Holy disruption

Sermon by Pr. Sharai Jacob on the Second Sunday after Pentecost, Lectionary 12c + Sunday, June 22, 2025.

In this week’s Gospel we hear about demons and possession. For many of us these are things that we would dismiss as fiction. Before we dismiss the weight of demonic possession in this text, I’d urge you to consider that the reason people tell stories is to share wisdom and deep truths about life, humanity, ethics, faith. This story of deliverance carries with it truths about identity, restoration, and community.

In the story before our text this week, Jesus sets sail with the disciples and they find themselves caught in a storm. After Jesus was able to calm the storm, the disciples asked, “Who is this that even the wind and the waves obey them?”

Then Jesus steps into a new kind of storm - the spiritual and social whirlwind tormenting an unnamed person. Many refer to him as “the Gerasene (je rah scene) Demoniac”. Jesus has crossed over dangerous waters to find and heal this man. 

When Jesus arrives, the tormented Man comes to meet him. The demons recognize Jesus and seem to be expecting - even dreading his visit. In verse 28, they cry out and fall down, shouting, “What have you to do with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I beg you, do not torment me. While we’re examining this story it can be easy to think of this situation as a metaphor for mental illness or trauma. But possession is not always a healthy representation of mental illness. Healing, for many of us with mental illnesses or trauma, doesn’t usually happen instantly and the connection between demons and evil is often an unhealthy way to understand one’s own mind. Healing from mental illness often comes through time, community, and a journey of care with the help of mental health professionals. Demons or spirits similar to them are mentioned in many religions around the world, and in many cultures are still taken quite seriously. In Christianity, Demons are always shown to obey powers higher than their own. In this scene the demons are recognizing not just who Jesus is, but that Jesus has immense power over them. For as much pain, misery, and torment as these demons have unleashed, they must still fear and obey the power of God.

When we meet the Demoniac in this reading, his true self is entirely lost. He is literally living among the dead, in the tombs. He is chained up and although the demons give him superhuman strength to break his physical chains, his dignity is still trapped behind spiritual chains. He is not able to maintain connection with his community, and often runs into the wilderness where there is danger and despair. Jesus crossed the stormy waters just to meet him. And when he was delivered, the tormented man was able to be his whole and true self. Free to return to community. Free to make his own choices in life. 

Unfortunately, even after healing, he’s still called "the man who had demons.” Maybe this was to protect his dignity and identity. But what if this is meant to push us to think about our own lives? How often do we define people by their worst moments? How often might we treat ourselves this way? How is this text calling us to see each other’s dignity as something innate rather than something earned? Compassion calls us to restore each other to our identity as beloved children of God. To embrace and care for one another in ways that allow us to live as our truest selves. 

This story shows us a very real and interesting reaction from the crowds. From the community that our once-tormented man will return to. They saw that a miracle had taken place, but they were afraid, not celebratory. The reality for this community is that their pigs had been killed. The Loss of pigs meant the loss of livelihood for many of the farmers in their community. They would have been shocked, grieving, and confused.

God’s movement in the world has a tendency to disrupt our lives. As any movement towards freedom shows us, when we bring change, the reaction is not always joy and celebration. Change disrupts things in ways that can be painful. 

We are all currently experiencing a global shift. And as we see the world changing around us, some are fearful, some are hopeful. Both hope and fear are real and valid reactions to change. It seems that our text this week is calling us to hold each other in compassion.

The Deliverance in this gospel was not just spiritual. It affected the mind and body of the tormented man, leading to rest and dignity. Even beyond the healing of this individual, it led to a re-entry into community. Jesus sends him home. While he may be internally healed, the power of community, of acceptance seems to be the final step in this person’s healing.

Healing isn't just what happens to us, but what happens through us in community. It doesn’t only heal you, but the people around you are made more whole. By simply being our whole and true selves together we give each other permission to break through the chains that hold us back. We give each other hope for future healing. By upholding the dignity of one person, we are reminded of our own dignity. 

At the end of this healing the ex-demoniac wants to follow Jesus, but Jesus says: Go back and tell your story. Thisdeliverance wasn’t only about setting this tormented person free, it was about sharing the truth of who Jesus is and what God can do in, with, and through us. We’re not only called to be healed, but to become witnesses of hope, especially for those still living among the tombs.