Monday 20th July - The Other Side

DAILY BYTE

The story of the demon-possessed man who lived in the tombs is one of the longest and most detailed accounts of all of Jesus’ healing miracles. At first glance it seems like quite an archaic story that is pretty far-removed from the gritty realities of our 21st century lives. But like so many of the stories in Scripture, if we approach it with an openness to finding ourselves in it, we will be surprised by its relevance and truth for our lives today.

Over the next two weeks we’ll be exploring this story bit by bit in these BDC devotions, as we consider what it might be saying to us. We’ll be following Mark’s version of the story (Mark 5:1-20) which I encourage you to read in its entirety before we begin.

The story begins with these words, “They came to the other side of the sea, to the country of the Gerasenes” (Mark 5:1). This is not simply a verse describing matters geographical, it also has important symbolic meaning. The words “the other side” and “the country of the Gerasenes” locate this story in Gentile territory, away from the culturally familiar context in which all the action of the gospel has taken place thus far. Symbolically, Gentile territory would have been regarded as unclean, and any self-respecting Jew would not willingly venture there. Furthermore, its very unfamiliarity added a dimension of risk, unpredictability and danger to this context.

Now, while we may not be able to identify with the cultural and symbolic sensitivities that this locality would have evoked in the original hearers of the gospel, we can grasp something of what is going here. And so, in the very first verse of this story we are presented with a difficult decision. As we read and interpret this story, will we risk ‘crossing over to the other side’, whatever that means and whatever risky encounters that may bring, or will we prefer to play it safe and stick to territory that is familiar and comfortable for us.

Years back I was traveling overseas as a student, and found myself in a rural part of Kentucky in the USA. I discovered, to my disbelief, that there were many people there who had never been beyond the borders of the state of Kentucky their entire lives, and some had never even ventured outside that particular county. It wasn’t for economic reasons either, but simply because they were quite comfortable where they were and never felt inclined to travel. Now, while I accept that not everyone is necessarily cut out for traveling with the risks and uncertainties that it holds, it still struck me as incredibly sad that many of the rich and exciting discoveries that can only be made when you venture into unknown territory would be forever lost for these folk.

This same principle is true for the life of faith. There are some things in the spiritual life that can only be discovered when we are willing to leave our familiar shores behind, and dare to cross over to ‘the other side’. As we will see in this gospel story, it is on the other side that remarkable encounters of healing and transformation can take place.

Maybe right now it’s hard for you to identify what ‘the other side’ represents in your life. That’s OK. Hopefully, over the next two weeks, as we journey with Jesus to the other side, through this interesting gospel story, we will all come to recognize maybe just one particular place within us where the healing and liberating presence of Christ can be experienced in a wholly new and unfamiliar way.

PRAY AS YOU GO

Thank you, Lord, that you are always inviting me to join you in exploring new places of encounter and discovery in the spiritual life. Give me the courage to venture to the other side, even though I’m not too sure exactly what that means, and keep me open to receiving whatever it is that you have in store for me. Amen.