, then, refer to a kind of testing and proof-demanding.  Let Him do here in Nazareth what He's reputed to have done elsewhere.  Capernaum, where Peter's home is, forms a sort of headquarters for His ministry.

Then He said, "Assuredly, I say to you, no prophet is accepted in his own country.  But I tell you truly, many widows were in Israel in the days of Elijah; when the heaven was shut up three years and six months, and there was a great famine throughout all the land; but to none of them was Elijah sent except to Zarephath, in the region of Sidon, to a woman who was a widow.  And many lepers were in Israel in the time of Elisha the prophet; and none of them was cleansed except Naaman the Syrian."  Jesus warns them about the nature of God's grace and His ministry.  Kinship or group membership or ancestry isn't enough for this, to guarantee a sort of election.  He gives them examples from Israel's history, in which it was Gentiles who received the blessings of God's grace, to whom the Spirit went in God's mercy.  In Christian history, we will come to understand sonship as that of adoption, through relationship given in grace, participation in God's love.  My study bible says that Jesus "warns them that their heritage alone will not save them."

So all those in the synagogue, when they heard these things, were filled with wrath, and rose up and thrust Him out of the city; and they led Him to the brow of the hill on which their city was built, that they might throw Him down over the cliff.  Then passing through the midst of them, He went His way.  Through His refusal to accommodate their demands, He engenders their wrath.  It is not yet His hour, that is quite a ways ahead.  He leaves the city unharmed.

What is it to leave behind old ties, to refuse to accommodate demands that compromise our own integrity and trust in God?  Sometimes demands may be placed upon all of us that have the effect of inviting a kind of betrayal of our relationship to God and our own integrity.  Those demands may come in the form of friendships and kinships and any sort of relationship or tie that presses us in a sentimental or other way, even from those whom we love deeply.  But the truth is that the ultimate arbiter of love and thereby righteous relationships is God.  We participate in God's loving energies so that we learn right relatedness to others.  Here in today's reading, Jesus proclaims the Good News, and it is the great good news of Isaiah:  that the Messiah is above all else a liberator, from all kinds of things:  He is here to preach the gospel to the poor, to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed; to proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD.  In all of these ways, He is here to set us free on so many levels.  But today's lesson teaches us what freedom is in love, and to love:  we are liberated from false demands that compromise our integrity of character and purpose, and especially the love that God would teach us.  There is no one who can claim our worship but God.  This is the one thing that can't really be compromised, because it's the place where we learn truly how to love others, and how to separate true love from a false sense of obligation, how to be true to the One who gives us true self so that we may in turn be true to others, and not simply a slave to false demands.  How do you practice that form of integrity?  Where does your love and understanding come from?  How does faith teach you what love truly is?  How does it lead you more deeply into its true relationships for you?  What does honor really mean to you?

Follow Me, and I will make you become fishers of men

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 they 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.

- Mark 1:14-28

In yesterday's reading, we began the Gospel of Mark. We were introduced to John the Baptist, who came preaching a baptism of repentance for the remission or "letting go" of sins. He proclaimed the One who was to come, and Mark's Gospel gives us the prophecy of Isaiah fulfilled in John: "The voice of one crying in the wilderness: 'Prepare the way of the LORD; make His paths straight.'" John is in the fashion of Elijah returned, a holy man, widely known and revered as such. We read of Jesus' baptism, and the appearance of the Holy Trinity: the Father's voice declaring that He is Son, the Holy Spirit descending like a dove, anointing Christ. Then the Spirit drove Him into the wilderness, where He remained tempted by Satan, there with the wild beasts, and ministered to by angels.

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." Mark's Gospel will move forward at a fast pace. Here, it tells us we are already at the time of John's imprisonment. Jesus' preaching ministry begins, in Galilee. He is preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God, with us now even as Jesus preached: "The time is fulfilled, the kingdom of God is at hand." It is present with us, the time is now. And yet, we look forward to its fulfillment: it is both here with us and an expected reality, the fullness of which we await. Jesus asks for people to pay attention, to turn to the faith of the gospel of the kingdom of God, to "change their minds" (repent). These words remain with us: the kingdom's presence and the time of its fullness we look toward now. The "gospel" is the good news of this reality, this kingdom.

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." Jesus and these men He encounters who will be His first apostles are already known to one another. Mark's Gospel moves us very swiftly -- this is characteristic of its style. But this is a call, a command: "Follow Me." And it is also a promise. Repentance becomes more than a change of mind and heart; in its wake is also a new life, a different fulfillment of promise in discipleship. God will take all that we are and have become, and will make of us what God's purpose can fulfill in us, as we are, with whatever we have. They are fishermen; they will 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. These men whom Jesus knows immediately respond to the call. They trust Him. My study bible says, "Called suggests discipleship is an invitation issued by Jesus, the emphasis being on His initiative -- the opposite of rabbinic discipleship, where the student took the initiative to follow the leader (rabbi). Jesus does not hesitate to include groups of friends and relatives among His disciples. Here are two sets of brothers, and two families are friends, perhaps even relatives." The emphasis is on the newness of this kingdom, the time has been fulfilled and it is at hand; their lives will change for the sake of its inauguration and promise of fulfillment.

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. Jesus' immediate beginning to His ministry is to teach in the synagogue, and all are astonished at the authority with which He speaks. He hasn't studied with a famous rabbi, He doesn't quote others. He doesn't use credentials to back Himself up, nor rely on the opinions of others. His presence is immediate and powerful. In Him, the kingdom is at hand.

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 they 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. The kingdom is inaugurated and its effects are plain to see. This is a spiritual kingdom, demanding faith; He is a spiritual leader and asks discipleship of His followers into this new doctrine, the good news. Its effects are powerful and immediate; there is an unmistakeable presence at work. His authority is not only in His speaking, but also in His effect on the unclean spirit. His authority is clear, His power is demonstrated. The unclean spirits have had free reign, but an authority and power are now inaugurated, and present, over which they have no power.

Mark's Gospel moves us along very quickly, and we are thrown into this Kingdom as it is given to us by Jesus. The time of the world has been fulfilled so that the Gospel may be preached. All are called to repent, to hear, to turn around and listen and accept and understand. This kingdom asks us for our faith, so that we may be present to it, dwell in it and with it, be a part of its fulfillment in the world. Even as the Gospel thrusts us into this new kingdom and the power of Christ, let us think where we are now in the world. There are theologians who teach us that Christianity is yet in its infancy, with the Church around the world in places far from one another, in denominations multiple and seemingly uncountable, seemingly fragmentary. Yet the Kingdom promises to us its fulfillment in wholeness, in a future that calls us forward in that faith into which we enter. Discipleship becomes for each of us a point of entry, finding what is our part in the fulfillment of that kingdom. As we read of the Gospel's initiation, let us think what it is now, in this time of Lent in 2012, to be a part of this kingdom, and what precisely is the unfolding of discipleship in us. How do we play our parts in this movement toward the promise of its fulfillment? How do we repent, and change our minds, moving forward and more deeply into faith and discipleship on the road, even as we will read of the road of the first disciples of Christ? How does Christ take all that you are, and bring it into service in the kingdom?