Ninth Sunday after Pentecost (G)

Luke 8:26-39

²⁶ Then they sailed to the country of the Gerasenes, which is opposite Galilee. ²⁷ When Jesus had stepped out on land, there met him a man from the city who had demons. For a long time he had worn no clothes, and he had not lived in a house but among the tombs. ²⁸ When he saw Jesus, he cried out and fell down before him and said with a loud voice, “What have you to do with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I beg you, do not torment me.” ²⁹ For he had commanded the unclean spirit to come out of the man. (For many a time it had seized him. He was kept under guard and bound with chains and shackles, but he would break the bonds and be driven by the demon into the desert.) ³⁰ Jesus then asked him, “What is your name?” And he said, “Legion,” for many demons had entered him. ³¹ And they begged him not to command them to depart into the abyss. ³² Now a large herd of pigs was feeding there on the hillside, and they begged him to let them enter these. So he gave them permission. ³³ Then the demons came out of the man and entered the pigs, and the herd rushed down the steep bank into the lake and drowned.

³⁴ When the herdsmen saw what had happened, they fled and told it in the city and in the country. ³⁵ Then people went out to see what had happened, and they came to Jesus and found the man from whom the demons had gone, sitting at the feet of Jesus, clothed and in his right mind, and they were afraid. ³⁶ And those who had seen it told them how the demon-possessed man had been healed. ³⁷ Then all the people of the surrounding country of the Gerasenes asked him to depart from them, for they were seized with great fear. So he got into the boat and returned. ³⁸ The man from whom the demons had gone begged that he might be with him, but Jesus sent him away, saying, ³⁹ “Return to your home, and declare how much God has done for you.” And he went away, proclaiming throughout the whole city how much Jesus had done for him.

I love the imagery of the text. Jesus will call the Pharisees whitewashed tombs, reflecting that they are dead in their transgressions. Everyone who has not been made righteous by God is a whitewashed tomb. We are all dead with respect to our transgressions. Here is a powerful dead person. He has lived naked, disgraced, cast out, and not even in his right mind. He has been overwelmed by the power of demons.

Picture it, you are corrupted by demons. Count the demons in your own life: sexual demons, relationship demons, work demons, family betrayal or neglect demons, sports demons, etc. These demons can make us a very active and strong dead person. But these demons need to be removed and sent to the abyss.

So this means everyone of you need to set up a little time with an exorcist. Or you could simple go to confession and absolution. Know that your sins are forgiven in Christ Jesus. He takes your demons, but there is still the active or work of recognizing the evil in your life. Turn from that evil in your life. I know that this is difficult. I know that you are going to fail, and new demons are even going to creep into your life.

But that is why Jesus tells the man to go back to his family, find encouragement in the family of God. As we go to church and bible study, and continue to hear the word of forgiveness, these demons are cast out. And Maybe stay away from pork for a little while? I have long said, "If you don't think you need to come to church for yourself, you still need to show up to church for the rest of us." It is encouraging for tombs to witness someone who has had all their demons removed. Or know Jesus is risen from the dead.