Jesus Restores a Demon-Possessed Man
5 They went across the lake to the region of the Gerasenes. When Jesus got out of the boat, a man with an impure spirit came from the tombs to meet him. This man lived in the tombs, and no one could bind him anymore, not even with a chain. For he had often been chained hand and foot, but he tore the chains apart and broke the irons on his feet. No one was strong enough to subdue him. Night and day among the tombs and in the hills, he would cry out and cut himself with stones.
When he saw Jesus from a distance, he ran and fell on his knees in front of him. He shouted at the top of his voice, "What do you want with me, Jesus, Son of the Most-High God? In God's name, don't torture me!" Jesus said, "Come out of this man, you impure spirit!"
Then Jesus asked him, "What is your name?"
"My name is Legion," he replied, "for we are many."
A portion of Mark 5 —Jesus and the demoniac.
The New International Version. 2011. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan.
My parents had an old Zenith television set on a TV tray table. It was black and white. The picture tube was 19" and had two knobs to change the channel from 2,4,7 & 17. On a good day, you could get a Canadian station or two. The hardest part of owning that television was not only having to get up and change the channels but then adjusting the rabbit ears antenna. Sometimes, we had to put foil on the antenna to watch M.A.S.H. And Hew-Haw in the evening.
In 1983, my father had just started a new job, and that week, a massive wooden cabinet arrived on a swivel base from the appliance store. It was a 26" color television. It had a remote control, and a couple of days later, the cable company came and installed the services in our home. We went from four channels in black and white to forty channels in full color. We wasted no time checking out the channels. My father found Cinemax and HBO. I found MTV and was introduced to the incredible music of Mark Freuder Knopfler and the music Dire Straights. One of the first music videos I saw was computer-generated. It was of their hit song Money for Nothing. I was hooked for life.
We had that television for twenty-five years. It was repaired several times but finally bit the bullet in 1998. My father was so sad. He even said a few words before we hauled it to the curb.
The pericope in Mark 5 is a story of a community that had given up on this demon-possessed man. They beat him, chained him, and still, he would terrorize the community. He would break iron chains and cut himself with rocks. He was a danger to himself and his community.
Individuals who act out are not always suffering from mental illness. They often have traumatic experiences that flood their physical, cognitive, and spiritual bodies. Sometimes, they have no control over their words or their actions. Some have super sensitivity to light and sound.
Addictions to alcohol and other substances are used as a form of self-medication to deal with the terrible things that have happened in their lifetime.
There is so much that we understand about the brain and so little we know of the brain and the millions of synapses that keep our bodies connected and regulated.
What do we do when we are aware of people experiencing emotional issues? Mental health issues? Or Alcoholism and chemical dependency?
We certainly cannot just change the channel. We are all on this road together. Some of us have boots, and others walk barefoot, hoping for someone to carry them and rescue them from their bruised and blistered feet.
As a community that claims Christ is central to our faith, we must focus on spiritual health and mental and physical wholeness. We must help restore them to their families, loved ones, and communities.
To do that effectively, we need to admit our sin of omission by not addressing these issues for generations in the Christian community.
Many suffer in silence and live awful existences in this world because of the stigma and prejudice that still exist in the 21st century.
All of us, at some time, will experience traumatic events and mental health issues. None of us are immune from the impact of this world. How we handle these issues makes all the difference. The demon-possessed man could only fall at Jesus' feet in terror and plead not to be tortured.
Jesus does not tell the man to pray harder or go to church. He asks, "What is your name?"
Sometimes, all we can do is say our name, which is more than enough for Jesus. Jesus never leaves us the same. There is help and healing in this world through therapists, doctors, and other professionals. If you are experiencing these issues, I encourage you to seek help. If the most you can do is pick up the phone and call me, I would be honored to listen, pray, and offer the resources that I have. Lord knows that others in my position have done the same for me. We are healed and restored to our communities by God's grace and mercy.
Go in grace to love and serve the Lord.
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