Galatians 3: 23-29
Now before faith came, we were imprisoned and guarded under the law until faith would be revealed. Therefore the law was our disciplinarian until Christ came, so that we might be justified by faith. But now that faith has come, we are no longer subject to a disciplinarian, for in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith. As many of you as were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is no longer slave or free, there is no longer male and female; for all of you are one in Christ Jesus. And if you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s offspring, heirs according to the promise.

Luke 8:26-39
(Jesus Heals the Gerasene Demoniac)
26 Then they arrived at the region of the Gerasenes, which is opposite Galilee. 27 As he stepped out on shore, a man from the city who had demons met him. For a long time he had not worn any clothes, and he did not live in a house but in the tombs. 28 When he saw Jesus, he cried out and fell down before him, shouting, “What have you to do with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I beg you, do not torment me,” 29 for Jesus[c] had commanded the unclean spirit to come out of the man. (For many times it had seized him; he was kept under guard and bound with chains and shackles, but he would break the bonds and be driven by the demon into the wilds.) 30 Jesus then asked him, “What is your name?” He said, “Legion,” for many demons had entered him. 31 They begged him not to order them to go back into the abyss.
32 Now there on the hillside a large herd of swine was feeding, and the demons begged Jesus to let them enter these. So he gave them permission. 33 Then the demons came out of the man and entered the swine, and the herd stampeded down the steep bank into the lake and was drowned.
34 When the swineherds saw what had happened, they ran off and told it in the city and in the country. 35 Then people came out to see what had happened, and when they came to Jesus, they found the man from whom the demons had gone sitting at the feet of Jesus, clothed and in his right mind. And they became frightened. 36 Those who had seen it told them how the one who had been possessed by demons had been healed. 37 Then the whole throng of people of the surrounding region of the Gerasenes asked Jesus to leave them, for they were seized with great fear. So he got into the boat and returned. 38 The man from whom the demons had gone out begged that he might be with him, but Jesus sent him away, saying, 39 “Return to your home, and declare how much God has done for you.” So he went away, proclaiming throughout the city how much Jesus had done for him.

Driving Out the Demons
This summer we will be focusing on Jesus’ ministry as described in Luke’s Gospel. Our reading this morning is from the fourth section of Luke, which runs from chapters 4 through 9, and these are the chapters that tell of Jesus’ ministry in Galilee. Galilee is the region northwest of the lake, or as we know it, the “Sea of Galilee” which is actually a freshwater lake. To provide some background, I have included links to a map and pictures in the written text that will be posted on our church website.

Some background on Galilee
In our reading from Chapter 8 this morning, Luke takes us across the lake away from Galilee to the Decapolis region, on the opposite side of the lake, to the country of the Gerasenes, where Jesus heals the demon possessed man.

(Editor’s Note: To access the following three sites, copy and paste the URL addresses; the links will not work directly. Apologies for this inconvenience.)

Here is a map of the Sea of Galilee:
https://images.app.goo.gl/KXD1QoJBPMqfwmyU9

Here is a picture of Gennesaret on the northwest shore:
https://images.app.goo.gl/BMTQAYwe6uBamW3Q8

Here is an article about the geography problem of the pig stampede:
https://biblicalhistoricalcontext.com/gospels/gerasa-gadara-gergesa-from-where-did-the-pigs-stampede/

Here is a video about “the Jesus boat” discovery in 1986:

When I was doing this research online, looking for these links to show you the Sea of Galilee and the Gerasene region, I felt myself fall into a real devotional space, you know, falling into the heart, this unfathomable heart of devotion. For people who love Jesus, Galilee is an important pilgrimage site. And why is this so? Because Christians know these stories about Christ’s ministry in Galilee, and they travel from all over the world to feel closer to him. They want to walk where he walked. They want to be near the lake where he taught his disciples and ministered to the people, bringing the good news, bringing God’s love to the people. This is a way of connecting to the heart of devotion and living in the spiritual heart.

The spiritual heart is who we really are
The spiritual heart is who we really are. It is our deepest level, our innermost core. The stories of Christ’s ministry help us to live from that innermost core. For example, in the story of the Good Samaritan there is a crucial moment when the Good Samaritan sees the wounded person and is moved in his gut. The word in Greek for gut is splagchnon [splangkh’on] which literally means “spleen.” The Good Samaritan is moved to compassion in his deepest level, the gut level, his innermost spiritual core. This is our spiritual dimension. It’s who we really are. Jesus’ teachings in the New Testament are meant to help us return to who we really are and to live from our true nature, our spiritual core. And that is what this story about the demon possessed man illustrates, too.
In Chapter 8, Jesus and the disciples have just weathered a storm on the lake, and then they step out on land on the other side of the lake, opposite Galilee, in the country of the Gerasenes. This is an important detail because this story takes place in Gentile country. (Remember that for Jews, the Gentiles were seen as enemies.) And yet, Jesus takes his healing ministry there. It’s Jesus first trip into Gentile territory, and the message here is that the Gospel is for everyone, Jews and Gentiles alike.

A man possessed by demons
As he steps out on land, Jesus immediately encounters a man possessed by demons. The man has no clothes, no home, and he lives in a graveyard. He is a social outcast, a wild man, out of his mind, tormented by unclean spirits. Jesus drives the demons out of him, and they enter a herd of swine who then rush down a steep bank into the lake and are drowned. Later, the man sits at Jesus’s feet, clothed and in his right mind.
Now, I really don’t know anything about evil spirits, ghosts, or actual demon possession or the exorcism of demons. Beliefs of this sort are found in most cultures and religions. I suppose for people who believe in this type of thing that it could seem real. But proving or disproving evil spirits is not really the direction I want to take here.

The things that haunt and trouble
However, I do believe there are things that haunt people. As I talk to people and hear their stories, I hear about the things that are troubling. As we get older, we begin to reflect on our lives. We think back. We take stock of all the things we have done and said over the years. This is where people find the demons that haunt them.

Hungry ghosts and guilt monsters
Luke doesn’t tell us, but I sometimes wonder what those demons looked like. I wonder if the swineherd in Gerasene got a look at those demons as they jumped into the pigs. If he did, I imagine he saw two kinds of demons. The first was probably the hungry ghosts. These are the kind of demons with a tiny little mouth, a long skinny neck, and a big fat bulbous belly. They are hungry greedy demons, always hunger, always wanting something to fill their big bellies, looking for something in the future, some fulfillment, singing little songs like, “I want this, I want that, if only I could have it I would be happy,” but never getting enough because their mouths and throats are too small.
And the other kind of demon was probably the guilt monster. You know, the guilt monster? It can take on many different shapes and forms, wears different disguises, but usually with sharp teeth that gnaw and grind. They like to drink vinegar and gall, really bitter stuff. And they say things under their breath, chant little chants, like, “You should have done that….” “You just aren’t good enough….” “Why are you such an idiot….” “When will you ever learn…”

The quiet that grace brings
You know what I’m talking about. But imagine is one day you’re walking down the street, listening to all those familiar demon voices, the ones you hear every day, and all of a sudden, Jesus shows up and says to them, “You have permission to leave.” And all of a sudden, they are gone, and it gets very quiet.
This story about the demon possessed man is a salvation story. It’s a story about grace and freedom. God’s grace allows us to let go of all the horrible demons that torture us, all the thoughts about the past and the future, all the worry, all the regret. There are other demons, too. Anger, depression, anxiety, jealousy, envy. What do your demons look like? The demons are our thoughts. But by grace we are healed, and when this happens, things get very quiet. The demons are gone. We see them for what they really are, just thoughts. Just illusions. And we let them go.
The invitation this morning is to pray for healing grace, the grace that allows are demons to depart forever so that we may be free.
Amen? Amen.