June 19, 2022 – Second Sunday after Pentecost (Proper 7)

In just a few short weeks, many of us will stand and sing that we live in “the land of the free and the home of the brave.” Our patriotic celebrations are just around the corner. But I struggle to say that most of us in our little corner of the world are “free”.

People are bound by all kinds of things. Some are bound by fears – fear of dying, fear of flying, fear of illness, fear of becoming bankrupt, fear of being alone. Some are bound by pain – the pain of disease, the pain of trauma that has been inflicted on them. Some are bound by addictions – to alcohol, to drugs, to food, to gambling, to sex. Many who are addicted use the addiction to cover the pain of a trauma that they have suffered. Some are bound by economic issues – perhaps they don’t make enough money to support their family, perhaps they have made bad choices and have crushing debt, perhaps they can’t afford that house that they live in and are strapped with a huge mortgage that they can’t really afford to pay.

When you look more closely, it doesn’t seem like many people in our society are truly free. And if you asked where freedom is to be found, I don’t think that many people would have a good answer. It seems like our society really believes that all our problems would be solved if we simply had enough money. And so we have a fascination with playing the lottery – which I think the odds of winning are about as good as my traveling to Mars next week. Other people believe that if they just meet the right person, all of their problems will vanish. And so we’re just as fascinated with finding the “right one” with whom we’re “meant to be” – our soulmate. I think we’re looking for freedom in all the wrong places.

Today’s Gospel reading  has something to say to us about freedom and where it’s to be found. Today we heard the very strange story of Jesus encountering a man whose soul was tormented by the demons (not one demon, but many demons) who possessed him. Now this isn’t something we run into every day in our lives. But exorcisms seem to be an important part of Jesus’ healing ministry. Unlike other exorcists of his day, Jesus didn’t have to use elaborate means to cast out the demons that tormented people; all he had to do was say the word. In fact, in every instance when Jesus encountered someone who was possessed by a demon, the spirit cried out in fear at the very sight of Jesus. And today, they even begged Jesus not to banish them to the “abyss.”

Generally, people responded positively to Jesus healing others, but they didn’t often praise his exorcism of individuals. When Jesus released a person from whatever had been tormenting them, those who witnessed the event were afraid. Today, we hear the witnesses beg Jesus to leave them. You might think that they would welcome the one who could set them free from the powers of evil that oppressed them. But this wasn’t devout Jewish territory, and perhaps the population valued their pigs more than the freedom that Jesus offered. Perhaps it was because they were afraid of this powerful Jesus who had the power to say a word to drive away powerful evil from a man who had been tormented for years. We don’t know – and it’s hard to say exactly why the locals asked Jesus to leave.

What we can say is that there was definitely a purpose to Jesus’ exorcisms. When Jesus worked miracles, the miracles proved that through Jesus, God was present with the people and at work carrying out the compassion of his reign here. In the same way, I think the exorcisms were intended to demonstrate that through Jesus, God was setting the people free from all the evil that kept them bound. Through the exorcisms, we see God clashing with the realm of darkness and chaos and winning. In the face of the freedom of God’s kingdom, the powers of evil have no defense. 

Whenever Jesus encountered someone who was possessed, the spirit was instantly terrified. Not only did that spirit know who Jesus was, but they also knew that he could banish them with just a word. And even though Jesus couldn’t stay to help the people of this place because they were so afraid of him, he left the man who he had set free as a living testimony to the truth that evil cannot prevail over God’s freedom.

My friends, the real source of freedom from all the pain and evil and trauma and injustice that binds the people of our world today is the power of God at work among us and through us. It would be nice if we simply had the power to say a word in order to grant freedom to those among us who are suffering from the powers of evil. Sometimes true freedom may only come for some from years of work – overcoming trauma, digging out of debt. But the journey for those who are bound begins with those of us who have experienced God’s freedom carrying out our call to live as witnesses to that amazing good news. We can show our broken chains as a testimony to them that God can give them the freedom they’ve always longed for.

So while our national anthem may conclude with the statement that we live in America – “the land of the free and the home of the brave” – I wonder whether this statement better describes the land that we live in because we are members of God’s kingdom here on earth. As you attend festivities to honor our nation over the next few weeks, I challenge you to show your broken chains, to share your journey with God with those who long for the freedom that we’ve already found through Jesus Christ.