September 18th

Men of the Tombs

            When he came to the other side, to the country of the Gadarenes, two demoniacs coming out of the tombs met him. They were so fierce that no one could pass that way.  Suddenly they shouted, “What have you to do with us, Son of God? Have you come here to torment us before the time?”  Now a large herd of swine was feeding at some distance from them.  The demons begged him, “If you cast us out, send us into the herd of swine.”  And he said to them, “Go!” So they came out and entered the swine; and suddenly, the whole herd rushed down the steep bank into the sea and perished in the water. The swineherds ran off, and on going into the town, they told the whole story about what had happened to the demoniacs.  Then the whole town came out to meet Jesus; and when they saw him, they begged him to leave their neighborhood.

Matthew 8:24-32

           

            Jesus performed a miracle and the people begged Him to leave.  Jesus restored the mental health of two members of the community but because the cost was economic loss, the people wanted Him to leave before He caused any more problems.  Welcome to the harsh economics of IDD.

            These two men were living as beasts in the graveyard.  Other passages talk about the people trying to restrain them with chains and the men broke free.  They would howl and snarl.  Parents probably used them as examples to frighten their children into obeying their rules.  And yet they were not hunted down and killed.  They were probably family and belonged to this community who longed for them to be healed and reunited with their loved ones.  Then Jesus healed them and in order to show everyone the torture that they were living though, He sent the demons into a herd of pigs who went crazy and ran off the cliff in a frenzy.

            Was the community happy to have their afflicted members restored to them?  No.  They were too distracted by the loss of their livelihood.  How much value had been lost in that plunge into the water?  How long would it take to recover that kind of wealth?  What were they going to do without that source of income?  They drove Jesus away before He could do anything else.

            Everyone wants our community members with disabilities and mental illnesses and developmental delays to get healthier and have a better quality of life.  No one wants to pay for it.  Every time a new city ordinance is passed or state/federal law comes down about improving disabled access, rage erupts.  People are furious that they have to spend their hard-earned money just so someone can walk up a ramp to get into their store.

            Mental institutions have a long history of not working.  They lend themselves to neglect and abuse and deterioration…but they are efficient.  They keep costs down and keep the IDD community out of the public eye and allow people to buy things that they want instead of things that other people need.  Every year in my home state, Medicaid cuts are threatened and every year someone throws out a great idea about opening up a mental institution as a cost-saving alternative.  Three years ago, Medicaid day habilitation services were cut so that the IDD community could focus on job coaching resources.  This year Medicaid job coaching services were cut.  There will be another round of talks about opening a central facility that could house all our state’s IDD clients in one location that would make access to services and staff easier, and more cost effective, for everyone.

             The parents of the men of the tombs were in this awkward position.  Their boys had been healed and restored; God in the flesh had come to rescue their sons.  And there was no one that they could share their joy with because everyone else was mad and traumatized over how much money this had cost them.  They probably heard that the lives of these two men were not worth the cost.  Their joy was stolen and replaced with guilt.  Where they wanted to shout from the rooftops the wonderous works of God in their lives, they instead hid their miracle so that no one else would be mad at them.  What should have been the happiest days of their lives instead turned into a wedge that divided them from their community.

            You may be in this spot yourself.  Maybe your church finally installed that ramp so that your family can attend worship and now other church members are upset that they don’t have the money to do projects that are actually important.  Maybe Medicaid has allowed your child to have a job coach and hold down steady employment but people in your community are campaigning hard to cut it because it is wasteful and inconvenient.  Maybe your child passed a major social milestone and no one cares.

            It is a lonely feeling.  But in that isolation, remember that the God of the Universe came to your community and did a miracle in the life of your child.  It may be lost on everyone else, but it was a gift for you and your family from the One who treasures you all and holds you close to His heart.  Jesus loves your son.  He loves your daughter and He sometimes goes out of His way to show us that.  Live in the joy of God’s gift to your child and hold on to hope that the rest of the community will eventually come around.

A moment to reflect:

What gifts has God given to your child?  Sit in gratitude and joy over those for a while.