When Pigs Fly: Miracles and Misunderstandings From Mark 5: They came to the other side of the sea, to the country of the Gerasenes. And when he had stepped out of the boat, immediately a man out of the tombs with an unclean spirit met him. He lived among the tombs; and no one could restrain him any more, even with a chain; for he had often been restrained with shackles and chains, but the chains he wrenched apart, and the shackles he broke in pieces; and no one had the strength to subdue him. Night and day among the tombs and on the mountains he was always howling and bruising himself with stones. When he saw Jesus from a distance, he ran and bowed down before him; and he shouted at the top of his voice, "What have you to do with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I adjure you by God, do not torment me." For he had said to him, "Come out of the man, you unclean spirit!" Then Jesus asked him, "What is your name?" He replied, "My name is Legion; for we are many." He begged him earnestly not to send them out of the country. Now there on the hillside a great herd of swine was feeding; and the unclean spirits begged him, "Send us into the swine; let us enter them." So he gave them permission. And the unclean spirits came out and entered the swine; and the herd, numbering about two thousand, rushed down the steep bank into the sea, and were drowned in the sea. The swineherds ran off and told it in the city and in the country. Then people came to see what it was that had happened. They came to Jesus and saw the demoniac sitting there, clothed and in his right mind, the very man who had had the legion; and they were afraid. Those who had seen what had happened to the demoniac and to the swine reported it. Then they began to beg Jesus to leave their neighborhood. As he was getting into the boat, the man who had been possessed by demons begged him that he might be with him. But Jesus refused, and said to him, "Go home to your friends, and tell them how much the Lord has done for you, and what mercy he has shown you." And he went away and began to proclaim in the Decapolis how much Jesus had done for him; and everyone was amazed. This is the story from Mark 5 we are using for our When Pigs Fly series. As we do for any bible story, we look first at the literal story as it appears and then we look for the metaphysical meaning, or how this story unfolds in our 1
consciousness. Last week we focused on the beginning of the story and the healing of Legions. The literal story is of a man tormented by his own thoughts, so dangerous to himself and others he is isolated in the tombs outside the town. Yet he is able to recognize Jesus and call out to him. Metaphysically, there is a part of us able to connect with the Christ of our being and bring spiritual transformation, no matter what the appearances or our past history. The Universe supports our healing and details seem to fall into place when we are on the right path. Some of you may be saying, I wasn t here last week but where is the part where pigs fly? You might be thinking that even if you were here last week. Back in the story, when the spirits enter the swine the pigs rush into the sea. Some pictures I ve seen of the area believed to be the site described show low cliffs at the edge of the sea of Galilee. So as they fling themselves into the sea, the pigs fly, ever so briefly. Hence, my association of this story with the phrase When Pigs Fly. Also because that phrase carries all the skepticism we hold about miracles. I mean really. Legions is healed, just like that? As I mentioned last week, this is where many of the healing stories in the bible end. The healing is done, end of story, just like that. Last week we chose a meaning for miracle to use, an unfolding of spiritual principle in a way that is beyond our current level of understanding. The event is not a violation of spiritual law, although it may appear to be a violation of physical law, but we just don t know how principle is working. When something like this happens, life continues to unfold and which is what we begin to explore this week as we go further into the story. The first time I read this story I thought, How convenient the way this happened. Pigs are unclean animals for the Jewish people and the spirits ask and are cast into the swine. No big loss for the people and Legions is healed. But then I was curious about the people asking Jesus to leave. Were they just afraid of his power? Seemed it was kind of tidy but a little scary. Then I get better at metaphysical interpretation and I dig around about historical significance. Gerasene is also known as Gadara. The 10 cities in 2
the Decapolis were centers of Greek and Roman culture in an otherwise Semitic region. Many of the people had adopted the ways of the Romans and they raised pigs to sell to the Roman soldiers. Suddenly what seemed like an act of convenience became the slaughter of the people s livelihood. They were more angry than scared I suspect. Knowing this cultural clue completely changed how I interpreted the story. And gave me different views on the metaphysics. It also demonstrated that a) my understanding may evolve as I gain more information and b) not everything is as it seems to me. If you look up Gadara in the Metaphysical Bible Dictionary you find this metaphysical meaning: Strongly organized thoughts of energy and power in the subconscious realm of mind in man. When freed from carnal desires and warring tendencies, these thoughts will work mightily for the good of the individual. We return to our interpretation process. Everything in the story represents parts of our own consciousness. The evil spirits are error thoughts, beliefs in limitation, lack of self-worth, anger, and shame. Those thoughts can possess us and imprison us in our own mind. The pigs, which represent prosperity in some cultures, here may represent our materiality. The possessions which possess us. The car we have to have as a status symbol. The house, the job, the partner which defines our own worth. Those error thoughts and sense of materiality are thrown into the sea for cleansing. But a village remains. Have you ever experienced a spiritual transformation, only to find that there are still many voices in your head challenging you? The voices may be the opinions of others; or your own beliefs from the past about miracles such as this experience; or new doubts coming to the surface about your willingness to move forward with this transformation. Spiritual transformation is never the end of the story. In reality, once I choose, I must choose again and again. We sing Love is my decision yet can I make that decision just once? Or must I choose in every interaction and in every self-reflection? And is my spiritual voice the only one clamoring for my attention as I choose? Are there voices tied to materiality, past experience and doubt fearfully shouting and encouraging me to reject this Christ of my being? 3
When we read the literal story it seems a little hard, at first, to imagine that the people would push Jesus away. The Jesus who has just healed a tormented man into peace and calm. But let s look at some examples in our own lives. Imagine you have a spiritual awakening about health. Divine Life is the truth of your being and physical vitality is yours to claim. So you claim a healthy life. You adopt a healthy lifestyle. You feel better. It truly feels like a miracle unfolding. Then the village begins to remind you of what you are giving up. The village can be voices of doubt within yourself, saying you ll never really be able to change you ll never really be different than you ve been. The village can be the sabotaging thoughts saying you really deserve that indulgence a little gluttony isn t all that bad. The village can be friends who don t understand your new choices; don t think you are any fun anymore and friends who no longer support the person you are becoming. The sense consciousness that focuses on the outer conditions takes over. The village can push away the Divine Life that seemed so perfectly true just moments ago. I believe one of the fundamental misunderstandings we have about miracles is the idea that only one thing is changed. All miracles originate in Spirit. And we know the creative process works from the inside out. So we change our thoughts and beliefs. Which changes our body, our relationships, our prosperity and all our outer conditions. We are three-fold beings, interconnected and one change impacts all areas. We are not always prepared for all the changes that unfold nor do we anticipate all the changes at first. Fifteen years ago, I had a spiritual transformation. The voice of the Christ within challenged me in ways I had not expected. I thought I was doing pretty good. I was active in my church, served in YFM, raised my children with spiritual grounding, took SEE classes so I could be an LUT, was professionally successful, was a peacemaker in my workplace, was a pretty generous giver. And the Christ said, Get both feet on your spiritual path. You are a preacher. Oh for heaven s sake. That cannot be the right instruction. For a year I wrestled with this. I understood it felt like I had one 4
foot on the spiritual path and one foot on the material path. It felt a little awkward but I wasn t sure about the alternative. I had two kids still in school and I was a single parent. Finally I stepped out, put both feet on the spiritual path and left the corporate world because that was how I understood my guidance. Pigs flew. The voices around me and within me questioned my sanity, my plan, my motives. I didn t have a plan, I wasn t sure about my sanity but I was clear on my motive to follow my spiritual guidance. My thoughts and beliefs grounded in materiality changed. I let go of needing to be defined by my employment because for quite a while I either didn t have any or had a great deal of uncertainty. I let go of my nice 401 (k) funds as I moved through seminary and continued to provide for my family. I let go of relying on material measures for success and security. And I let go of some friends. I let go of some activities. It really is God and me. Day by day we figure it out. Kind of the Royal we spirit, mind and body. Me the human self and me the Universe. Not a God of distance but an essence of pure thought and inspiration and substance. That s what I work with every day. Some days it is real work. Some days it feels more natural than others. I am human. Sometimes the villagers want to push the Christ away. I didn t sign up for all of this. This is too much to ask. I wonder what my 401 (k) would be if I hadn t taken so much out. Or what it would be if I continued working; if I still had my job and my house in Prairie Village. Or what options I ll have for retirement. And then I consider what it would also mean to push the Christ away. There are no certainties in life. Who knows about my old job or my retirement plan or my house? Who knows about my health and my sanity and my spirituality if I denied the guidance I chose to follow? And yes, I still have to make those choices every day. Every day I choose ministry; I choose meditation and prayer; I choose to live with both feet on the spiritual path. At some point my spiritual path may move me in a new direction. All I can do is to stay open and receptive. As you claim miracles and align with the Christ of your being, are you finding spiritual transformation? 5
Even if you don t feel it is earth shaking change, can you feel a shift in your values, your path, your willingness to listen to intuition and spiritual guidance? How is your village of thoughts responding to that? Are you noticing resistance to the change unfolding? Are you experiencing doubt and an urge to get back in the rut that feels more familiar than being out there on the edge of transformation? I don t judge the path of others. I don t pretend to understand their view, their story, their challenges and joys. It is difficult enough to try not to judge myself too harshly as I make my way with my little miracles and accept all the changes that continue to unfold. Spiritual miracles are not for the faint of heart but you might find a new sense of the strength of your faith as you allow the miracles to unfold. Claim your good and know all that you need is provided. Last week we affirmed: I claim the miracles unfolding through Christ in me. Keep affirming that. This week let s add: I embrace the changes spiritual growth brings. Not too sure about that? Let s say it til we mean it: I embrace the changes spiritual growth brings. I embrace the changes spiritual growth brings. I embrace the changes spiritual growth brings. Let the pigs fly! It s all good! Next week we ll talk about Happy Endings or is there a happy ending to every miracle? Now let us prepare for a time of meditation as we sing, When I Pray. 6