Sunday 22 June 2025
When he saw Jesus, he fell down before him.. (v. 28)
Background
I’ll confess I don’t too often turn to biblical stories of demon possession, at least not willingly. A story like this is one I’d probably never look at, if not prompted by a lectionary or some such aid. But, of course, it's important to read all of Scripture, not just the bits I like, or am comfortable with. I don’t get the option of picking and choosing. As a follower of Jesus I follow Jesus, not my version of him.
The verses before this story are all about Jesus calming a storm on the Sea of Galilee and here we have a parallel story of Jesus calming the storm of a disturbed mind and life. It’s a story of need, despair, uncertainty and loss. The demon-possessed man has been living a life where he has lost almost everything that we might consider important: family, home, friends. When he encounters Jesus there is the clear awareness that there can be change, and in the following verses that is what unfolds.
Perhaps in this passage we see the stark reminder that, for many, life is very tough. Whatever I might consider to be 'normal' is far from reality for numerous people. The circumstances of life are very varied and take a toll on us all. Many of us might be in a fairly comfortable situation at present, but that will not always have been our experience and we have no guarantee what the future holds. So, we are all somewhere in this story. Its not a story about others but is a story about us all. And Jesus comes into the story. The coming of Jesus is not the magic solution to life’s problems, but is the presence of hope, possibility and new life in any and every situation. In Jesus we find sanctuary.
To Ponder:
- What is your favourite passage of Scripture, and why?
- What parts of Scripture do you rarely look at, and why?
- Where are you in this story?
Prayer
Gracious God, sometimes the storms of life are almost unbearable. Help us every day to turn to you to give us strength to meet whatever will come our way; to carry us when we cannot stand; and to still the storms that we cannot face. Amen.
Bible notes author: The Revd Dr Stephen Skuce
Stephen is the Superintendent of the North Western District of The Methodist Church in Ireland.