The Gadarenes were Hellenistic Jews who had taken on much of the Roman pantheon of gods. They engaged in raising swine for the Roman temple sacrifices, unclean animals in the eyes of the Jews. Jesus went out into this country to reach a person bound by oppression, destitute, and afraid. He offered to the man possessed by demons a new start, an opportunity to begin again. We don’t even know the name of the man set free. What we do know is that it required Jesus to free that man.
In our world today, we have many demons, many oppressions that harm our brothers and sisters. We often struggle with addiction, depression, and even persecution. The answer for the Christian is not to discount the other person or deny their testimony. It is to find ways to help. I do not get to tell someone else their experience is invalid, even though my head sometimes blocks my heart. Telling someone they are wrong without first addressing their feelings and fears will always result in a conflict.
The first reading gives us the key to God’s heart. He’s not looking for burnt offerings and sacrifices. He wants a loyal people who “let justice surge like water, and goodness like an unfailing stream.” I can’t change some things, but I can look around me for injustice. I can bloom where I a planted, in my community. It’s daunting sometimes to think about that. To get out of our comfort zone and go into the places that aren’t so welcoming?
Look at what Jesus did, though. He went into a place where there was an injustice, where goodness needed to flow. Even though the entire town came out to witness the events, Jesus was only able to liberate a single man. Jesus turned 180 degrees away from his destination to a territory where He was unwelcome. All of this to free one nameless captive from sin and offer him salvation. Why did the others reject Him? Jesus challenged their way of life, so they rejected Him. He showed them that their God was paltry and that He had the power to reject demons and free them. Maybe worst of all, He hit them in their pocketbooks. So they rejected Him.
What does that mean to us? How do we apply this to our lives? We need to look into our hearts. Demand better from ourselves. Ensure that justice is the goal of my life, and allow God to guide our feet into the way of peace. We must turn to Jesus for freedom from those demons and petty sins that haunt me. It is He who has the power to free us. We must not let anything stand in the way of that healing, even if it means giving up the things we hold valuable. Money, power, pleasure, honor. All these must we must sideline for the sake of eternity. It’s then that we can truly respond with the Psalm: “To the upright I will show the saving power of God.” That my friends is the goodness and mercy of God. Let us go forth and do likewise.
A reflection on the readings for Wednesday of the Thirteenth Week in Ordinary Time: July 1st, 2020.