Louise McEvoy, Adult Ministries Associate, Occasional Outsider

Mark 5:2-9 (The Voice)

2-3 When Jesus came ashore there, He was immediately met by a man who was tortured by an evil spirit. This man lived in the cemeteries, and no one could control him—not even those who tried to tie him up or chain him. 4 He had often been bound in chains, but his strength was so great that he could break the chains and tear the irons loose from his feet and hands. No one and nothing could subdue him. 5 Day and night, he lurked among the tombs or ran mad in the hills, and the darkness made him scream or cut himself with sharp-edged stones. 6 When this man saw Jesus coming in the distance, he ran to Him and fell to his knees in front of Him. 7-8 Jesus started commanding the unclean spirit.

Jesus: Come out of that man, you wicked spirit!

Unclean Spirit (shouting): What’s this all about, Jesus, Son of the Most High? In the name of God, I beg You—don’t torture me!

Jesus: 9 What is your name?

Unclean Spirit: They call me “Legion,” for there are thousands of us in this body.

Reflection:

Outsiders are people who stand out in my memory. In middle school, it was a boy who told everyone he was Inspector Gadget and stayed in character while at school. In movies, I think of Edward Scissorhands. My heart still hurts when I think of Edward. It was such a profound visual for me that I have never watched the movie again.

 

It is clear that the man in this passage is an outsider, even as seen by our 21st Century eyes. Merriam-Webster’s definition is “a person who does not belong to a particular group.” This man resided in the cemeteries. I am going to guess that he did not belong to any group. This translation says that the man was tortured by an evil spirit. The NRSV translation says he is “with an unclean spirit.” Also, it seems that community members attempted to control and bind him, but they were unsuccessful. Verse 5 describes more nuisance behavior and even self-inflicted harm. I imagine he was completely broken in every way—physically, emotionally, and spiritually. He has nothing to lose and runs up to Jesus, dropping to his knees.

 

Now, you may be asking…Were those demonic beings possessing him? That is above my pay grade and I kindly ask you to talk to one of our incredible pastors. What I keep seeing is this man’s brokenness. In Verse 9, we learn that he is indeed filled with many, many struggles. Jesus sees all of it as well and addresses this issue immediately by commanding “it” to leave the man’s body. Next, Jesus asked for its name. 

 

We too can identify and acknowledge our internal “demons” so we can ask for help. Fortunately for us, Jesus sees all of our brokenness and is willing to help all who come to him. Later in this passage, Jesus completely heals the man (Verse 13) and later instructs him to spread the good news (Verse 19). My hope is that this man, this outsider, is fully restored internally. I hope he walked away from his residential tomb life to a restored community life. I hope Jesus changed his life forever.

 

With our faith, we too have this same gift in Christ. He can offer us holistic healing in his timing. There is nothing to hide from him. He knows all and loves us anyway. The road to recovery and restoration can be a very bumpy road but have faith and believe that God is our Great Physician, our Wonderful Counselor, and our Ultimate Healer who travels with us.

 

Prayer:

Ultimate Healer, help us name and identify our brokenness, even if it is buried under years of shame. Shed light on it to allow our recovery to begin. We surrender our brokenness to you and recognize the journey to healing must be with and through you. Hear our prayers. Amen.