Luke 8:22-39

     Jesus and his disciples get into boat to cross the lake. Jesus apparently fell asleep, and a heavy storm began. The boat was in danger and the disciples cry out their fear, waking Jesus and telling him they were sinking. He woke, and told the storm to quiet, and it did. Jesus asked his disciples ‘where was your faith?’ They make no answer to this, but instead marvel at the fact that the wind and waves had obeyed him.
     For those who question the existence of miracles, this story will, no doubt, be troubling or less meaningful than others. It has no moral teaching and could be taken to imply that with enough faith, there is no danger. Yet we know that men and women of deep and sincere faith have suffered extreme danger, not only at the hands of persecutors, but in the forces of nature. Jesus himself would comment that the rain falls on the just and the unjust.
     Nonetheless, these were extraordinary circumstances. The disciples had Jesus with them, Jesus whose ministry was hardly concluded. In the time ahead they would face far greater dangers than wind and rain. They would need to muster their faith. Perhaps Jesus knew they would look back on this experience and let it inspire them to be strong.
     When they reach the other side of the lake, they encounter a man possessed by “demons.” Even if you do not believe in spiritual entities such as demons,t here is no denying that there are psychological conditions that certainly feel like possession. And it was the only explanation they could make for schizophrenia and other illnesses. (A pastor who works with homeless folks with this condition explains that they often wear headset with loud music or other things to which they listen in order to drown out the “voices” of their illness.)
     The demons cry out to Jesus asking not to be banished to the “abyss.” Luke tells us that instead they were sent into a herd of swine who went man and rushed into the lake to be drowned. The townspeople who came out were likely dismayed (they were Gentile and the swine were legitimate food for them) by the loss of the pigs, but even more so by the awareness that a strange power was before them. The man had been mad for many years and nothing they had been able to do restrained him. Yet here he was in his right mind. Full of fear, they begged Jesus to leave.
     This may seem strange to anyone who would think it a good idea to have someone around who can accomplish such feats. But even great good linked with awesome power is not always comfortable to have in your midst. C.S. Lewis wrote a science fiction story where the hero met an alien. The character says that he knew with absolute certainty that the alien was good. Yet, contrary to his previous assumptions about goodness, he was also not sure it was safe. Lewis, who wrote in Christian metaphor much of the time, captures very much the sense of fearsome awe there is in encountering the holiness of God. Because we are not entirely good, the entire goodness of God cannot possibly feel safe. God is beyond our control and understanding.
     However, the man who had been healed wanted to go with Jesus. How sane of him! YET Jesus told him instead to go home and tell people what God had done for him, a reminder, perhaps, that the calling of Jesus to follow can be lived out in different ways, including faithful witness in the place we already find ourselves.

Where and how do you see and express the awesomeness of God?
Where is faith necessary right now in what you face?
How do you witness to what Jesus has done for you?