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Gospel: Matthew 8:28-34
When Jesus came to the territory of the Gadarenes,
two demoniacs who were coming from the tombs met him.
They were so savage that no one could travel by that road.
They cried out, “What have you to do with us, Son of God?
Have you come here to torment us before the appointed time?”
Some distance away a herd of many swine was feeding.
The demons pleaded with him,
“If you drive us out, send us into the herd of swine.”
And he said to them, “Go then!”
They came out and entered the swine,
and the whole herd rushed down the steep bank into the sea
where they drowned.
The swineherds ran away,
and when they came to the town they reported everything,
including what had happened to the demoniacs.
Thereupon the whole town came out to meet Jesus,
and when they saw him they begged him to leave their district.
The Gospel of the Lord.
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From a Jewish perspective, this might be the most ritually impure scene in all of the Gospels.
There are demons, dead bodies, and pigs, all present in Gentile territory, the sworn enemies of the Jews.
Why would Jesus lead his followers into such a dark and filthy place?
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By entering into “forbidden” territory, Jesus reveals concern for everyone.
While the Jews held a very exclusive idea of God – he belonged only to the ritually pure, Jesus reveals that God is the Good Shepherd, who seeks out all of his creation, even those who are lost in the darkness.
Then Jesus reveals the depths of this power.
He not only has the ability to still stormy seas or to heal leprosy; he also has power over evil. “If you drive us out,” the demons say to him in today’s Gospel, “then send us into the herd of swine.”
“And he said to them, ‘Go then!’”
And off they went.
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So, what does this mean for us?
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Jesus is not afraid of any area of our life, even parts of ourselves that, at times, we may want to hide.
Unlike the villagers in the Gospel, who begged the Lord to leave, may we embrace the Lord, allowing him to cast out what doesn’t belong to Him, to heal us, and to set us free.
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Image credits: (1) Mary-Medium (2) Christian Art (3) PngTree