For some time now, I've been interested in the Bible's great questions. I celebrate them, I am challenged by them, sometimes and I struggle with them. Questions like, "Am I my brother's keeper," "What must I do to inherit eternal life," "Why do you seek the living among the dead," "Who do you say that I am," and "Jesus, what do you have to do with me," which is the subject of our passage today.
"Jesus, what do you want with me? What are you doing here?" These are the questions that our pride, fear, and demons ask... and I'd like to focus on them today... by referring to Jesus' encounter with the Gerasene demoniac . They had just gotten out of their boat, when a naked and troubled man rushed up to them. He was "out of his mind," "beside himself," "possessed," to the point where he was no longer fit to live in community. He wasn't fit to hold a job, sit around the family table, or act in a civil manner toward others. He wasn't welcome at church, or at town hall meetings, or anywhere else because he had lost control of himself. His family and neighbors couldn't control him, so they chained him to the tombs in a graveyard, but even then, he broke free and ran wild among the hills, crying out in disturbing and frightening ways. No power on earth could break the grip that something evil had on him! He needed to meet Jesus of Nazareth, and that's exactly what Mark 5:1-20 is all about. I'm sure you know it. When Jesus met the man possessed, the demons within him cried out, "Jesus, Son of God, what have you to do with us?" They took His power very seriously, and it turned out that they were right to take it seriously... because he drove them into a sizable herd of swine, who then rushed into the lake and drowned... which left 1) a serene man who was now in his right mind, fully clothed, and demon-free, 2) a legion of demons who were no more, and 3) an angry group of pig owners who had lost their money. Indeed, they were so angry that they told Jesus to get out. If allowing Jesus to have his way meant that they would lose their pigs, he had to go... which he did because He doesn't stay where he is not welcome... and the man who was freed asked if he could follow Jesus... because he knew that he was indebted to his Savior. Jesus could have said, "Yes." He often called men to follow him, but instead, he told the man to go home- and experience the joy of being in community, while he told others what God had done for him."
Good for Jesus. Good for the demoniac. Shame of the town folk who put their property first. We could talk about the Greek involved in this passage, or explain where the Gadarenes lived...BUT the better question is: what is God saying to us? Are we in the hands of a demon? Are we out of our minds? Beside ourselves? Have we made a deal with the devil? Are we in over our head? Are we chained to money, addiction, sin, guilt? Is Jesus inviting us to let him drive our demons out? Can we hear Jesus calling us to come and worship him so that he can set us free? Is there a voice within you that keeps crying, "Jesus, O Son of the Most High God, what do you want with me?" I'd like to be free... but not at any cost- not if it means changing my values...or losing my pigs! I'd like a helping hand, Lord, but I don't need to be saved, and I certainly don't want a Master. Martin Luther was fond of saying, "I'm a beggar- that's for sure." and we know that the demoniac was a beggar too. But what about us? Do we see that we're beggars too?
Friends, the real Jesus IS DISRUPTIVE because that's what salvation requires! So, the question is not what the swine owners thought- but what we think. Would we welcome a Jesus who drove our income into the river as he saved just one among us? Are we concerned because Jesus is challenging us to give up our sins... or because he isn't? Is your Jesus small or huge? Does he somehow agree with everything you believe, say, and do... or does he challenge you to ask WWHD! The real Jesus can be very disruptive because he insists on reshaping us. As a dashboard figure, Jesus is delightfully harmless and non-invasive, and I love the picture of a laughing Jesus but our God is not small and we cannot reframe Jesus as an easy-going buddy who understands that we put ourselves first. It's tempting to believe that Jesus is just a good-hearted poet... but this is NOT the real Jesus! This is NOT the Jesus of the Bible! This is NOT the Jesus who hung on Calvary's cross. The real Jesus intrudes in our lives, expects us to forgive more and sin less, stalks us with his presence, and fills our hearts with a nagging sense of right and wrong.
Mainline Christians have a hard time seeing themselves chained to tombstones, or being "possessed by demons." I know that, but I also know that people ARE chained, possessed, and in the hands of forces they cannot control. I know that people look for love in all the wrong places and that many have given their hearts to the lesser gods of this world. I know that many people worship themselves in a loud voice because it's easier than worshiping God. I know that many good people won't raise their hand and say, "Here I am," because they're afraid it will cost them too much. I know that the hell we know may be more comforting than a heaven we can't imagine... but listen- this Jesus who challenges and even torments us... is the Lord of lords... and he can set you free in an instant!
Friends, the real Jesus is a liberator- so come out from behind your desks, your hymnals, your excuses, your gated communities, and your comfort zones. Deep within you, some voice will surely holler out, "Jesus of Nazareth, what do you want with me?" Part of you may feel that way, but the heart of you longs to be free- so take a leap of faith... and discover what He really wants to do with you! It may be nothing more than going back home; it may involve greater service or greater giving; it may involve joining, singing, teaching, tending property, or simply showing up; it may involve telling others how he set you free. He may send you to a distant mission field, or to seminary. I don't know... but I do know that you will receive a full and purposeful life in Christ... and that you will never be chained to anything else again! Amen.
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