NAMING​​ ONE’S BROKENNESS AS THE FIRST STEP TOWARDS HEALING

Mark 5:1-20  ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​​​  ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​​​ 9/19/21

Rev. Paul Wrightman

THIS IS ONE OF THE MOST POWERFUL HEALING STORIES

THAT WE FIND IN THE GOSPELS,

WITH SOME SIGNIFICANT IMPLICATIONS FOR​​ US

AND OUR​​ OWN​​ YEARNING FOR WHOLENESS.

BUT IT'S EASY TO GET​​ SIDETRACKED

BY A COUPLE OF VERY UNFAMILIAR ELEMENTS IN THIS NARRATIVE.

FIRST, THERE'S THE WHOLE ISSUE OF DEMON-POSSESSION.

MANY OF OUR CONTEMPORARIES​​ FLAT-OUT REJECT THE POSSIBILITY

THAT SOMEONE CAN BE "POSSESSED" BY EVIL.

RATHER THAN GETTING INTO A LENGTHY DEBATE

ABOUT THE EVIDENCE FOR AND AGAINST​​ 

THE REALITY OF THIS DIAGNOSIS,

LET'S SIMPLY​​ PRESS "PAUSE" ON THE​​ DIAGNOSTIC ASPECT​​ 

OF THIS PERSON'S ILLNESS AND FIND COMMON GROUND

IN THE FACT THAT​​ WHATEVER​​ THE​​ CAUSE​​ 

OF HIS ALARMING BEHAVIOR -- BE IT MENTAL ILLNESS,

EPILEPSY, DEMON POSSESSION, OR SOMETHING ELSE --

I THINK WE CAN ALL AGREE THAT WHATEVER THE CAUSE

OF HIS ILLNESS, THIS GUY​​ IS​​ DESPERATELY ILL.

SUFFICE IT TO SAY THAT IF THIS​​ PERSON​​ BELIEVED

THAT DEMON POSSESSION WAS THE CAUSE OF HIS TROUBLES,

THEN IT WAS DEMON POSSESSION THAT HAD TO BE DEALT WITH.

AS WITH ALL HIS HEALINGS,

JESUS DOES NOT GIVE A MEDICAL LECTURE TO SET THINGS STRAIGHT,

BUT SIMPLY​​ MEETS​​ THE SICK PERSON WHERE HE OR SHE IS​​ AT,​​ 

AND​​ HEALS.

SECOND, MANY OF US, INCLUDING MYSELF,

FIND THE DESTRUCTION OF THE HEARD OF PIGS SO OFF-PUTTING

THAT WE WANT TO REJECT THIS STORY AS A WHOLE.

ACTUALLY, WE HAVE GOOD GROUNDS IN REJECTING​​ 

THIS​​ PART​​ OF THE STORY.

MANY BIBLICAL SCHOLARS SEE THE PART ABOUT THE PIGS

AS EARLY CHRISTIAN POLITICAL PROPAGANDA AGAINST​​ ROME.

THEY AFFIRM THAT THE HEALING PART OF THIS STORY​​ 

ACTUALLY HAPPENENED, BUT STRONGLY SUSPECT​​ 

THAT THE PART ABOUT THE PIGS WAS A FANCIFUL ADDITION.

​​ 

THE WORD THE GUY USES WHEN JESUS ASKS HIM HIS NAME

IS "LEGION," THE​​ SAME​​ WORD USED TO NAME​​ 

THE ROMAN​​ MILITARY​​ LEGIONS OF THE TIME.

THE GUY DESCRIBED IN OUR TEXT AS "DEMON-POSSESSED"

HAD, AT SOME EARLIER POINT IN HIS LIFE, PROBABLY SEEN

AN ACTUAL ROMAN LEGION LUMBER BY.

HE FELT THAT HE HAD AS MANY PROBLEMS OR "DEMONS"

INSIDE HIM AS A ROMAN LEGION,​​ 

AND ADOPTED THIS AS HIS ACTUAL NAME.

THE WRITER OF OUR SCRIPTURE TEXT FOR TODAY, MARK,

WAS PROBABLY DEEPLY FRUSTRATED AT JESUS' UNWAVERING

COMMITMENT TO NONVIOLENCE -- EVEN TOWARD THE ROMANS.

HE WANTED TO SEE THE ROMANS GET THEIR JUST DESSERTS.

SO ONE THEORY ABOUT THE PART OF THIS STORY ABOUT THE PIGS

IS THAT MARK USES THE GUY'S GIVING HIS NAME AS "LEGION"

TO DO SOME WISHFUL THINKING OF HIS OWN:

LET'S HAVE THE "LEGION" OF DEMONS LEAVE THE GUY

AND ENTER THE "LEGION" OF PIGS,

AND LET'S STAMPEDE THEM OVER THE CLIFF

TO MEET THEIR UTTER DESTRUCTION.

JUST ABOUT EVERYONE LIVING IN THE ROMAN POLICE-STATE

THAT WAS ISRAEL AT THE TIME,

WOULD HAVE BEEN DELIGHTED AT THE PIGS' DEMISE.

THE PIGS REPRESENTED THE POWER OF ROME,

AND THAT POWER WAS SYMBOLICALLY BROKEN.

I WOULD SUBMIT THAT​​ THIS​​ PART OF OUR STORY

WAS​​ NEVER​​ INTENDED TO BE TAKEN​​ LITERALLY,

BUT SERVES VERY MUCH AS A POLITICAL​​ CARTOON​​ OF THAT TIME.

SO…LET'S NOT GET HUNG UP ON THE INS AND OUTS​​ 

OF DEMON POSSESSION OR THE VERY DISTURBING SCENE

OF THE PIGS SELF-DESTRUCTING.

THE "DEMON-POSSESSION" WAS PROBABLY A FORM

OF SEVERE MENTAL ILLNESS,

AND THE PLUNGING PIGS POLITICAL PROPAGANDA AIMED AT ROME.

(PAUSE)

IMAGINE A VETERAN KINDERGARTEN TEACHER​​ 

DURING HER MORNING ROUTINE.

FIRST SHE GREETS​​ EACH CHILD BY THEIR FIRST NAME AT THE DOOR.

AFTER THE STUDENTS HAVE STASHED THEIR BELONGINGS,

SHE TAKES A VERBAL ROLL CALL.

SHE CALLS EACH STUDENT BY HIS OR HER FULL NAME --

FIRST, MIDDLE, LAST -- THEIR SERIOUS​​ ADULT​​ NAMES

THAT THEIR 5-YEAR-OLD BODIES HAVE YET TO GROW INTO.

AND EACH CHILD, APPARENTLY ACCUSTOMED TO THIS ROUTINE,

ANSWERS HER WITH A DECISIVE "PRESENT."

WHAT DOES IT MEAN FOR SOMEONE TO CALL US​​ 

BY OUR FULL NAME?

WHAT DOES IT MEAN FOR SOMEONE TO​​ KNOW​​ OUR NAME

AND TO​​ CARE​​ THAT WE ARE​​ PRESENT​​ WHEN OUR NAME IS CALLED?

OUR SCRIPTURE TEXT FOR THIS MORNING

IS ULTIMATELY A STORY ABOUT THE POWER OF NAMING NAMES.

THE "DEMON-POSSESSED" MAN KNOWS EXACTLY WHO​​ JESUS​​ IS,

NAMING HIM, "JESUS, SON OF THE MOST HIGH GOD."

AND WHILE THE MAN IS IN THE PROCESS OF BEGGING JESUS

NOT TO TORMENT HIM, JESUS ASKS A QUESTION

TO WHICH HE SURELY ALREADY KNEW THE ANSWER:

"WHAT IS YOUR NAME?"

IT IS THIS​​ QUESTION,

AND NOT THE ANSWER THAT THE MAN GIVES,

THAT REVEALS THE TRUE LESSON OF THIS STORY.

NAMES IN THE ANCIENT WORLD CARRIED GREAT VALUE​​ 

AND IMPORTANCE, FOR NOT ONLY DID A NAME​​ IDENTIFY​​ SOMEONE,

IT EXPRESSED THE ESSENTIAL​​ NATURE​​ OF ITS BEARER;

IN OTHER WORDS, TO KNOW THE​​ NAME​​ WAS TO KNOW THE​​ PERSON.

WHEN JESUS ASKS THE GUY IN OUR STORY HIS NAME,

HE PROVOKES THE MAN TO IDENTIFY​​ 

HIS TRUE NATURE AND ESSENCE,

TO PROCLAIM HOW HE​​ UNDERSTANDS​​ HIMSELF.

WHEN THE MAN ANSWERS THAT HIS NAME IS "LEGION,"

THE READER KNOWS THAT NOT ONLY HAS HE​​ FORGOTTEN

HIS​​ TRUE​​ NAME, BUT ALSO THAT HIS VERY​​ IDENTITY

HAS BECOME HIS DEMON-POSSESSED CONDITION.

USING MILITARY LANGUAGE, THE TERM "LEGION"

REFERS TO THE VARIOUS CONFLICTS AND INNER TURMOIL

THAT HAD SO AFFLICTED HIM​​ 

THAT HE HAD BEEN SHACKLED IN CHAINS

AND FORCED TO LIVE APART FROM HIS COMMUNITY.

THESE INNER DEMONS WERE SO GREAT IN NUMBER

THAT THEY WERE LIKE A ROMAN MILITARY FORCE

ENCAMPED WITHIN HIS SOUL.

SO WHEN THE MAN ANSWERS THAT HIS NAME IS "LEGION,"

WE KNOW THAT THIS IS A MAN WHO HAS LOST​​ EVERYTHING​​ --

HIS IDENTITY, HIS FAMILY, HIS FRIENDS, AND HIS TRUE NAME.

THIS QUESTION "WHAT IS YOUR NAME?",

PROMPTS THE VERBAL IDENTIFICATION OF THOSE FORCES

THAT HAD​​ STOLEN​​ THIS MAN'S JOY, PEACE, AND SANITY.

IN HIS OWN DAY LABELING THESE FORCES AS "DEMONS"

MADE SENSE.

WHEN​​ JESUS​​ ASKS A QUESTION, HOWEVER,

WE KNOW THAT THE QUESTION WAS NOT INTENDED

JUST FOR HIS​​ OWN​​ TIME AND PLACE,

BUT WAS INTENDED TO REVERBERATE DOWN THE CENTURIES,

TO APPLY TO​​ ALL​​ PEOPLE IN​​ ALL​​ TIMES AND PLACES.

THE CONTEMPORARY READER OF THIS ANCIENT TEXT

IS INVITED TO THINK ABOUT WHAT IS LEGION​​ 

IN HIS OR HER OWN LIFE.

WE,​​ THEN, ARE INVITED TO NAME​​ OUR​​ FEARS, OUR BROKENNESS,

AND OUR TROUBLED INTERIOR PLACES.

WHEN JESUS ASKS THE "DEMON-POSSESSED" MAN

"WHAT IS YOUR NAME?",

HE BEGINS THE FIRST STEP IN THE HEALING PROCESS:

NAMING​​ THAT WHICH HAS CAUSED THE HARM.

THE FIRST STEP IN THE WORK OF HEALING, RECONCILIATION,

AND RESTORATION IS TO NAME NAMES.

AND IF WE'RE HONEST, THE QUESTION "WHAT IS YOUR NAME?"

OFTEN PUTS US FACE TO FACE WITH OUR OWN BROKENNESS.

IT GIVES US THE OPPORTUNITY​​ 

TO NAME THAT WHICH HAS BROKEN US,

WHICH IS​​ ALMOST ALWAYS THE FIRST STEP TOWARD HEALING.

THE FIRST STEP, THEN, IN DEVELOPING A​​ NEW​​ IDENTITY,

IS TO SQUARELY FACE THE DEAD-END WHICH AN OLD IDENTITY​​ 

HAS BEEN FOR US.

THUS, THE TRADITION IN ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS

OF INTRODUCING ONESELF AS AN ALCOHOLIC.

IDENTITY-THEFT, HOWEVER,​​ COMES IN​​ MANY​​ FORMS.

ALCOHOL-ADDICTION IS ONE.

ANOTHER IS THE REQUIRED TATTOO WHICH ALMOST ALL GANGS

INSIST ON. ​​ 

IT IS A VISUAL WAYS OF SHOWING THAT THE GANG MEMBER​​ 

NO LONGER BELONGS TO​​ HIMSELF, BUT TO THE​​ GANG.

FATHER GREGORY BOYLE, FOUNDER AND DIRECTOR

OF HOMEBOY INDUSTRIES IN EAST LOS ANGELES,

HAS PUT TOGETHER A TEAM OF PHYSICIANS

TRAINED TO REMOVE THE TATTOOS OF EX-GANG MEMBERS.

THIS SERVICE IS CRUCIAL FOR THEIR SUCCESS​​ 

IN MAKING IT OUTSIDE THE GANG.

GANG-RELATED TATTOOS PREVENT MANY FORMER GANG MEMBERS

FROM GETTING JOBS OR ADVANCING IN WORK.

FOR OTHERS, THE MARKING PUT THEM IN SERIOUS DANGER

ON THE STREETS.

THERE IS NO FEE OR COMMUNITY SERVICE REQUIRED

TO RECEIVE THE SERVICE OFFERED BY HOMEBOY INDUSTRIES;

TATTOO REMOVAL IS STRICTLY A​​ GIFT.

THE SEEMING PERMANENCE OF A GANG​​ TATTOO

FOSTERS THE ATTITUDE THAT THE​​ GANG'S​​ CLAIM

IS​​ ALSO​​ PERMANENT.

IT IS A MARK OF​​ OWNERSHIP​​ AS WELL AS IDENTITY.

THE EMOTIONAL CONSEQUENCE IS THAT THE TIE

SEEMS A PART OF A PERSON THAT CAN​​ NEVER​​ BE SHAKEN.

I SUSPECT SOME OF US HAVE FELT LIKE THIS

WITH PAST ATTITUDES AND ACTIONS OF BROKENNESS​​ 

IN OUR LIVES.

PERHAPS THE IMAGE OF TATTOO​​ REMOVAL

CAN EVOKE A RENEWED SENSE OF OUR BLESSED ASSURANCE.

LIKE FORMER GANG MEMBERS​​ 

WHO HAVE HAD THE MARKS OF A FORMER LIFE REMOVED,

SO ATTITUDES AND ACTIONS OF BROKENNESS IN OUR LIVES

ARE GRADUALLY ERASED THROUGH OUR IDENTIFICATION

WITH OUR NEW LIFE IN CHRIST.

BACK TO OUR SCRIPTURE TEXT:

THE "DEMON-POSSESSED" MAN, THE STORY TELLS US,

WALKED AROUND A GRAVEYARD DAY AND NIGHT,

HOWLING AND BRUISING HIMSELF WITH STONES,

CONSTANTLY WRENCHING HIS SHACKLES AND BREAKING HIS CHAINS.

HE HAS BEEN OSTRACIZED FROM HIS VILLAGE

AND CONDEMNED AS RITUALLY UNCLEAN​​ 

AND THEREFORE NOT WORTHY OF BEING INTEGRATED

BACK INTO HIS COMMUNITY.

HIS FAMILY HAS ABANDONED HIM,

AND NO ONE IS ABLE TO SUBDUE HIM​​ 

OR EVEN GET CLOSE ENOUGH TO COMFORT HIM.

AND YET​​ JESUS​​ STILL CONSIDERS HIM WORTHY OF ATTENTION.

JESUS NOT ONLY SEES THE MAN'S DISTRESSING​​ CONDITION.

BY ASKING HIS​​ NAME,

JESUS SEES​​ BEYOND​​ THE MAN'S​​ 

PHYSICAL CIRCUMSTANCES AND PSYCHOLOGICAL STATE.

JESUS AFFIRMS THAT THIS BROKEN MAN

IS​​ STILL​​ SOMEONE WORTHY OF DIGNITY, RESPECT,​​ 

AND RESTORATION TO HIS RIGHTFUL NAME AND IDENTITY.

BY THE END OF THE STORY,

THE MAN WHO IS KNOWN IN THE BIBLICAL TEXT​​ 

ONLY BY HIS CONDITION, "THE GERASENE DEMONIAC,"

IS MADE WHOLE AND RESTORED TO HIS COMMUNITY,

PROCLAIMING THE GOOD NEWS OF WHAT JESUS HAS DONE.

BY FOCUSING ON THE "WHAT IS YOUR NAME?" QUESTION

THAT JESUS POSES IN THIS TEXT,

WE CAN​​ SHIFT​​ OUR ATTENTION​​ AWAY​​ FROM​​ 

THE BEHAVIOR OF SO-CALLED DEMON-POSSESSION

AND​​ ONTO​​ THE​​ HEALING​​ AND​​ RESTORATION​​ POSSIBLE

WHEN SOMEONE WHO HAS LOST EVERYTHING AND EVERYONE

IS FINALLY SEEN AS FULLY HUMAN​​ 

AND STILL WORTHY OF LOVE AND RECOGNITION.

GIVEN HIS OWN EMPHASIS ON COMPASSION, FORGIVENESS AND,

MOST OF ALL,​​ LOVE​​ THROUGHOUT HIS ENTIRE MINISTRY,

I THINK WE CAN SAFELY SAY​​ 

THAT ONE OF JESUS' OWN FAVORITE LINES OF POETRY

IS ONE FOUND IN OUR SONNET FROM SHAKESPEARE

IN THE "AS WE GATHER" SECTION OF THIS MORNING'S BULLETIN:

LOVE IS NOT LOVE WHICH ALTERS WHEN IT ALTERATION FINDS.

LOVE IS NOT LOVE WHICH ALTERS WHEN IT ALTERATION FINDS.

ALL​​ OF US, LIKE THE BROKEN MAN IN TODAY'S SCRIPTURE,

ARE DAMAGED GOODS.

WE'RE DAMAGED BY OTHER PEOPLE, IMPOSSIBLE CIRCUMSTANCES,

AND OURSELVES.

MANY OF US ARE SO DAMAGED IN CERTAIN AREAS OF OUR LIVES

THAT WE'VE LONG ACCEPTED THE​​ FALSE​​ NAME OF "UNLOVABLE."

THE GOOD NEWS IS THAT JESUS AND GOD BOTH​​ REJECT​​ 

THIS SELF-DESIGNATION.

LIKE THE GUY WHO IDENTIFIES HIMSELF AS "LEGION,"

JESUS SEES OUR USE OF THE FALSE NAME OF "UNLOVABLE" ​​ 

AS SIMPLY THE FIRST STEP IN THE PROCESS OF OUR HEALING,

THE FIRST STEP TOWARD THE WHOLENESS

THAT GOD WANTS FOR EACH AND EVERY ONE OF US.

REMEMBER THOSE KINDERGARTEN KIDS I TALKED ABOUT EARLIER,

AND HOW THEIR TEACHER ADDRESSED EACH OF THEM

BY THEIR FULL NAME,

TEACHING THEM THE REALITY THAT THEIR NAME WAS NOT ONLY

TERRIBLY IMPORTANT,

BUT SOMETHING TO BE​​ GROWN​​ INTO​​ 

OVER THE COURSE OF THEIR ENTIRE LIVES.

I INVITE YOU TO THINK OF JESUS AS EVEN​​ MORE

THAT KIND OF TEACHER,

A "LIFE COACH," IF YOU WILL, WHO ENCOURAGES US,​​ 

CHALLENGES US, SUFFERS WITH US --

ALL WITHIN THE CONTEXT OF A LOVE THAT DOES NOT ALTER

WHEN IT ALTERATION FINDS.

JONATHAN, FOUR-YEARS OLD,​​ 

WAS TRYING TO LEARN THE LORD'S PRAYER.

HE LEARNED BY LISTENING AT CHURCH EACH SUNDAY.

ONE SUNDAY, AS WE WERE PRAYING THE LORD'S PRAYER,

HE COULD BE HEARD ABOVE EVERYONE ELSE, PRAYING

"OUR FATHER WHO ART IN HEAVEN,

I KNOW YOU KNOW MY NAME."

“OUR FATHER WHO ART IN HEAVEN,

I KNOW YOU KNOW MY NAME.”

NOT A BAD WAY OF PUTTING IT,​​ NOT A BAD WAY AT ALL.

​​ 

AMEN.

​​ 

​​