When we “are in over our heads” By Pastor Lohn Johnson

Text:   Luke 8:38-39   38 The man from whom the demons had gone begged that he might be with him, but Jesus sent him away, saying, 39 "Return to your home, and declare how much God has done for you." And he went away, proclaiming throughout the whole city how much Jesus had done for him.   INTRODUCTION:  My dear friends in Christ, I would like to call your attention to a recent movie, Cheaper By The Dozen, starring Steve Martin. There are numerous scenes in this movie that illustrate how one father gets in over his heads. This movie is about a father who has just gotten his dream job of coaching football at his college alma mater. But this job change calls for him, his wife, and their twelve children to move from their beloved home and community in order for Dad to get his wish fulfilled. No sooner have they settled into their new home, than his wife, who has been writing a book on how to successfully raise twelve children, is off to New York City to clinch a deal to have her book published. She learns that the deal also involves obligatory cross-country tour engagements to promote it. Meanwhile, Coach/Dad is back home trying to handle this tribe and his new job at the university. The truth is, there is just too much going on for anyone to manage all this.    The point is reached where the university officials and local media are raising the question: “Can this man coach two teams?” the one at home and the one at the university? There's ample evidence that he cannot.  He was in over his head.
I.  We all know what it feels like to be in over our heads. But I think the demon-possessed man in Luke's account probably knew it better than most, for he was literally in over his head.
	A.  We meet this possessed man when Jesus arrives to the district across from Galilee.
			1.  Jesus and His disciples have just come through a storm on the Sea of Galilee. It is nighttime and having survived that frightening storm they are thrilled to now set foot on solid ground. But, as they get out of the boat, they encounter a different kind of storm.
					a. They hear strange sounds coming from the tombs... shrieks, screams, the rattling of chains. Then, suddenly, a horrifying sight. A madman with tattered clothes, bloody and battered with pieces of chains dangling from his arms, comes running and screaming directly toward them!   b. The one possessed by demons is almost certainly an unclean Gentile as well. And his demon-possession has rendered him even more unclean. He lives like an animal -- unclothed and outside. He chooses to locate in the tombs -- a ritually unclean place for Jews.
			2.   Now, let me ask you something: "What would you have done in that situation?" This was a perilous moment... a dangerous, berserk man, charging you. I think I would have run for my life... or jumped back in the boat.  But not Jesus! Jesus stood His ground and faced the madman. Undaunted, unafraid... Jesus stood there and dealt with this wild man.  He was not in over His head.
					a. the demon herd, “Legion” in the crazed man knew immediately of their impending doom, for they begged Jesus not to "order them to go back into the abyss" (v.31). This "abyss" was the designated place of punishment for demons (Revelation 20:1-3). As an unclean spirit it was only natural that Legion request relocation into one of the most familiar unclean symbols -- swine.   b. Even though this is Gentile country, it’s close enough to Galilee, you’d think, that pigs wouldn’t be welcome even here. But they’re all over the place. Why? They are there to feed the Roman soldiers, the Roman soldiers who are an ever-present reminder of the bondage that that whole area was under.   c. for the Jews, the pig is an unclean animal. Jews don’t raise pigs, butcher pigs or eat pigs.  So a Jew, hearing this story, wouldn’t have shed a single tear for a single pig….and might actually have cheered the death of two thousand pigs, as they went over the cliff with the demons.
	B.  But just as most Gospel accounts have nuances and subtitles that take years to unravel, so (too) does this one.
			1. You will recall that the demons are multiple. “Legion” is their name. Which is a military term, drawn from the Latin word meaning a division of Roman soldiers-- Six thousand soldiers—To the Jewish this could be seen as a picture of subjugation.    2. The Jews were a subjugated people, living in an occupied country.
					a. So at a hidden level….we have a legion of demons occupying a man (rather than a country), driven out by Jesus, and dismissed to die in the sea.  Good riddance, demons.  Maybe implying Good riddance, Romans.    b. Which naturally recalls the last time the Jews received deliverance from domination.  At the start of the Exodus they were freed from Egypt.  Then Pharaoh’s army was drowned in the sea reinforcing their freedom.  It was all Thanks to Moses, who worked for God.    c. And what did the demons (named “Legion”) say to Jesus when he confronted them and told them to vacate?  They said: “Do not send us out of the country.” But that’s exactly what Jesus did. He sent them packing to the point of drowning. Sort of like Moses. Which, as interpretations go, may be a stretch. But I’ll lay odds that, at least on some level, that’s how the Jews of that day would have heard the story.    d. But that’s not how we hear the story. Because our country is not occupied, we could see the word “deliverance” understood more personally, than nationally.
		C. But Jesus ties all this together to give something even more. No he’s not one who came to liberate the nation from the Romans as many Jews thought.
			1. But it’s more like this: On the cross, Jesus broke the stranglehold that sin and death have over us. On the cross He completely defeated the devil. Through the cross and the empty tomb, Jesus won forgiveness for us. He has redeemed us. He has claimed and reclaimed us as his own.   2. He has made us new, given us a fresh start, and given us his Holy Spirit to help us in the face of Temptation. I don't know what Chains are holding you today. I don't know what bondage you feel in your life. I don't know what brokenness is in your life. But I know the one who does. He's the one who sets you free.
II.    Yes there is symbolism in this story. Yes, there are lessons to be learned here.
	A.  We can learn from the reaction of the townspeople.  We see that they also were not prepared for what they ran into. They were in over their heads.
				1. So startled were the townspeople that they asked Jesus to go away, immediately, and to leave them alone.
					a. They were afraid of Jesus. One would expect them to be grateful for the miracle Jesus has performed, but instead they are afraid. It may be that they’re well aware that this Jesus won’t get along well with their local paganism.   b. Like this: There is a Peanuts cartoon strip in which Lucy is crying bitter tears over a decision her mother has made. She wails, "You promised me a birthday party, and now you say I can't have one. It's not fair!" Enter Lucy's brother, Linus, who calls her aside to offer some advice: "You're not using the right strategy," he says. "Why not go up to Mom and say to her, 'I'm sorry, dear mother . . . I admit I've been bad, and you were right to cancel my party, but from now on I shall try to be good.'" Lucy thinks about it. She even rehearses the little speech to hear what it sounds like coming from her. Then she thinks about it some more. Finally, in the strip's last panel, she cries out, 'I'd rather die!'"  Like Lucy, some people would rather die than change   c. Similarly the townspeople they don’t want to be changed by Jesus. In fact, even though they’re not possessed by a legion of crazed demons, in their unbelief they have the same response as the demons: they’re afraid of Jesus and they want to get away from Him. And since this is their turf, they ask Him to go away.
				2. Although the townspeople respond the same way as the demons, Jesus treats them differently. Against the demons, He stood His ground and demonstrated His power over evil as He sent them away. But Jesus treats the people differently than the demons. He doesn’t overpower them. He leaves.  Jesus will not force Himself on anyone. So Jesus gives them what they want—their sin, their isolation, their death before God. But He does not leave them without a witness, the former demoniac, so that they might continue to hear His offer of grace.
	B.   Another lesson is this: no one is too far gone for Jesus. If anyone would be, it would be the raving, Gentile who lives among the dead. But it’s not so. Jesus finds him. Jesus saves him. The man is delivered and has eternal life.
				1. Then remember this: "You are special to God. He loves you! You are extremely valuable to Him! He claims you as His child!" If you ever doubt that or wonder about that, recall this story: It’s about an old man who was brought to a hospital emergency room late one evening, an apparent mugging victim. He looked like one of the homeless. He was ill-clothed and dirty and disheveled, battered... and appeared to be unconscious.  One of the young medical students took one look at him and said: "What in the world should we do with this worthless wretch?" The old man opened his eyes slightly and in an amazingly strong voice said, "Call him not worthless for whom Christ died!"   2. That’s comforting news: that man wasn’t beyond the mercy of Jesus, and neither are we.
					a. But the devil is a crafty one, and he’ll twist this miracle to convince you of something else: namely, that Jesus is really only necessary for people who are in that bad of shape.   b. Jesus is necessary for all people – those who think they are good and those who know they are in over their heads.
CONCLUSION:   So what happens when we're in over our heads? In the movies, it all tends to end happily ever after, the so-called Hollywood ending. At least in Cheaper By The Dozen the ending is a little more realistic. This father comes to his senses when he realizes what an impact fulfilling his dream has had on the rest of the family. At the end of the movie, like the demon-possessed man in Luke's story, Coach/Dad is now in his right mind. He now knows he prefers the name "Dad" to the name "Coach."    Sometimes, we are brought to realize we are in over our heads before we can be put into our right minds.