Demons, Tombs and Nakedness, Oh My!

Here are some thoughts regarding this Sunday's gospel that were sent out to the people of St. Timothy Lutheran Church.

 Gospel: Luke 8:26-39

²⁶Then [Jesus and his disciples] arrived at the country of the Gerasenes, which is opposite Galilee. ²⁷As 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. ²⁸When 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”—²⁹for 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.) ³⁰Jesus then asked him, “What is your name?” He said, “Legion”; for many demons had entered him. ³¹They begged him not to order them to go back into the abyss.
  ³²Now 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. ³³Then 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.
  ³⁴When the swineherds saw what had happened, they ran off and told it in the city and in the country. ³⁵Then 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. ³⁶Those who had seen it told them how the one who had been possessed by demons had been healed. ³⁷Then 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. ³⁸The 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.

For those of us with today’s sensibilities, it is hard to imagine a scene such as this: a man controlled by demons, living in tombs, naked and with absolutely no control of anything in his life. Demons, today? Really? What people of Jesus’ day attributed to demons we may think of as mental illness or some other kind of sickness. Wouldn’t we just send this guy off to a specialist of some sort who would prescribe the right meds and all should be well, shouldn’t it?

Let’s apply this gospel passage to ourselves. Have you ever felt like your world was spinning out of control when it came to your health, your relationships, finances, your job or any number of other issues? If so, I think that in a small measure, we can understand the man in the tombs. I vividly remember a time in my life like that where I felt like I had no control over the circumstances of life. I’ll tell you more about that on Sunday.

There are lots of questions to be asked of this passage, but I think the gist of it is that Jesus encountered a man in need, living a very fragmented life. Jesus brought God’s shalom, God’s peace and wholeness to him and healed him. Then, when the man wants to follow Jesus, literally go with him like the disciples, Jesus tells him to return home and tell the people what he’s done for him.

God comes to us over and over again, just as we are, with the offer of wholeness and healing. Each of us has some area of our lives in which we need healing from hurts of the past, healing of disease of body and mind—we know our own needs—those things that get in the way of clearly hearing what the Lord would say to us. One thing is for sure, we too are called to “declare how much God has done for [us]” (v. 39).

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