Scripture: Hebrews 11:32-40. Psalm 31:20-24. Mark 5:1-20

One of the most difficult and perplexing stories in the New Testament is
today's. St. Mark is narrating in his typical style of colorful thick
description the expulsion of a demon called either named " Legion" or
"Soldier" from a man who roams the hills in Gerasene or Gentile hillsides.
He gnashes his teeth, breaks chains that bind him, and howls from the cave
in which he resides. Frightening isn't it! But Jesus' presence and
awareness of his pitiful condition prompts him to cast out the demon and he
does so while being acknowledged in this pagan territory where unclean
animals are and cared for by their owners. The man is healed at the
expense of the two thousand swine who are then possessed and run down the
cliff into the sea and are drowned. This forces the people to tell Jesus
to leave their territory and he does. The man now fully back to his
senses wishes to follow Jesus but the Lord tells him to go back to his own
home and start proclaiming the good news there. He is not to be a follower
of Jesus in the holy land of Israel. With some consulting of commentators
I was convinced that this is an announcement to the Gentiles of the Good
News, but Jesus has come first to the house of Israel and will leave the
Gentile mission to others. It is Paul and Barnabas who will take up that
mission and spur others to join them too, like Timothy, Silvanus, Titus,
and maybe even Mark himself. The culturally bound nation that practices
idolatry and feeds on unclean food can be seen in the prophet Isaiah in
chapter 65: 1-17. I found this passage very helpful in understanding the
cultural situation in the territory of the Gentiles. My conclusion is that
Jesus in a few instances did enter Gentile territory and bring some healing
there, but it was up to his apostles and disciples to continue his mission.
We have to remember that his active ministry was at most three years, but
more likely just a year and a half. We as Gentiles need to let go of
many of our prejudices and cultural hangups; some of the things we are
concerned about are vulgar and obscene. Why is there so much pornography
available and so much violence in the films we watch? These have to be
drown in the sea of sorrow from the tears of Jesus. Perhaps, there is more
to this story than meets the eye and touches our hearing. Jesus' saving
power reaches out to all of us no matter what country or culture we belong
to. How can we become ambassadors of peace and justice and yet work for
these gifts while remaining calm and patient ourselves? Amen.