Ransomed, healed, restored, forgiven: the Gerasene demoniac and life in Christ
Luke 8:26-39
“As He stepped out on land, a man of the city who had demons met Him.”
Hearing these words at the opening of today’s Gospel reading from Luke chapter 8 might make us think that this passage - found also in the gospels of Matthew and Mark - sounds like a mythical story, far removed from our 21st century lives, on a quiet Sunday evening in late June, in a beautiful parish church.
Talk of demons is surely for the fundamentalists: not for us moderate, reasonable Christians.
Except that we read this type of event again and again in the Gospels: of Jesus confronting the demons, of Jesus liberating people from the power of demons.
So, no, those of us who like to think of ourselves as moderate, reasonable Christians cannot avoid this aspect of the gospel proclamation of Jesus.
Rowan Williams, the former Archbishop of Canterbury, puts it this way: “Forget the mythical apparatus of horns and tails: demons are … deceitful forces … that are at odds with God and good in the universe”. [1]
Think of the world about which we have read in our Sunday newspapers. The hatreds, fear, conflict in the Middle East and the ongoing suffering in Gaza; a society in which decisions are taken which threaten some of the most vulnerable amongst us, not least those who require loving care at the end of life; the pictures of violent racist and sectarian riots in our own community … I am not quite sure how we do not believe that there are dark, deceitful spiritual powers at work in this world, at odds with God and good in the universe.
Then if we think of our own lives: of how hatred, greed, pride, fear, selfishness can take deep root within us, our thoughts, words, and actions hurting and scarring others, hurting and scarring our own lives … again, we see a deep and profound reality to this evening’s gospel reading, reflected in the deceitful forces present in our own lives.
“Jesus then asked him, ‘What is your name?’ He said, ‘Legion’; for many demons had entered him”.
Our gospel reading this evening is no mythical story: it is our world, it is our lives.
When we read of that herd of pigs, into which the demons entered, rushing down the steep hill into the lake, drowning, we see in a very concrete way just how destructive are the dark spiritual powers which feed our delusions, our greed, our pride, our hatreds.
But, our gospel reading is not about those dark powers; it is not the scriptural equivalent of a horror film, seeking to scare us; it certainly is not encouraging us to go hunting for demons, in our own lives or - as is more usually the case - in the lives of others.
No, the heart of our gospel reading this evening is what Jesus does: when the onlookers “came to Jesus, they found the man from whom the demons had gone sitting at the feet of Jesus, clothed and in his right mind”.
The man who was wandering about the tombs, surrounded by the darkness of death, his life disfigured by demons, is healed, restored by Jesus.
This is what Jesus Christ does. He restores us as the children of God. In the words of the hymn, in Christ we are “ransomed, healed, restored, forgiven”. [2]
This is why we have faith in Jesus Christ, the Son of God. This is why we believe in Him, trust in Him, worship Him: for in Him, we are restored as beloved children of God.
Our baptism is the sacramental sign of this, that - in the words of the Catechism and echoing our epistle reading - we have been “made a member of Christ [and] the child of God”. [3]
When we read the Scriptures, we behold the truth that the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit is poured out upon us.
When we pray the Lord’s Prayer, ‘Our Father’, we are to know that, by grace, we are children of God.
When we partake of the Holy Communion, we are nourished with the spiritual food of Christ’s Body and Blood, “that we may evermore dwell in him and he in us”. [4]
So when we read in today’s Gospel reading of the man “sitting at the feet of Jesus, clothed and in his right mind”, we are to see ourselves in Christ: ‘ransomed, healed, restored, forgiven’; not a mythical story, but the grace-filled reality of Christian faith.
Our gospel reading ends with the man asking that he may go with Jesus, on to Jerusalem. [5] Luke tells us, “but Jesus sent him away, saying, ‘Return to your home, and declare how much God has done for you’”.
Luke’s account began with demons and a naked man living amongst the tombs, amongst the dead. It ends with the man at home, amongst family, friends, and neighbours; now going about daily work and daily routine; doing the ordinary stuff of life. And it is there, amidst those ordinary relationships, that ordinary routine, those ordinary duties, that he, as Luke tells us, declares "how much Jesus had done for him".
It is the same with us. The Christian life is not dramatic or glamorous. It is not about constant, intense spiritual experiences. It is not about leaving the everyday things - the responsibilities, relationships, duties, and work of ordinary life.
It is about leading lives which, amidst all the ordinary stuff of life, show how much God in Christ has done for us; living as His beloved children; loving our neighbours as those whom God loves; being unembarrassed about being Christians; willing to talk about the Christian faith to those who ask us questions, who are curious, who are exploring; and through prayer, the reading of the Scriptures, and sharing in the Sacrament, being renewed as God’s children, those whom He heals and forgives, restores and renews in Christ.
Our gospel reading began with a sober recognition of the darkness of this world; but it brought us to a joyful proclamation of light and life in Christ, healing and restoring us. May that light and life of the Crucified and Risen Christ, of whom we partake in this Sacrament of Holy Communion, be evident in our lives, showing how much God in Christ has done for us.
Comments
Post a Comment