The swineherds ran off and told it in the city and in the country. Then people came to see what it was that had happened. They came to Jesus and saw the demoniac sitting there, clothed and in his right mind, the very man who had had the legion; and they were afraid.
˜ Mark 5:14-15
In today's passage from Mark, Jesus casts out demons from a man in the region of the Gerasenes. To our modern minds, this man would seem to be suffering from mental illness or some physical illness that caused him to live out a tortured existence. After Jesus orders, "Come out of the man, you unclean spirit!", the demons call out to Jesus, begging him to send them into a herd of swine.
Why does Jesus pause after commanding the demons to leave the man? Why does he ask the demon its name, which it says is Legion because "we are many?" Why does he listen to their request and grant it?
There are many theories as to why Jesus seems to grant mercy on the legion of demons. The one I identify with the most is that Jesus is showing his power over everything, including evil. We humans have no idea what "demons" really are, and we have no clear indication of God's relationship to these "demons" in the wider context of creation. Jesus shows us here that there are still many things we do not know. In that time and place, people who suffered from mental illness were said to be possessed by evil spirits. We now know that these things can be a manifestation of genetics or environment and often relate to brain chemistry and structure, but we still have no idea why these circumstances occur or why they are part of God's creation.
I have seen many friends and family members beset by their own demons of addiction and alcoholism. It is heartbreaking to watch good people in the throes of something that overtakes their true selves and seeks to destroy them. When I ask God to help these people, I don't ask God to treat their symptoms. Instead, I ask God to transform their souls so that they can return to themselves.
Reflect: Can you take these questions into your prayer life? Can you ask God to help you understand why these "demons" are among us?
This Lenten Meditation can be found at Episcopal Relief and Development