Community Church Sermons

Third Sunday After Pentecost, Year C – June 24, 2001

"A Tale Of Two Visions”

Luke 8:26-39

In telling the story of Jesus’ encounter with a demon-possessed man in Garasene, Luke tells us that the residents of that territory were afraid.

What do you think they were they afraid of?

This is an important question to ask because there is a very distinct relationship between fear and faith. Throughout the Gospels – and indeed throughout the Bible – people typically have to pass through fear in order to experience the power of God. And that takes faith!

Moses, on his way to becoming the great hero of the exodus, one day comes across a burning bush in the desert. Though on fire, the bush is not consumed, and from the bush comes the voice of God. And we are told Moses was afraid. Moses had to pass through fear in order to find God. And that took faith. Generations later, there are shepherds out in the fields, keeping watch over their flocks by night. Suddenly, an angel of the Lord appears to them, and the glory of the Lord shines ‘round about them, and we are told they were sore afraid! You see, the shepherds of Christmas had to overcome fear to discover the miracle of the manger. And that took faith.

Encounters with God seem to always have to pass through human fear. Mary was afraid when Gabriel announced to her she would be the mother of the Messiah. Joseph was afraid when he heard the news. The disciples on the boat that night when Jesus came walking on the water were filled with fear. And even at the resurrection, as one-by-one the disciples encountered the empty tomb and the risen Christ, we are told that they were afraid.

There is a relationship between fear and faith. I think that fear may well be the front door to faith, for until you face your fear, and take it by the handle, and open that door to see what is on the other side, you cannot experience the power of God!

So what do you think THEY were afraid of that day in Garasene, on the other side of the Sea of Galilee?

On the surface, it may seem as though their fear is of the frightening demeanor of the man identified only as Legion. Luke tells us the name has been given because he is possessed by a legion of demons. Now that’s a lot of demons! A Roman legion of that day consisted of three to six thousand soldiers, so I guess it would be fair to say that Luke is trying to tell us this man was really messed up!

And these multitudes of demons that possessed the man provoked all sorts of bizarre behavior. Once, the people of the region had tried to keep the crazy man under control and from harming himself and others by putting him in chains and leg irons. But the evil spirits gave him supernatural power, and he broke the restraints with his bare hands and ran away. Now he was on the loose, living in the local cemetery among the tombs of the dead. Luke tells us this demon-tormented man frolicked about without a stitch of clothing on, and that he loudly howled in the dark of the night. Perhaps you can imagine the eerie sound.

So maybe this is it – what the people were afraid of. Maybe the people of the Garasenes were afraid because of the strange and occult behaviors that came forth from Legion. I think I’d be scared of such a person. Wouldn’t you? I don’t think I’d want to go anywhere near that cemetery at night. Would you? And yet, the text indicates that this bizarre behavior of Legion is not the fear Luke is pointing out.

So what do you think they were afraid of?

Another theory is that the people were upset because, when Jesus finally cast the demons out of the man, he let them go into a herd of pigs. And the pigs – now under the destructive power of the evil force of the demons – took off in a great stampede toward the edge of a cliff overlooking the sea. And over the edge they went, to their death – every last one of them. To the Jewish followers of Jesus this was probably seen as good news since swine were considered unclean. But to the Gentile people who owned the pig farm…

Well, they asked Jesus to get out of town! After all, the healing of Legion came at the expense of their pig-raising activities. Their economy was destroyed! Jesus was not good for business. So they told him to get out!

But that sounds to me more like anger than fear. And they had every reason to be upset. But indignation is not fear, so we return to the question:

What were they afraid of?

Listen to how Luke himself describes the situation:

“When the herdsman saw what had happened, they fled, and told it in the city and in the country. 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!”

Do you see it? It’s written right there! They found the man from whom the demons had gone…CLOTHED AND IN HIS RIGHT MIND…and they were afraid!

Well, I think this passage captures a great truth. For sometimes, it is easier for us to deal with people as being sick, or faulty, or evil than it is to deal with them as well, and whole, and redeemed!

This is why one of the most popular television shows on the air today is “The Weakest Link.” The host of the show – the ever so stern and stoic Anne Robinson – has become something of an icon to millions of people who love to hear her sarcastically tell the contestants off. To Jeff, the personal trainer who has missed an easy question, Robinson says, “You’ve obviously spent far more time training your body than your brain.” Anne Robinson is highly skilled at insulting people. And we seem to love that! Some of us wish we could be so quick with the insult. And, of course, we all just about orgasmically rejoice when – at the end of each round – Ms. Robinson dismisses the loser. And many of us, sitting in front of our televisions at home, wait for that precise moment of dismissal, and when it comes, we actually recite with her the now-famous words, “You ARE the weakest link. Good bye!” And the contestant must leave in silence on what is called the walk of shame.

Have you ever wondered why we are attracted to that sort of thing? Or to the “Survivor” type program where people’s flaws become the basis upon which they are judged? There seems to be some strange sort of comfort that comes from seeing people in terms of their weaknesses, and failings.

This is why all my boyhood chums reacted the way they did when I came home from college one weekend announcing that I had been born again, and found a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, and had received a calling to the Christian ministry.

They laughed, and laughed, and laughed! And it was nervous laughter! You see, it was far more difficult for them to picture me as a Christian following God than as the juvenile delinquent they’d always known me to be! Some of them even tried to dissuade me from pursuing that calling on the grounds that I would not be any fun any more! They were uncomfortable with what my new relationship with God would mean to them. They were more afraid of what it would mean for me to be well, than what it meant for me to be the way I’d always been before!

It is always easier to embrace the brokenness you know, than the wholeness that is offered through the love and power of Jesus Christ.

This is why Sandy’s and my dear friend Donald wallowed for so long in the grip of alcoholism. It seemed to be easier for Don to see himself as a weak person dominated by the power of alcohol than as a good person who – with the help of God - could begin the process of recovery and wellness. Don was less afraid of living with the bottle than living without it. He was afraid of becoming well.

This is why many of us have such a difficult time doing the things we need to do to reconcile a broken relationship. It is simply easier to remain angry at someone than it is to forgive them. We are more comfortable with the ulcers and psychic pain that come from internalized bitterness and hurt than we are with the possibility of a restored friendship. Sometimes it is scarier to be well than to be sick..

This is why, when we look out at the world, it is so much easier to see people as our enemies than as potential friends. It just seems so much safer to separate over our differences than to overcome them and find common ground. So we sacrifice our sons and daughters in religious wars. We starve the children of Iraq because we see them as the enemy. We accept a world of car bombs followed by missile attacks followed by more terrorist attacks followed by more retaliatory strikes. It is simply easier to do this than it is to believe that even our enemies can become our friends. We are afraid of making the world well.

But into the middle of all this fear steps Jesus of Nazareth, the most amazing man who ever lived. And he has a different vision of the world. A different vision of you and me and our neighbor. He does not see humanity as immersed in sin, and shame, and sickness, but as bathed in the merciful love and the healing wellness of God. And in today’s lesson, he is sitting there between what Legion used to be and what Legion now has become by the power of God – whole, happy, restored to his family and community. And the people of the Garasenes draw near – to see what he has done – and when they see the man they always knew as sick clothed and in his right mind, they become AFRAID! Because it means THEY can become well, too – in their marriages, in their relationships, in their daily living as human beings.

And today Jesus looks you and me straight in the eye and dares us to adopt a new vision for ourselves, our families, our neighbors, and our world.

Jesus invites us to see the world in terms of what it can become by the power of God!

Let me try to apply this in a very personal way.

As you leave the sanctuary today, I want to ask you to envision yourself as a perfect person – the kind of person God created you to be. A perfect husband, or wife in the eyes of God. A perfect parent in the eyes of God. A perfect child in the eyes of God. A perfect church member in the eyes of God. A perfect neighbor in the eyes of God. A perfect world citizen in the eyes of God.

What would such a spouse, or parent, or child, or church member, or neighbor, or citizen look like in real terms? How would they conduct themselves in those relationships? What would they say? What would such a person do?

To be completely honest with you, it makes me feel very uncomfortable to think of myself in these terms. I am afraid of becoming the person God wants me to be.

So was Moses. So were the shepherds. Mary, Joseph, the disciples, the demoniac named Legion – they were all afraid, too.

But facing their fear, they took a leap of faith, and took hold of God’s vision for their lives.

And God led them to higher places of living!

Friends, don’t be afraid to see yourself as the person God created you to be.

Confront your fear today – admit it – look it in the face - and then step out in faith to become that person God intends.

For whenever you step from fear to faith, God intervenes!

Jesus will not let you down!!