You probably have noticed a dramatic shift in the Matthew’s Gospel over the last week. We have passed a turning point in Matthew’s Gospel. We have moved from the proclamation of the Sermon on the Mount to action – theoretical teaching to visible reality. We see several marvelous deeds right in a row. Cures of lepers and other sick people (even across great distances), cures of paralytics, and expulsion of demons from people brought to Jesus. The marvelous deeds or miracles are signs of who Jesus is. They accentuate and authenticate the proclamation of the Word, the Sermon on the Mount. How could one doubt the vision of the Sermon on the Mount that was so new and different (even shocking) from one who could do such marvelous deeds? This produced a great number of new disciples with little commitment and confused values.
Jesus decides to take time off and attempts to cross the lake in a fishing boat with the apostles. They are “attacked” by a violent storm. Jesus shows that he has authority over natural forces – wind, storm, and waves. Again, the miracle reveals who he is.
As soon as they arrive at the other side of the lake in a “pagan” region outside of Israel, they are violently “attacked” by two possessed men. These men are so beyond themselves and so separated from the human community that they live in the cemetery among the tombs. They come out of the place of death to attack Jesus and the apostles. Recognizing Jesus, the demons ask to be sent into a herd of pigs rather than being sent back to Hell. The herd of pigs then jumps off a cliff into the lake.
The herdsmen are overcome with fear that they will be blamed for the loss of the herd. When they go to town, they report the cure of the two men and clearly blame Jesus for what happened with the pigs. The whole town comes out for an encounter with Jesus, and they throw him out of the region.
No one seems to notice that the two men were cured. The two were probably neighbors who grew up in the area. After being among the dead, tombs, and cemetery, they recovered their lives! There was no rejoicing or blessing of God for the miracle. There was no awe or wonderment before an act of God. Everyone is angry over the economic loss of a herd of pigs. The experience is so new, so outside of their experience that they decide to reject Jesus. They were afraid of what else Jesus might do in their lives.
The Gospel and the Sermon on the Mount call us to new life, a new relationship with God and with others – a whole new reality. Despite the overpowering testimony of the miracles, that day the people of that town choose to reject a new life with God – they choose economic stability, known relationships, and a stable lifestyle over true life with God and others.
This event in the apostles’ lives challenges us to be open to a new life with Jesus. A completely new life that involves renouncing all that we tend to hold important. Despite the fear that change can generate in us, every aspect of our lives should take us to that healing encounter with Jesus.
How goes your encounter with Jesus: healing or rejection?
Image: https://www.johnsanidopoulos.com/2019/07/fifth-sunday-of-pentecost-gospel-and.html