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The story is about a man who is demon-possessed and driven to be stark raving MAD. The demons drive him to live in the tombs. The townspeople have tried to restrain him, but he only breaks the chains and binds they use. Jesus asks the demon’s name and calls the demon forth from the man. Then Luke adds a little irony to the story. Jesus gives the demon permission to enter a nearby herd of swine. The Jews considered pigs unclean. So we have unclean spirits entering into a herd of unclean animals. The text states that when the spirits entered the swine, they drove the swine off the side of the cliff and into the water, and they drowned. Presumably, the unclean spirits drowned with them. It is almost as if Luke is saying “good riddance!” There is a textual note on this verse that states that it was commonly believed that drowning could kill demons. So you would think that the townspeople would say with Luke “good riddance”! Except that they were not Jews who believed their pigs were unclean, they were Gentiles, who made a living from those pigs.

Many preachers have focused on this as the reason why the townspeople ask Jesus to leave. They want no part of Him or His miracles because He has now hit them where they live…in the pocket. He has destroyed some of their livelihood. No matter that He has restored one of their own, He has caused a decrease in their projected income! This is what we mostly hear from the preaching of this passage, but I would like to look at it a little differently today.

When Jesus first steps onto shore in this place, a man possessed by a demon greets Him. Even in his state of insanity, he falls before Jesus and says in verse 28, "What have you to do with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I beg you, do not torment me”. This demon-possessed man falls before Jesus and begs Jesus for mercy. The demons acknowledge who Jesus is. Luke is careful to emphasize that the demons admit they have nothing to do with God, but are under submission to God. They must do as God commands. And so they beg for mercy.

Luke describes the man as naked and states that he has not worn clothes for a long time. Why does Luke tell us he’s naked? Naked. Think about that. Think about it first in the sense of no garments. Think about when you put on clothes, what that says about you. Your clothes probably say something about your personality or how you see yourself. They probably reflect your taste, your style. You might wear your favorite shirt or blouse, tie or scarf, hat or shoes to give you an extra boost of confidence in certain situations. You get a certain sense of yourself when you put on your clothes. Think about the feeling of complete vulnerability, the complete exposure we feel when someone else, especially a stranger, sees us with no clothes.

Now move beyond the garments and think about his nakedness in the sense of no pretenses, no facades, no confidence, no sense of self-reliance, no sense of security, no sense of self-worth…no sense of SELF. Our clothes offer us not only protection from the elements, but a sense of protection from all these intangible things outside of us. This demon possessed man did not have that sense of protection. Everything that he was was exposed--out there for the world to see. He was naked.

The story tells us that Jesus performs a miracle. He calls the demons forth from the man and the man is restored to his right mind. Verse 35 says that when the people came to see what happened, they found the man clothed, sitting at the feet of Jesus…a new disciple! Verse 37 goes on to say that the townspeople were “seized with great fear”. But it doesn’t say why. Jesus had just performed this great miracle. They saw a stark, raving, madman restored to himself. But instead of rejoicing over it, they were afraid and booted Jesus out of town. This is a strange reaction to someone who has just helped one of your own. If we look at other times in Luke when he refers to people being afraid in the presence of God, we may better understand their reaction.

In Luke 7:16, we find that fear seized all the people when they witnessed Jesus raise the widow’s son from the dead. In 8:25, the disciples were “afraid and amazed” when Jesus calmed the water. We also find that Mary was initially afraid in the presence of the heavenly hosts when the angel announces God’s plan and the shepherds were afraid at first when they are told about Jesus’ birth. The fear that Luke describes in these instances is the sense of awe and amazement that humans feel in the presence of God and God’s messengers. God is, in these instances, just a little too close. The presence of God or God’s messengers is an immediate reminder of our insignificance, of our filthiness, of our unworthiness. In a world where we reign as the head of creation, we are reminded of how small and how dirty we really are in light of God’s overwhelming presence and holiness. We are reminded of how powerless we are in light of God’s awesome power. This is why the townspeople asked Jesus to leave. They felt the power, the awesomeness of God was just a little too close.

The almightiness of God isn’t frightening to us as long as we acknowledge it from afar. It is okay for us to think intellectually about God’s greatness. It is even okay for us to feel that greatness from afar. We can acknowledge that God is holy--from afar. We are here and God is in heaven. We are comfortable with the distance. We say we want God to draw near to us, but we need our three feet of personal space! When God enters into our personal space, when God is truly “Immanuel”…God with us…as Jesus was in this small town, God is getting just a little too close. We draw back in fear and we may even withdraw for fear of exposure because in the presence of God, we are NAKED. Just as Jesus saw the nakedness of this demon-possessed man, He may see our nakedness.

This is the story of a madman driven to the brink of destruction by the demons that possessed him. Driven away from family, friends, and society. This is a man existing on the fringes. Out of his mind, lost to evil, not able to help himself or be helped by those around him. He was on the brink, but God did not allow him to be pushed over the edge. When the demons entered the swine, they were immediately driven over the edge of the cliff and killed, but God had not allowed the man to be killed by the demons. You may feel that at times this year, you have been on the brink. Driven to the edge, but, guess what? God did not allow you to be destroyed, either. Now you stand on the brink of a new century. A new year is a time to begin fresh, to start new, to be renewed.

You can put away all of the old things that bound you.

You can rid yourself of the demons that try to possess you, to control you, to drive you away from family, friends, and society.

You can put away bitterness and anger.

You can put away feuds and disagreements.

You can put away hatred and hostility.

You can put away thoughts of revenge and payback.

You can put away depression.

You can put away helplessness.

You can put away hopelessness.

You can re-prioritize and make time for spouses and children.

You can break down dividing walls and build foundations of love.

You can be restored, just as the man in this story was restored. But you can’t be afraid to let God see your nakedness.

You have to shed your clothes.

You have to drop your façade.

You have to level the walls you’ve put up around you.

You have to admit your insecurities.

You have to admit your vulnerabilities.

You have to admit that you alone are nothing.

You have to humble yourself, bare your imperfections, put your self and your sin right out there, for Jesus and maybe even others to see.

You have to shed your clothes and not be embarrassed or ashamed for God to see your nakedness.

I realize this isn’t easy. We know in our heads that God knows all about us. We understand in our minds that God sees our every action. The Bible tells us that God knows our every thought and deed. But there is something about God being right there, in your face, that makes you uncomfortable. It makes you fearful when God gets a little too close.

Ask yourself, can I, like this madman, recognize who God is and bare my all? Can I fall at Jesus’ feet and beg for mercy while He looks at me in my nakedness? Or am I like one of the people on the other side of Galilee, who witness the miracles of God in others but out of fear, I ask Jesus to leave? Do I just want a long distance relationship with God? When God enters my space, is God getting a little too close? If your answer is “Yes, I’m afraid”, God is saying to you, like God or God’s messengers said in each of the examples I mentioned before, “Do not be afraid!” Jesus said He came that you may have life and have it more abundantly. That means being able to embrace life to its fullest, experiencing the love, experiencing the joy, experiencing the hope that is promised to all of God’s people. My hope, my prayer is that every one of you, on the eve of this New Year, will say with the songwriter:

“I am Thine, Oh, Lord, I have heard Thy Voice and it told Thy love to me.

But I long to rise in the arms of faith and be closer drawn to Thee.”

On the eve of this New Year, listen as God tells you,

“Do not be afraid!”

“Draw near to Me and
I will draw near to you.”

Then, as God draws close to you, invite the Lord to stay and work a miracle in your life. Be restored and sit at the feet of Jesus.

Amen.