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Proper 7
Sunday, June 23, 2019
Lectionary C
Luke 8:26-39
- Will you seek and serve Christ in all persons, loving your neighbor as yourself?
- Will you strive for justice and peace among all people and respect the dignity of every human being? (Book of Common Prayer, page 305)
Does this sound familiar? These are the last two vows in our baptismal covenant. Somehow the man in the gospel reading did not receive the respect he deserved due to his outward appearance as a demon-possessed man. He lost his identity, credibility and, most importantly, he lost his community.
Jesus is met by this unkempt man; he is naked and lives among the tombs. All of this is so countercultural to Jewish society, for the man and this place were both unclean. However, Jesus is not afraid to approach him. And before even asking his name, Jesus “commanded the unclean spirit to come out of the man” (v. 29a).
With the man in a calmer frame of mind, Jesus asked him, “What is your name?” The man replied, “Legion” (v. 30). “Legion” is a military term used by the Roman government to number the soldiers in battle. A legion was made up of 3000-6000 soldiers.
William Shakespeare wrote, “What’s in a name? That which we call a rose/ By any other name would smell as sweet.” But this was not so for Legion, whose name identified him as a man possessed with as many as 6000 demons. Both his name and his condition held him captive and trapped his entire life.
This was indeed a very sick man. Did he really know who he was?
The demons begged to be put into the nearby pigs, and the pigs rushed down an embankment into a lake, where they drowned. Legion was free!
We all possess demons that hold us captive. We are held captive by our wants and needs for more: more wealth, more promotions, more addictions and more self-centeredness. We allow our circumstances to hold us back. We allow our disappointments, setbacks and deficiencies to define us. But we are more than the labels we place on ourselves or those that people place on us. Jesus provides the way through which we can move and rise.
Roach
Gospel singer Donnie McClurkin sang, “Stand and be sure/ Be not entangled in that bondage again/ You just stand, and be sure/ God has a purpose/ Yes, God has a plan.” In the same way Jesus removed the shackles and demons from Legion, he can remove them for us. Jesus can handle all the “stuff” we bring to Him. The next unkempt person who approaches us may be the messenger Jesus is sending to get our attention.
May we be the light of Christ the “Legions” of our world so desperately need. And may we see in each other what Jesus sees in us.
– Mother Michelle Roach is priest-in-charge of Christ Church in Longwood.