To set up this next
section of verses, a specific Old Testament law comes into play – Leviticus 11:7-8. “And the pig,…; it is unclean for you. You must not eat their meat or
touch their carcasses;…” (NIV).
Jesus and his disciples have
journeyed to the land of Gentiles (a region with a majority). This explains
about the herd of pigs – being here (on the other side) – applying the law from
Leviticus.
The troubled man from the
rocky, hillside tomb begs to be rid of his demons – personal or otherwise.
Jesus can make this happen. He fervently believes it. Knowing it can happen,
from within the darkness of this man-who-knows-no-peace, comes a plea from the
“Legion” to remain in the region. Jesus lets this occur – whether by permission
or demand (choose your interpretation).
The madness of one man has
now been transferred to become the madness of 2,000 pigs. But… these animals don't
have the capacity to withstand the evil. They rush down and off of a steep
cliff and drown.
Or… did Jesus’ healing of
the man-of-many-afflictions cause this Gentile to jump for joy, shriek to the
top of his lungs and scare the beasts to their death?
That second scenario could
be a viable option for consideration; however, using the power of this story,
there is more to be gleaned than the "who caused what."
2,000 who want to stay,
want to remain in occupation and have embedded themselves into the territory… go
to their watery grave. Look what Jesus did to the “Legion” -- a play on words. Look
what Jesus can do against the Roman occupiers who have made the lives of many
miserable. This is definitely part of the “story” underneath the surface of the
story.
Gene from the study group
asked, “Why didn’t Jesus just say to the demons ‘be gone’?” – a great question that
brought about much discussion. As Patrick put it, “Jesus wouldn’t have gotten as
much press.” And Patrick is right. Sure the healing of the troubled man would’ve
made an impact for those in Kursi (where the man lived). They wouldn’t have to
hear the 24/7 shrieks and screams any longer. However, when you add the bit
about 2,000 pigs drowning in water…? Now we really have a story to tell!
The results and emotions
were of the charts. Regarding the man, he went from madness to sanity, from
being possessed to being free. Regarding those from Kursi, the people went from
joy to terror, from awe to anger. They are afraid – afraid of Jesus’ power,
afraid because they’ve lost their source of income, afraid because they’ve lost
their property, afraid of so much. The pitchforks are now at the ready, and
it’s time for Jesus to leave.
Big Question…
If someone could give you
a better world but to do so your comfort for a time will be disturbed,
disrupted and upset and you’ll have to do with less so others could have more,
would you?
The typical mindset,
shooting from the hip, is to answer this question with a resounding “Yes.” Yet
when you seriously think about, most of us don’t want our comfort levels to
change to less but to more -- regardless of how others are doing.
Norma wisely mentioned if
we had a specific amount of time to know about our discomfort, then it would be
easier to wrap our minds around. But with no date or time-line, it becomes even
more difficult, since that could last for a long time. All the more
scary; all the more for us to say “No!”
For those who owned the
pigs, who possessed the pigs, how do you think they felt when those pigs were
driven away? Not only driven away, but into their demise with finality. Yes,
let’s be happy for the one man who’s healed, but livelihoods are now in huge
disarray and it will take time to overcome the bacon shortage.
A Bigger Question…
Would we be willing to
give up everything so one person may truly live?
As Patrick reflected and
shared about the mission trip to Haiti in which he participated, if he would
have to live in that impoverished country and in the muck and mire for several
years so others could have better lives, it would be a difficult decision to
make. I understand.
On the other hand, after
being there a week to assist those in Haiti, a seed had been planted inside
Patrick for growth, and that seed has grown into a new non-profit organization
to benefit those in need locally, nationally and globally – the Heart
of Hollywood Foundation.
An Even Bigger Question…
What does life owe us?
What do we owe life?
NEXT…
The bigger picture; the
grand result of a small seed
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