Sermon Archive

Well, after eight to nine years of avoidance, they finally got me. They finally got me to be a preacher.

Unlike Jesus, the kids in our church are very reluctant to teach adults the Bible. Jesus, on the other hand, was willing to teach the scriptures and to help people who were sick. This is a healing story about Jesus.

Now before I go on, I just want to explain a few key terms to help you better understand the story. The terms are: Legion, Swine, and Abyss.

One: Legion. Before our story begins, Jesus has just preached the Word of the Lord in Galilee. The people loved him there. He was treated like a king. He then decides to go across the Lake of Galilee, to Gerasene, to preach the Word. Once there, Jesus runs into a man who calls himself “Legion.” Now the term Legion means a large unit of soldiers in the Roman Army. About 6,000, actually… That’s a lot of soldiers.

So, why would he call himself Legion? Some might say because he has the strength of a Legion of soldiers. I personally think that he calls himself Legion because there are thousands of demons inside him.

Two: Swine. Swine are unclean animals with ruminant stomachs. Aka, PIGS. Pigs in the Bible are like ants at a picnic. Most everyone hated them.

Three: Abyss. An abyss is the place where evil spirits are confined. It is also known as the “watery deep,” or the abode of the dead… That’s a lot of definitions!

So the story you heard has Jesus freeing the man who called himself Legion of his demons. They head into a herd of swine that run into the water, the ABYSS.

Now one would think that the town people would be grateful. This stranger just freed them from this man who they bound with chains. This guy slept in a cemetery and ran around naked, screaming bloody murder. Now here he is, calm and clean, and more importantly, wearing clothes. Thank God. But the people took another route. They were afraid… They actually told Jesus to leave.

These people were really afraid of Jesus. But why? Let’s put ourselves into their shoes.

Now this question isn’t easy to answer. The fact that I picked the title, “What Is There to Fear?” before I knew what I was going to write didn’t help at all. But Cheryl and I were able to come up with some very valid reasons for their fear.

One reason we thought was because the people of Gerasenes must have been used to this man terrorizing them every day. They probably learned to cope around him. We might even go as far to say that it became a routine for them. They’d bind him with chains every night, he’d break out and run loose by the next morning until they bound him again. Now that this man is finally healed, what are they going to do? They don’t know. It’s been a task for them for --- Oh, so long. Think about this. If something that you had been used to, and learned to cope with, was suddenly taken away from you, how would you feel? … Maybe afraid.

Now why are they afraid of Jesus? Let’s think on this. (Pause)

What is it about clowns that get children so scared? I remember a few of you (address children) that were afraid of clowns when you were little. Was it that you didn’t know what was behind all that make-up? Was it that you didn’t know who clowns were? That they’re actually OK people that are supposed to entertain you? I know that clowns can be scary until you know who they are.

Now please, people, don’t get me wrong by thinking that I’m comparing Jesus to clowns. I’m not. But, like small children who are afraid of clowns, like the people of Gerasenes, we are afraid of what we don’t know. The people of Gerasenes didn’t know this man who was able to heal Legion without medicine. He wasn’t exactly a doctor. They didn’t know where this magic was coming from.

But what would have happened if the Gerasenes overcame their fear of Jesus? They might have learned to accept Jesus, like the people of Galilee did. He might still be over there, preaching to everyone, making new friends, healing people.

But they didn’t overcome their fear. They just kicked Jesus out of Gerasene. Legion went around trying to tell everybody about the great wonders of Jesus, but they didn’t listen and lost their chance. At least for the time being, they did…but that’s another sermon.

The moral of this story is: don’t judge a book by its cover. Get to know someone before you decide he or she is a threat. When kids overcome their fear of clowns, they learn to enjoy them. The person you are afraid of…might be Jesus. You’ll never know if you’re quick to assume that they are a threat. Keep that in mind before you turn a person down from a conversation. You never know what a great friend this person might become.

Dear God,