Our Gospel story in Luke for
today is most unusual. It is found in Matthew and Mark which
means that the authors of the Synoptic or parallel Gospels must
have believed in its importance. We must be careful not to get
caught in language and understanding from another time and place
so as to miss the importance of the action of the story.
The central character of the story is an unknown man who had
great personal difficulty. His difficulty was such that it had
pretty much removed him from the mainstream of society. The truth
is he really did not have any hope for much of a future. His
former neighbors were afraid of him and were content to keep
him isolated from them by whatever means available. Most of us
will probably never have to personally deal with such a matter
either in other's or in our own life. That is most fortunate.
However, some of us will. Maybe we will not be diagnosed as
being demon possessed but at times it will feel that way whether
it is us directly or a loved one who is affected. There are lots
of frightening things in this otherwise wonderful world. One
of the most terrifying is feeling like some part or nearly all
of our life is beyond our control. What may even be worse is
to have our life out of control while somehow convincing our
self that we are still in charge.
The man in our story had multiple problems. Life is often like
that. Seldom do we just get to manage one problem at a time.
They often seem to come in bunches and there seems no way to
get out from under them. Often at times like this people begin
to wonder where God is and what, if anything, God is doing on
their behalf.
Have you ever had a Psalm 42 kind of day? Maybe several days?
The Psalmist shares that she longs for God as deer search for
water. Her tears have been her food day and night. Her mind goes
from festal occasions to the depths of depression. One moment
you are on top of your game but this quickly fades and you find
yourself in the pit again.
For many, if not most, the idea of admitting we need help is
most difficult at the very time we most need it. We do not wish
to admit to our own self or to anyone else that we cannot control
what is confronting us. In our story, I am not convinced that
the man was asking for help. In his illness or life situation
he seems to be screaming for Jesus to leave him alone. Often
we do not scream; we just silently deny our situation to our
own self and to anyone who comes near with an offer of help.
We blame God quite frequently demanding to know where God is
or why God isn't acting on our behalf when in truth we
have not listened nor have we acted upon what we have heard because
it sounds impossible or not to our own liking. It is really difficult
for most of us to admit that, "I cannot handle this on
my own." When we cry out to God, if we do cry out, we are
demanding an answer on our terms. "Deliver me, O God, but
do not ask me to do this or that."
The demoniac squirmed in the presence of Jesus because he understood
that peace could never come to him until some significant change
took place. The change is what is frightening. Even more frightening
is the belief that change cannot occur. One has to ask one's
self, "How many times will I say things will be better
tomorrow before I am able to admit that I could easily be part
of the problem and therefore will also have to be part of the
solution?"
I met someone this week who shared she wished Hallmark would
sell a card for "has-been" dads. That was her adjective.
She was sick of all the sentimental, mushy cards. Her dad had
not been there for her while she was growing up. He was an alcoholic.
She wanted to send him a card to tell him how she felt. What
is so amazing is that she claims to be a faithful woman of God
who is helping many of her friends with their problems but she
is not able to see her own need. She is unwilling to admit that
she needs God's help with her resentment nor does she understand
how she is allowing her feelings about her dad to really control
her life.
Unfortunately, this woman is not an isolated case. Before we
can really appreciate what God is wiling to do for us we have
to ask ourselves what each of us is really willing to allow God
to do for us. Notice that in the Gospel story Jesus left the
area when the man's neighbors asked Him to leave. They
did not want any part of Him. This was written about them in
the May-June 2004 issue of Emphasis (Vol. 34, 1) "The
townspeople — the folks from the surrounding region — they
are the great tragic figures in this passage. These are people
who seem to be more comfortable with a demon-possession than
with a healing. These people prefer the swine rather than a Savior.
Jesus comes into their region, bringing deliverance and wholeness
and they beg him to go away."
We cannot be too harsh in our judgment of their actions. Today
people of all ages all over the world seem to prefer drugs, alcohol,
injustice, adultery and pornography as well as rampant materialism
rather than a living relationship with Jesus. Often the strongest
opposition to the ways of God comes from those already in the
church who want church and God on their terms. In effect they
are asking the Lord of the Scriptures to take a hike while wondering
why God isn't dong more for them. The man from Gerasone
did not have the market on demons by any means. It would have
been great for us if he had.
What sometimes gets missed is Jesus has power over the demons
of life if we will give those demons to Him. That, however, requires
us to be willing to let go of them so that we can hold onto someone
and something of value.
The question is still before us. If Jesus told you do declare
how much God has done for you, what would you say? God loves
us and promises to always be with us. Most of us do not realize
how much God does do on our behalf. When we take time to become
aware of this we are often overwhelmed by how strong this love
and care of God is for each of us. The secret is making ourselves
available to it. |
