In this morning‘s gospel reading from Mark, we read another story of the son of God conquering evil. A man who has been “dwelling among the tombs“ and was filled with an unclean spirit approached Jesus and begged for mercy.
Jesus communicates with the legion of evil spirits, takes them from the man, and puts them into the nearby swine. The swine, numbering around 2,000, rush down a steep hill and throw themselves into the sea to be drowned.
The author of the Gospel of Mark tells us that the swineherds, those caring for the swine, ran away and reported the incident in town and throughout the countryside.
I wonder what they said.
If these people were in charge of the pigs and the pigs are now dead, I can’t imagine they were happy about that. If this is how they made their living, were they overwhelmed by Jesus’ power over evil, over nature, over animals, over their livelihood? Or were they just really mad? It must’ve been quite a sight for 2,000 pigs to throw themselves into the water, but I imagine the cost of this endeavor complicates life for the swineherds.
I’ve often wondered when we read about these great signs of wonder what the other side reports. Everyone was thrilled when Jesus took two loaves and five fish and fed thousands. But if you were in the marketplace that day and didn’t get to sell food to anyone because Jesus had fed all the people, you didn’t make any money that day. Was that upsetting?
When Jesus healed the centurion’s slave, did the slave have to continue to be a slave or was he set free?
People often say that there are two sides to every story. My father used to say there were three side. My side, your side, and the truth that lies somewhere in between our own interpretations. But now we cannot even agree on what truth really is…. and that should concern all of us.
Anyway, I thought about this reading this morning as we look around and see how divided we are as a country and as a church.
There is always a cost to fighting evil. For the swineherds, the cost was their livelihood. I wonder if they really were thrilled that the man was freed from his evil spirits at the cost of all those pigs. Maybe. Maybe not.
People were fed, literally and figuratively, but shopkeepers made no money that day.
A slave is healed. But he is still a slave.
If we are the people of faith, there really should only be one side to every story. That side includes goodness, holiness, joy. You know the list.
Resentment has no place in the kingdom of God. Neither does nationalism.
In Christ there is no right or left. There is no black or white. There is no we or they. Saint Paul made that clear.
The faithful are never called to warfare or violence or insurrection. Only peace.
Religion, if you study it, can be tied to some of the worst of human behaviors.
Faith, if you live it, is only tied to love.
This week, let us strive to be people of faith.