Tuesday 19 February 2013

Tuesday - making us whole

Prayer:  Immortal God,  where ever we are today,  we know that You are with us.   What ever we say today,  we know that You are with us.  What ever we do today,  we know that You are with us.  We thank You.  Amen.

Read St. Luke 8:  26 - 39

The healing of the demon-possessed man.   This story is  also known as the madman and the pigs.     With the mention of pigs  we know that we are not in a Jewish area.  In Leviticus 11: 7-8,  God says not to eat pigs nor to have anything to do with pigs.   This is why we immediately know this was a Gentile area where Jesus travelled.

Jesus and the Disciples sail across the Sea of Galilee to a place on the other shore.  There Jesus is met by a demon-possessed man from the town.   St. Luke describes the man as not wearing any clothes nor living in a house but instead lived in the tombs.   Tombs were dug out of the rock or mud in the area and not only provided shelter but was thought to be the area where demons and bad things lived.     

The demon-possessed man shouts out to Jesus, What do you want with me Jesus, Son of the Most High God?”       He recognizes Jesus as God’s son.   Jesus proceeds to heal the man but the demon-possessed man shouts “I beg you,  don’t torture me!”     

Instead of continuing healing the man,  Jesus asks, “What is your name?”    Names were what distinguished one person from another person as well as telling what kind of person he is.  Sometimes people were named after an event or religious experience.      The demon-possessed man responds that his name is Legion.

Roman Legions were 6000 infantry and 120 cavalry (men on horses).  Roman Legions were definitely in the area where Jesus and the demon-possessed man are having their discussion.   But Legion was also a name of the vast number of angels or demons in the local belief.

Which ever one the demon-possessed man is calling himself,  he is one troubled man with 6000 plus problems.   

The demons ask Jesus if they can go into the pigs.   Jesus agrees and the pigs suddenly dive over the cliffs to their death.

Those looking after the pigs are amazed and run off to find out what had happened to their pigs.   What they find is the demon-possessed man sitting with Jesus.  The man is clothed and speaking coherently.     Then the keepers of the pigs and the town folk are afraid and ask Jesus to leave.

The healed man wants to go with Jesus but Jesus says, “Return home and tell how much God has done for you”.  And the man began telling others about Jesus who had made him whole.

This day,  tell others about Jesus, the Son of the Mighty God who has made you whole.

Prayer:   Jesus,  Son of the Mighty God,  You have made us whole.   In Your love and knowledge we live and grow and blossom.   We abide in Your great care.  Amen.

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