Luke
8:26-39
26 Then they arrived at the country of the
Gerasenes, which is opposite Galilee. 27 As he stepped out on land, a man of
the city who had demons met him. For a long time he had worn no clothes, and he
did not live in a house but in the tombs. 28 When he saw Jesus, he fell down
before him and shouted at the top of his voice, "What have you to do with
me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I beg you, do not torment me"— 29 for
Jesus had commanded the unclean spirit to come out of the man. (For many times
it had seized him; he was kept under guard and bound with chains and shackles,
but he would break the bonds and be driven by the demon into the wilds.) 30
Jesus then asked him, "What is your name?" He said,
"Legion"; for many demons had entered him. 31 They begged him not to
order them to go back into the abyss. 32 Now there on the hillside a large herd
of swine was feeding; and the demons begged Jesus to let them enter these. So
he gave them permission. 33 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.
34 When the swineherds saw what had happened, they ran off and told it in the
city and in the country. 35 Then people came out to see what had happened, and
when they came to Jesus, they found the man from whom the demons had gone
sitting at the feet of Jesus, clothed and in his right mind. And they were
afraid. 36 Those who had seen it told them how the one who had been possessed
by demons had been healed. 37 Then all the people of the surrounding country of
the Gerasenes asked Jesus to leave them; for they were seized with great fear.
So he got into the boat and returned. 38 The man from whom the demons had gone
begged that he might be with him; but Jesus sent him away, saying, 39
"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.
Then all the people of the surrounding country of the Gerasenes
asked Jesus to leave them; for they were seized with great fear.
§ Our Gospel passage is
packed with things to preach about. The possessed man… the name “Legion”… the
herd of pigs… even Jesus’ mercy on the horde of demons. What strikes me most
right now is the fear that Jesus’ presence caused in the people of the country
of the Gerasenes.
§ What did they have to
be afraid of? After all, Jesus cast the demons out of the naked man who had been
living in the wild lands and the tombs, who had broken the chains that the
people put around him, who ran around screaming. Were they afraid of the power
that exorcised the demons and allowed them to enter the herd of pigs? Were they
afraid of losing money because all the pigs jumped into the lake and drowned?
§ Or were they afraid
because Jesus changed things? Maybe “the man who had demons” was a
scapegoat, since compared to him, everybody else was pretty good. Now that he
was healed, calm, and clothed, evil must find a home somewhere else. Now that
he was healed, they’d have to take a good, long look at themselves. Just what
they wanted to do, I’m sure. Why am I sure? Because I avoid taking that good, long, hard look at myself.
§ I’d much prefer that
the evil I see around me had nothing to do with me and that it lived, naked and
screaming, in a graveyard or out in the woods. Or maybe in a herd of pigs I can
watch run into the lake.
§ Instead I have to
look at myself, although – in the end - it would be better if I looked at Jesus
and looked to Jesus. It is in him that all the mercy, grace, and power of God
resides and can be found.
§ It seem that when
Jesus comes into the story, things cannot stay the way they were. Change will
come. The possessed man did not ask to be healed. In fact he objected as Jesus told
the demons to leave: What have you to do with me, Jesus, Son
of the Most High God? I beg you, do not torment me. The grace of
God came unlooked for and unexpected. Grace entered his life and changed
everything.
§ Will it be the same
for us? Well, if Jesus is present to us (and when is he not?), yes! Grace
always comes unlooked for. Our saviour is the point of grace and it is the
undeserved and unearned grace of God that saves. It is that grace that gives us
growth and that challenges us to become more than we are at the present. It
challenges us to become more like Christ.
§ Becoming like Christ
means change and we don’t like change, especially changes in ourselves. We’d
just as soon stay as we are. Do you know what the chances of that are? As the caption on the
little cartoon says “He’ll change everything!” (The cartoon was part of a handout left on a stand in the sanctuary. It is included at the end of this writing.)
§ Changes in the Church
are coming, locally and far beyond these four walls. There is no longer a
Catholic priest in residence in Aylmer. At present, there is only one pastor at
the Christian Reformed Church. Your pastor is up for retirement in a few months
(although I have it on good authority that he’ll stay on in some fashion.) The
Catholic bishops of the Amazon region in Brazil are considering ordaining
married men. Changes everywhere.
§ Things can’t remain
the way they are, just as we can’t be the same person we were 10 or 20 years
ago. We may not like it but that’s the fact. What doesn’t change is the
grace of God. That grace will however change us.
§ Finally I want to end
with a disturbing blessing.
May God bless you
with discomfort
At easy answers,
half-truths, and superficial relationships
So that you may live deep
within your heart.
May God bless you
with anger
At injustice,
oppression, and exploitation of people,
So that you may work
for justice, freedom, and peace.
May God bless you
with tears
To shed for those who
suffer pain, rejection, hunger, and war
So that you may reach
out your hand to comfort them And turn their pain into joy.
And may God bless you
with enough foolishness
To believe that you
can make a difference in the world,
So that you can do
what others claim cannot be done,
To bring justice and
kindness to all our children and the poor.
· Don’t be afraid. No
matter what changes, God will be with us.
Then all the people of the surrounding country of the Gerasenes
asked Jesus to leave them; for they were seized with great fear.
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