Mark 5:1-20 - January 21, 2024

Our story today begins with Jesus crossing the Sea of Galilee to go to the foreign land of Gentiles, where he is greeted by a man who has a large number of unclean spirits possessing him. It is a Legion of Demons - a “legion” referring to a Roman regiment of six thousand soldiers - a terrifying number giving us some insight into this man’s trauma. 

Whenever this story comes up, the question from our modern, sophisticated brain inevitably arises: Where are demons now? 

These days, we know about dissociative and obsessive-compulsive disorders, addictions, multiple personalities, and even self-mutilation disorders. Some may look down their noses at such a primitive Biblical perspective, but the American Psychiatric Association can only explain so much. Sure, we have discovered a lot about mental illnesses in recent times, but we need not look too far in our world and in our lives to see that straight-up evil still exists, plain and simple.

Despite the muddy waters our modern brains bring, Jesus can handle it. So, I’m inclined to just name it as Mark does: Jesus drives out the unclean spirits and does it quite easily - as if there was any question about who was in control here. 

He gives the demons permission to take possession of a herd of nearby pigs. Remember, we are in a foreign land; these aren’t Israelites or Jewish people who own the pigs. Once possessed, these pigs dramatically run down the bank into the water and drown. 

A quick aside that has nothing to do with the sermon: Did you know that pigs can actually swim, by the way? There are even islands in the Bahamas where you can swim with pigs. Google it. Cute photos. 

Back to our story: The local community, witnessing this powerfully divine act, feels both awe and fear, to the point where they ask Jesus to leave. Why would they do that? 

There probably was a little bit of anger over the pigs: animal cruelty, the environmental and economic impacts, the increase of disease because of all the decaying carcasses, the ruined water supply, and the travesty of lost bacon. 

Did the people care more about the pigs or the man?
Did the drowning of their pigs concern them more than the drowning of their demons? 

The point for Mark, obviously, isn’t to tell us a story about a community and its pigs. Mark tells this story to point to the Kingdom of God. The way it all plays out, however, makes it clear that humanity gets a bit nervous when God’s Kingdom breaks through, no matter how good it is. Humanity may even ask Jesus to leave, and if he doesn’t, we’ll find another way to deal with him. 

We expect the demons to resist.  They are the antithesis of who and what Jesus is.
Of course, they would resist the presence of God. 

But why the people? Why resist Jesus? There has to be something more to it than pigs. There could be fear - fear of Jesus, fear of the extraordinary, fear of the unexplainable. This fear might cause them to ask Jesus to leave - get rid of this guy who does things we don’t understand. 

Also, there is the fear of change, fear of a new normal, fear of an alteration to the status quo. And, of course, Jesus just turned the status quo on its head. Jesus' presence brought a radical transformation to this individual's life, and this change might have been perceived as unsettling to the established order of the community. Everything has its place, everyone has their role, right? 

Sometimes we prefer the status quo - even when it is awful - because, as bad as it may be, at least we know what to expect. “Better the devil you know than the one you don’t” in its literal sense here. 

The people might have felt bad for or been afraid of the possessed man, but at least they were used to him, used to the dynamics of having him play his role. They had everything figured out - we’ll stay here, you stay over there. And now, Jesus has gone and upset everything. 

And before we dismiss that as a “them” problem, we don’t like change any more than these people did - even if it is for the better. 

Think of all the demons in our society and world. Short-term gains are prioritized over the long-term health of economies, countries, and the planet. We want the newest things for less money - even if people here or afar don’t get paid a living wage. I fear we all play a role in a society that is perpetually unhappy with what it has.

Think of the demons that cause homelessness and keep people trapped in that cycle, the demons that prevent people - kids, even - from getting daily meals, the demons that don’t provide clean water in the USA and abroad. Education, shelter, mental and physical health… What would Jesus do about those situations? And how do we resist what Jesus would do so it doesn’t cost us anything? Not only cost us, but so it doesn’t change anything for us? 

With the status quo, at least we know what to expect. 

And it doesn’t even have to be big world problems. Fixing broken relationships, renovating our building, quitting bad habits, and unsticking stagnant faith all conjure up some fear of change, fear of loss, fear of things not being the same. Sometimes our fears lead us to prefer a mediocre present over a hopefully better but ultimately unknown future. 

Does the drowning of our comfort concern us more than the drowning of our demons? 

However, like Mark didn’t share this story to emphasize a community and its pigs, I don’t want this sermon only to point out our lack of zeal when it comes to changes - especially unexpected, surprising, grand changes. 

Instead, I want to point to the Kingdom of God. And despite how nervous we might get when the Kingdom breaks through, God comes anyway. And not just to upset our apple carts, but God comes to help us see that the Kingdom really is the best way to live. 

God comes to transform our fears, expel our demons, and change our lives. What this story shows us (and, really, what all of scripture shows us) is that Jesus shows up with healing, grace, and a mission - despite our ailments, fears, and desire to just be the same. Jesus doesn’t want us to be the same. He wants to give life, new life, abundant life. 

And in case you are worried that you can’t handle what you have right now, how are you supposed to deal with something new, the demoniac didn’t get everything under control before Jesus healed him. He didn’t do anything. Jesus just came to him and healed. And the same with us. God’s love for us isn’t dependent on us being demon-free first. God already loves us; our demons don’t keep God away. 

And even if we prefer that Jesus keep moving on past us,
Or like those who dealt with him by sending him away,
Or even those who found a cross was the best way to deal with Jesus,
that won’t keep God’s love away, either. God has a way of bringing love and life, no matter what.

Jesus comes to us to heal us; he comes to us to save us; and he comes to help us see the new life he brings as he changes us and the world. Jesus comes in bread and wine, in community and conviction, in grace and forgiveness, in water and Word, to submerge our fear and sin and demons - drowning what was, all in favor of the life that will be.  

This story isn’t just about demon-pigs, but about God’s Kingdom coming - coming to us who are broken, fearful, and in need of healing. Jesus comes, disrupting the status quo, not to upset our lives, but to guide us toward the abundant life found in the Kingdom. This Kingdom life gives us courage, helps us to trust, coaxes us forward, calls us, and changes us forever.