This sermon was preached at the Olympia, WA, Congregation on Sunday, June 20th, 2010.
There are three passages from the Book of Luke that specifically demonstrated the power of Jesus. Todays passage is the second one. That is the healing of the demon. I will read the text in its entirety so you hear the story as a whole and then we’ll break it down and examine the story.
Luke 8:26–39
26They sailed to the region of the Gerasenes, which is across the lake from Galilee. 27When Jesus stepped ashore, he was met by a demon-possessed man from the town. For a long time this man had not worn clothes or lived in a house, but had lived in the tombs. 28When he saw Jesus, he cried out and fell at his feet, shouting at the top of his voice, “What do you want with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I beg you, don’t torture me!” 29For Jesus had commanded the evil spirit to come out of the man. Many times it had seized him, and though he was chained hand and foot and kept under guard, he had broken his chains and had been driven by the demon into solitary places.
30Jesus asked him, “What is your name?”
“Legion,” he replied, because many demons had gone into him. 31And they begged him repeatedly not to order them to go into the Abyss.
32A large herd of pigs was feeding there on the hillside. The demons begged Jesus to let them go into them, and he gave them permission. 33When the demons came out of the man, they went into the pigs, and the herd rushed down the steep bank into the lake and was drowned.
34When those tending the pigs saw what had happened, they ran off and reported this in the town and countryside, 35and the people went out to see what had happened. When they came to Jesus, they found the man from whom the demons had gone out, sitting at Jesus’ feet, dressed and in his right mind; and they were afraid. 36Those who had seen it told the people how the demon-possessed man had been cured. 37Then all the people of the region of the Gerasenes asked Jesus to leave them, because they were overcome with fear. So he got into the boat and left.
38The man from whom the demons had gone out begged to go with him, but Jesus sent him away, saying, 39“Return home and tell how much God has done for you.” So the man went away and told all over town how much Jesus had done for him.
Let’s look at this section by section:
26They sailed to the region of the Gerasenes, which is across the lake from Galilee.
Lets already stop here for a moment because the fact that Jesus crossed the river is very important. This is the first time that Jesus entered Gentile territory. It sets up this story nicely, as the healing of a demon is more than just the story of miraculous healing it is a story about witnessing. Like Jesus going into the region of the Gerasenes, we are called to go in to unfamiliar territory and spread the Good News. Being a disciple means that we, at times, must venture in to the unknown. And sometimes that means just talking with neighbor or co-workers or classmate.
27When Jesus stepped ashore, he was met by a demon-possessed man from the town. For a long time this man had not worn clothes or lived in a house, but had lived in the tombs. 28When he saw Jesus, he cried out and fell at his feet, shouting at the top of his voice, “What do you want with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I beg you, don’t torture me!” 29For Jesus had commanded the evil spirit to come out of the man. Many times it had seized him, and though he was chained hand and foot and kept under guard, he had broken his chains and had been driven by the demon into solitary places.
When the scriptures refer to people being demon-possessed many religious scholars believe that these “demons” are in fact what we would know today as people with some sort of mental illness or developmental disability. In the story this man did not live with other townspeople but was an outcast that was sent to the outer limits to live in the tombs. To live with the dead. Likewise, in today’s society we often put these people in hospitals, facilities, or homes. I work for the Share & Care House in our Guardianship Department. I have a caseload of 50 disabled adults that I visit monthly. There are many time where these clients are sent to AFH’s or other facilities because their families can’t handle taking care of them or don’t really want much to do with them. That is definitely not the case with all of them though. Or maybe society doesn’t put people in the outer limits but due to issues related to fear, depression, and anxiety many cast themselves aside. They stay indoors to escape society.
This man came to Jesus and He ordered the evil spirit out of him. Though, many times the evil spirit seized him. They wouldn’t easily leave him. You’ll notice that the townspeople had chained him. It was their way of dealing with something that was foreign to them. Something that they didn’t understand.
Remember I said this story is related to witnessing. Just like the evil spirit that didn’t leave right away, we will come across people in our effort to share the Good News that won’t listen to what we have to say. They have pre-conceived notions of what it means to be a Christian because religious leaders have perversed the Good News and therefore they understand the message to be one of hate. Or because of poor personal experiences earlier in life related to Christianity. They are chained by experiences.
30Jesus asked him, “What is your name?”
“Legion,” he replied, because many demons had gone into him. 31And they begged him repeatedly not to order them to go into the Abyss.
It’s important to understand that since this man is consumed by evil it is in fact the demons that are speaking through him. When asked what your name was he replied saying “legions”. A legion is consisted of about 5600 men. This shows the strength that the evil had over this man. Many times when we are faced with what weighs us down in the world that weight can be so strong that it feels like it is happening to us a million times over. It has that much strength. There, we can probably understand somewhat what it means when it says a legion of demons had gone inside him. Imagine the intensity of that.
Notice that the demons beg Jesus not to be sent into the Abyss. Abyss meaning an immeasurable depth. Think of space. Something that seems never ending. The word “abyss” can also be related to deep water. It was believed that demons were sent to water to be cast out because they were afraid of water.
32A large herd of pigs was feeding there on the hillside. The demons begged Jesus to let them go into them, and he gave them permission. 33When the demons came out of the man, they went into the pigs, and the herd rushed down the steep bank into the lake and was drowned.
The demons figure it is better to be sent in to the pigs than in to the abyss. So Jesus sends the demons in to the pigs (which were seen as unclean) and immediately the pigs went in to the lake where they suffocated and as a result, drowned into the Abyss. The demons are dead and the man is restored. He became “whole”.
34When those tending the pigs saw what had happened, they ran off and reported this in the town and countryside, 35and the people went out to see what had happened. When they came to Jesus, they found the man from whom the demons had gone out, sitting at Jesus’ feet, dressed and in his right mind; and they were afraid. 36Those who had seen it told the people how the demon-possessed man had been cured. 37Then all the people of the region of the Gerasenes asked Jesus to leave them, because they were overcome with fear. So he got into the boat and left.
The people of the town responded in fear. Again, the unknown feared them. Jesus entered this area for the first time and performed this huge miracle. The people didn’t know what to think.
Then of course there was also the issue that their income source was killed. This was a huge economic loss to the herders. They couldn’t see the joy of the miracle that just took place because they were caught up in how it affected them. Their loss shadowed the reality that a man has been healed.
In our efforts to be witnessing disciples of Jesus Christ we too have fears of the unknown. How will people respond? What will they ask? Will we know the “right” answer to give? What if they ask us about our history? How will we answer? These fears make it so we can’t see the picture. When we fear in our discipleship, we need to understand that that God’s presence is with us. That when we reflect the Peace of Jesus Christ we will have the security to enter into the unknown. Sometimes the response will be negative. Some, for whatever reason, will not want to hear what we have to say. Like Jesus respected the wishes of the people to leave, we too need to be respectful of those that we encounter. Respectful of their disinterest but also of their culture, background, class in society, etc. All these things shape who they are. We need to be prepared disciples that are still ready for the uncertain.
38The man from whom the demons had gone out begged to go with him, but Jesus sent him away, saying, 39“Return home and tell how much God has done for you.” So the man went away and told all over town how much Jesus had done for him.
It is not clear as to why Jesus did not let this man join him. Though, I would imagine that at least part of it is that if everyone that believed, joined Jesus, then who would be left to share the Good News of the transforming power of Jesus. Likewise, we are called to go out in to our communities and share the Good News. We come here on Sunday mornings for different reasons. Maybe their social reasons. Maybe to get recharged. Maybe out of a sense of obligation. Whatever that reason is, we come. But what do we do with what we learn while here. What do we do as a result of this sense of community that we embody here? That is our challenge. How do we respond to the call? It is my hope that we are not so complacent in our Discipleship that what happens in our congregations on Sunday mornings stays here.
Jesus sent this man back to his home to share. Likewise, we are called to go forth from this place ready to share. Ready to witness to others.
We have been counseled in Doctrine & Covenants 162 with the following:
3a. Do not be discouraged. You have not been promised an easy path, but you have been assured that the Spirit that calls you will also accompany you.
b. That Spirit is even now touching alive the souls of those who feel the passion of discipleship burning deeply within. Many others will respond if you are persistent in your witness and diligent in your mission to the world.
4a. Listen carefully to the many testimonies of those around the world who have been led into the fellowship of the Community of Christ. The richness of cultures, the poetry of language, and the breadth of human experience permit the gospel to be seen with new eyes and grasped with freshness of spirit. That gift has been given to you. Do not fail to understand its power.
b. It is for divine purpose that you have been given the struggles as well as the joys of diversity. So must it always be in the peaceable kingdom.
We are called to go forth and share of the Peace of Jesus Christ. That through Him, your life will be transformed. This is our call. When we respond wonderful things will happen. People will respond. The question is how do YOU respond to this call?
If you’ll notice this story was one that illustrated that God uses everyone to do His work. He used someone that was looked down on by society. All ARE called.
We live in the most un-churched region in the nation. This means that we have a daunting task but it also means we have lots of possibilities. Will you be the vessel that shares the Peace of Jesus Christ to those that are un-churched? Those that are hurting and in need of the healing transformation of Jesus Christ. We are called. Let us respond!
