My Name is Legion

They came to the other side of the lake, to the country of the Gerasenes. And when he had stepped out of the boat, immediately a man out of the tombs with an unclean spirit met him. He lived among the tombs; and no one could restrain him any more, even with a chain; for he had often been restrained with shackles and chains, but the chains he wrenched apart, and the shackles he broke in pieces; and no one had the strength to subdue him. Night and day among the tombs and on the mountains he was always howling and bruising himself with stones. 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 lake, and were drowned in the lake. The swineherds ran off and told it in the city and in the country. Then people came to see what it was that had happened. They came to Jesus and saw the demoniac sitting there, clothed and in his right mind, the very man who had had the legion; and they were afraid. Those who had seen what had happened to the demoniac and to the swine reported it. Then they began to beg Jesus to leave their neighborhood. As he was getting into the boat, the man who had been possessed by demons begged him that he might be with him. But Jesus refused, and said to him, ‘Go home to your friends, and tell them how much the Lord has done for you, and what mercy he has shown you.’ And he went away and began to proclaim in the Decapolis how much Jesus had done for him; and everyone was amazed. Mark 5:1-20

The story of the man possessed, and other stories of demon possession capture many imaginations. But truly that story is our story, each and one of us. We like to think the grossly mentally ill is not us, but it is. The Gerasenes were other, to the disciples since they did not keep kosher and lived very differently. Yet the man with all his troubles and anguishes, was healed by Jesus, and everyone was afraid and many misunderstood. Pigs can't fly but the can swim which I'm sure the Gospeler didn't know. Each of us is possessed by many troubles, pains are sorrows. The Gerasene "demoniac" displayed his torment publicly, while we pretend, we are not tormented, we are not full of fear and rage. Jesus went right to the man all others feared. And Jesus faces right into the things we fear. May we offer our demons and our fears to the one who is ready to heal and fearless in all circumstances. 

Tender Savior, who meets us among the tombs

you are with us in the darkest moments of life

tenderly holding us and opening arm to us

you dispel our demons and restore our lives.

We torture ourselves daily with our failures

our disappointments and our fears haunt us

we live in fear that others will see our demons

and abandon us to the deep unquiet places.

Lord Jesus, come to the places we've buried

and bring your light and you great love

so we might be forgiven, healed and renewed

for your service of love and healing to the world. Amen.