Demoniacs We Are

Jesus and his disciples came to the other side of the sea, to the territory of the Gerasenes. When he got out of the boat, at once a man from the tombs who had an unclean spirit met him. The man had been dwelling among the tombs, and no one could restrain him any longer, even with a chain. In fact, he had frequently been bound with shackles and chains, but the chains had been pulled apart by him and the shackles smashed, and no one was strong enough to subdue him. Night and day among the tombs and on the hillsides he was always crying out and bruising himself with stones.

Catching sight of Jesus from a distance, he ran up and prostrated himself before him, crying out in a loud voice, “What have you to do with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I adjure you by God, do not torment me!” (He had been saying to him, “Unclean spirit, come out of the man!”) He asked him, “What is your name?” He replied, “Legion is my name.  There are many of us.” And he pleaded earnestly with him not to drive them away from that territory.

Now a large herd of swine was feeding there on the hillside. And they pleaded with him, “Send us into the swine.  Let us enter them.” And he let them, and the unclean spirits came out and entered the swine. The herd of about two thousand rushed down a steep bank into the sea, where they were drowned. The swineherds ran away and reported the incident in the town and throughout the countryside. And people came out to see what had happened.

As they approached Jesus, they caught sight of the man who had been possessed by Legion, sitting there clothed and in his right mind. And they were seized with fear. Those who witnessed the incident explained to them what had happened to the possessed man and to the swine. Then they began to beg him to leave their district.

As he was getting into the boat, the man who had been possessed pleaded to remain with him. But Jesus would not permit him but told him instead, “Go home to your family and announce to them all that the Lord in his pity has done for you.” Then the man went off and began to proclaim in the Decapolis what Jesus had done for him; and all were amazed. (Mark 5:1-20)

Mark was probably written for non-Palestinian Christians, former pagans, probably Romans. He emphasized the meaning of the gospel for newly baptized pagans, especially those who suffered persecution for their faith.  His audience likely was scapegoated by Romans and blamed for problems of the day.  That is one purpose of a scapegoat, be it a person or group.  The hated “other” effectively unites warring factions in the majority culture by providing them with a common enemy, such as the Jews.  

Father Robert Barron in his 2020 The Word of Fire Bible provides an intriguing explanation for this Markan text he entitled “Restoring the Scapegoat.” He suggested the Gerasene demoniac was a scapegoat, and his name was “Legion” with there being “many” of him.  Barron asks if “each of the citizens of the town, to one degree or another, projected their shadows onto him.” When Jesus cured the man “instead of rejoicing in his good fortune, they are disconcerted and beg Jesus to leave their region.”  Barron continues, “the last thing the Gerasenes want is the restoration to sanity and sociability of their scapegoat.  Without him and his hate-channeling role, the town might revert to the chaos of factional violence…By curing the Gerasene demoniac, Jesus announces his intention to break the pattern of scapegoating, thus showing the people in the village a new way of being in community.” 

Ironically, Jesus eventually is killed, and becomes a scapegoat.  Our sins were placed upon him like the goat released into the wilderness with our sins placed on its back.  

In a meaningful way, scapegoated Jesus should move us away from factional violence – to lead us to unity and true community.  Unfortunately, many of us are part of the large herd of swine possessed by unclean spirits and collectively throwing ourselves into the sea to drown.  We refuse to let Jesus take away our sins.  We let ourselves be consumed by them, and we drown. 

It’s time we stop spending night and day among the tombs and on the hillsides where we always cry out and bruise ourselves and others with stones created by anger and fear. Let’s recognize who we scapegoat.  Furthermore, let’s refuse to be scapegoats.  Let’s appreciate what Jesus has done for us and then, like the demoniac, we will be amazed.

Deacon David Pierce