HOMILY FOR WEDNESDAY OF 13TH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME.
THEME: JESUS EXPELS DEMONS.
BY: FR. GERALD M. MUSA.
According to Jesus, Satan has a threefold function: to steal, kill, and destroy (John 10:10). When Satan’s spirit enters a person, it dehumanises them, stripping away their dignity and reducing them to a state of misery. In an attempt to destroy those who were possessed, Satan forced them to live in a graveyard and filled them with a violent spirit (Matthew 8:28). Jesus, on the other hand, came to break and destroy Satan’s power. When the demoniacs saw Jesus, they recognized his authority and feared him, asking if he had come to destroy them (Matthew 8:29).
Jesus immediately delivered them by expelling the demons tormenting them. This highlights Jesus’ absolute power over all spirits. A Kenyan proverb states, “When you see a snake, kill it with a stick; don’t appoint a committee on snakes.” While this may offend wildlife conservationists, the proverb emphasizes the need to eliminate anything harmful or life threatening to humans immediately. Jesus chose to drive the demons into a herd of swine rather than allow them to continue infesting human souls.
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The people of Gadarenes, valuing their material possessions (pigs) more than the freedom of the demoniacs, asked Jesus to leave. Sometimes, like the people of Gadarenes, we prefer to keep our sins and demons rather than invite Jesus to free us. The question arises: are we aiding Satan in his destructive agenda, or are we joining forces with Jesus to restore and heal a broken and corrupt world?
MATTHEW 8:28-34; WEDNESDAY, 13TH WEEK
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