Unadorned hospitality ...

Meditate on God’s word with me:

Then they [Jesus and the apostles] arrived at the country of the Gerasenes, which is opposite Galilee. As he stepped out on land, a man of the city who had demons met him. For a long time he had worn no clothes, and he did not live in a house but in the tombs.

Jesus enters a city with his people, but they do not even have the opportunity to enter into a house of hospitality before he is greeted by a unlikely host. This outcast citizen is overrun with demons dwelling in him. He himself no longer able to dwell in a house, but must live naked in this unholy place: the cemetery.

When he saw Jesus, he fell down before him and shouted at the top of his voice, "What have you to do with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I beg you, do not torment me" — for Jesus had commanded the unclean spirit to come out of the man. (For many times 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 wilds.)

When people are inhabited by many demons, to whom are we speaking when we talk with them? In this outlandish conversation, we might hear the voice of the man, the voice of an individual demon, and the voice of this community of demons. In this unholy place, the holy man Jesus stops his holy little tribe for a conversation with this dangerous and unholy person. This might seem foolishly dangerous to any observer, because even this man’s own people had chosen to chain him up, and to set guards to protect themselves from him. To have that talk, Jesus must create a safe space for that exchange, and make an opening for the voice of the man to speak, free of the oppression of this unholy community of demons. The true bondage of this man does not come from a chained body, but from a mind bound by the thoughts and control of others. To make that safe place, Jesus must set boundaries to godly hospitality; demons are not welcome among the holy.

Jesus then asked him, "What is your name?"

He said, "Legion"; for many demons had entered him. They begged him not to order them to go back into the abyss.

Now there on the hillside a large herd of swine was feeding; and the demons begged Jesus to let them enter these. So he gave them permission. Then the demons came out of the man and entered the swine, and the herd rushed down the steep bank into the lake and was drowned.

We often wonder why Jesus sent the demons into the pigs, the livelihood and food of this community, only to watch them tumble over a cliff to destruction. But is that the right question?

Jesus hospitably allows the demons to enter the pigs because it frees the man. This keeps the freed demons from finding homes in other human beings. Luke, though, does not tell us that Jesus went so far as to send the pigs to their death. The demons inhabited the pigs, and now the unholy community of demons with its unholy leader, Satan, was in charge of them.

I do not want to encourage you to think like Satan, but can we not see that he would delight in turning an entire community of people against Jesus? Would not the fastest way to block the work of Jesus among this people be to deprive them of their wealth, of their source of income or food? If Satan can make them fear the truth of the holy power of Jesus instead of celebrating the hope that it brings, perhaps he will not lose them. So, Satan could direct the herd into the lake, knowing full well that it will prompt a farewell instead of a welcome for Jesus from this community. After all, it should not surprise us that Satan would swiftly and mercilessly sacrifice a whole tribe of his own servants to prevent Jesus from enacting his mission of God’s hospitality to a single community.

When the swineherds saw what had happened, they ran off and told it in the city and in the country. Then people came out to see what had happened, and when they came to Jesus, they found the man from whom the demons had gone sitting at the feet of Jesus, clothed and in his right mind.

The people find the strangest thing: this dangerous outcast, clothed and coherent, sitting in a place of hospitality with Jesus. Now that Jesus has passed through the moment of spiritual, physical, and social vulnerability to create this safe place for his people and this man, an open conversation is possible without the sacrifice of anyone’s holiness. It is still true that this man has been a demon-possessed outcast, but now there is a believable hope of restoration to relationship with his community and his God.

And they were afraid. Those who had seen it told them how the one who had been possessed by demons had been healed. Then all the people of the surrounding country of the Gerasenes asked Jesus to leave them; for they were seized with great fear. So he got into the boat and returned.

Satan cannot make humans fear. Satan cannot force humans to prefer wealth over other humans, and especially the outcast. He only has the power to highlight the choice. Human beings choose to fear. Every day, humans choose their own fiscal security over the health and physical safety of others. We’ve become so good at it that we can even feel pious when we do it.

“Those people chose that lifestyle . . . .”

“Those people should expect consequences . . . .”

“Those people . . . .”

But when we choose cash over community, power over people, we send Jesus for a hike. Away from us.

The man from whom the demons had gone begged that he might be with him; but Jesus sent him away, saying, "Return to your home, and declare how much God has done for you." So he went away, proclaiming throughout the city how much Jesus had done for him.

Even when we send Jesus away, he does not give up on us. He makes use of his remnant, his outcast, to continue to offer hope, even where hope and healing have been rejected. This man becomes a sign of the hospitality of God, and a living enactment of that same hospitality.

May God choose to do the same with us.

Grace, and peace,

Ron

Eternal inheritance ...

Hear the word of the Lord:

Mark 10:17-31

As he was setting out on a journey, a man ran up and knelt before him, and asked him, "Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?"

Jesus said to him, "Why do you call me good? No one is good but God alone. You know the commandments: 'You shall not murder; You shall not commit adultery; You shall not steal; You shall not bear false witness; You shall not defraud; Honor your father and mother.'"

He said to him, "Teacher, I have kept all these since my youth."

Jesus, looking at him, loved him and said, "You lack one thing; go, sell what you own, and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me."

When he heard this, he was shocked and went away grieving, for he had many possessions.

Then Jesus looked around and said to his disciples, "How hard it will be for those who have wealth to enter the kingdom of God!"

And the disciples were perplexed at these words. But Jesus said to them again, "Children, how hard it is to enter the kingdom of God! It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God."

They were greatly astounded and said to one another, "Then who can be saved?"

Jesus looked at them and said, "For mortals it is impossible, but not for God; for God all things are possible."

Peter began to say to him, "Look, we have left everything and followed you."

Jesus said, "Truly I tell you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or fields, for my sake and for the sake of the good news, who will not receive a hundredfold now in this age--houses, brothers and sisters, mothers and children, and fields with persecutions--and in the age to come eternal life. But many who are first will be last, and the last will be first."

Receive mercy, find grace ...

Hear the word of the Lord:

Hebrews 4:12-16

Indeed, the word of God is living and active,
sharper than any two-edged sword,
piercing until it divides soul from spirit, joints from marrow;
it is able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart.
And before him no creature is hidden,
but all are naked and laid bare to the eyes of the one
to whom we must render an account.

Since, then, we have a great high priest
who has passed through the heavens,
Jesus, the Son of God,
let us hold fast to our confession.
For we do not have a high priest who is unable
to sympathize with our weaknesses,
but we have one who in every respect
has been tested as we are, yet without sin.

Let us therefore approach the throne of grace with boldness,
so that we may receive mercy
and find grace to help in time of need.

Establish justice ...

Hear the word of the Lord:

Amos 5:6-7, 10-15

Seek the LORD and live,
or he will break out against the house of Joseph like fire,
and it will devour Bethel, with no one to quench it.
Ah, you that turn justice to wormwood,
and bring righteousness to the ground!

They hate the one who reproves in the gate,
and they abhor the one who speaks the truth.
Therefore because you trample on the poor
and take from them levies of grain,
you have built houses of hewn stone,
but you shall not live in them;
you have planted pleasant vineyards,
but you shall not drink their wine.
For I know how many are your transgressions,
and how great are your sins-- you who afflict the righteous,
who take a bribe, and push aside the needy in the gate.
Therefore the prudent will keep silent in such a time;
for it is an evil time.

Seek good and not evil, that you may live;
and so the LORD, the God of hosts,
will be with you, just as you have said.
Hate evil and love good, and establish justice in the gate;
it may be that the LORD, the God of hosts,
will be gracious to the remnant of Joseph.

He would answer me ...

Hear the word of the Lord:

Job 23:1-9, 16-17

Then Job answered:
"Today also my complaint is bitter;
his hand is heavy despite my groaning.
Oh, that I knew where I might find him,
that I might come even to his dwelling!
I would lay my case before him,
and fill my mouth with arguments.
I would learn what he would answer me,
and understand what he would say to me.
Would he contend with me
in the greatness of his power?
No; but he would give heed to me.
There an upright person could reason with him,
and I should be acquitted forever by my judge.”

If I go forward, he is not there; or backward,
I cannot perceive him;
on the left he hides, and I cannot behold him;
I turn to the right, but I cannot see him.
God has made my heart faint;
the Almighty has terrified me;
If only I could vanish in darkness,
and thick darkness would cover my face!”