What Have You To Do With Us

How often have we asked Christ, “What have you to do with us?” If we are being honest, then we probably have to answer more times than we should have. As much as we say we want Christ to be in our lives, to visit us, the truth is that for most of us, when he does, we get nervous. We know that when Christ calls us to follow him, it requires a transformation in us. Such transformation can he hard and painful. So we try to avoid the encounter and delay making changes in ourselves and our lives.

What Have You To Do With Us

Gospel - Matthew 8:28-34

When Jesus came to the territory of the Gadarenes,

two demoniacs who were coming from the tombs met him.

They were so savage that no one could travel by that road.

They cried out, "What have you to do with us, Son of God?

Have you come here to torment us before the appointed time?"

Some distance away a herd of many swine was feeding.

The demons pleaded with him,

"If you drive us out, send us into the herd of swine."

And he said to them, "Go then!"

They came out and entered the swine,

and the whole herd rushed down the steep bank into the sea

where they drowned.

The swineherds ran away,

and when they came to the town they reported everything,

including what had happened to the demoniacs.

Thereupon the whole town came out to meet Jesus,

and when they saw him they begged him to leave their district.

Scriptural Analysis

The Gadarenes was a predominantly non-Jewish region centered on the city of Gadera about six miles southeast of the Sea of Galilee. Upon his arrival, Jesus encountered two demoniacs, emerging from the tombs, with a herd of swine nearby. Given the Jewish people’s focus on ritual purity, this would have been unsettling to someone hearing of the encounter. Jesus chose to bring his disciples here: to a place that symbolizes the focus on ritual purity of the Jewish Law. This was an unclean region filled with unclean spirits dwelling in an unclean plan populated with unclean animals. Yet, just as with his encounter with the leper, Jesus, as God, can make what is considered to be unclean clean. He has power and authority not only over lines, paralysis, fever, and weather, but also the minions of Satan.

Jesus encountered the two possessed men, so tormented that they prevented people from traveling in that region by the road. We see a parallel here with the storm that tried to prevent the disciples from crossing the seas. These demons have supernatural knowledge and recognize Jesus as the Son of God, which, thus far, only the devil has recognized about Jesus. “And the tempter came and said to him, ‘If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread.’” (Matthew 4:3) The demons are fearful that the time of their judgement has come which is a recreance to the final judgment of the devil and his minions at the end of time.

Knowing that Jesus will drive them out of these men, the demons beg for a new home, “If you drive us out, send us into the herd of swine.” Jesus permits this, and the demons’ destructive power sends the herd down the embankment and into the sea. Interestingly enough, there is no explanation as to why Jesus was OK with this herd of swine being sacrificed. They likely belonged to someone, and this would have been a significant loss to that family. However, Matthew remains focused only on showing the power of Jesus.

Jesus calmed the storms with His word, and now He suppresses the demons with His word. His disciples, who had seen the miracles in Galilee, sparked a messianic expectation among the Jewish people. In the Gadarenes, however, the people seem fearful of his power and ask him to leave.

Daily Application

When the demons encounter Christ, they panic. They know who Jesus is and understand what is in store for them. While we are not demons, we often behave in similar ways. When Christ encounters us, we know what lies ahead. He is going to demand that we change: that we reform our lives and our ways to be in accord with his teachings and the level of righteousness that he demands we live by. Such a change, a transformation in us, will be painful and challenging, and so we cling to our old way of life and try to avoid that genuine and authentic encounter with Christ.

Christ is the Good Shepherd, the one who goes after the lost sheep. In the Parable of the Lost Sheep, when Jesus finds the lost sheep, he carries it back to the flock. This is done in the parable to highlight the commitment and the love of the shepherd towards the sheep. In reality, however, the shepherd did not always carry back the lost sheep. More often than not, the sheep would need to walk the journey back to the flock. This journey can be treacherous.

Jesus seeks us out and finds us. He wants to bring us back to the flock so that we can spend eternity in heaven with him. However, the way to get from where we are to where we need to be spiritually is not always an easy journey. The journey can be difficult and daunting, requiring sacrifice and pain. As lost sheep, we know this, which is why we don’t journey back to the flock on our own. We remain in our lost state because, although it is not where we belong, a sense of comfort begins to develop. So when Jesus shows up, our reaction is to panic, as we know what his call entails. We know we belong with the flock, but to get there requires going on a perilous journey.

Purchase Introduction to the Devout Life by Saint Francis de Sales.

When Jesus comes before us, we try to get him to leave us alone, to let us remain where we are, because we don’t want to undergo what lies ahead. However, in doing that, we forget the most important thing. Even though the journey may be arduous, it is one we don’t undertake alone. Jesus is with us through it all. That is the most crucial part to remember. We can not make the journey on our own, but with Christ, it is possible.

In his Introduction to the Devout Life, Saint Francis de Sales comments on those of us living ordinary lives in the world, including doctors, carpenters, plumbers, teachers, and homemakers. He states that these people often don’t seek a deeper spiritual life. He says, “Such persons are apt to reject all attempt to lead a devout life, pleading that it is impossible, imagining that just as no animal presumes to eat of the plant commonly called Palma Christi, so no one who is immersed in the tide of temporal affairs ought to presume to seek the palm of Christian.” Saint Francis argues that most people do not see the value in going through the struggles required to live a holy life while still being in the world. We must resist that temptation and instead seek first the kingdom of God.

Christ will find us whether we want him to or not. He desires not the loss of a single soul. When he does encounter us, how will we respond? Do we ask, “What have you to do with us,” because we know what his desire for us is? Or do we say here I am, Lord, and allow him to bring us back to the flock?