A folded piece of cardboard and a tattered, old backpack.
Slowly, the grey-haired man placed his two items on the ground. He carefully picked up the worn piece of cardboard, opened it, and turned toward the street. A car stopped at the light close to where he stood. The driver looked over and glanced at the old man and his sign, “Why Lie I Need a Drink?” Trying not to make eye contact, the driver glanced back up just in time to notice the green light and quickly drove away. The old man rubbed his tired, glassy eyes.
“Just another drink and a sandwich- that ain’t too much to ask, is it?” reflected the man as he gave a shaky wave to the cars as they passed.
His slightly torn clothes, unkempt hair, and jaundiced skin all gave the more observant passerby the distinct impression that this man had struggled for possibly years with the "demon" of alcoholism.
The questions that always gnaw at my own soul when I see a man like this are: Whose father is this? Whose brother? Whose son? If I took a moment to look past the glassy eyes into the heart and life of this man, would there be a charismatic man full of hope and ambition staring back? Where did THAT man go? Was he forever lost in this endless ocean of hopelessness and despair? Had he for so long sought to drown his problems in the bottle that he had, in turn, drown out the ambitious man that once lived inside him?
A story from the life of Christ came to mind this week as I was thinking about all of this:
There was a man in the country of the Gadarenes that was known as a maniac who possessed an unclean spirit. In Christianity, we know him as the “Maniac of Gadara.” This man made his home amongst the tombs. Every day, he would go up and down on the mountains screaming, crying, and cutting himself. The people in the area had become fearful and had tried many times with fetters (leg cuffs) and chains to bind the man but to no avail. This maniac always broke free and no man could control him.
Enter Jesus...
Jesus had sailed with His disciples to this same country and as he was coming out of the ship, this maniac met him. That’s actually quite an understatement. The Bible says that “when he saw Jesus afar off, he RAN and worshipped Him.”
Now, I won’t go into the entire story but here is my takeaway- Jesus looked deeply into the heart and soul of this crazy, demon-possessed maniac and saw a man. He saw a life. He saw hope. That man’s life would never be the same again. His family had regained a father, a brother, a son. His friends had regained a companion...a buddy. The town had gained a powerful witness for the cause of Christ.
How heartbreaking it is to see those we love overcome with various “demons” in their lives. The situation can feel hopeless as we try to reach out in our own strength and “help” them by binding them with various “chains” that we think might fix the problem but...to no avail. Perhaps there are times when we have been that maniac and have found that the chains and fetters cannot control us.
This story shows us the only solution that can bring freedom from the “demons” of life and from bondage. The answer? Jesus. We must point our loved one to Him. We must lift them up to Him in prayer and let HIM be the One to heal them. They must come to Him. WE must come to Him.
Jesus, help us to see others the way you do when you look into their eyes. Give us your compassion and help us to point the world to You.
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