Mark 5:11-12
Profit
and loss. These are powerful words in the world of business. Even non-profit
organizations must break even. They have bills to pay and salaries to support.
Some people will sell their souls to make a profit. Many extremely wealthy
people have done just that. Money has turned into their god, and they serve it
faithfully.
The
porn industry is an example of evil business. The exploitation of others for
profit is rampant. Many large corporations are so driven by their bottom line,
the dividends paid to shareholder and the price of the stock, that they will do
just about anything to become rich.
A
recent news story told of one individual who just sold stock worth 3.3 billion
dollars. And the company he founded produces absolutely nothing! Now that is
evil! He might be a nice guy, but making that much money brings with it tremendous
responsibility to others.
But
before we rail against the big corporations, maybe we should hold the mirror a
little closer. Do we keep making purchases of things we don’t really need? Do
we clamor for the newest gadget or the cheapest price? Do we reach out to the
truly poor and do more than throw a dollar in their bucket? Do we give our
lives in service of others? Are we always looking for someone else to pay our
way, supplement our lifestyle, give us medical care and a cell phone?
The
herders of the pigs we read about in our text had made just such a choice. Jews
were not supposed to have anything to do with pigs herding. Jews certainly
couldn’t eat pigs since they were classified as unclean animals. But somewhere
in their collective history they had decided they could profit from the sale of
pigs to the local non-Jewish population. They could make a small compromise and
a big profit. Perhaps a long-forgotten economic downturn had forced them to
switch to hogs rather than some other animal. Perhaps there was just more
profit in pork bellies than in anything else. But I have to admit, bacon is
good!
The
demons in our story are desperate. They don’t want to face life without the
possibility of a body to inhabit, so they ask to be sent into the herd of pigs.
I guess they figure living in a pig is better than living nowhere. Maybe they
figured they could use the pigs as a stopping off point on their way either
back to this original man or on to another person. We just don’t know.
And
one of those questions that still puzzles me today is where did the demons go
inside the pigs? Do pigs have a place that spiritual beings can inhabit? Where
do demons occupy in humans? What box do they fit into? Body, soul, spirit,
psyche, mind, intestines? More questions than answers, I’m afraid.
A
funny thing happens when Jesus gives the demons permission to enter the pigs.
The pigs don’t like it. They want the demons out of them so badly that they
kill themselves by jumping off a cliff. Talk about getting a harsh reception
when moving into a new neighborhood.