Fifth Sunday of Matthew
Reading: At that time, when Jesus came to the other side, to the country of the Gergesenes, two demoniacs met him, coming out of the tombs, so fierce that no one would pass that way. And behold, they cried out, "What have you to do with us, O Son of God? Have you come here to torment us before the time?" Now a herd of many swine was feeding at some distance from them. And the demons begged him, "If you cast us out, send us away into the herd of swine." And he said to them, "Go." So they came out and went into the swine; and behold, the whole herd rushed down the steep bank into the sea, and perished in the waters. The herdsmen fled, and going into the city they told everything, and what had happened to the demoniacs. And behold, all the city came out to meet Jesus; and when they saw him, they begged him to leave their neighborhood. And getting into a boat he crossed over and came to his own city (Matthew 8:28-34; 9:1).
A priest friend of mine called another priest and began to chat. In the course of conversation he asked him, “What are you going to preach this Sunday?” The other priest paused for a moment, and then he responded, “Oh, man! I have to preach about those darn pigs again!” He was, of course referring to the gospel that we heard today and to the fact that this story is one of very few that are repeated twice during the ecclesiastical year, once as St. Matthew tells and again later in the year as St. Luke tells it. Among other things, the story evokes a certain uneasiness in people. Tales of demons and demonic possession seem out of place in our modern world of science.
For the moment permit me to say that our Church accepts the belief in demons and the devil, meaning that it accepts the existence of spiritual beings who are evil. Experience teaches us is that the modus operandi of demons is mental or spiritual in nature. The monsters that you see in movies are not the way the devil works. Instead the devil plays with our minds, we might say.
Look no farther than the Biblical accounts of the devil tempting Jesus. He talks to Jesus, saying, “Turn these stones into bread… jump off the temple so that the angels can catch you… bow down to me and I will give you all the kingdoms of the world.” In short these temptations relate to some common temptations: material pleasures, fame and power. And notice one tool that he uses in order to persuade Jesus- he quotes from the Bible.
St. John Chrysostom offers some insight into today’s reading. He asks rhetorically a number of questions- why this, why that? Then he asks the question, “For what intent did the devils destroy the swine?” And he answers, “Everywhere they have labored to drive men to dismay, and everywhere they rejoice in destruction” (NPNF1-10. St. Chrysostom: Homilies on the Gospel of Saint Matthew, Homily XXVIII, http://www.ccel.org/ccel/schaff/npnf110.iii.XXVIII.html).
I want to focus on these few words. “Everywhere they have labored to drive men to dismay.” The Greek word rendered as dismay is “athymia,” meaning the blues, low spirits, discouragement, dejection. I am convinced that one of the most common temptations that people face is athymia-discouragement- the attitude of “What’s the use?” I would add “fear” as part of this concept. Evil wins when good people are discouraged or afraid to do the right things.
This is so common. I have told you of visiting India, where I see an Orthodox mission with an orphanage and grocery distributions and free medical clinics and being overwhelmed by the thought, “A drop in the bucket! Millions are hungry, and we are helping a few thousand. What’s the use?” How about the stories we hear over time- one of a girl being raped in front of a crowd or another being a man brutally beaten in front of dozen of witnesses, while no one speaks up. How many wars have been started out of fear, fear of what might happen? Less dramatic examples, but still significant, might be the example of someone who picks up the Bible and tries to study it, and then gets discouraged because there is so much to learn. Or perhaps the person who wakes up on Sunday morning and says to herself, “I did not go to church last week or the week before or the one before that. No one cares; it does not matter.” Or the person who says, I have only so much money to give to God; it’s not much. I will wait until I have more to give.”
Let's return to the gospel story. The demons, upon entering the herd of swine, did what demons do- they tried to scare everyone. And did it work? In this case, it did! St. Matthew writes, “All the city came out to meet Jesus; and when they saw him, they begged him to leave their neighborhood.” And how did Jesus respond? Did He let the demons win? Well… He went away. I would not say that He let the demons win, but He gave people free will. God gives us the choice to follow Him, or to go our own way. He does not make us do anything.
The Bible in several places prepares people to face their discouragement or fear. The Bible is quite realistic: bad things will happen, even to the faithful. They are part of life in this fallen world, but we cannot let discouragement or fear or confusion deter us from our cause.
The book of Revelation is viewed by many as the most frightening book of the Bible. It indeed has ominous passages, but the whole point of the book is missed until you take into account its final two chapters, a depiction of Paradise. “I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, “Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them and be their God. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away.” Yes, many bad things will happen, but in the end everything will be fine. God will be victorious.
One of my personal favorites from the Bible is this passage: “Are not two sparrows sold for a copper coin? And not one of them falls to the ground apart from your Father’s will. But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Do not fear therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows” (Matthew 10:29-31). I like it because it says that God cares for me personally as well as for humankind. God forgets no one.
My point is that today’s gospel is more than a story about those darn pigs; instead it is a story of the spiritual struggle that confronts us all. Times of discouragement and confusion and fear come to us all, but our faith teaches that life is ultimately good. God loves each and every one of us, and if we are faithful to Him, ultimately we will be victors over evil. I conclude with St. Paul’s words, written as he contemplated the struggles of his own life.
“Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? As it is written: ‘For Your sake we are killed all day long. We are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.’ Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 8:35-39).