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 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.   The demons recognize Jesus as the Son of the Most High God.  Once again, the Gospel has thrust us into an opening in which we view the "unseen warfare" going on all the time in our world, with human beings as the battleground.  This unfortunate man is occupied by a legion of demons, language suggestive of the political occupation of Israel but teaching us about the "strong man" whom Jesus has come into the world to overthrow (see Luke 11:20-22).  We see evidence of the enslaving, destructive, and torturous nature of the demonic influence, the realm opposed to Jesus, in the description of this afflicted man.

 

 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.  My study Bible comments that, although the malice of the demons is great, they can do nothing against the will of God.  Therefore, they can only enter the swine with the permission of Christ.  It notes that the immediate destruction of the herd shows that the man had been protected by God care.  Otherwise, he would have perished under the demonic influence.  It further reinforces that swineherding was not lawful for the Jews, my study Bible comments, and shows the incomparable value of human beings, whose salvation is worth every price.  While there are those who teach that the presence of the swine indicates a Gentile population, this passage would seem to indicate otherwise.  Jesus forbade His disciples to go to the Gentiles (Matthew 10:5), and He Himself was reluctant to seek them out (Matthew 15:24).  These are likely to be Jews engaged in a sinful occupation.  their hardhearted response to the healing of this man seems to be further validation of their irreverent attitude.

 

Let us take a look at the man who's been "relieved" of the affliction of a legion of demons.  The last part of today's reading tells us:  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.   In some sense, the man has been through a terrible ordeal from which he's been relieved.  It reminds us, perhaps, of a person who has been through the experience of a terrible addiction, years of self-destructive behavior, with his world that of people who know him in this state, find ways to tolerate him, or otherwise live side by side in the same place.  But now that this man is healed and cleared of the demons, the ones who were formerly his "neighbors" in this wilderness of tombs and caves and deserted places away from the city want nothing to do with him.  For he in his "right mind" and in his healed state, is a symbol of the effects of Jesus, who has also sent the legion of demons into their swine.  For the swineherders of this region, the loss of their property is a far more distasteful experience than any good news of this man's healing could cover.  They've made their choices, and just as they sought an occupation sinful in the eyes of Jews for a lucrative Gentile market, so they choose again that the power of God working to relieve a man of a legion of demons is not what they want anything to do with if it threatens their livelihood by which they profit handsomely.  They have made their choice for money over the values of their faith, and now over the direct act of the Messiah.  The healed man understands this and knows that his former habitation is no place for him to remain.  Like an addict seeking to be freed of a life of addiction, he no longer fits where he was and must find a new life, and new company.  But neither does Jesus allow the man to continue with Him and with the apostles.  Instead, Jesus finds the healed man the right occupation, and gives him a new path to pursue.  He's told, "Return to your own house, and tell what great things God has done for you."   This is, in fact, a strong indication of Christ's work on us when we come to a kind of dead end -- when we can't go on the way we were, need to change, and to find a new life, so to speak, a new direction.   It is Christ who will give us direction, a new place we can't necessarily create of ourselves, for God's perspective is so much greater than ours is.  There are times when God will give us inspiration beyond what we could have planned or even the alternatives we can see, just like with this healed man, to whom Jesus gives a great new job -- and sends home with glorious good news.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Then 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 into 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 

 

On Saturday, we read that the Pharisees and some of the scribes came together to Jesus, having come from Jerusalem.  Now when they saw some of the 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 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 into a house and wanted no one to know it, but He could not be hidden.  Tyre and Sidon is a Gentile region which was to the north of Galilee.  As the text indicates, Jesus goes here to withdraw after yet another conflict and challenge to the Pharisees (see Saturday's reading, above).  It is for this reasons that He entered into a house and wanted no one to know it.  However, His identity and fame by this time mean that He could not be hidden.  In St. Matthew's version of this story, this withdrawal from the Pharisees into Gentile territory is emphasized through Jesus' remark, "I was not sent except to the lost sheep of the house of Israel" (Matthew 15:23).  Thus, He was not there to preach.

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.  My study Bible comments that Christ's refusal at first to heal her daughter comes not only because His ministry before the Passion is first to the Jews, but also serves to reveal her profound faith and love.  Her persistence, her alacrity in her response, and her humility before Him all speak of her faith.  My study Bible says that she accepts her place beneath the Jews ("the children"), who were the chosen people of God, but still desires a share in God's grace.  It notes that Christ's hesitancy is not a lack of compassion, but a conscious means to reveal her virtues.  This is confirmed in Christ's response, "For this saying go your way; the demon has gone out of your daughter."  Little dogs are house dogs, puppies.  One can imagine her persistence in the way that a puppy may plead under a table for the good food thereon.  My study Bible further comments that her ultimate acceptance by Christ also points to the gathering of the Gentiles into the Church after Pentecost, no longer as dogs but as children who are invited to eat the bread of eternal life. 

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.   My study Bible indicates that Christ's sigh in looking up to heaven is a sign of divine compassion for the sufferings of our fallen human nature. 

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."  Here, according to my study Bible, Jesus shows us that we must not seek acclaim or praise when we do good to others.  Interestingly, it notes, Theophylact upholds those who disobey Christ under these circumstances.  He sees them as a good example, that we should proclaim those who have done good to us even if they do not want us to. 

 

 Theophylact's praise of the people who proclaim Christ's work, although He commanded them that they should tell no one, is an intriguing understanding of grace and graciousness.  From a certain perspective, it is a way to enact the reciprocal practice of mercy, of the joyful receipt of a gift.  It speaks to all of gratitude for something very fine and good.  In this sense, we can understand Theophylact's approval and praise.  In a sense slightly similar to the voluntary expression of humility by the Syro-Phoenician woman, the people's exuberant praise for Christ is an acknowledgement of something or Someone who is much greater than they, or than others they have known.  It is a way to express that God is worthy of praise at all times.  In the understanding from the Gospels, and the Old Testament Scriptures, we call this giving glory to God, an appropriate thing to do in all times and circumstances.  This seems difficult to do -- or perhaps it doesn't seem to make sense -- when we go through difficult times.  One might turn to the first part of our reading today, and a modern sense of what's fair would be appalled and upset at Christ's reference to the Syro-Phoenician woman as a "little dog."  But then one would have to recall that it was in the very earliest days of the Church that the idea that all the faithful were one family as believers, Jews and Gentiles.  Instead, we need to see the responses Christ gives to this woman as something to be thankful for, even to glorify God, because -- as my study Bible remarks -- Jesus' response to this woman draws her out, and shows to all her faith, persistence, intelligence, and commitment of love for her daughter.  In our own lives, the same can be said of difficulties met with faith and the help of God.  This particular episode described here in today's reading also opens up the door to the fruitfulness of Christ's mission, and its eventual turn toward the Gentiles as well as the Jews.  Let us remember gratitude as a great key to our faith, one that unlocks all kinds of ways in which we may experience the love of God and the insights that will give us.  For faith is not purely a rational choice, it's not just expedient, neither is it merely something we practice because everyone else is doing it.  It's the work of God we're given to do. 

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.  

 

Whatever I tell you in the dark, speak in the light; and what you hear in the ear, preach on the housetops

Christ the Teacher/Pantocrator, with Gospel open to John 11:25, Greek

 "A disciple is not above his teacher, nor a servant above his master.  It is enough for a disciple that he be like his teacher, and a servant like his master.  If they have called the master of the house Beelzebub, how much more will they call those of his household!  Therefore do not fear them.  For there is nothing covered that will not be revealed, and hidden that will not be known.

"Whatever I tell you in the dark, speak in the light; and what you hear in the ear, preach on the housetops.  And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul.  But rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.  Are not two sparrows sold for a copper coin?  And not one of them falls to the ground apart from your Father's will.  But the very hairs of your head are all numbered.  Do not fear therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows.  Therefore whoever confesses Me before men, him I will also confess before My Father who is in heaven.  But whoever denies Me before men, him I will also deny before My Father who is in heaven."

- Matthew 10:24-33

Yesterday we read the continuation of Jesus' teaching to the Twelve, as He sent them out on their first mission:   "Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves.  Therefore be wise as serpents and harmless as doves.  But beware of men, for they will deliver you up to councils and scourge you in their synagogues.  You will be brought before governors and kings for My sake, as a testimony to them and to the Gentiles.  But when they deliver you up, do not worry about how or what you should speak.  For it will be given to you in that hour what you should speak; for it is not you who speak, but the Spirit of your Father who speaks in you.  Now brother will deliver up brother to death, and a  father his child; and the children will rise up against parents and cause them to be put to death.  And you will be hated by all for My name's sake.  But he who endures to the end will be saved.  When they persecute you in this city, flee to another.  For assuredly, I say to you, you will not have gone through the cities of Israel before the Son of Man comes."

 "A disciple is not above his teacher, nor a servant above his master.  It is enough for a disciple that he be like his teacher, and a servant like his master.  If they have called the master of the house Beelzebub, how much more will they call those of his household!  Therefore do not fear them.  For there is nothing covered that will not be revealed, and hidden that will not be known."  Jesus continues to warn the disciples about the persecution and hatred that is to come.  He refers back to something we read in chapter 9, that the Pharisees accused Him of casting out demons by the power of demons (9:34).  My study bible notes that in today's passage, the phrase do not fear is repeated three times all together, in order to embolden the witness of the gospel in the face of adversity and difficulty.  It adds that Christian believers, both then and today as well, must neither be intimated by persecution nor fail in their mission to preach.

"Whatever I tell you in the dark, speak in the light; and what you hear in the ear, preach on the housetops.  And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul.  But rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.  Are not two sparrows sold for a copper coin?  And not one of them falls to the ground apart from your Father's will.  But the very hairs of your head are all numbered.  Do not fear therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows.  Therefore whoever confesses Me before men, him I will also confess before My Father who is in heaven.  But whoever denies Me before men, him I will also deny before My Father who is in heaven."  My study bible says that, as Jesus tells us there is no need to fear the killing of the soul, we are to understand that souls are immortal, and ours by grace.  Fear Him is a command to fear God (Proverbs 9:10; Luke 1:50, 23:40; Acts 10:2; Colossians 3:22; 1 Peter 2:17), as God alone has the power to judge the soul.  We are instructed, by contrast, to resist the devil (James 4:7) and not to fear him.  The word for hell is literally "Gehenna."  In Jewish history, Gehenna was the valley of Hinnom; it became a place of forbidden religious practices (2 Chronicles 28:3, Jeremiah 32:35).    King Josiah stopped these practices (2 Kings 23:10).  By the time of Christ, my study bible explains, this valley had become a garbage dump that smoldered continually.  Because of such associations, Gehenna took on the connotation of eternal punishment in the afterlife.  Nevertheless, Christ's warnings regarding judgment are quite real.

In today's reading, Jesus says, " For there is nothing covered that will not be revealed, and hidden that will not be known," and also, "Whatever I tell you in the dark, speak in the light; and what you hear in the ear, preach on the housetops."  These are sentences which express the idea of revelation, of openly showing something to the world that was previously hidden or secret, possibly known to only a few.  It tells us about the growth of the gospel, and what is coming into the world.  It also gives us a sense that the spread of the gospel is similar to the Incarnation itself.  Christ was born at night, without fanfare except for the shepherds in the hills (Luke 2:8-20), who only know because the glory and rejoicing of heaven is uncontained and made known by the angels.  Similarly, the Magi of the East, the "wise men" (Matthew 2:1-2) know because they can read the stars (also associated with angels in Scripture; see Revelation 1:20).  These things of great portent happen in ways unknown to the world, and yet they unfold to become magnificent, brilliant, a light to the world.  We might think of revelation as limited to particular things or messages, such as prophesy or the specific ways that God is revealed in Scripture.  But the truth is that through Christ's words, we should understand that the action of revelation goes on all the time, and even that we are to be a part of it.  At the end of today's passage, He says, "Therefore whoever confesses Me before men, him I will also confess before My Father who is in heaven.  But whoever denies Me before men, him I will also deny before My Father who is in heaven."   This is a continuation of the action of revealing what is covered, and coming to know what is hidden.  It follows upon His command that what He tells in the dark, we should speak in the light -- and that what we hear in the ear we are to preach on the housetops.  To confess, in the sense of the way the Greek word is used here,  is to express a belief, to agree.   Therefore Jesus isn't speaking specifically about witnessing; instead He's speaking about proclaiming His truth, preaching the word He has given, sharing the gospel.  He reveals that gospel to us, and we in turn may give it to others.  Our choice to either confess or deny what He offers is linked to what we choose to reveal or to help suppress; in turn His own action will be reciprocal to ours as we choose to live our lives.  Do we deny His truth?  Or do we share it?  Jesus does not present other "in between" alternatives.  In a sense, to fail to profess is similar to denial -- because we remains hidden through silence, a lack of expression in the world.  In what ways do you live the gospel and so reveal it to others?  How do we follow His commands and act on them?  What are the things you learn from your faith and then pass on to others?  Let us not keep it hidden, but profess it so that its beauty may be given to all.

Jesus asked him, saying, "What is your name?" And he said, "Legion," because many demons had entered him

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

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

Then they sailed to the country of the Gadarenes, which is opposite Galilee.  And when He stepped out on the land, there met Him a certain man from the city who had demons for a long time.  And he wore no clothes, nor did he live in a house but in the tombs.  When he saw Jesus, he cried out, fell down before Him, and with a loud voice said, "What have I to do with You, Jesus, Son of the Most High God?  I beg You, do not torment me!"  For He had commanded the unclean spirit to come out of the man.  For it had often seized him, and he was kept under guard, bound with chains and shackles; and he broke the bonds and was driven by the demon into the wilderness.  This man lives in the tombs.  It is a symbol of death, of a destroyed life, dominated by the demons who oppress him.  If we look at this picture painted in his description, we see one who is far from "civilization" or what makes human life more "humane."  He wears no clothing, he's considered dangerous enough to be under guard, and bound with chains and shackles, more symbols of his oppressed and life-stopping condition.  Moreover, the demonic violence that seizes him is enough to break his bonds and to drive him into the wilderness, a sign that he is even further away from human society than we can know.   His only company is death and demons.   The demons, as usual, recognize Christ, and they are terrified of Him.  They fear He will torment them, as they torment the afflicted man.

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.   Let us notice how the demons fear the commands of Christ, which they are compelled to obey.   They fear being commanded to go out into the abyss.  Abyss literally means "bottomless" or "depthless" in the Greek, a place of total oblivion, non-existence.  It is also comparable to the lowest depth of the ocean.  For the Hebrews, this is the place of the dead.  (See also Revelation 20:1-3).   The country of the Gadarenes was east of the Sea of Galilee, in the Decapolis, a Greek-speaking region of mixed Gentiles and Semitic people.  The fact that there are swine being raised here, however, appears to be a further indication of "lawlessness."  Given that at this point Jesus' mission is to the Jews (Matthew 15:24), these are likely Jews raising swine to sell to the Gentiles who live in this territory, in violation of their faith.  Again we note that the demons can only enter the swine with permission of Christ.  My study bible says that their totally destructive effect on the herd of swine indicates that regardless of his degradation, the man as human being was nevertheless under the protection of Christ, as they could not destroy him altogether. 

When those who fed them saw what 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.  We notice the effect of this man's healing on these townspeople:  they respond by being seized with great fear.  They do not rejoice at his healing and the power of Christ to destroy the demons.  But the healed man, understandably among these people, begs Christ that he might go with Him.  Jesus instead gives him a mission; comparable to the apostles, he is sent out to proclaim "the great things God has done for you."

Some comment on this story that the people who raise the swine must be Gentiles, but everything indicates, on the contrary, that these are actually Jews engaged in the unlawful occupation of raising unclean animals.  They are the ones who cannot respond to the power of Christ with acceptance.  Neither do they rejoice at the healing of the formerly demon-possessed man.  They are not only seemingly devoid of compassion, but their values are upside down.  Perhaps it is the loss of the income from the swine that most concerns them.  This is an intriguing story in that it gives us an illustration of an entire community where there is no place for Christ.  They respond to His work only with great fear.  It teaches us, importantly, that there are times when a community, a sort of human eco-system or environment, will be toxic for those who need true healing.  In this environment, the oppression of the demons was tolerated more than the great power of Christ to heal the man.  Furthermore, the community's values are so skewed that the value of a healthy and healed human being doesn't compare to the loss of the swine.  It teaches us, importantly, that the greatest and highest authority is Christ -- God the Lord -- regardless of the value of any idol an entire community may hold to the contrary.  We notice the fearless witness now shone by the healed man.  We don't know where his own house is (to which he is sent by Christ), but he goes through the entire city proclaiming the good news of Christ.  His own house would be his origins, his natal family, where presumably his healing and transformation will have the greatest impact.  Nothing more is known of this man, as we know nothing more of the demons after they drive the swine down the cliff into the sea.  What we are left with is Christ's absolute authority over the unclean spirits, and the choices of human beings either to embrace what He brings us or to reject it.  How about you?  Are there things you are afraid to face that Christ will come to heal?  Hard choices you might need to make about the difference between what is acceptable in your own environment, and where God leads you?  Remember this story; it is one of life and death.  The healed man is one resurrected from the tombs by the power of Christ, and ready to proclaim his good news.  What do you need in your life?   Do you know others so bound and chained, oppressed under a kind of violence, that they, too, need His healing? 

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.