Demonic at the Tombs

yesterday Jesus expels a Demon from a man in the synagogue, and today he is confronted by a similar situation amongst the tombs at the edge of a village.  Jesus sends the demons into a herd of pigs, which are hurled into the sea.  But rather than welcoming Jesus, they are afraid of him and ask him to leave.

We we think about Demons and Evil we often think about movies where there is screaming and strange happenings.  We are fearful of the images of evil and do our best to make it through the movie.  We tell ourselves that this must be what possession is like, and how Satan interacts in our lives.  But evil is much more subtle and tries to convince us that everything is nice and good.  Or, out of fear of the 'cure,' we decide not to confront what we know is evil.

For the people of this village the demoniac was a fearful sight, but since he stayed among the tombs, they tolerated him.  It is easy for us to begin to tolerate Sin and Evil.  I consider the times when parents decide to say nothing about their child's lifestyle choices, in order to keep peace in the family.  We ignore drinking or abuse, so as not to 'make matters worse.'  Addictions to pornography for instance, begins with soft-porn, or very safe and seemingly innocent imagery.  Our defenses are worn down.

Throughout Mark's Gospel Jesus conveys an urgency about the Kingdom of God, and the importance of Discipleship.  Disciples should know that the preaching and proclamation of the Word of God are most important.  So we focus on the things of God.  In response to our words, actions, and desires, we have to be honest with ourselves.  I have asked our young people sometimes whether they would be comfortable if their parents suddenly appeared at the lunch table, or the bus ride home from school.  They all admit that these would be moments of embarrassment because of their discussion or jokes.

Even more so we are challenged to be vigilant and on guard in relationship to Sin and Evil.  We all have weak moments and temptations, but we are to be centered on what is good and true.  There is a problem if we start excusing ourselves from right responses or virtuous decisions.  We cannot tolerate evil because we do not want to 'hurt feelings' or 'rock the boat.'

We are challenged to stay close to the Word of God, and proclaim his truth in all that we see and hear.