Stones
/But they covered their ears, and with a loud shout all rushed together against him. -Acts 7:57
Last weekend, the healing ministry team met online to talk about how we might still offer healing prayer during this time of isolation, without, of course, the laying on of hands part. We always start our meetings with a Scriptural healing story, and this time we explored the “Gerasene demoniac,” which is about a man possessed with a legion of demons who lived among the tombs on the outskirts of Gerasa. He would wail and cry out, rip off his clothing and hit himself with stones. The Gerasene townspeople kept trying to restrain him, but he’d always break his chains and howl all the more. He never ran away, though, and the people never stopped trying to restrain him - it seems like it was a very unhealthy and unpleasant dance all around.
But then Jesus shows up in Gerasa, and with the help of a herd of pigs, he heals the tortured man, and he is finally free from this horrendous condition. Miraculously, the townspeople come out to discover him dressed and in his right mind, sitting at Jesus’ feet. Do they celebrate his liberation - and their own? No! They are afraid when they see their village demoniac healed - and they beg Jesus to leave their town. He has upset their familiar system. Sure, this guy was a maniac, but he was our maniac, and we want things back the way they’ve always been, so please go! Sometimes change, even healthy change, is hard to accept.
I was reminded of those Gerasenes in reading the very short passage from Acts for this Sunday. Stephen, the first deacon of the early church, was brought up on the charge of blasphemy before the temple council. In their view, he was stirring up their people, causing lots of change. As he stood to answer the charges, Stephen was filled with the Holy Spirit and preached a sermon proclaiming his trust in Jesus as the Christ - as the Messiah. The writer of Acts says Stephen’s face shone like the face of an angel as he shared the deepest spiritual truths of his heart. But when he was done, the people covered their ears, and with a loud shout all rushed together against him, and stoned Stephen to death. They were clearly feeling deeply threatened by someone who was once part of their own familiar system but had been changed.
As I read fearful headlines and witness the armed and angry protests at many statehouses lately, I see the kind of fear and anger that’s described in these ancient stories being played out before our eyes. Deeply challenging change is being thrust upon us during the pandemic. In response to this painful time of challenge and change, some of us choose to pick up a bible or some yeast and flour to knead and pound. Others choose to pick up machine guns and hateful protest signs, looking for someone to blame.
The Acts reading this Sunday challenges us to think about our own responses to challenging changes and conflicts in life. Do we turn first to prayer and community for support and guidance, or do we pick up stones? I’m sure all of us will have to admit, we’ve picked up at least some pebbles to throw quietly under our breath… Walking in Jesus footsteps, especially the cross part, is a very challenging practice indeed, and one we won’t fully master in this lifetime.
But it’s a life-changing and life-saving practice nonetheless. Jesus showed us over and over how we are to treat our neighbors and interact with the world, and now more than ever it’s an important practice to strive to follow his lead.
