In the fringes

Luke 8  *  Jesus heals the possessed man

This is a familiar story that we’ve heard since we were children in Sunday School.  It begins with the arrival of Christ in to the setting of today’s text by means of water.  I love when a Bible story includes the crossing of water…there’s a lot of significance found there.  When God created the earth, the Spirit crossed the water to breathe on the chaos.  When Moses led the Israelites out of Egypt he did so by crossing through the Red sea.  Joshua leads the Israelites through the Jordan river.  Jesus crosses the water numerous times throughout his ministry…and we cross the water at our baptism. 
Today, Jesus has crossed “the lake” or “the sea” depending on translation (most likely the sea of Galilee) over into the gentile region of Gerasene.

There is a lot to be found in this familiar account, so instead of hitting this story head on, I want us to carefully  examine this account, starting with the people or characters, and their perspectives and participation.  Let’s begin with the Legion. 

Legion is the name the demons give to Jesus when he asks them to identify themselves.  Legion, however, wasn’t a name in the proper sense.  Legion was a description, a quantifier, if you will.  In Rome, a Legion was a large unit of the Roman army, a group of men between 5,000 and 6,000.  But Legion isn’t the word for 5,000 to 6,000; so instead of saying 5,000 to 6,000 demons live here or stating “a group of demons”, the demons choose to name themselves as a group of demons, working synchronously just as a large army unit of trained, common goal oriented soldiers.  They eluded to their strength, their power, their presence.  And we see this as true when we see what this Legion was doing to and through this man they possessed.  He was a danger to himself and to others.  Many times he had been shackled, locked up, and guarded…and every time the demons were able to free the man’s body from the chains that restrained him.  I’m sure this liberation came at a great cost to the man’s body; we’re not specifically told but I’m sure they manipulated his joints and broke his bones to gain the freedom they needed to continue their work. 

This Legion wasn’t ignorant either; upon sight of Jesus, they immediately threw themselves at his feet and began to beg.  They knew who he was, they know what he was, and they knew what he was capable of.  They beg not to be tortured, and they beg not to be tortured by him when he demanded they come out of this man and free him of their possessive control.  They beg him not to banish them back to the abyss.  Back…to the abyss.  They had been to this place, the abyss, before and were begging not to return.  The abyss is mentioned several times in the Bible in Peter, Jude and Revelation and is the place where disobedient spirits were imprisoned and it must have been bad.  Really bad.  Bad enough that they begged to be given permission to enter a herd of pigs that were grazing nearby, and when permission was given, that’s what they did.  When they entered this large herd of pigs, they drove the pigs off the hillside into the lake where the pigs drowned and the demons were destroyed.  This mighty army of demons didn’t challenge Jesus, they didn’t even try. 

They knew exactly who Jesus was, and he knew exactly who they were, and through that we see what evil is:  a force so destructive that it eventually destroys itself.

Then, we have the man.  The man we know as the “Garasene Demoniac”…who doesn’t even get a name.  He’s held captive by an evil that’s destroying his body.  The people of the town pass by him and call him unclean…because he’s indeed doing unclean things by their cultural standards.  He dwelt near pigs which were so unclean they were “abhorrent” in Jewish culture. 
Tombs and the dead were also sources of uncleanliness and they went to great lengths to avoid coming in contact with a tomb…to the degree that tombs were whitewashed as to visually stand out, heeding all to stay away.  We see that while dwelling near the pigs, he made his home among the tombs.  Regardless of the cultural norms, I don’t think I would want to live in a cemetery near pigs, or a cemetery, or near pigs.  None of that sounds pleasant. 

The author Luke still intently draws attention to the fact that the man was unclean, even more unclean than just his gentile status.  The man wore no clothes, and I don’t know if the demons did that because it’s what they preferred, or they did it to ridicule and shame their host.  His body was wrecked.  And somewhere amongst all the chaos, “he”, was still there.  This poor man who was being held captive to the forces of evil.  He had a front row seat to the nightmare that was going on in his body, to his body, and through his body, and there was nothing he could do about it.  He saw, felt, experienced everything as a prisoner, desperate for resolution that would seemingly never come. 

Then, Jesus arrives.  We don’t know anything about Christ’s trip across the water to this gentile land, other than he does one recorded thing in this land.  Prior to today’s text, he tells his disciples to get in the boat and let’s go across the water, and the storm came up while Jesus was asleep in the bow of the boat.  Upon waking him, he calms the storm and they traveled to where we are today.  He’s met by the nameless demoniac, who through the action of the demons that control him, falls at the feet of Jesus, proclaiming the identity of Christ.  Christ frees him of the demons that plagued him.  The man, although we don’t know his name, regained his identity through the action of Christ.  He was given back all that he had lost.  He was made whole once again. 

It’s not a purely happy story for all, though.  Although all the commentaries stated not to feel sorry for the pigs, I just can’t help but to feel sorry for the pigs!  There’s conjecture that the demons fled to some other animal but pigs were written because of the disgust the Jewish people had for them; Matthew Henry’s commentary said it would be the equivalent of us saying the demons were banished to a flock of buzzards, or skunks.  Nasty, vile, stinky animals that we dare not eat because…that would be gross.  But these innocent pigs, enjoying their delicious and filling lunch, all of the sudden were under the control of this army of demons who, rather than go back to the prison from where they had escaped, destroyed themselves through the pigs.  And even if we go on the premise that the pigs are inconsequential, their loss is catastrophic to the pig farmers…these pigs were revenue turning products.  So they were, naturally, pretty upset.  So upset they ran into town to gather a crowd and extract justice. 

But when they came and saw what had happened, the emotion they became consumed with was fear, for so many reasons.  They saw the remnants of the pigs, they saw Jesus and the disciples, and they believed what the farmers had witnessed, because they saw the demoniac who was now clothed, and in his “right mind”, peacefully seated at the feet of Jesus.  They were afraid of the power of this stranger, Jesus, who stood before them; they were afraid, I’m sure, of their livelihood, not understanding the full scope of the events here; and they were afraid of the change that had happened.  This change, this usually and ordinary thing that they had become accustomed to, this routine, was no more.  Here is someone advocating for better, for equality, for equity, for justice…and they didn’t want it.  So, they asked Jesus to please leave.  And, he did.

As he got into his boat to return to Galilee, the demoniac approached Jesus and begged that he might be with him.  This “might be with him” syntax is important, because when taken back to the original language is the same verbiage used for the invitation of the disciples.  In essence, this man is asking to be a disciple and to travel with Jesus,  joining him in his ministry.  It’s usually Jesus who is issuing the invitation, rarely anyone instigating the want.  Jesus, doesn’t grant the man’s request, though; but invites him into greater ministry.  Jesus commissions the first missionary to the gentiles right then and there, instructing the man to return to his home and declare what God has done for you…and that is what he did.

This story isn’t necessarily about Jesus healing a man plagued by demon possession; this story is about compassion.  The story is about Jesus stepping out of the ordinary, into the out of the way places, into the opposite life, and stepping out to offer care.  This story is to prove that none are beyond the reach of Christ’s redeeming love. 

We are instructed to get off the beaten paths, past our prejudice, and we are cautioned about rejecting what’s different and out of the ordinary.  This man is not much different from people of today, but instead of calling them demon possessed, we use 21^st century first-world terms that promote division.  But we are, like Christ, commanded to take this power of love, compassion, and mercy to the edges of society…to the areas we tend to avoid.  To the out of the way places, to the out of the way people…and we are to offer them this fearless, out of the way love, in ways that are counter-cultural, knowing that by doing so, we will make a few people angry.  Knowing what to do and how to do it is already in us through the Holy Spirit: we are to go, and declare how much God has done for us, knowing that Jesus vanquished the largest imaginable assembly of demons using nothing more than words.  And that when we weren’t named, when we don’t know who we are, and when we will lose our identity, we are to remember our baptism (there’s that crossing the water again) because through our baptism we are named, and we are claimed, forever more in Christ.

Thanks be to God.

This is probably heresy (Trinity Sunday)

John 16:12-15

Every year, when Spring is fading into Summer, clergy around the world rise from their seats and stand in their respective pulpits.  The congregation is the faithful crowd, plus or minus a few families who are on vacation.  The season of Easter has drawn to a close and the celebration of the coming of the Holy Spirit is behind us.  These clergy look out at these faithful who have gathered; I say faithful, because they know that Pentecost, although exciting and seemingly the pinnacle, is not the end of the story.

The preacher clears their throat, shuffles and racks the papers on the pulpit, and beginning their homily speak words that are just shy of officially established heresy.  Today, you see, is the we celebrate The Holy Trinity; Trinity Sunday.

I’ve been told that it is true that you can actually say a few theological things about the Trinity without becoming a heretic.  It was also suggested to me to show pictures of kittens instead of preaching on the Trinity. 

But, I’ve not always been the best at taking advice.

In the short text from today’s Gospel reading we are given one picture of the inner life of the Holy Trinity by our Lord.  Jesus describes how all he has and all he knows as God is more than you and I can truly bear; I am inclined to believe him, being that the simple thought of the Triune God is enough to make my head pop off my shoulders.  So I am thankful for Christ’s gentleness with us here.  But we do see that the Son has everything and knows everything as the Father, but is NOT the same thing as the father, but the Father has this as God and the Son has this as God, and then there’s the Spirit of Truth who will take what is the Son’s and make it the Spirit’s and will share what is given and will glorify the Son who glorifies the Father, the Spirit being God but NOT the same thing as the Son or the Father.

There’s a pretty good chance I committed heresy a couple of good times in what I just said.

So instead of focusing on what we heard from John today and trying to figure this out, let’s do something I don’t often do…let’s focus on the subject of this Sunday, vs. the lectionary text at hand.  So what do we know about the trinity that won’t make our heads spin around and explode? 

Every Sunday, we say the Apostle’s Creed…which I love because as Methodists, well, it’s what we do.  But this morning, I invite you to take a hymnal out of the back of the pew in front of you, and turn to page 880.  The Nicene Creed.  This creed does an amazing job addressing the Holy Trinity.  Let’s read this together:

We are told in the beginning, there was God.  This is what you and I commonly know as God the Father.  The uncreated Father, who always was…without beginning, because the Father is the beginning.  The Almighty, who created the heaven, the earth, created all that is both seen and unseen.  And in this first section there’s another indicator of that knowledge that would make our heads pop off…the unseen. 

Then we have the second section, pertaining to the Lord, Jesus Christ.  The Son of God, begotten of the Father…eternally begotten.  *Note the distinction; the Son of God, eternally begotten of the Father.  Not created and not originating from a point, but begotten from no origination.  God from God, (ok), Light from Light (ok), true God from true God (ok) begotten, not made (we got that), of one Being with the Father, through Him all things were made.  Two separate, equal entities, not each other, but both equally God.

The inset speaks of Christ’s purpose and hallmarks of His life, then the third section is about the Holy Spirit, which is named the giver of life (which we know from scripture, Jesus was conceived by the Holy Spirit and the Holy Spirit comes to us at our Baptism in the form of new life through rebirth as we are named and claimed).  We are told next that the Holy Spirit “proceeds forth” from the Father and the Son.  Proceeds…per Merriam Webster’s dictionary, to proceed means to “come forth”.  Not created from, not originating from, but comes from in the intransitive state, who is then worshiped WITH the Father and the Son.  This procession is something that is understood, too, to be eternal with no beginning and no relation to time, and like Jesus who is, was, and is being begotten, we understand that the Spirit is, was and will process from the Father and Jesus, both of these happening in eternal acts of love.

Everybody’s good on that, right?  These three persons…Uncreated, Proceeding, Begotten.  One eternal being, always giving to one another.  The love that the Father has for the Son, that the Son has for the Spirit, that the Spirit has for the Father…the church says these are three persons but they are so tightly wrapped in love that they are really just one being….

Is your head spinning yet?

Despite this carefully articulated theology (albeit imperfect), we can go back to today’s Gospel reading and see that this holding of all things is never ending, and the Holy Spirit is inviting you and I to be a part of this mysterious, loving relationship.  And it’s only by being present in this relationship…not passive, but actively present, present in the same way that the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are with each other, are we able to tap into the life transforming power held within the love of this Trinity.  It is only by being present in relationship with each other, being present in relationship to the Body of Christ in the church, that we can fully engage the mission ahead of us.  It is through these relationships that we learn to let go of dispute, let go of ego, let go of hate, let go of pride…to hold each other with the same equality wrapped in the same love that takes three persons and bonds them so tightly they become one. 

It is possible.  It can be more than theology.  And we need it…today. 

I’ve sat with our United Methodist brothers and sisters over this past week, and one thing is for certain…we are not in relationship with each other.  This body, this church, is fractured.  The pain is palpable.  Instead of coming together in unity, we promote division.  We use language that separates…us vs them, liberal vs democrat, left vs right, traditional vs progressive.  We aren’t in relationship with one another won’t be until we choose each other over pride, each other over ill formed beliefs, each other over the status quo, each other over hatred, each other over me myself and I. 

We have to let go of dispute.  We have to let go of the things that are keeping us out of relationship with each other.  We, here, gathered in this room, we need each other.  The world needs us, and we need them.  We need to let the love of the Trinity change who we are.  We need to be transformed by the love of the Triune God, in the way that only this love can change us.  Join the work of the Holy Trinity, and change this world.