What is that to us? You see to it!

 

 When morning came, all the chief priests and elders of the people plotted against Jesus to put Him to death.  And when they had bound Him, they led Him away and delivered Him to Pontius Pilate the governor.  

 

Then Judas, His betrayer, seeing that He had been condemned, was remorseful and brought back the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and elders, saying, "I have sinned by betraying innocent blood."  And they said, "What is that to us?  You see to it!"  Then he threw down the pieces of silver in the temple and departed, and went and hanged himself.  But the chief priests took the silver pieces and said, "It is not lawful to put them into the treasury, because they are the price of blood."  And they consulted together and bought with them the potter's field, to bury strangers in.  Therefore that field has been called the Field of Blood to this day.  Then was fulfilled what was spoken by Jeremiah the prophet, saying, "And they took the thirty pieces of silver, the value of Him who was priced, whom they the children of Israel priced, and gave them for the potter's field, as the LORD directed me."

 

- Matthew 27:1–10 

 

Yesterday we read Peter sat outside in the courtyard while Jesus was on trial inside the home of the high priest.  And a servant girl came to him, saying, "You also were with Jesus of Galilee."  But he denied it before them all, saying, "I do not know what you are saying."  And when he had gone out to the gateway, another girl saw him and said to those who were there, "This fellow also was with Jesus of Nazareth."  But again he denied with an oath, "I do not know the Man!"  And a little later those who stood by came up and said to Peter, "Surely you also are one of them, for your speech betrays you."  Then he began to curse and swear, saying, "I do not know the Man!"  Immediately a rooster crowed.  And Peter remembered the word of Jesus who had said to him, "Before the rooster crows, you will deny Me three times."  So he went out and wept bitterly. 

 

When morning came, all the chief priests and elders of the people plotted against Jesus to put Him to death.  And when they had bound Him, they led Him away and delivered Him to Pontius Pilate the governor.  My study Bible explains that the religious Law dictated the death penalty for blasphemers (under which Jesus was convicted in the night trial at the home of the high priest -- see Leviticus 24:16).  But under Roman occupation, the Jews were prohibited from carrying out an execution.  So, therefore, they had to get permission from the governor, Pontius Pilate. 

 

 Then Judas, His betrayer, seeing that He had been condemned, was remorseful and brought back the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and elders, saying, "I have sinned by betraying innocent blood."  And they said, "What is that to us?  You see to it!"  Then he threw down the pieces of silver in the temple and departed, and went and hanged himself.  But the chief priests took the silver pieces and said, "It is not lawful to put them into the treasury, because they are the price of blood."  And they consulted together and bought with them the potter's field, to bury strangers in.  Therefore that field has been called the Field of Blood to this day.  Then was fulfilled what was spoken by Jeremiah the prophet, saying, "And they took the thirty pieces of silver, the value of Him who was priced, whom they the children of Israel priced, and gave them for the potter's field, as the LORD directed me."  In contrast to Peter, who repented in his sorrow (Matthew 26:75; see yesterday's reading, above), Judas is remorseful, but does not repent, my study Bible says.  It explains that suicide is not a sign of repentance, but of being self-absorbed.  There are two accounts given of Judas' suicide in the New Testament, here and in Acts 1:16-19.  

 

In yesterday's reading and commentary, we discussed the reality of St. Peter's repentance.  He cried bitter tears at the realization of what he had done.  My study Bible explains above that Judas is remorseful, but not repentant.  This invites us to examine what repentance is.  Its fundamental basis isn't simply shame or disappointment in ourselves.  Repentance is meant to bring us closer to God.  As such, we can understand St. Peter's return to Jesus and the rest of the disciples as a return in trust and love.  This is what is missing here for Judas, for he returns to the religious leaders who have no love and feel no compassion, neither do they offer him help for his sin.  They say to him, "What is that to us?  You see to it!"  This is quite something, as they were the ones who paid him the money to betray innocent blood.  The significance of blood plays its part throughout the Law and the practices of the temple, and of course also in the Crucifixion and our Eucharist in the Divine Liturgy.  In Numbers 35:33 we read, "So you shall not pollute the land where you are; for blood defiles the land, and no atonement can be made for the land, for the blood that is shed on it, except by the blood of him who shed it."   It's noteworthy that, according to St. Matthew, Jesus has not yet been condemned by Pilate, but only by the Sanhedrin.  Perhaps Judas takes his own judgment and punishment into his own hands in his suicide.  Perhaps the powerful significance of betrayal now makes its mark on him.  But we know of the efforts Christ has made to save him, right up until the moment of betrayal (Matthew 26:48-50).  We can all imagine the seeming impossibility of returning to Christ and the disciples.  But Judas' condition reminds us all that to be forgiven in terms of Christ's capacity as Judge means to return to Him and to give our sin to Him to resolve; outside of Christ there is no Judge who can remit sin, and outside of Christ there is no light to direct us in our lives that follow.  Judas instead has returned to the religious leaders with his money and they can and will do nothing for him.  Thus, his life is at a dead end.  We should remember, in thinking about this terrible crime, that Christ from the Cross has given forgiveness, only to be realized through our repentance, through a return to Him.  For, if He the Innocent has taken all the world upon Himself at the Cross, it is only to teach us that we must come to Him with our own wounds and injuries, which include the damages to our souls incurred through our sins as well as those sins done to us.  Most importantly, it is Jesus who will shed His blood "for many for the remission of sins" (Matthew 26:28), and He included Judas in that first cup of the New Covenant.  His blood is the atoning, covering, cleansing sacrifice for all.  Judas' return of the money therefore cannot erase or reverse the sin, and neither do the heartless leaders have a solution to offer him.  Instead in their legalism they purchase a field in which to bury strangers, which does not cleanse them of their sin either.  Only Christ can properly lead us out of sin, and only Christ would have the way forward even for Judas.  In any case, speculation is moot, for we know what has happened and what Christ foresaw.  Nonetheless, to repeat, Christ made all efforts to save Judas, and we should take that as a nod to the freedom we have to change our minds, which is literally the meaning of the word in the Gospels translated as "repentance."  Let us turn to Him not only with our beauty, but also offer to Him the wounds we carry, even the things we hide from ourselves, for He is the One to show us the way through them and beyond.  For His are the wounds of love for us all.

 

 

 

 

Then Judas, His betrayer, seeing that He had been condemned, was remorseful and brought back the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and elders, saying, "I have sinned by betraying innocent blood"

 

 When morning came, all the chief priests and elders of the people plotted against Jesus to put Him to death.  And when they had bound Him, they led Him away and delivered Him to Pontius Pilate the governor.  

Then Judas, His betrayer, seeing that He had been condemned, was remorseful and brought back the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and elders, saying, "I have sinned by betraying innocent blood."  And they said, "What is that to us?  You see to it!"  Then he threw down the pieces of silver in the temple and departed, and went and hanged himself.  But the chief priests took the silver pieces and said, "It is not lawful to put them into the treasury, because they are the price of blood."  And they consulted together and bought with them the potter's field, to bury strangers in.  Therefore that field has been called the Field of Blood to this day.  Then was fulfilled what was spoken by Jeremiah the prophet, saying, "And they took the thirty pieces of silver, the value of Him who as priced, whom they of the children of Israel priced, and gave them for the potter's field, as the LORD directed me."

 

- Matthew 27:1–10 

 

Yesterday we read that, as Jesus was on trial inside the home of the high priest, Peter sat outside in the courtyard.  And a servant girl came to him, saying, "You also were with Jesus of Galilee."  But he denied it before them all, saying, "I do not know what you are saying."  And when he had gone out to the gateway, another girl saw him and said to those who were there, "This fellow also was with Jesus of Nazareth."  But again he denied with an oath, "I do not know the Man!"  And a little later those who stood by came up and said to Peter, "Surely you also are one of them, for your speech betrays you."  Then he began to curse and swear, saying, "I do not know the Man!"  Immediately a rooster crowed.  And Peter remembered the word of Jesus who had said to him, "Before the rooster crows, you will deny Me three times."  So he went out and wept bitterly.

 

 When morning came, all the chief priests and elders of the people plotted against Jesus to put Him to death.  And when they had bound Him, they led Him away and delivered Him to Pontius Pilate the governor.  My study Bible explains that while the religious Law dictated the death penalty for blasphemers (Leviticus 24:16), under Roman occupation, the Jews were prohibited from carrying out an execution.  Thus, they had to get permission from the governor.  

 

 Then Judas, His betrayer, seeing that He had been condemned, was remorseful and brought back the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and elders, saying, "I have sinned by betraying innocent blood."  And they said, "What is that to us?  You see to it!"  Then he threw down the pieces of silver in the temple and departed, and went and hanged himself.  But the chief priests took the silver pieces and said, "It is not lawful to put them into the treasury, because they are the price of blood."  And they consulted together and bought with them the potter's field, to bury strangers in.  Therefore that field has been called the Field of Blood to this day.  Then was fulfilled what was spoken by Jeremiah the prophet, saying, "And they took the thirty pieces of silver, the value of Him who as priced, whom they of the children of Israel priced, and gave them for the potter's field, as the LORD directed me."  My study Bible contrasts Judas' state with that of St. Peter.  Peter repented in his sorrow (see yesterday's reading, above, "And Peter remembered the word of Jesus who had said to him, 'Before the rooster crows, you will deny Me three times.'  So he went out and wept bitterly").  Judas is remorseful but does not repent.  My study Bible comments that suicide is not a sign of repentance but of being self-absorbed.  There are two accounts of Judas' suicide in the New Testament, here and in Acts 1:16-19. 

 

 My study Bible contrasts the response of Judas with the response of Peter.  Peter is repentant, but Judas is remorseful.  So we have to consider what the difference is.  In one instance, that of Peter, a repentant Peter understands that he has failed not just himself, but he has also failed to heed the word of Christ.  He's repentant in this sense by knowing that his own confidence in himself was misplaced, and comes to recognize himself in the eyes of God.  Indeed, as we remarked in yesterday's commentary upon the reading that included Peter's three-time denial, in Luke's reporting of that story, Peter's repentance and bitter tears come because of a glance from Jesus (Luke 22:61).  But Judas' remorse, in contrast, is one that does not turn back to Christ, but only to himself.  My study Bible comments that suicide portends self-absorption.  What we find is that Judas in some sense punishes himself, and judges himself -- and does not come to Christ for His judgment.  To feel remorse may happen for all kinds of reasons.  We do not necessarily fully know Judas' remorse.  It may be straightforward that he feels a deep guilt, recognizing that he has betrayed innocent blood.  Some speculate that he thought the arrest of Jesus would inspire some sort of rebellion.  But what we do know is that he has taken it upon himself to be judge and jury, and to mete out a kind of punishment, to declare his own life over and end it himself.  But it gives us a great lesson:  that to collapse in our own remorse over a failing, even over an act for which we feel great guilt and regret, is not the same as coming to our Lord in confession and repentance.  For in doing the latter, we seek God, even through the worst of our own times in life, even in the midst of our own failings. There we find real repentance, for we open the capacity for a change of mind and heart, for illumination as to how to go forward, replacing despair, and seeking only the will of God for ourselves instead of our own judgment.  Perhaps it is at the times we are most broken and discouraged that we might find our greatest gift of grace awaits.  For turning to Christ we will find the resurrection He offers to us, and how to bear our own cross.  Judas does not do this, and so his woe is complete, as foretold by Christ. It teaches us that to allow ourselves to feel the despair brought on by self-recrimination isn't good or healthy.  Our lives are not meant to be saturated in punishment we can mete out to ourselves, but for a true change of heart that turns to God even when we're tempted to despair.  Let us consider what Judas' suicide teaches us, and the mindfulness we need amidst our own failures.  Self-flagellation and punishing ourselves isn't fruitful in God's sight; it doesn't correct nor do what we need.  We turn to Christ, and ask for His light, to show us the way and what we need to change, giving us His way instead of our own hopeless despair.  

 

 

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 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

Yesterday, we our reading began with the continuation of Jesus' talk to the disciples about 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 particular Gospel story reads like an adventure worthy of Odysseus; except this isn't a myth.   In yesterday's reading, Jesus told the disciples to set out for the other side of the Lake, or the Sea of Galilee.  They've already come through a frightening storm, which was violent enough to send these experienced fishermen into absolute fear for their lives.  Here they sail to this country opposite Galilee, and meet a man so overcome by demons and for such a long time that he wore no clothes, and lived in the tombs among the dead.   Christ has wasted no time immediately commanding the unclean spirits to come out of the man, and the demons respond in fear, having recognized Him, something with which we're already familiar in Luke's Gospel.  But this is an extreme case; this poor man was kept under guard, bound with chains and shackles, and has broken 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.  In this story we're given the image of the occupying legion of demons, as a hostile military force who've taken this man hostage.  Fittingly, the language we have for angels is also military; we're given a picture of hostile forces in a battle for lives, minds, souls.  The demons beg to enter the swine, an animal considered unclean by the Jews.

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.   This shocking sight of the herd of swine running violently down the steep place into the lake and drowning gives us a picture of the true nature of the demons, and how destructive they are.  My study bible comments that it shows us how human beings -- even this man in this place and under such circumstances -- are protected and loved by God, as such a fate did not happen to him.  There are many who understand this event as happening in Gentile territory, but it seems more likely that in fact these are apostate Jews raising swine for money, most likely to sell to Gentile populations.  We note the contrast between the frightening death of the swine and the now calm, clothed, and mentally fit many who was formerly tormented by the demons.  But this community to whom the swine belonged simply respond with great fear, asking Jesus to depart from them.  So Jesus does not stay with this community.

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.   As we might think understandable, this healed man does not wish to stay in this and among these people who preferred the swine to his healing.  But Jesus has an interesting task for him; he's to return to his own house -- presumably not among this particular community -- and to tell the good news to those who know him.  He proclaimed the news of Jesus and the great things He had done for him throughout the whole city, becoming a type of evangelist preparing the way for the apostles who will go out to the world.

This story of the demon-possessed man who gave the name "Legion" due to so many demons is a powerful reminder of the possibilities of a world given over to a darkness that despises the light of Christ.  It's not simply a cautionary tale, but one also of great wonder and true healing.  It teaches us, first of all, that there is no situation or circumstance too great for Christ to address, to help, and to heal.  Seemingly, Christ has directed His disciples to this place precisely in order to find this man, so afflicted and oppressed, in order to set him free.  It is, in that sense, a story of a Liberator, Christ who comes into our world precisely in order to set us free from the things that oppress and afflict us.  He brings His greater power and authority over the demons in order to release us as captive to forces we might not always be able to control.  We note the chaos created by the demons; there is an entire breakdown of order in the life of this man.  He's so far out of control that he's been bound with chains, but breaks them and is driven out into the wilderness, and living in the tombs rather than among the living.  Moreover, the only people around him are those so hard-hearted -- and devoted simply to making money in any way they can regardless of the religious restrictions for Jews regarding swine -- they care less for his healing than the loss of their source of income.  We might find easy parallels there among homeless populations afflicted with addiction and mental illness and living on the street among others who care less for them than what money might be made from their afflictions.  The breakdown of this man's life into pure chaos is also something modern societies are familiar with, including the total isolation that results.  The story is a strange one, coming to the disciples in a place perhaps unknown to them across the sea -- but it presents us who live in modern societies with an unfortunately familiar picture in some aspects, and in this sense gives us a very compelling pertinent picture of our modern need for Christ.  Even in the picture of alienation and isolation of this man we find modern parallels we need to address with important considerations of what it is that really creates community.   We frequently overlook, in modern societies, the very roots of social rules that come from faith designed to give community in the first place -- and the results that seem to give us persistent problems which social programs fail to cure.  While the text reads like an adventure, our modern sensibilities encounter all-too-often scenaria of those left behind and forgotten, alienated from what would be considered "home" and without means to escape from what torments them.  When the demons ask, in the voice of the possessed man, "What have I to do with You, Jesus, Son of the Most High God?" we might just hear the voice of a wretched and forlorn person seemingly forgotten by the world, and given over to the hostility of affliction in all its forms (including prizing material gain over human life).  We clearly remain human beings who need help, and need to recall from whence that help comes.  We call upon the One who can restore order in chaos, who comes not just to help but to liberate us from affliction, and with the compassion that supersedes all things.  Let us consider what we see around ourselves in this light, and question our own values and concerns for healing and what it takes.  We may have to reconsider our priorities to do so, as those who've lost their swine in the story fail to do -- and remember the good news of the great things that God has done for those who've found healing from Christ.

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, on the same day that Jesus was teaching by the sea, when evening had come, He said to them, "Let us cross over to the other side."  Now when they had left the multitude, they took Him along in the boat as He was.  And other little boats were also with Him.  And a great windstorm arose, and the waves beat into the boat, so that it was already filling.  But He was in the stern, asleep on a pillow.  And they awoke Him and said to Him, "Teacher, do You not care that we are perishing?"  Then He arose and rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, "Peace, be still!"  And the wind ceased and there was a great calm.  But He said to them, "Why is it that you are 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.  The country of the Gadarenes was an area of Galilee in which there lived many Gentiles among the Jews; an area of mixed populations.  My study bible says that Gentile influence on the Jews caused many of them to take on Gentile practices, such as raising swine, which were forbidden by the Law (Deuteronomy 14:8).  So, while many might suggest that these men raising swine in this area are Gentiles, it is more likely that they are apostate Jews, whose focus is on raising swine to sell to Gentiles, and thus making profit from this practice which was unlawful for the Jews.   The entire setting of this miracle of exorcism is one of abandonment, a forlorn kind of place or environment, one literally that is the abode of the dead, into which enters the living -- even Incarnate -- God, Christ.  Here in this place is a man literally occupied with an army, a legion of demons.  We observe the destructive, chaos-rendering, "uncivilizing" force of this occupation:  he is wild, uncontrollable, untamable. Night and day, he cries out and cuts himself with stones, living among the tombs.  We note that the demons desire to stay in this same place, and so Jesus gives them permission to enter into the unclean animals, the swine, who at once are rendered violently suicidal.

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.  We note the townspeople witnessing this miracle of healing:  the one who had been demon-possessed and had the legion is now sitting and clothed and in his right mind.  But they respond with fear, and when it is explained how he had been healed, and also about the swine, rather than welcoming such miraculous healing, they plead with Jesus to depart from their region.  This healed man quite understandably wishes to be with Jesus.  But instead, Christ has a mission for him:  "Go home to your friends, and tell them what what great things the Lord has done for you, and how He has had compassion on you."  Back in the Decapolis, a Greek-speaking region of ten cities, all marveled.  In a particular perspective, it is a prefiguring of what will happen after the apostles are sent out into all the cities of the vast Roman Empire, and the Gospels written in Greek, the universal language of its time.

Today's reading consists of a story that contains a great drama.  First of all, in the night crossing of the Sea of Galilee (yesterday's reading, above), there is a tone set, such as one of a great adventure with a lot of daring movements, facing great dangers.  It reads like a story out of the Odyssey, a fitting adventure for Odysseus.  (Appropriately so, in some sense, as Jesus and the disciples travel to a region near the Decapolis, a Greek-speaking and Greek-influenced region of mixed Jewish and Gentile populations established during the Hellenistic period.)  Then, immediately upon arriving on this "foreign" shore, Christ and the disciples are met by a man who resembles a kind of monster, tormented and occupied by an entire legion of demons.  But this drama takes on a tone different from the stories of Homer, as the leader of this expedition is not just another king nor even a great man, but He is Christ.  He comes as Liberator and Deliverer, but again, not as a conventional king throwing off an oppressive yoke of harsh rulers, but as One whose liberation reaches right down into each and every area of life.  He alone could command this legion of demons to leave the man.  He alone can give permission to the demons to occupy the swine, as they do not wish to leave the area (not uncommon in terms of literature on the demonic).  He liberates and frees this occupied and oppressed man, giving him back his human dignity and moreover supplying him with a great mission in service to the Lord who has not only done great things for him, but also had compassion on him.  On the other side of this drama of liberation, re-establishment of human dignity and freedom, and its entirely "good" outcome, are the people of the area, the ones who raised and lost the swine.  These are apostate Jews who not only violated their own religious law for profit, but respond only with fear and not faith in Christ.  They care nothing for the healing of this tormented and oppressed man, merely that they lost their swine.  They are, in effect, purely materially-minded in their choices and preferences.  What matters most deeply to them is not human life and its condition, but the loss of their material wealth.  And there we get from the reading the true drama of Christ's mission.    In many places in the Gospels, Christ refers (as do Sts. Peter and Paul in various Epistles) to "the flesh" as antagonistic to the spirit.  But this is not a contrast of the material -- even our physical bodies -- as opposed to the spiritual mission of Christ into the world.  It is rather the contrast between material-mindedness, which discounts the importance of the "good" in a spiritual sense and cannot discern its beauty and truth, and a life lived with all parts of ourselves, including the spiritual, in harmony.  These men who raise the swine discount fully the good things of God, in favor of a perspective that values only the material wealth they can derive.  And this reflects current struggles in our own societies, cultures, and communities.  We can compare this demon-possessed man to someone fully in the grip of a drug addiction, a person whose life is becoming unraveled, perhaps after years of drug use.  Do the ones who sell him or her the drugs care at all about the good things of God?  Would they care about his or her physical, mental, or spiritual health?  Such a person might be surrounded by people who simply care what material benefits they can gain from the person -- and so have an interest that operates against true healing.  If their business is threatened in any way, the addict becomes useless to them, or worse, perhaps an enemy to be gotten rid of.  Moreover, in such a surrounding, the addict keeps company with those who don't really want his or her true good, much like the townspeople who are dismayed at the good actions of Christ and beg Him to leave them.  Jesus sends the healed man away from this environment, and to his home, to tell them the good news of Christ.  In the Greek, the phrase translated as your friends really means "your own."  All around us, the conflict between that which can only see from a material perspective and that which values the good things of God still rages.  Even within us, this conflict continues.  It's just that forms change; but we are still caught in the same temptations and struggles.  The question is really how we will be able to perceive this drama in our own lives, and discern the mission of Christ for us through it all.  We may struggle with serious affliction like addiction, or with those whom we love who need healing in a world that is nominally supportive, but which has many hidden pitfalls and temptations that stand in its way.  But we have an ally, Christ who is the Liberator and Deliverer, and we need to choose which way we will follow, whose mission we're willing to take on.

I have sinned by betraying innocent blood

 When morning came, all the chief priests and elders of the people plotted against Jesus to put Him to death.  And when they had bound Him, they led Him away and delivered Him to Pontius Pilate the governor. 

Then Judas, His betrayer, seeing that He had been condemned, was remorseful and brought back the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and elders, saying, "I have sinned by betraying innocent blood."  And they said, "What is that to us?  You see to it!"  Then he threw down the pieces of silver in the temple and departed, and went and hanged himself.  But the chief priests took the silver pieces and said, "It is not lawful to put them into the treasury, because they are the price of blood."  And they consulted together and bought with them the potter's field, to bury strangers in.  Therefore that field has been called the Field of Blood to this day.  Then was fulfilled what was spoken by Jeremiah the prophet, saying, "And they took the thirty pieces of silver, the value of Him who was priced," whom they of the children of Israel priced, "and gave them for the potter's field, as the Lord directed me."

- Matthew 27:1-10

Yesterday we read that Peter sat outside in the courtyard with the servants while Jesus was on trial inside the house of Caiaphas the high priest.  And a servant girl came to him, saying, "You also were with Jesus of Galilee."  But he denied it before them all, saying, "I do not know what you are saying."  And when he had gone out to the gateway, another girl saw him and said to those who were there, "This fellow also was with Jesus of Nazareth."  But again he denied with an oath, "I do not know the Man!"  And a little later those who stood by came up and said to Peter, "Surely you also are one of them, for your speech betrays you."  Then he began to curse and swear, saying, "I do not know the Man!"  Immediately a rooster crowed.  And Peter remembered the word of Jesus who had said to him, "Before the rooster crows, you will deny Me three times."  So he went out and wept bitterly.

  When morning came, all the chief priests and elders of the people plotted against Jesus to put Him to death.  And when they had bound Him, they led Him away and delivered Him to Pontius Pilate the governor.   The religious Law dictated that the penalty for blasphemers was death (Leviticus 24:16).  But under Roman occupation, the Jews were prohibited from carrying out an execution.  Therefore they had to get permission from the the governor. 

Then Judas, His betrayer, seeing that He had been condemned, was remorseful and brought back the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and elders, saying, "I have sinned by betraying innocent blood."  And they said, "What is that to us?  You see to it!"  Then he threw down the pieces of silver in the temple and departed, and went and hanged himself.  But the chief priests took the silver pieces and said, "It is not lawful to put them into the treasury, because they are the price of blood."  And they consulted together and bought with them the potter's field, to bury strangers in.  Therefore that field has been called the Field of Blood to this day.  Then was fulfilled what was spoken by Jeremiah the prophet, saying, "And they took the thirty pieces of silver, the value of Him who was priced, whom they of the children of Israel priced, and gave them for the potter's field, as the Lord directed me."  My study bible contrasts Judas to Peter.  Peter repented in his sorrow (see yesterday's reading, above, in which Peter wept bitterly).   It notes that Judas is remorseful but does not repent.  Suicide, it says, is not a sign of repentance but rather of self-absorption.  Two accounts of Judas' suicide are given in the New Testament, here and in Acts 1:16-19.

My study bible contrasts Judas' act of suicide with Peter's repentance.  If we look carefully at the differences we can perhaps find some important distinctions.  In Jewish Law, there was no such thing as allowance for "blood money" penalties.  That is, the only punishment for murder was death; it was not allowed to pay a financial penalty in recompense for murder.  The money from Judas is considered "the price of blood" by the chief priests, and therefore unlawful for the treasury.  Judas carries out his own penalty for murder, and hangs himself.   Judas recognizes, after Jesus' condemnation, that he has "sinned by betraying innocent blood."  But the chief priests and elders can do nothing to help him, he is to "see to it" himself -- and so he does.  We must contrast this with Peter who, although he has not betrayed "innocent blood" in the same sense that Judas has, nevertheless has denied Christ and repented through "bitter tears."  Peter's denial also comes in the face of a refusal to heed Christ's words to him prophesying the denial.  For many, the key difference here is that Peter will return to Christ and to the Church, and Judas does not.  Is there hope for Judas?  We noted in the commentary in Tuesday's reading (in which Judas betrayed Christ with a kiss) that Jesus immediately addressed Judas, saying, "Friend, why have you come?"  Jesus, even after betrayal, is still attempting to save Judas.  It seems clear from Jesus' question that He attempts to engage Judas, not to condemn, but to assure him that there is a possibility of return even then.  But Judas does not return to Christ, nor does he return to the other apostles.  We don't know, of course, what his reception with the other apostles would have been, but it is clear that whatever place in which he experiences his remorse is devoid of mercy or redemption.  He is engaged only with a system in which the penalty for his action is death -- and he does not go to the One who seeks above all else our salvation.  He has given up his life as a follower of Christ.  In Luke chapter 15, Jesus tells three parables, each of which affirms God's exemplary joy over even one sinner who repents.  Jesus says in the first parable (of the lost sheep), "I say to you that likewise there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine just persons who need no repentance."  He repeats after the second parable (of the lost coin), "Likewise, I say to you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents."  And finally, He tells the parable of the Prodigal Son, with the father declaring, "It was right that we should make merry and be glad, for your brother was dead and is alive again, and was lost and is found."  This three-fold emphasis on the incredible joy over one who repents, who was lost and is therefore found by returning to his father, must leave us with the assurance that there is none for whom God's love does not desire return.  We can look at the horror of the betrayal of Judas, and its depth of sinfulness, but we are then left with a question.  Do we take Judas' perspective that there is no hope at all, and that he is only deserving of death -- or can we wonder about the possibility of a return to Christ and what Christ's judgment would be?  It's clear that from a worldly perspective, there was only condemnation for Judas, and his own self-imposed exile from Christ limited his option to death by his own hand.  But with Christ, judgment comes only from God, whose love for us is so great that salvation is the key priority to all things, and the joy in heaven that we are assured awaits one who was lost and is found again.  In the story of Judas there is the assurance that although the world would condemn, our hope is with Christ -- even when there is no other hope.  This is the definition of our faith.  St. Paul writes, "Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen" (Hebrews 11:1).  Judas, above all else, lacks this faith, but it is in that very faith that lies our hope when all other possibilities seem to be exhausted.  He lacks the very gift that Christ has brought to us when all else fails.  

My name is Legion; for we are many

 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 all those who fed the swine fled, and they told it in the city and in the country.  And they went out to see what it was that had happened.  Then they came to Jesus, and saw the one who had been demon-possessed and had the legion, sitting and clothed and in his right mind.  And they were afraid.  And those who saw it told them how it happened to him who had been demon-possessed, and about the swine.  Then they began to plead with Him to depart from their region.  And when He got into the boat, he who had been demon-possessed begged Him that he might be with Him.  However, Jesus did not permit him, but said to him, "Go home to your friends, and tell them what great things the Lord has done for you, and how He has had compassion on you."  And he departed and began to proclaim in Decapolis all that Jesus had done for him; and all marveled. 

- Mark 5:1-20

Yesterday, we read that after a day spent teaching in parables, when evening had come, Jesus said to disciples, "Let us cross over to the other side."  Now when they had left the multitude, they took Him along in the boat as He was.  And other little boats were also with Him.  And a great windstorm arose, and the waves beat into the boat, so that it was already filling.  But He was in the stern, asleep on a pillow.  And they awoke Him and said to Him, "Teacher, do You not care that we are perishing?"  Then He arose and rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, "Peace, be still!"  And the wind ceased and there was a great calm.  But He said to them, "Why are you so fearful?  How is it that you have no faith?"  And they feared exceedingly, and said to one another, "Who can this be, that even the wind and the sea obey Him!"

Then they came to the other side of the sea, to the country of the Gadarenes.  Jesus and the disciples have come across a stormy Sea of Galilee, to the "other side."  This is an area in Galilee with many Gentiles who live among the Jews.  The Gentile influence in this story (the raising of the swine) is clear.  These are Jews who have taken on Gentile practices.  The raising of swine was forbidden by the Law (Deuteronomy 14:8).

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.   We're always struck by the extreme isolation of this man.  He lives in the tombs, among the dead -- not in community among the living.  He's wild and uncivilized, frequently bound with shackles and chains which can't hold him.  He pulls apart the chains and breaks the shackles in pieces.  He is untamable, according to the text.  But the soul of the man knows Jesus, and falls down before Him (the word translated as worshiped means to prostrate oneself, as in a position of worship).  But the unclean spirit speaks; the spirit's name is Legion, for they are many who are tormenting this man.

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 all 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.  In the Jewish perspective, the swine are unclean animals.   Some commentators see these swine-herders as Gentiles, but tradition generally sees them as apostate Jews.  Their own response to Jesus affirms a sense of a broken spirituality:  they care more about the lost income from the swine than the restoration and healing of the man who was possessed by the legion.  They beg Christ 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.  The Decapolis was a Greek-speaking region of ten cities, of mixed populations of Gentiles and Jews.  The restored man is no longer isolated, wild, and abandoned to the tombs.  He becomes, in effect, a type of evangelist, witnessing to the great things the Lord has done for him. 

 The extreme isolation of this man tells us about his tremendous loneliness.  He's "occupied" by a legion of demons, an invading army, so to speak, of a hostile power.  The violence with which he's afflicted, and his out of control life, teach us about the destructiveness of this demonic influence (as does the mass suicide of the 2,000 swine).  But when Christ appears, the man immediately prostrates himself before Him, an act of adoration, of worship, and of obedience and loyalty.  His Savior has found him.  It's an awe-inducing thought to consider that Christ has led the disciples on this mission across the stormy night sea to come here to this man deserted by community and besieged by a host of demons.  In Tuesday's reading, Jesus taught, "Whoever does the will of God is My brother and sister and mother."  This man abandoned to the tombs finds community, even family, in Christ.  Christ is not only Liberator and Redeemer, freeing him from a legion of demons, but He's also the true Leader, the One who can bring this man back into community with a purpose and with belonging.  The formerly demon-possessed man doesn't just return to his friends, as Christ told him to do, but he returns with a mission, a part of something, a witness to the great things the Lord has done for him.  In that sense he's been "sent out," like the apostles will be.  The people marvel in response to his testimony, and through him more are brought to Christ.  If we think about this story in a modern context, we can find great parallels to mental illness.  Perhaps above all, we may come to understand the extreme isolation that comes with such affliction or with the pain of abandonment in many forms.  Christ as Lord, in His healing ministry, becomes a center that draws all into community and relationship.  The power of His love is the overriding energy that no other force can match.  My study bible tells us that this story demonstrates several things.  First, people are protected under God's providence -- otherwise, the demon-possessed man would have come to the same end as the swine.   It teaches us the great value of human beings to God.  It also shows us that demons have no power over creation, but are subject to the will of God, as they could only enter the swine at Christ's command.  But the restoration of this man is the great story of Christ as the One who comes to save, and to build His Church -- to establish a depth of relationship through faith.  There is no more profound call to wholeness than one of belonging and community.   In God's love is the capacity for restoration, whether we speak of abandonment or trauma or any other kind of desolation.   There is no more powerful remedy to isolation, because grace reaches deep into the places that need healing in ways that nothing else -- no other force, human or otherwise -- can go.  It is our Creator who gives to us a greater and deeper sense of community than the one that was lost to begin with (see Psalm 27:10).

Jesus asked him, "What is your name?" And he said, "Legion"

 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 a 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

Yesterday, we read that Jesus taught, "No one, when he has lit a lamp, coves 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 by 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.  In this journey of faith, according to yesterday's reading above, Jesus and the disciples cross the Sea of Galilee, and arrive on the shore opposite from what is "home" to them.

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.  My study bible says, "The demons, recognizing Jesus as the Son of God, are surprised that their power is being terminated before the time of the last judgment.  Though the malice of the demons is great, they can do nothing against the will of God, and thus can only enter the swine at Christ's command.  The immediate destruction of the herd shows that the man had been protected by God's care; otherwise they would have perished under the demonic influence.  Further, it reinforces that swineherding was not lawful for the Jews, and shows the incomparable value of human beings, whose salvation is worth every sacrifice."   It's important to note that the word for "fell down before" Him can also be translated, "to worship" or to prostrate oneself in worship.  It's a hint, an indication, of the true heart of the man who is afflicted by the demons.  In the suicide of the swine, we see the destructive intent of the demons, making it clear that this man was in a particular sense protected against their worst impulses.

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 a 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 also adds that some teach that the presence of swine indicates a Gentile population.  But it notes, "However, since our Lord forbade our disciples to go to the Gentiles (Matthew 10:5) and was Himself reluctant to seek out the Gentiles (Matthew 15:24), likely these were Jews engaged in a sinful occupation.  The destruction of the entire herd reveals:  (1)  while animals are a vulnerable part of creation, man is of far greater value;  (2)  Christ removes a source of sin, for swine herding was an abomination to the Jews (Deuteronomy 14:8);  (3)  demons have no power over creation, but are subject to the will of God -- they could only enter the swine at Christ's command;  (4)  people are protected under God's providence -- otherwise, the demon-possessed man would have come to the same end as the swine;  (5)  the magnitude of the economic loss would remain as a sign for the hardhearted people who fled that region."

While my study bible suggests here the possibility that these people are Jews who are unlawfully raising swine, I also think we must focus on the implication that Jesus traveled to this place -- possibly a place of Gentiles -- for this man.  After all, there are also incidents where He reveals Himself to Gentiles (such as the Samaritan woman at Jacob's Well or the centurion in a recent reading).   But regardless of whether or not this is Gentile territory, it is still true that Christ is here for the one -- the demon-possessed man called "Legion" -- who will carry this faith in Christ with him.  It's a sense of how the Savior comes so far, makes such a great effort, condescends in any way necessary, to come to us -- no matter what the circumstances we may be in.  This is really the greatest paradox of the Gospels in some way:  Why do we as imperfect vessels remain the ones who carry His power, His strength?   He's given us the command to "be perfect, even as my Father in heaven is perfect."  And yet, as St. Paul relates, it's the Lord who tells him:  "My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is made perfect in weakness."  Here we have the worst of all possible situations, especially from a traditional Jewish perspective.  Here is  man occupied by a "Legion" of demons.  He lives in the tombs with the unclean dead.  He lives in a place where they are unlawfully raising swine, unclean animals to the Jews.  And yet it in this extraordinary weakness, among "filth," that Christ's grace is spectacularly at work.  The whole story reads like an adventure of Odysseus or Jason from the ancient Greek epics.   The disciples set forth across the Sea of Galilee, at Jesus' command, and they face a terrible storm through which Jesus sleeps until He's called upon to rebuke the wind and waves.  They wind up at the opposite shore to Galilee, in an entirely strange place to them, and encounter this fierce sort of "monster" who's plagued by no less than a legion of what is worse than a monster:  demons.   This is an incredibly frightening situation in which unpredictable evil is at work and allowed to dwell in enormous proportions, here among the tombs of the dead.  But the hero of the piece is Jesus who teaches us not to be afraid of anything.  The great unknown power is that of God, who has protected this faithful man all along from the worse destruction.  It's a story about our own weakness, and the lengths to which God's power can and will go to work to save and heal.  This healed man is even rejected by the people who raise the swine; they can only react to God's work with fear.  They are incapable of faith in Christ.  But Jesus sends him to his own house, making him an evangelist, and a witness.  The remarkable thing is that it is our imperfection through which God works, in our weakness God's grace is made perfect.  It's not that we are fine without change and repentance; far from it.  Our journey is toward the perfection of God, sharing in the love of God, and living that love ourselves, carrying it into the world.  But God is working through imperfect human beings, just as Jesus has chosen these twelve imperfect men to carry the faith, although their weaknesses are expressed in terrible fears.  He's there to lead them, and us, through a journey of faith, despite our fears, to "the other side."  Who knows what we will find there that both terrifies and amazes in its strangeness?  But we are sent, nevertheless, on a journey of faith -- not to be surrounded by perfection but to participate in healing and reconciliation, with the God of love.  If your life isn't perfect, consider that the Gospels teach us about healing, about the perceived "imperfection" (even in variety) of those who are children of wisdom, about saving sinners.  Consider His teaching on those who love most.  We are to be aware of who we are, our imperfections, and how far we have to go -- but it doesn't stop His grace.  On the contrary! We find His tremendous love, and courage, leading us forward into the the unknown journey of our faith, guiding us to be like Him.

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 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 feed 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 continued His preaching after He had explained the parable of the Sower to His disciples.   He taught them, "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.  My study bible tells us that "the country of the Gadarenes was Gentile territory where people could raise swine, which  were considered unclean by the Jews."  We remember the turbulent sea, and the fear of the disciples as they crossed the Sea of Galilee, entering into a new region, an alien territory.

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.  If we observe carefully, we see indeed what alien territory this is!  Moreover, here is a man lost to the world -- there are no signs of civilization or of his belonging.  He doesn't wear any clothes, and he doesn't live in a house.  Instead, he lives in the tombs, among the dead, the places for the bodies of those who are no longer a part of our world, in a truly desolate place.

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!"   My study bible says that "Christ draws forth the reluctant confession of the demons.  Their displeasure at being forced to obey Christ testifies to the strength of Jesus' divine nature.  His power overcomes them, and they are forced to abandon immediately the man they possessed."

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.  Here is further evidence of the great isolation of the man.  He had to be kept under guard and bound with chains and shackles.  But beyond this, so "uncivilized" is his life that he even broke the bonds and was driven into the wilderness.  The demon has exacted a heavy toll.

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.  Here is the greatest evidence of oppression possible:  this man isn't contending with simply one oppressive demon, but a legion.  According to one dictionary, a legion in the Roman army consisted of 3,000 to 6,000 foot soldiers, with additional cavalry.  This man is contending with, and occupied by an entire military force meant to subdue cities and large populations.  But a Man greater than "the strong man of this world"  (or the ruler of the demons) is here to help, and the demons fear Christ.  The abyss seems to be what we might call a "bottomless pit," a place of total oblivion, where all memory of existence is gone.  Instead, the demons beg to be sent into the swine, which (as noted above) are unclean animals for the Jews.  Such is their destructive force that the swine are immediately driven to their own deaths by drowning.  This suggests to us again the experience of the disciples on the rough sea during their crossing, where faith in Christ was their protection.

When those who feed 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.   Here Luke's Gospel teaches us again about fear, and we have to note its peculiar sort of occurrence.  These people fear because a great miracle of healing, a lifting of a "massive" demonic oppression has happened.  Yet, without faith, in this forsaken place, those who fed and tend the swine simply feel fear.

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.   Again, it seems that the loss of the swine creates the greatest impact here, and not the healing of the demoniac.  Their fear in place of faith results in their begging Christ to leave their territory. 

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 says that "Jesus does not call all whom He saves to join His band of disciples.  This man, wonderfully healed, is sent back home to witness to the power of Christ there."

Every time I reread this story I am amazed by what it tells us.  It's striking how isolated and abandoned from the world this man is, occupied by a legion of demons.  But we see his faith.  In other versions of this story, we are told that the man worshiped Christ.  Certainly, Jesus "calls" him out of his "occupation" and oppression to be saved, to be healed.  And the man's life is then transformed.  Despite living in this forsaken place, with those who care only for their lost swine, the man is given a job, a place in the Kingdom, in the economy of salvation, and He becomes an evangelist, proclaiming to others the good news of his healing -- the great things that God has done for him.  We take this story and we allow it to teach us something about God's healing presence:  even against a legion of oppressive realities, of things which subdue and isolate us, Christ has power.  And not only does He have this power, but He seems to have come directly to this forsaken place, this land of complete isolation, of destitution, to save and rescue this man, this believer.  It tells us something in a sort of microcosm about Christ's very Incarnation itself:  that He is here to rescue those who have been forgotten, no matter where they are, no matter how oppressed or how burdened -- even those who are surrounded by others who don't care about what is right and good, who don't even feel a concern with human healing but prefer instead the very material ways of the world (as in the swine, the possessions which these people have lost).  No, Christ -- if we are to take the elements of this story very explicitly -- is here for those who wish to be saved, and there is nothing, no obstacle, no difficulty, no trauma, no matter how severe, that can stop Christ from coming and saving and healing.  We might not recognize this, we may have a hard time feeling our way through it, and we can't predict what this may look like, but the story tells us everything about why He is here.  Christ is with us, even to the ends of the earth, to the end of life, in whatever place He may find us.  Let us remember that in the economy of salvation, there is always a place where our healing is put to use, a place He creates.  Psalm 68 tells us that God sets the lonely in families, He brings out the prisoners who are bound, and it is the rebellious who dwell in a dry land.  Here the healed man is once again a part of a family, the family of Christ's mother and brothers which He proclaimed in yesterday's reading, and he's given a job to do, to spread the good news to others, back in the city among people, in community, where he has "his own house."  Let us not forget everything that God teaches us, that Christ reveals in this story.  Let us remember how He cares for those who will love Him, no matter "where" they are, and let us also do the same if we wish to be a part of His family.

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

 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

In yesterday's reading, we were told that after a day of preaching in many parables, when evening had come, He said to them, "Let us cross over to the other side."  Now when they had left the multitude, they took Him along in the boat as He was.  And other little boats were also with Him.  And a great windstorm arose, and the waves beat into the boat, so that it was already filling.  But He was in the stern, asleep on a pillow.  And they awoke Him and said to Him, "Teacher, do You not care that we are perishing?"  Then He arose and rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, "Peace, be still!"  And the wind ceased and there was a great calm.  But He said to them, "Why are you so fearful?  How is it that you have no faith?"  And they feared exceedingly, and said to one another, "Who can this be, that even the wind and the sea obey Him!"

 Then they came to the other side of the sea, to the country of the Gadarenes.  My study bible points out about this passage:  "The Gadarenes were Gentiles, so they could raise pigs, which were considered unclean by Jews."  We are now on the "other side" of the sea of Galilee, in Gentile territory, where Jesus has instructed His disciples to go.  He carries His ministry to the Gentiles.

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.   These tombs, my study bible says, were caves cut out of soft rock.  We see the damaged and constantly damaging state of this poor man.  He's wild, untamable and uncontrollable.  This gives us a message about his state of being, that it is in chaos, like the wind and the wild surf in yesterday's reading.  But in this case, it is a human being who is so terribly afflicted by disorder that he lives among the tombs, with the dead.  He cannot control himself, not even with shackles and chains can he be in order at all.  Night and day, he's in the mountains and in the tombs, outside of all civilized life, "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!"  My study bible says, "The deranged man worshiped Jesus; the demons see Him and fear torment.  Not only are the demons unable to resist Jesus' command, they are unable to escape confrontation with Him.  Though they have power over the man, they have no power over Jesus.  Jesus' words accomplish in an instant what shackles and chains cannot."  There's a kind of state of war going on within this man, a war for possession of his life, including his mind and heart:  it is his own natural impulse to worship Christ.  But the demons fear the same torment with which they afflict the man.  Jesus comes to save and to heal.

Then He asked him, "What is your name?"  And he answered, saying, "My name is Legion, for we are many."  Also he begged Him earnestly that He would not send them out of the country.   My study bible says that "out of the country perhaps reflects both the wretched man's fear of being compelled to leave his homeland and the demons' fear of being cast out of the man."  It also seems possible to me that "out of the country" may reflect the demons' fear of being thrown out of the country of this place outside the city, where they dwell among the tombs, the rocks and desolate mountains, perhaps into Jewish territory.  Whatever it is, this phrase reflects the great fear that accompanies their presence. 

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.   My study bible says that "the destruction of the unclean swine was appropriate according to Jewish law."   Mark gives us the number of the swine; this is a "legion" indeed.  Their terrible violence gives us a clue as to the nature of this legion of unclean spirits; not only are they violent, they are wholly self-destructive and destructive of any life they touch.  This mass suicide also reflects the deranged fear that dominates their presence.

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.  My study bible notes:  "They ('those who fed the swine')  fear Jesus' power, which they do not understand, and possible further disturbance from Him.  Their primary concern is with animals and property rights; Jesus is more concerned about the life of a demon-possessed man."  The juxtaposition of the words here in these verses does give us a striking picture:  the people who fed the swine "saw the one who had been demon-possessed and had the legion, sitting and clothed and in his right mind."  And then they were afraid.

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 notes here:  "Jesus allows an exception to the messianic secret:  this man may tell others.  Perhaps in Gentile territory misunderstanding of Jesus' mission was not so much a problem, because the Gentiles had no preconceptions about the Messiah."  At any rate, this saved and healed man becomes an evangelist and an apostle.  Even before the Twelve, he is sent out to "tell what great things the Lord has done for you, and how He has had compassion on you."  He is, in this sense, sent on a mission to spread the Gospel of Jesus Christ to the Gentiles.

In the story of the Gadarene demoniac, there are once again many different ways of seeing and looking at this story, many different angles that can tell us something about this Kingdom of Jesus Christ.  First of all, the man is in an absolutely terrible state, "occupied" by a legion of foreign troops in this sense, by those who care nothing for him but only exist to bring him destruction and to exploit him.  He has no control over what happens to his body, his mind and spirit, but nevertheless he struggles under this occupation.  He sees Jesus whom he knows immediately as a saving force, a power that can knock the demons over and claim their power and "save" him.  He worships Jesus immediately.  The metaphors of the strong man (or Legion in this case) and the stronger man who comes to save hold true for this story.  But in another sense, we can see in this story an example of what this demonic power, this afflicting kingdom, does to us as human beings.  It is parasitical.  It thrives on fear.  It leaves us afflicted, self-destructive, in disorder and chaos, and it thrives on this desolate place that it knows best and fears leaving.  What things can you think of in our modern world that reflect these characteristics?  While modern psychology and medical science may tell us many true things about the elements of disease and addiction that trouble us today, we also note their characteristics that are reflected in this story.  There's no doubt that the truth about any illness is an essential part of healing and a cure, but we needn't leave out the obvious understanding that we are also spiritual beings, and that when anything reflects characteristics which we've recognized in spiritual history as that which belongs to an afflictive power, it helps us to understand what loving, and just, and saving power can and will do.  We cannot leave out the grace of God, the spiritual truth of Christ.  It helps us to recognize the insidious sort of power of affliction, that which binds us to what is familiar but destructive and desolate, and the kind of disorder it creates that needs the order of Logos, that which gives us meaning and value and right-relatedness, true justice.  Let us remember the saving power of spiritual truth and prayer and grace at work.  Without it, we may just find we are in a kind of disorder that only faith can help us to adjust back to our true nature, with all the tools we can use to restore our right-relatedness to assist, under a right and true direction.  It is this grace that gives us the faith and hope even against a whole army, a legion, of troubles that afflict and oppress us.