Wednesday 29th July - Free indeed!

SCRIPTURE READING

‘When he saw Jesus from a distance, he ran and bowed down before him; and he shouted at the top of his voice, ‘What have you to do with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I adjure you by God, do not torment me.’ For he had said to him, ‘Come out of the man, you unclean spirit!’ Then Jesus asked him, ‘What is your name?’ He replied, ‘My name is Legion; for we are many.’ He begged him earnestly not to send them out of the country. Now there on the hillside a great herd of swine was feeding; and the unclean spirits begged him, ‘Send us into the swine; let us enter them.’ So he gave them permission. And the unclean spirits came out and entered the swine; and the herd, numbering about two thousand, rushed down the steep bank into the sea, and were drowned in the sea.’ (Mark 5:6-13)

DAILY BYTE

I remember as a kid reading this story and feeling a bit disturbed about the fate of those poor pigs. One minute they’re feeding in peace and quiet on a hillside, enjoying the sunshine and the beautiful view. The next, it’s a mad stampede, and the entire herd is rushing headlong down the steep bank into the sea, to be drowned. Talk about being in the wrong place at the wrong time. As a kid I couldn’t understand why Jesus gave permission to the evil spirits to enter the pigs, but was somewhat comforted by the thought that for their unwitting sacrifice, these pigs received a special place in heaven. (I was pretty sure that heaven was the kind of place where even pigs were welcome.)

To be honest, I’m still not entirely sure what to make of this aspect of the story. As a Jew well-acquainted with the law, Jesus would have known that pigs were regarded as unclean, but I’m pretty sure that he had nothing personal against them as such. But if I put aside my childhood sensitivities and consider what is going on in this entire encounter, I can see how the pigs’ part fulfills an important and necessary function within the story as a whole.

A man is possessed by a legion of evil spirits. His humanity has been so diminished that he is more like a wild animal than a man. He has been cast out by his community, and lives in anguished isolation amongst the tombs, howling and bruising himself with stones. But then Jesus enters the scene, and a showdown occurs. The evil spirits recognize that Jesus is the Son of the Most High God and has power and authority over them. They are subject to his word and must obey his command. And so Jesus orders them out of the man, to torment him no more.

A key point to the story that we easily miss is that Jesus has the power and authority not simply to cast out demons, but also to consign them to a place where their tormenting influence can be exercised no more. And that’s where the pigs enter the picture.

As the evil spirits enter the pigs and the pigs rush headlong into the sea, it is a dramatic expression of the good news that these evil spirits really are gone. In the thought-world of ancient Israel, the sea was associated with the realm of chaos that was opposed to the creative purposes of God. In other words, the sea was the appropriate symbolic place for the evil spirits to be confined. It’s a graphic demonstration of Jesus’ enduring power over these transient powers.

The point of all of this for us is quite profound. The work of liberation that Jesus performs in our lives is not a light work. It’s not a temporary quick-fix. It’s the real deal. His power and authority is such that he is able to deal decisively with the destructive forces that torment and terrorize us. He is the one who holds those powers at bay. He is the one who is able to sustain our liberation moment by moment, day by day.

As we read elsewhere in the gospels, “If the Son sets you free, you shall be free indeed!”

PRAY AS YOU GO

Thank you, Lord Jesus, that you are the one who sets me free, and the one who keeps me free. Help me more and more to trust not in my own power, but in your power, that brings lasting liberation to my life. Amen