Word to the Wise
Monday, January 29, 2007 - Fourth Monday in Ordinary Time
[Hebrews 11:32-40 and Mark 5:1-20]Go home to your family and announce to them all that the Lord in his pity has done for you.
Those words are Jesus' closing remarks to the incredible Gerasene demoniac. On one level, the strictly human one, they illustrate that Jesus did not demand that everyone he helped immediately drop everything and come after him. We also learn that faith is not always the response to a miracle by Jesus. We could leave the story there, but that would be ignoring the main event! It is the exorcism and the herd of pigs that provide the drama here! It might be helpful to remember that Jesus has just shown some of the disciples that he is master of the winds and waves! Now he shows that he can overcome any combination of demons. The size of the herd (2000) and the name, Legion, suggest that the demoniac was under a terrifying power. The demon tries to beat Jesus' to the punch by swearing an oath at him. But they can't overcome Jesus. Finally they beg to go to the herd of pigs! In the Gospel of Mark, full understanding of Jesus comes only with his death and resurrection. The reaction of the demoniac (belief) and the crowd (fear) is a sampler of the responses to Jesus' ministry. Do WE need convincing? AMEN