Belonging - Day 22
Matthew 8:1 So they arrived at the other side of the lake, in the region of the Gerasenes. 2 When Jesus climbed out of the boat, a man possessed by an evil spirit came out from the tombs to meet him. 3 This man lived in the burial caves and could no longer be restrained, even with a chain. 4 Whenever he was put into chains and shackles—as he often was—he snapped the chains from his wrists and smashed the shackles. No one was strong enough to subdue him.
This is a famous text about what happens when a man is possessed by evil spirits. Before you think that this doesn’t really have anything to do with belonging, it is important for us to remember that each story of this series begins with people who are no longer a part of their communities for one reason or another. Whether it is disease, sickness, poverty, or possession, they have lost the ability to be with their families, the communities they grew up in, and the have lost access to the God they so want to serve. They are left out in the cold, not because of the harsh nature of people, but because their particular afflictions do not fit within the society they find themselves in.
This story, which takes place in the region of the Gerasenes, an area that is a bit removed from where the Hebrews often were, is a bit of an anomaly in the stories of healing that we usually study. Rather than this being someone from a Jewish background, left out of the community due to Levitical law, it is a person who comes from another culture, yet still is afflicted by the affects of evil taking over their lives.
Here is a story that you have heard many times. But let’s take a look at it from a new perspective. However, before we move forward, a couple of notes; 1) Mental Health. If this is something that you struggle with, please get help. All kinds of mental health issues can be dealt with by great therapists and a great deal of prayer and strong community and family support. While this story touches on mental health, we don’t want to assume expertise or anything related to an issue that you or someone you know may be going through. 2) The understanding that what the Gerasene demoniac was dealing with was simply a mental health issue is a bit too simplistic as well.
Let us begin with the text.
We see that they were moving to the other side of the lake. Remember, this is right after Jesus is calming the storm, so the disciples of Jesus are somewhat primed for more of the “super-ordinary.” However, through the other gospels, we know some things about this man: 1) He had been demon-possessed for a long time (Luke 8:27). 2) He wore no clothes and lived like a wild animal (Luke 8:27). He lived among the dead (in a cemetery) which would have been anathema to any believing Jew. He pulled chains apart, he was self-destructive and had behavior that no one could control.
Have you ever seen someone like this? This is often frightening to polite society. We are often fearful when we are confronted with such issues. Some of us handle it better than others. But there is a bit of fear. The disciples would have probably felt the same when they saw this man. The added fear of the dead and being around corpses would have added to the anxiety.
What do you normally do when you are confronted with a situation like this? Do you flee? Do you engage? Do you protect yourself? All of these are reasonable responses when we encounter something like this. But is this what we are called to do, as Christians, in response to those who are in desperate need? While some of this feels like a serious mental health issue, in tomorrow’s text, we will see there is something more at play here.
This is a famous text about what happens when a man is possessed by evil spirits. Before you think that this doesn’t really have anything to do with belonging, it is important for us to remember that each story of this series begins with people who are no longer a part of their communities for one reason or another. Whether it is disease, sickness, poverty, or possession, they have lost the ability to be with their families, the communities they grew up in, and the have lost access to the God they so want to serve. They are left out in the cold, not because of the harsh nature of people, but because their particular afflictions do not fit within the society they find themselves in.
This story, which takes place in the region of the Gerasenes, an area that is a bit removed from where the Hebrews often were, is a bit of an anomaly in the stories of healing that we usually study. Rather than this being someone from a Jewish background, left out of the community due to Levitical law, it is a person who comes from another culture, yet still is afflicted by the affects of evil taking over their lives.
Here is a story that you have heard many times. But let’s take a look at it from a new perspective. However, before we move forward, a couple of notes; 1) Mental Health. If this is something that you struggle with, please get help. All kinds of mental health issues can be dealt with by great therapists and a great deal of prayer and strong community and family support. While this story touches on mental health, we don’t want to assume expertise or anything related to an issue that you or someone you know may be going through. 2) The understanding that what the Gerasene demoniac was dealing with was simply a mental health issue is a bit too simplistic as well.
Let us begin with the text.
We see that they were moving to the other side of the lake. Remember, this is right after Jesus is calming the storm, so the disciples of Jesus are somewhat primed for more of the “super-ordinary.” However, through the other gospels, we know some things about this man: 1) He had been demon-possessed for a long time (Luke 8:27). 2) He wore no clothes and lived like a wild animal (Luke 8:27). He lived among the dead (in a cemetery) which would have been anathema to any believing Jew. He pulled chains apart, he was self-destructive and had behavior that no one could control.
Have you ever seen someone like this? This is often frightening to polite society. We are often fearful when we are confronted with such issues. Some of us handle it better than others. But there is a bit of fear. The disciples would have probably felt the same when they saw this man. The added fear of the dead and being around corpses would have added to the anxiety.
What do you normally do when you are confronted with a situation like this? Do you flee? Do you engage? Do you protect yourself? All of these are reasonable responses when we encounter something like this. But is this what we are called to do, as Christians, in response to those who are in desperate need? While some of this feels like a serious mental health issue, in tomorrow’s text, we will see there is something more at play here.
- How comfortable are you with those who seem to have these sorts of symptoms?
- What can you do to help ease their discomfort?
- How do you think Jesus felt when he saw this man?
- What is something that you can do today to help understand mental health and some of its issues?
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