Reading
Mark 5:1-20
5 They went across the lake to the region of the Gerasenes. 2 When Jesus got out of the boat, a man with an impure spirit came from the tombs to meet him. 3 This man lived in the tombs, and no one could bind him anymore, not even with a chain. 4 For he had often been chained hand and foot, but he tore the chains apart and broke the irons on his feet. No one was strong enough to subdue him. 5 Night and day among the tombs and in the hills he would cry out and cut himself with stones.
6 When he saw Jesus from a distance, he ran and fell on his knees in front of him. 7 He shouted at the top of his voice, “What do you want with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? In God’s name don’t torture me!” 8 For Jesus had said to him, “Come out of this man, you impure spirit!”
9 Then Jesus asked him, “What is your name?”
“My name is Legion,” he replied, “for we are many.” 10 And he begged Jesus again and again not to send them out of the area.
11 A large herd of pigs was feeding on the nearby hillside. 12 The demons begged Jesus, “Send us among the pigs; allow us to go into them.” 13 He gave them permission, and the impure spirits came out and went into the pigs. The herd, about two thousand in number, rushed down the steep bank into the lake and were drowned.
14 Those tending the pigs ran off and reported this in the town and countryside, and the people went out to see what had happened. 15 When they came to Jesus, they saw the man who had been possessed by the legion of demons, sitting there, dressed and in his right mind; and they were afraid. 16 Those who had seen it told the people what had happened to the demon-possessed man—and told about the pigs as well. 17 Then the people began to plead with Jesus to leave their region.
18 As Jesus was getting into the boat, the man who had been demon-possessed begged to go with him. 19 Jesus did not let him, but said, “Go home to your own people and tell them how much the Lord has done for you, and how he has had mercy on you.” 20 So the man went away and began to tell in the Decapolis how much Jesus had done for him. And all the people were amazed.
Meditation
The missionary action of Jesus moves to pagan territory, beyond the lake of Gennesaret. Here a demon-possessed man comes to meet him from the tombs. The burial places were located outside the city and according to Jewish law touching a dead person or a tomb made him impure (Num 19:16); perhaps this is why the spirit that afflicts this man is defined as "unclean".
Jesus is dealing with a form of violent possession; The possessed Gerasenus has repeatedly broken the chains and fetters used to contain him and injures himself by beating himself with stones. If God looks for every good of his creatures, we see here the condition of man when he is ruled by Satan; the latter separates him from the human consortium, makes him live in the land of death, torments his soul and disfigures his image and likeness to God.
But there is a healthy part, a residue of light in the heart of the demon-possessed Gerasenus, which the evil one cannot obscure with his darkness. The encounter with Christ arouses a momentary "awakening" in the conscience of the possessed person, who runs to meet him and throws himself at his feet, recognizing his sovereignty.
The authority of Jesus is manifested precisely in the capacity of his word to free man from the evil spirit, making room for the Holy Spirit. That there is nothing in common between the two spirits is attested by the very words of the possessed man: "What do you have in common with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God?" (v. 7). The demons recognize the messianic nature of Jesus and what they ask is to be able to continue to exercise their action, albeit in a limited context. But the advent of the kingdom of God leaves no room for Satan and his powers.
The name that the demon reveals to Jesus indicates a belligerent nature: "My name is Legion ... for we are many" (v. 9). The legion was made up of about six thousand armed soldiers. The demons are powers at war against God and against man to lead the latter towards perdition. Thus Paul, in his letter to the Ephesians: "Our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms." (Eph 6:12).
That there is an order even in the demonic hierarchies and that it is not a multitude divided in itself - as the Pharisees thought (Mk 3:22-30) - is evident from the fact that the legion that possess the Gerasene man speaks with one voice. The presence of a flock of pigs, animals considered impure by the Mosaic law, indicates that we are in a pagan environment or one of "apostate" Jews. By allowing the legion to go and possess this flock causing its destruction, Jesus shows how serious the situation of man was and the destructive power of the evil one.
The reaction of the Gerasenes who rushed to see what happened should be one of admiring amazement when they saw the man "dressed and sane", instead Mark reports that "they were afraid" (v. 15) and begged Jesus to go away. Their attachment to material possessions is greater than the piety towards their fellow citizen who had suffered terribly and for a long time, nor do we find in them the desire to benefit from the powerful word of Jesus.
The man who has just been freed from the devil wishes to follow the one who saved him, but Jesus wants him to walk on his own legs, he wants to free him completely, so he does not allow him to stay with him (v. 19). Urged to proclaim the Lord's mercy to his house, the Gerasene goes beyond these boundaries and begins to proclaim the proclamation of the Gospel throughout the Decapolis (v. 20). The tormented man, the frightened man, has become a fervent disciple.
Prayer
Make us, Lord, a temple of your Spirit; so that freed from sin and fear we can serve you and announce you with fervor. Amen.
-Rev. Dr. Luca Vona
