Bedlam from the Rake's Progress 1735 William Hogarth

If I was to mention some of the most pressing social issues of the day, mental illness, social exclusion, male violence, and racial prejudice, it might surprise you that all of these are addressed in this account by Luke written almost two thousand years ago.

It is the story of Jesus's encounter with a violently disturbed man, shunned by his community, abandoned by his family, and living naked with a herd of pigs! Yet Luke describes this man, not as a madman but as a ‘Citizen of this country'. The encounter with Jesus begins innocently with the kind of question we might address to someone who is soon to be friend,

“What is your name”, and the conversation continues after he is freed from his demons as the two sit side by side, with talk about his home and family.

It took centuries for the Church to model this kind of compassion for the mentally disturbed.

The treatment of the mentally ill, until the 19th century, was not unlike that meeted out by the people of Gerasa, the hometown of this poor man. They were chained, excluded, and sometimes exhibited for the entertainment of the crowds.

This is the scene Hogarth painted in the last of his great series of paintings, ‘The Rake’s Progress’. The Rake lies prostrate, almost naked, there are manacles on his ankles and wrists and although it appears that his family tends to him, he is an object of amusement to the ladies who have come to gawp at these poor creatures.

The scene is one that would have been common in ‘The Bethlehem Royal Hospital’ in the 18th century. Here a certain Margaret Nicholson was imprisoned after an attempted assassination attempt on King George 111 in 1786. The knife was blunt and the King was not harmed, he even felt a certain sympathy for the woman who believed herself to be the rightful heir to the throne. As the guards took her away he shouted after them:

“The poor creature is mad: do not hurt her, she has not hurt me.”

These words undoubtedly saved her life as even an unsuccessful regicide was treason and carried a death sentence. Margaret was certified as mad and committed to living out her life at Bethlehem Royal Hospital more notoriously known as Bedlam. She died there 42 years later in 1828.

It is probable that George recognised a fellow sufferer as he himself suffered from delusional thoughts and uncontrollable actions. The King however was fortunate to have a doctor who understood that mental illness required sympathy and began a strict regime then termed ‘Compassionate moral treatment’. Though he was ill for long periods during his life this treatment helped to bring him back to his family and his people.

Power corrupts

Our gospel reading for today describes a man who has lost control of himself, his family, and his life. The picture given to us is of a ‘wild man’ but there is much to suggest that he was once sane, maybe even someone of importance in the community. Not only does he have a home and a family, but he is described as a: ‘Citizen of the city of Geresa’ Luke 8:26.

Maybe once he was a man of power, but now he is a man driven to violence by the demons that possess him. We might guess at the causes of his madness. Maybe like Hogarth’s Rake, he is the victim of his own downfall. Could it be that having once been powerful he is now powerless and is consumed by an anger that is dangerous to others and to himself?

My name is Legion’ Luke 8:30

Though he could break free from his chains it was his ‘Demons’ who controlled him. We can understand the term demons in both a literal as well as a metaphorical sense, indeed the only way for a pre-scientific mind to understand the uncontrolled violence of mental illness was to ascribe it to forces beyond our control.

When we seek to dominate and control we end up by being controlled by demons we cannot tame.

Master of the waves and the wind.

Luke gives us a lovely parallel portrait of Jesus in contrast to this man called ‘Legion’. He has just described the moment when Jesus calms the waves and the wind. He is a man in control not just of himself but of the elemental forces of nature. But Jesus is not a man who seeks to control or dominate. As he meets Legion he does not attempt to subdue him as others have done but speaks to him by his name.

“What is your name?” Luke 8: 30.

Perhaps for the first time in many years, this man is being treated as a human being. Instead of the fear and the force with which Legion had lived here is someone who will befriend him. But there is a curious detail here, for whereas Jesus speaks gently to the man, he commands the demons to come out of him.

Jesus can command the demons but he does not command the man. The master of wind and waves, the one from whom demons flee, is not willing to command obedience from this man.

The power of love: John tells us in his prologue that the one who created the world by his command comes into a world but is not received by the world.

‘The true light, which gives light to everyone, was coming into the world. He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, yet the world did not know Him, He came to His own and his own people did not receive Him’ John 1: 11

This reminds us of the mystery at the heart of the Christian gospel - the human heart cannot be controlled by force but only won through love, a love that respects our humanity.

The power of love is clearly seen in the transformation of this man. When his friends and neighbours come to see him he is:

‘Clothed and in his right mind’. Luke 8:36

Isn’t it remarkable that Jesus sends this man straight home? The family is the place where we are to prove that we are transformed, people. It is in these intimate relationships that we reveal our real selves and find wholeness and healing. King George 111 was a family man and his family was a source of strength to him. How fortunate he was to be able to return to them unlike poor Margaret Nicholson manacled for eight years and imprisoned for life.

Jesus gives us a model of healing not by a display of power but by the power of love. Now this citizen of Gerasa is to seek out and serve his family and community as God has sought out and served him. He is re-clothed in his rightful mind.

Rev. Simon Brignall

We continue to pray for healing in our lives, both of body, mind, and soul, remembering especially Rory, Adam, and David.

Prayer for Ukraine

God of peace and justice

we pray for the people of Ukraine today,

and the laying down of weapons.

we pray for all those who fear for tomorrow,

that your spirit of comfort would draw near to them.

We pray for those with power over war and peace,

for wisdom, discernment, and compassion to guide their decisions

Above all, we pray for all your precious children at risk and in fear,

That you would hold and protect them.

We pray in the name of Jesus, the Prince of Peace.

Amen