Eucharistic Gospel Reading for Sunday, Proper 7: Year C
“And they begged him repeatedly not to order them to go into the abyss.” Luke:8:31.”
Before evil shows itself, good thrives. The man in our Gospel according to Luke for today, who may even be a father, seems to be a good man who was overcome by multiple demons. It seems our Lord Jesus has dealt with these legion demon spirits in this man before. It also seems that Jesus has compassion even for the demons. All Jesus has to do is order them to go into the abyss and they must do it. The demons know who Jesus is, but we (Christians) often have a problem understanding who He is.
I’ve said this before but it’s worth pondering again. The demons ask for permission to enter the pigs near Lake Galilee. Jesus allows them to do it. So the demons enter the pigs, the pigs go into the lake. The pigs drown, but not necessarily the spirit demons. Poor pigs.
Of course being Jewish, perhaps even the Jewish Jesus would not care about swine. Or maybe Jesus did not think the demons would drive the pigs into the water. Perhaps further pondering is in order here.
The demons, which have survived multiple times of being cast out of the man who haunts the tombs, and apparently aware of the abyss, now only have to survive drowning pigs. Once in the water, they can move into the fish in the lake. It seems they only need an animal host to exist. These same fish are then caught by the very men Jesus has recruited to carry out the Gospel. Weird huh?
The healed man asks to tag alone with Jesus but he was denied. Jesus tells him to go to his home and tell the people what God has done for him. He then goes and says what “Jesus” has done for him. I hope they understood that Jesus is God Incarnate. Do we?
As we listen to what the Spirit of God is saying to us, let us live to love and to serve, and to teach others to love and to serve, while pondering anew what the Almighty can do. John
Let us pray: The Collect for This Sunday
O Lord, make us have perpetual love and reverence for your holy Name, for you never fail to help and govern those whom you have set upon the sure foundation of your loving-kindness; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
onewhoponders 