Now there on the hillside a large herd of swine was feeding; and the demons begged Jesus to let them enter these. (Luke 8:32 NRSV)
START WITH SCRIPTURE:
Luke 8:26-39
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OBSERVE:
The ministry of Jesus was quite itinerant. Other than his childhood visit to Egypt as a small child as reported in the Gospel of Matthew 2:13-15, Jesus remained within a 90-mile radius of his hometown in Nazareth. However, Jesus stayed on the move during his ministry, visiting many towns in Galilee, traveling to Gentile regions to the north and east of the Sea of Galilee, and of course Samaria and Judea.
Here is the back story of today’s Gospel reading — Jesus and his disciples have taken a boat across the Sea of Galilee, likely sailing from Capernaum in Galilee to the region of the Gerasenes (also known as Gadara) in the Gentile region of the Decapolis (which means the Ten Cities). The Decapolis were likely Greek and Roman cities outside of the political and cultural orbit of Jewish Galilee and Judea.
When Jesus arrives on the shore, he is immediately greeted by a naked, desperately wild, demon-possessed man. The manifestations of his demon possession were quite extreme — even chains and shackles were insufficient to hold him when he was tormented by demons. He lived in the wilds and in the cemetery, both places reputed to be a refuge for unclean spirits.
We are reminded that there is a kind of spiritual warfare in which Jesus is engaged against demonic forces, as the man falls down before Jesus and shouts:
“What have you to do with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I beg you, do not torment me”— for Jesus had commanded the unclean spirit to come out of the man.
Jesus recognizes that this man is more victim than villain. As Paul will write later:
our struggle is not against enemies of blood and flesh, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers of this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places (Ephesians 6:12).
Jesus asks the man his name, knowing that he is not really speaking to the man but to the demons that have possessed him. The demons must answer the Son of God with the truth. Their name is Legion, suggesting that an army of demons have taken possession of this man.
We then get a small glimpse into the future fate of the demons:
They begged him not to order them to go back into the abyss.
Although demonology and the place of demons in Christian theology may be of interest, this isn’t really the place to explore such subjects. Suffice it to say that the New Testament takes the existence of supernatural beings for granted, and this includes the existence of demons. The abyss is generally understood to refer to the “bottomless pit” and the place of the dead. (For more information, I refer you to 2 Peter 2:4 and Revelation 9:1-2, 11; 17:8; 20:1.)
What we know from Luke’s Gospel is that the demons are desperate not to be sent there!
And perhaps we should be a little surprised that Jesus accommodates the request of the demons to be sent into a large herd of swine. It would seem that they require a physical host in order to function in the physical world.
The discerning mind may pick up on a little New Testament humor here. Swine, in the Jewish world, were regarded as one of the most unclean of animals (Leviticus 11:7-8). How appropriate that the unclean demons should wish to be sent there!
And, in another somewhat humorous development, even the herd of swine turns out to be an inhospitable home for the demons:
Then the demons came out of the man and entered the swine, and the herd rushed down the steep bank into the lake and was drowned.
Jesus and his disciples are now in Gentile territory where pigs are a source of income. The destruction of the swine represented an economic disaster for the owner. The swineherds flee in a frenzy and are eager to place the blame on Jesus.
When people from Gerasene hurry to see what has happened:
they found the man from whom the demons had gone sitting at the feet of Jesus, clothed and in his right mind.
Curiously, their reaction to this amazing exorcism and dramatic change is great fear! They beg Jesus to leave the area. Rather than rejoicing that this poor man has been restored to sanity, they fear Jesus more than they seem to fear the demons!
As Jesus is preparing to return to Galilee by boat:
The man from whom the demons had gone begged that he might be with him; but Jesus sent him away, saying, “Return to your home, and declare how much God has done for you.” So he went away, proclaiming throughout the city how much Jesus had done for him.
This cleansed man becomes one of the first of the Gentile witnesses, who is instructed to spread the news to non-Jews about Jesus and his mighty power!
APPLY:
Jesus is able to make a distinction between the flesh and blood of this unfortunate man and the spiritual forces of evil that possess him. Thus Jesus is able to separate the man from the demonic powers.
Mustn’t we do the same in our time? We are led to believe that the problem with the world is a certain group or a particular belief, and we cannot distinguish between the demonic behavior inspired by certain ideologies and the people who espouse those ideologies.
Jesus loves the man, and cleanses him by separating the man from the demonic influence in his life. Perhaps we can begin to distinguish between the immoral behavior and violent rhetoric of people and instead try to see them as people.
RESPOND:
This week as I meditate on this Scripture, I’m very aware of events in Orlando, Florida. A nightclub that caters to the LBGTQ community was the location of the second largest mass murder in American history. They were systematically murdered by a young Muslim man. I deplore what has happened there, and grieve for those who have lost their lives so violently.
Reactions to this atrocity have predictably reflected every possible ideological, political, and religious perspective.
Let me be clear — I believe that the Scriptures teach that the practice of homosexuality is incompatible with Christian teaching. And further, I believe that there is a brand of “radical Islam” that is dangerously violent and doctrinaire.
However, I am equally convinced that God loves all people — gay, straight, Muslim or whatever they may be. Unlike ourselves, God is able to distinguish between those behaviors and attitudes that oppress and possess us, and love us in spite of ourselves.
What truly inspires me is the example of love and forgiveness like that of the Amish community of Nickel Mines, Pennsylvania in October of 2006. A disturbed man named Charles Roberts burst into a one-room Amish schoolhouse and shot ten Amish schoolgirls, killing five of them and then took his own life.
The Amish community was devastated by the murder of innocents. But family members of the girls began to express their forgiveness of the murderer. Several family members of the girls buried their own daughters, and the next day attended the funeral of Charles Roberts and embraced his widow and family members. Later the Amish community took up a collection for the widow and her three young children.
Did the Amish deplore the murderous act of Charles Roberts? Of course! But were they able to see that despite his act he was a human being who was loved by God? Yes!
Lord, help me to see the demon-possessed and the “evil” through your eyes — the eyes of love. Help me to be a part of your mission to deliver all of us from the demonic forces that surround us. Amen.
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