Mark 5:1-20

Hebrews 11:32-40

Psalm 31:20, 21, 22, 23, 24

Mark 5:1-20

Jesus and his disciples came to the other side of the sea,

to the territory of the Gerasenes.

When he got out of the boat,

at once a man from the tombs who had an unclean spirit met him.

The man had been dwelling among the tombs,

and no one could restrain him any longer, even with a chain.

In fact, he had frequently been bound with shackles and chains,

but the chains had been pulled apart by him and the shackles smashed,

and no one was strong enough to subdue him.

Night and day among the tombs and on the hillsides

he was always crying out and bruising himself with stones.

Catching sight of Jesus from a distance,

he ran up and prostrated himself before him,

crying out in a loud voice,

“What have you to do with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God?

I adjure you by God, do not torment me!”

(He had been saying to him, “Unclean spirit, come out of the man!”)

He asked him, “What is your name?”

He  replied, “Legion is my name.  There are many of us.”

And he pleaded earnestly with him

not to drive them away from that territory.

Now a large herd of swine was feeding there on the hillside.

And they pleaded with him,

“Send us into the swine. Let us enter them.”

And he let them, and the unclean spirits came out and entered the swine.

The herd of about two thousand rushed down a steep bank into the sea,

where they were drowned.

The swineherds ran away and reported the incident in the town

and throughout the countryside.

And people came out to see what had happened.

As they approached Jesus,

they caught sight of the man who had been possessed by Legion,

sitting there clothed and in his right mind.

And they were seized with fear.

Those who witnessed the incident explained to them what had happened

to the possessed man and to the swine.

Then they began to beg him to leave their district.

As he was getting into the boat,

the man who had been possessed pleaded to remain with him.

But Jesus would not permit him but told him instead,

“Go home to your family and announce to them

all that the Lord in his pity has done for you.”

Then the man went off and began to proclaim in the Decapolis

what Jesus had done for him; and all were amazed.

Opening Prayer: Lord God, you are all-powerful and know all things. You sent your Son into the world, knowing that he would conquer evil and open the way to salvation. You sent your Spirit into the world, knowing that he would sanctify the hearts of believers and bring all things to their consummation and good end.

Encountering the Word of God

1. Divine Authority over Demons: In the Gospel of Mark, Jesus has begun to establish his twelve apostles as the new spiritual leaders for the Kingdom of God and the new family of God. He is demonstrating his divine authority to his apostles and will soon confer a share in this same authority upon them (Mark 6:7-13). On Saturday, we heard how Jesus calmed the storm on the sea. Today, we read about Jesus’ authority over demons in Gentile territory. “Just as the stilling of the storm showed his power over the forces of destruction in nature, so the exorcism of the demoniac shows his power over the forces of destruction within the human person” (Healy, The Gospel of Mark, 98). The demon tried to gain control over Jesus by invoking his name and title, “Jesus, Son of the Most High God.” But Jesus demands the demon’s name, “Legion,” and easily exorcises the demon or demons from the possessed man. Down through the ages, exorcists have continued this practice of asking the demon’s name and driving out the demon from the possessed in the name of Jesus.

2. Go Home to your Family: The demons asked to be allowed to enter the pigs grazing on the hillside in Gentile territory. When the demons left the man and entered the swine, they were unable to control their new hosts and met a watery demise. In fact, the treacherous waters of the sea, in the Old Testament, often symbolized the abode of evil. The man who was possessed allegorically represents the Gentile nations saved by Christ. “As pagans, they once lived apart from God amid the tombs of dead works, while their sins were performed in service to demons. Through Christ, the pagans are at last cleansed and freed from Satan’s domination” (Ignatius Catholic Study Bible: Old and New Testament, 1796). The man, through his encounter with the merciful Christ, is brought from old life among the dead to new life among his family. The same happens to us in and through Baptism.

3. Old Testament Faith: After alluding to the faith of the earliest figures of the Bible (Hebrews 11:4-7), the faith of Abraham, Issac, Jacob, and Joseph (Hebrews 11:8-22), and the faith of Moses (Hebrews 11:23-31), the author speaks about the time of the judges and King David as well as the stories in the Books of the Maccabees. He mentions those who were victorious and subdued kingdoms: “Gideon, who triumphed over the Midianites thanks to his obedience and faith on God (see Judg 7:2,4,7); Barak, who triumphed over the king of Hazor (Judg 4:14-16); Jephthah, conqueror of the Ammonites (Judg 11:29-33); and David, conqueror of the Philistines (2 Sam 5:17-25)” (Vanhoye, The Letter to the Hebrews: A New Commentary, 191). The list of the triumphs of faith reaches its peak not in military victories but in the victories obtained over death itself by women who voluntarily faced affliction. The author concludes, however, that these Old Testament heroes of faith did not obtain the promise of eternal inheritance and life before the victory of Jesus Christ. “It is Christ who, through his paschal mystery, made entry into the eternal inheritance possible. He it is who has “inaugurated the way” (Hebrews 10:20). The situation of Christians is therefore better than the former situation of the believers in Old Testament times. They were not able to precede the Christians. They had to wait to be “made perfect” with them through the unique oblation of Christ (Hebrews 10:14)” (Vanhoye, The Letter to the Hebrews: A New Commentary, 194).

Conversing with Christ: Lord Jesus, make my faith in you rock solid, unwavering, and strong. May it weather the storms of life and resist the evil temptations of this world. May it flourish in good works of justice, charity, and mercy that merit eternal life.

Living the Word of God: How am I conquering evil with good in my life? What are the sinful tendencies I am working to combat this year? Have I proclaimed to others what the Lord in his mercy has done for me?