An Alternative Community for Those Not Communitied

Briefly exploring the depths story of the healed Gerasene

It’s Saturday…this entry is a bit longer than usual. You are invited to spend some time with it.

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The story of the Gerasene demoniac is one of the most vivid and detailed accounts of Jesus’ healing ministry. Except for Jesus’ own arrest and passion, it’s the longest story in Mark. This gospel writer is usually brief and to the point with healing stories. This one sits apart from the rest. It offers a profound glimpse into the transformative power of Christ and the ways in which his presence disrupts and reorders the world.

From the earliest days of the church, the story has been read as an allegory of sorts for humanity’s enslavement to sin and the liberating power of Christ. Early church fathers saw a reflection of the spiritual bondage that all humanity faces in the demoniac’s torment. So when Jesus drives out the legion of demons, it fleshed out the restoration of the divine image in humanity and the reclaiming of one’s true self. The narrative stands as a powerful testament to Jesus’ mission to free all who are oppressed, whether by sin, societal structures, or internal turmoil.

In modern scholarship, the story has been interpreted through a socio-political lens. The name Legion is a direct reference to a Roman military unit, suggesting the story also symbolizes the impact of oppressive forces on individuals and communities. The demons’ expulsion into the herd of pigs and their subsequent demise is an act of Jesus’ authority over the powers that oppress and dehumanize. As such, this emphasizes that Jesus’ mission is not only personal but also profoundly political, confronting and dismantling structures of injustice.

On another another level, the story resonates with contemporary experience. The man’s torment and isolation can be likened to severe mental and emotional suffering. Jesus’ healing restores not only his physical and spiritual well-being but also his place in the community. It’s a reminder that the work of Christ is holistic, bringing healing to the whole person and reintegrating those who have been cast out.

All these perspectives, regardless of focal point, result in the calling of the church to be an alternative witness in the world. Just as Jesus restored the demoniac and sent him back to his community as a witness to God’s mercy, the church is called to embody and proclaim the transformative power of Christ. This means not only preaching liberation but also living it out in tangible ways—by welcoming the marginalized, confronting injustice, and cultivating communities of compassion and hope.

In a world that often feels as fragmented and tormented as the man in the tombs, the church’s role is to be a living testimony to the healing and restoring power of Christ. Can we claim this? We are called to be a community where those who have been outcast or forgotten can find belonging and where the good news of the kingdom is not just heard but seen and felt.

Mark 5:1-20

Jesus and his disciples came to the other side of the lake, to the region of the Gerasenes. As soon as Jesus got out of the boat, a man possessed by an evil spirit came out of the tombs. This man lived among the tombs, and no one was ever strong enough to restrain him, even with a chain. He had been secured many times with leg irons and chains, but he broke the chains and smashed the leg irons. No one was tough enough to control him. Night and day in the tombs and the hills, he would howl and cut himself with stones. When he saw Jesus from far away, he ran and knelt before him, shouting, “What have you to do with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? Swear to God that you won’t torture me!”

He said this because Jesus had already commanded him, “Unclean spirit, come out of the man!”

Jesus asked him, “What is your name?”

He responded, “Legion is my name, because we are many.” They pleaded with Jesus not to send them out of that region.

A large herd of pigs was feeding on the hillside. “Send us into the pigs!” they begged. “Let us go into the pigs!” Jesus gave them permission, so the unclean spirits left the man and went into the pigs. Then the herd of about two thousand pigs rushed down the cliff into the lake and drowned.

Those who tended the pigs ran away and told the story in the city and in the countryside. People came to see what had happened. They came to Jesus and saw the man who used to be demon-possessed. They saw the very man who had been filled with many demons sitting there fully dressed and completely sane, and they were filled with awe. Those who had actually seen what had happened to the demon-possessed man told the others about the pigs. Then they pleaded with Jesus to leave their region.

While he was climbing into the boat, the one who had been demon-possessed pleaded with Jesus to let him come along as one of his disciples. But Jesus wouldn’t allow it. “Go home to your own people,” Jesus said, “and tell them what the Lord has done for you and how he has shown you mercy.” The man went away and began to proclaim in the Ten Cities all that Jesus had done for him, and everyone was amazed.

Psalm 107:13-16

So they cried out to the Lord in their distress, and God saved them from their desperate circumstances. God brought them out from the darkness and deep gloom; he shattered their chains. Let them thank the Lord for his faithful love and his wondrous works for all people, because God has shattered bronze doors and split iron bars in two!

Prayer

God,

Thank you for breaking chains and bringing restoration.

As we speak out for those who are marginalized and in need of your liberating power, don’t let our passion in words become a substitute for real action. Further, even as we cry out for justice amongst our politics and government, let us not get lost in it. Help us to embody your compassion in tangible ways even now—while others do not—thus your Church becoming a community that truly bears witness to your mercy and justice wherever it is at.

By your Spirit & in Christ,
Amen.