A.
BACKGROUND
... My personal study Bible (fyi, Thompson Chain Reference, New International Version, or NIV) divides Jesus' three-year public ministry into three sections: The Year of Inauguration, The Year of Popularity, and The Year of Opposition. In other words, Jesus gets started, people like him, the powers that be turn against him. In the Year of Inauguration Jesus is born and raised, gets baptized, gathers some disciples, starts teaching and showing and healing. We are now into the Year of Popularity. His views on God and personal behavior, and his outreach to everyone with a loving touch that often healed, led to great interest and crowds and appreciation.
B. TODAY, ... Luke 8:19-39
C. SUMMARY ... Adding Mark's account to Luke's, Jesus' family shows up, greatly concerned about his mental health. When informed that his mother and brothers wanted to see him, he used the occasion to offer an important teaching - that his true family are "those who hear God's word and put it into practice." (Luke 8:21). On a lake trip Jesus awes and frightens the disciples by calming a dangerous storm. Then comes the story of Legion. Legion got his nickname by being possessed by a "legion" (lots) of demons, leading to violent and scary behavior that threatened the whole town. Jesus engages with the demons and, at their suggestion, he "exorcises" them out of Legion into a herd of pigs who, themselves, go crazy and fall off a cliff. The man is healed back to normal. But the townsfolk are freaked out by Jesus' power, and beg him to leave. Legion wants to join Jesus but he is told to stay there and be a witness to God's great love.
D. KEY POINTS:
1.
MOTHER'S DAY for Jesus. We just had a wonderful "Mother's Day" at church. With two very different services, it was beautiful, emotional, and inspiring. There were tears, memories, and stories. "Sweet", in the best sense of the word. But this visit from Jesus' Mom and brothers was not sweet. They were driven by concern for her son's well-being, fearful that he was "out of his mind" (Mark 3:21). Some religious leaders said he was possessed! Look at it from his family's perspective. Jesus was middle-aged, no wife, no kids, no job, he talks with demons, and some want to kill him. Yet we know from other scriptures that Jesus' family stuck by him. He won them over. Let's face it, family dynamics are always complicated, even in the Holy Family! Parents have their hopes and expectations. Children want to choose their own path. Siblings have their own issues. Jesus' family had every right to challenge him. Jesus had every right to stay the course. Jesus uses this occasion to dare us to broaden our definition of family. In our church we always refer to our "Greenfield Hill Church Family". Blood is important, a source of pride and loyalty, true enough. But Jesus offers a broader identity within the framework of practicing (vs. 21) our faith. Any successful team, business, endeavor, or family needs people who will put into practice the core values espoused. Shared values create a great bond.
2. DEMONS! Really??! Let's start with the worldview of Jesus' time (2,000 years ago). For people then, and many today, the universe is populated by unseen forces, both good (angels) and bad (demons). They compete for attention, enticing us, taking "possession" of us for good or ill. President Obama, quoting Abraham Lincoln, spoke about our "better angels" as a driving force to be a better nation. The reverse is true when we view certain nations or leaders as evil, demonic, in league with the devil. In each case it is a matter of choosing which force to allow to own us. So, if evil demons can be let in, they can also be extracted, i.e. "exorcism". Jump ahead to the western world in 2018, our worldview is more sensitive to physical maladies (epilepsy, etc) and mental illnesses that manifest themselves in ways that are upsetting to the person and to society. Modern medicine and astute therapies enable people to be restored to "their right mind... cured" (vs. 35-36) just like Legion. Jesus enters both worldviews, he takes each situation as presented and brings healing. Common to both world views are the torment of the individual who is hurting, the stigma that results, the misunderstanding and fear of society. Jesus tells us to bring his touch to every situation, no matter the worldview. With God's love there is always hope.
