On Line Bible Study - for the Week August 16-22, 2010

Lesson 453

Luke 8: ²⁶They sailed to the region of the Gerasenes, which is across the lake from Galilee. ²⁷When Jesus stepped ashore, he was met by a demon-possessed man from the town. For a long time this man had not worn clothes or lived in a house, but had lived in the tombs. ²⁸When he saw Jesus, he cried out and fell at his feet, shouting at the top of his voice, "What do you want with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I beg you, don't torture me!" ²⁹For Jesus had commanded the evil spirit to come out of the man. Many times it had seized him, and though he was chained hand and foot and kept under guard, he had broken his chains and had been driven by the demon into solitary places.

³⁰Jesus asked him, "What is your name?"

This is the third time we encounter this story. St. Mark gives us the longest version (Mark 5:1-20), while St. Matthew renders the shortest version (Matthew 8:28-34). I am giving you the first part of the story - for the rest of Luke's telling, click here.

In the commentaries we read discussions of the authenticity of a text. Did this really happen in a literal way? Or is the Gospel Writer using a legend or story to make a theological point? Do we live in a less superstitious age and culture than did the writers of the New Testament?

Darrell Bock, whose commentary we are using as a guide in our consideration of Luke's Gospel, says some scholars (specifically the "Jesus Seminar") label the dialogue in the story as the invention of the evangelist. Bock takes exception to this. He says we have to be careful not to let our prejudice against miracles (i.e. superstitious magic) cause us to dismiss important elements of the dialogue.

Regardless of who said what, this is another story of power. Notice how the demon strips the man, isolates him - and recognizes the authority of Jesus. While the geography is uncertain, the assumption is that Jesus was in Gentile territory. So the text poses questions of a timeless nature:

1. What are the demons that isolate you?
2. What is it within you that torments you? (For some, it is lack of control of their appetite; for others it is an addiction of one kind or another. For still others it may be the yearning for money or wealth. It might be the overwhelming temptation to complain or gossip. You get the point.)
3. Part of the torment is knowing that you are diminished by it - less the person you truly want to be because of it.
4. And here's the kicker - you know how to overcome it! You know you must overcome it!
   

Such an interesting tension here. The demon who cries out to Jesus: Don't torture me! is a master at torturing the man he possesses. From a psychological perspective, we might wonder if the possessed man is torturing himself. Does the idea of possession suggest a level of willingness? We are on dangerous ground here, aren't we. We don't want to get in to blaming the victim. At the same time, we have to be honest about the human heart, human vulnerability - our quick willingness to succumb to what tempts us and what drags us down.

Whether we prefer the details provided by Mark and Luke, or the shorter version in Matthew ... whether the dialogue went exactly as Luke suggests, or not, this is a true story we are reading. This is very much about us. If your tendency is to dismiss it as superstition, perhaps you should think again. Maybe its not the story that is your problem; maybe its your demons.