Editing Fast Fridays: 30 Minutes for God (section)

== Friday, February 7: Demons in pigs! ==
[[File:Mosaic_of_the_exorcism_of_the_Gerasene_demoniac_from_the_Basilica_of_Sant'Apollinare_Nuovo.jpg|thumb|Mosaic of the exorcism of the Gerasene demoniac from the Basilica of Sant'Apollinare Nuovo in Ravenna, dating to the sixth century AD]]
In the "Gerasene Demoniac" ([https://bible.usccb.org/bible/luke/8?26 Lk 8:26], also in [https://bible.usccb.org/bible/matthew/8?28 Mt 8:28] and [https://bible.usccb.org/bible/mark/5?1 Mk 5:1] ), Jesus allows a "Legion" of demons that possessed a man (two men in Matthew), at their request, to enter a herd of pigs.  
Why pigs? There are some curious elements to this story that we might consider: 
{| class="wikitable"
|+
!Item
!Question
!Thoughts
|-
|pagan region, pig herders, across the sea from Galilee
|Was that the sole reason for Jesus to go there? 
|The Apostles were on the boat with him, so they had to know he was going there. (Just after the "calming of the seas")
|-
|"they" arrived (w/ the Apostles) but "he came ashore"
|why was Jesus alone?<nowiki>''</nowiki>
|Apostles not ready to deal w/ pagans? Jesus wasn't afraid.
|-
|lived in the tombs; was naked
|
|fallen man (Adam & Eve)
|-
|bound in chains
|but broke free of them? the power of evil/ sin? 
|
|-
|"do not torment me"
|demons don't want to be tormented by God?
|
|-
|“What is your name?”
|
|names are important
|-
|"Legion"
|Romans? lots of demons?
|foreshadowing conversion of Rome, exercised of demons by Christianity
|-
|And they pleaded with him not to order them to depart to the abyss.
|hell?
|
|-
|"pleaded with him to allow them to enter those swine"
|poor pigs? 
|'''ATHANASIUS'''. (de vita Anton.) But if they have no power over swine, the evil spirits have much less against men who are made after the image of God. We ought then to fear God alone, but despise them.
|-
|abyss
|did they not know the pigs would take them there, anyway? 
|the demons aren't purified, the land and people are purified of them (baptism)
'''AUGUSTINE'''. (ubi sup.) But by their being sent down violently into the lake, it is meant that the Church has been purified, and now that the Gentiles are delivered from the dominion of evil spirits, those who refuse to believe in Christ, carry on their unholy rites in hidden places with dark and secret watchings.
|-
|"sitting at his feet"
|
|like a disciple
|-
|the people asked Jesus to leave
|lost their pigs! (2000 per Mark)
|'''CHRYSOSTOM'''. (ubi sup.) But observe the humility of Christ; for when after conferring so great benefits upon them they sent Him away, He offers no obstacle, but departs, leaving those who had proclaimed themselves unworthy of His teaching. It follows, And he went up into the ship, and returned back again.
|}

Let's see what can we make of all this!
----Some thoughts on this we shared tonight:

* it's the evil within him that was killing him 
** when we suffer from evil it within and not without us
** (see Athanasius' comment above)
**

* the man was living w/ evil, was kicked out by his people, but continued to live in desolation, w/ evil
* he could free himself of the shackles the people put on him, but even so unbound, he lived w/ the evil within him, 
* we can think of sin as living among the dead
** slavery to sin

* the connections to the Roman empire are strong
** Christianity cured Rome of its pagan beliefs/ practices
** the pigs casting themselves into the sea = baptism for Rome, not just the people of the village
* when he was cured of the evil spirits, the man was again clothed, siting at Jesus' feet
** but he wanted Jesus to stay (didn't say he wanted to follow him)
** Jesus told him to go tell everyone, which he doesn't always do when curing people, at least in Israel