What Type of Animal are You?
On Sunday, May 7th Pastor Eric shared a conversation he'd recently had with a friend. He talked about one of those personality tests that states what type of animal you are: a lion, an otter, a beaver, or a golden retriever. He told his friend that he was a lion. While usually tame, if backed into a corner he would not hesitate to claw, bite, and kill his way out. But upon reflection, he realized that it had been quite some time since he'd reacted that way... in fact, the work he had been doing to soften some of his "rougher edges" was apparent. Jesus had been changing him, indeed!
And so he pointed out that, "I was allowing the reality of who I WAS to define the reality of who I AM! I WAS, but I no longer AM."
Our talk picks up right after Jesus and his disciples have sailed across the Sea of Galilee and entered Gerasenes. This was a Gentile area, so Jesus was not well known in the region. In the first few verses of Mark 5, we meet a man with an "impure spirit" who lived in the tombs. We also hear about him in Luke 8, where we are told that he wandered around naked, with no shame. Upon meeting this man, Jesus learned that many had tried to bind him with chains, but he would break them, and no one was strong enough to subdue him. And so he stayed among the tombs and the hills, where he would cry out and cut himself with stones.
How We Cope or Self-Medicate
We often hear about the relevancy of the Bible in today's world, and this story is no exception. Cutting is a huge issue in our culture, specifically in younger people. It is likely that this man, not only being tortured by impure spirits, was forced to isolate after being driven from society. He was so overwhelmed by the darkness in his life, in himself, that he was cutting himself with rocks. Did it hurt? Without a doubt. But, it was a pain he could control. And it probably helped to numb the pain he would feel for the rest of his life. It's the same today- cutting is a distraction from the hard realities of life. It's a way that we can take control of our own pain. And isn't cutting just one of many ways we turn to distract ourselves from pain? Whether it's booze, hopping from one relationship to another, throwing ourselves into work, buying ALL the things we can't afford, watching porn, or cutting, the options to numb out the pain are endless. I'm sure many of us can relate to the feelings this man had- possessed by substances, desires, or spirits that we know are not from God, feelings of vulnerability, shame, loneliness, loss of control, or perhaps a desire to do harm to ourselves. And of all the people he could run into, he finds himself face to face with Jesus.
In the next couple of verses, we hear the conversation between the two. The man says to Jesus, "What do you want with me? Don't torture me!" Which is a bit ironic, considering he lives alone in a graveyard, naked, howling and cutting himself, after being shunned- and occasionally bound up- by his fellow townspeople. And he doesn't want Jesus to torture him? It seems as if his life can only get better from here! But despite living a desolate life alone and tortured, there was security in what he already knew. And the enemy used that by planting the fear that Jesus may take away all that he knew. Don't we struggle with this very fear? That the pain we know is safer than the hope we don't know. How many of us have stayed in relationships that were toxic or abusive because at least we knew what to expect? How many of us have stayed in jobs that we couldn't stand, because the fear of starting something new or taking a risk was greater than the dissatisfaction of the current role? How many couples give up on their marriage, lacking any passion or adventure, because leaving is easier than putting in the work to build a healthy relationship? And how many of us have been in the clutches of addiction, slapping freedom down because the security of a bottle, some pills, a website or video game gave us a sense of security. Haven't we all cried out, "Please Jesus, don't torture me with hope of a better life"? Jesus knew how much this man had suffered. But he also knew that there was hope for this man. He knew the story that had yet to be written was far greater, and he invited him to step into this new story.
After Jesus commanded the spirits to come out of the man, he asked, "What is your name?" And he replied, "My name is Legion, for we are many." In Rome, a legion was somewhere between 4000 to 6000 soldiers. This name tells us that there were a lot of impure spirits living in this poor man! But, because Jesus was well, Jesus, the spirits knew their time had come. They asked to be sent into some nearby pigs, and that was what Jesus did. Immediately, the entire herd ran into the water and drowned. The folks that had been tending the pigs ran and told those living in the town and countryside what they had just witnessed. As people showed up to see for themselves, they walked into quite a scene; there were somewhere around 2000 deceased pigs floating in the water, and the previously mad, naked man was now seated calmly and fully dressed. They recognized that Jesus was extremely powerful, but this power threatened their way of life, as well as their economy. They began to plead with Jesus to leave, and leave He did.
But only after telling the man, "Go home to your own people and tell them how much the Lord has done for you, and how he has mercy on you." While this isn't the happy ending we may have hoped for, it's a happy ending nonetheless! Why? Because this man had a story to tell! The tale of the Crazy Cemetery Guy was probably told for years... Parents probably told their kids, "If you don't finish your dinner, Crazy Cemetery Guy is going to get you!". Kids probably dared one another to head out to the cemetery at night. Locals sometimes heard his howling off in the distance. This man was known. And now everyone hears his testimony. He travels from town to town telling everyone, "Yeah, that WAS me, that WAS my story. I WAS alone, hateful, angry, violent, possessed. And then one day, I came face to face with Jesus. And in His mercy, He spoke a few simple words to me and my life changed forever. I stand before you as a new man today. I AM free. I AM made new. I AM who He says I am."
New Story - I WAS, but now I AM
What Jesus did in His short interaction with the man was give him a new story. He looked beyond the demons, the bitterness, and the hurt, and he believed that something greater was in store for him. He gave him a new future and a new life. And then he told him to go tell everyone about the wonderful things the Lord had done for him. This applies to each of us today. If you are a follower of Jesus Christ, you have a story to tell. You might feel that yours is not as dramatic as this man's, but it is a story worth telling.
Pastor Eric has shared his story with us before... in his early adult years, he shares that he was a judgmental, religious, and self-righteous Christian man. He measured everyone up to a standard that he had created, and if you didn't meet that standard, he didn't have time for you. But then, he came face to face with Jesus in a new way and all of the old was ripped away and he was made new. Made new by His mercy and grace, and a new understanding of His love. And Eric was a new man after that encounter.
We ALL have a story to tell. And while we may respond like the man in this story did, begging, "Jesus, can I go with you?", He will tell us the same; go and tell EVERYONE what the Lord has done for you!
Perhaps you have yet to have an encounter with Jesus. Or maybe there is something in your life that you need Him to talk away- addiction, fear, loneliness, self-hatred. Jesus wants to restore you, but you have to be willing to let go of the safe and familiar if you're going to experience new life. You have to welcome the opportunity to say, "I was allowing the reality of who I WAS to define the reality of who I AM! I WAS, but I no longer AM."
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