Thereupon the whole town came out to meet Jesus, and when they saw him they begged him to leave their district (Mt 8-34).
After hearing of the healing of the demoniacs and the herd of swine rushing into the water, the townsfolk came out and begged Jesus to leave. This is also attested to in the Gospel of Mark 5:17. Luke adds that the people asked Jesus to leave because: “they were seized with great fear” (Lk 8:37). Jesus healed two demoniacs in Matthew’s account, one in the Mark and Luke accounts, and the people asked him to leave. Hearing of Jesus’ healing power to expel demons, hearing about his act of mercy and grace, would we too ask Jesus to leave?
Before answering, “No, of course not!” too quickly, how many times have our own judgements, prejudices, and self-centeredness, our own lack of understanding for the bigger picture, our own fears, been chosen over living the Gospel in our own lives? Is our life shaped by the Gospel message of Jesus? (One reason I started sharing these daily reflections on the daily Gospels, I think back in 2017, was to spend time reading the daily Mass readings, especially the Gospels, and invite others to do the same.)
Do we spend time not only reading the Bible but also pray, meditate, and wrestle with the challenge of how we are to live out some of Jesus’ teachings like: love our enemies, to be perfect as our heavenly Father is perfect, to turn the other cheek, and to answer in practical, concrete ways, “What you do to the least of these: you do it to me?” Or, if we read or listen to the Gospels at all, do we seek to adjust Jesus’ message, to conform God to our will, to fit the message to our lifestyle, what works for us? Is the radiance of Jesus’ mercy, love and grace too bright for us such that we wince, that we feel it is too much to bear, and we, as did the Gadarenes also say, “Go away!”?
If you are experiencing some slower, summer days, maybe, make some time to read, slowly, meditatively, and prayerfully, each of the accounts of the healing of the Gadarene demoniacs in Matthew’s Gospel and the one demoniac in the Mark and Luke accounts. One of the differences in the Mark and Luke accounts, presents the man who was exorcised asking to follow Jesus. Jesus said to the man: “Go home to your friends, and tell them how much the Lord has done for you, and how he has had mercy on you” (Mark 5:19).
The one who was so bound up by possession that he was out of his mind and separated from family and friends, still had some glimmer of hope that he could be healed. He ran up to and prostrated himself before Jesus, was healed, and set free. He then did as Jesus guided him to do and proclaimed what Jesus had done for him to the whole city.
After spending some time pondering these parallel passages, let us also approach Jesus. Let us bring to him that which enslaves and binds us, that which keeps us separated from God and others. Let not our fears get in the way so that we like the Gadarenes send Jesus away but instead, let us open our minds, hearts, and souls to his healing words and touch. Jesus entered unclean territory to bring healing. He exorcised the demons with only the power of his word, on his own authority. May we, as the man possessed did, also surrender to Jesus and hear his words of healing so that we too may experience his healing, mercy, love, forgiveness, and freedom and then go and share how much the Lord has done for us!
Painting: James Tissot, “The Two Men Possessed with Unclean Spirits”
To read the parallel accounts of today’s Gospel see: Mark 5:1-20, Matthew 8:28-34, Luke 8:26-39
Spiritual Stepping Stones 