Dry land at last,
thank God. The disciples tumble out of the boat and hug the ground, grateful to
be on terra firma and still greatly unnerved by the intensity of the storm and
the relative ease with which Jesus has calmed it. They don't have a chance to
catch their breath, however, because another storm is racing down the hill to
meet them.
"Aw,
c'mon," Peter groans. "Can't we catch a break?"
Part naturist, part
demon, part man and not just a little crazy, the demoniac and the setting are everything a righteous Jew should abhor. Not only have Jesus and the disciples stumbled
upon a clothing optional cemetery, it just happens to be a pig farm to boot.
Could it get any worse? Sure, the wind could shift. Oh, wait.
The encounter
unfolds in a rapid fire succession of moments. Luke explains them in reverse,
simultaneously keeping the man at arm's length and backing away while
explaining that the man is yelling at Jesus in response to Jesus' command for
the demon to come out. Before it does, it tries to counter Jesus' command by
its own power ("I know who you are!") and then takes a moment to mess
with everybody's head. Squatting on the ground, digging in the dirt, he looks
up shyly, slyly and winks broadly at Peter as he says, "We are
Legion." No wonder Jesus doesn't like demons who talk.
This is dangerous
country, not only because of the man before them but because of the area's
reputation. The eastern shore of Galilee is home to the Gentiles and all their
alluring worldly, demonic ways. Isaiah spoke of these people and their
unwholesome influence on the nation of Israel.
I spread out my
hands all the day to a rebellious people, who walk in a way that is not good,
following their own devices; a people who provoke me to my face continually,
sacrificing in gardens and making offerings on bricks; who sit in tombs, and
spend the night in secret places; who eat pig's flesh, and broth of tainted
meat is in their vessels; who say, “Keep to yourself, do not come near me, for
I am too holy for you.” These are a smoke in my nostrils, a fire that burns all
the day. (Isa 65:2-5)
Here, among the
tombs, the demoniac may well be considered an (un)holy man who calls upon the
spirits to inhabit his body and perform feats of strength. He is not
continually controlled by the demon(s). On the contrary, the text says
"many times it seized him" which implies that some of the man's
actions –
going unclothed and living in the tombs instead of a house –
were
voluntary. In fact, the only involuntary action we know of is that the demon
drives him into the desert on occasion. After all (say the Pharisees), that's
what demons do. They like to wander around the wasteland and blow off steam.
The villagers find
the man to be a nuisance. Matthew says "no one could pass that way"
because he violently interfered with their routine use of the cemetery on a
regular basis. They've tried chaining him up and placing him under guard, but
with mixed results at best.
Jesus calms the
storm that is the man in the same way –
and with the same ease –
that He
calmed the storm upon the lake. A great miracle has taken place, and a great
sign has been performed, both of which make the villagers' reaction all the
more curious: they are afraid. Both they and the disciples are amazed and left
wondering, "What sort of man is this?"
The villagers beg
Him to go. They're unsettled, nervous and afraid. No one wants to talk about
it, but they are a little concerned that "the devil (they) know" is
no longer the demoniac. The unknown makes them uneasy. After all, the demons
didn't drown –
their time had not yet come. They're roaming around the
wasteland, blowing off steam. And they'll be back soon enough.
