29-Jan-18

Gospel MK 5:1-20
Jesus and his disciples came to the other side of the sea,
to the territory of the Gerasenes.
When he got out of the boat,
at once a man from the tombs who had an unclean spirit met him.
The man had been dwelling among the tombs,
and no one could restrain him any longer, even with a chain.
In fact, he had frequently been bound with shackles and chains,
but the chains had been pulled apart by him and the shackles smashed,
and no one was strong enough to subdue him.
Night and day among the tombs and on the hillsides
he was always crying out and bruising himself with stones.
Catching sight of Jesus from a distance,
he ran up and prostrated himself before him,
crying out in a loud voice,
"What have you to do with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God?
I adjure you by God, do not torment me!"
(He had been saying to him, "Unclean spirit, come out of the man!")
He asked him, "What is your name?"
He replied, "Legion is my name. There are many of us."
And he pleaded earnestly with him
not to drive them away from that territory.
Now a large herd of swine was feeding there on the hillside.
And they pleaded with him,
"Send us into the swine. Let us enter them."
And he let them, and the unclean spirits came out and entered the swine.
The herd of about two thousand rushed down a steep bank into the sea,
where they were drowned.
The swineherds ran away and reported the incident in the town
and throughout the countryside.
And people came out to see what had happened.
As they approached Jesus,
they caught sight of the man who had been possessed by Legion,
sitting there clothed and in his right mind.
And they were seized with fear.
Those who witnessed the incident explained to them what had happened
to the possessed man and to the swine.
Then they began to beg him to leave their district.
As he was getting into the boat,
the man who had been possessed pleaded to remain with him.
But Jesus would not permit him but told him instead,
"Go home to your family and announce to them
all that the Lord in his pity has done for you."
Then the man went off and began to proclaim in the Decapolis
what Jesus had done for him; and all were amazed.
Reflection:
Today's gospel has two valuable lessons.
The first lesson comes from the "possessed" man through whom we learn of Jesus' power to help us overcome any obsession.
I️t is through the people of the countryside we learn the second lesson: if we want Jesus in our life, we may have to choose between Him and other things that are of value to us.
The Possessed Man:
There are a number of times in the Gospels when Jesus expelled demons. But, today's gospel story sets forth a peculiar and frightening scene where Jesus speaks to both the man who is possessed and to the demons that possess him.
"Jesus and his disciples came to the other side of the sea,
to the territory of the Gerasenes.
When he got out of the boat, at once a man from the tombs
who had an unclean spirit met him.
What have you to do with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God?
I adjure you by God, do not torment me!"
It becomes clear that the demons which possess the man are afraid of Jesus, otherwise they would not be initiating this interaction with the Lord.
When the possessed man ran up and "met him" he pleaded with Jesus, ".....do not torment me."
But when Jesus asked the man:
"What is your name?"
The demon replied;
"......Legion is my name. There are many of us.
And they pleaded with him,
"Send us into the swine. Let us enter them."
Jesus knew that if the man was to return to his senses He must demonstrate that the demons had left him.
It is curious that in other gospel stories Jesus always "drove" or "cast" out the demon, but only here are we told that Jesus gave them permission to leave the man:
"And he let them, and the unclean spirits came out and entered the swine.The herd of about two thousand rushed down a steep bank into the sea, where they were drowned."
It is not important whether we believe in demons.
What is important is that the man from the tombs believed he was possessed, not by one, but by many demons.
And, he was convinced that Jesus had the power to free him from the possession of the evil spirits.
The possessed man had the two things necessary for Our Lord to be able to set him free from the demons; a "desire"to be set free and a "willingness to cooperate" with Jesus.
Is it all that different today?
I have met many men and women who were convinced that they were doomed to a life of being "possessed" by drugs or alcohol.
(It is curious that in times past, alcohol was referred to as "spirits.")
Attending their first Alcohol Anonymous meeting, they learn that by relying on a "Higher Power" they can be set free. They hear others give testimony of being set free from being "possessed" by alcohol or opioids, and they gain hope.
From those first seeds of hope they become willing to put their faith in God and are able to cast off that which possesses them.
"Then the man went off and began to proclaim in the Decapolis
what Jesus had done for him; and all were amazed."
Like the possessed man in today's gospel, those who relied on God to get sober can not keep this "Good News" to themselves.
They proclaim to others that if they turn to God, He can set them free too. And they "all were amazed."
What is it that "possesses" us?
Do we have a "desire and willingness" to be free?
Will we ask Jesus to help us cast off our demons?
- - - - - - - - - -
The People of the Countryside:
"The swineherds ran away and reported the incident in the town
and throughout the countryside.
And people came out to see what had happened.
As they approached Jesus,
they caught sight of the man who had been possessed by Legion,
sitting there clothed and in his right mind.
And they were seized with fear.
Those who witnessed the incident explained to them what had happened
to the possessed man and to the swine.
Then they began to beg him to leave their district."
Prior to Jesus stepping off the boat, the people of the countryside had been going comfortably about their lives, tending to their flocks, observing their religious rituals and ignoring the madman wandering in the tombs above their villages.
Now, this man Jesus comes and upsets their comfortable lives.
The madman was somehow miraculously sane.
The swine, their livelihoods, were destroyed.
They stood in the presence of the living God and their reaction was to "beg him to leave their district."
Before I judge the people of the countryside too harshly, perhaps I should honestly reflect about what my reaction would be if Jesus were to come to my neighborhood and open a house for homeless people next door to my home or my business?
Yes, I love Jesus and want Him in my life, but at what cost?
Would I welcome Jesus and my new neighbors with an open heart.....
or would I be tempted to "beg him to leave" my neighborhood?
Surely God is my salvation;
I will trust, and will not be afraid,
for the Lord God is my strength and my might;
he has become my salvation.
Isaiah 12:2