Gospel in Art: Come out of the man, you unclean spirit!

Christ healing the Gerasene Demoniac, by the Master of the Magdeburg Antependium, 968AD © Hessisches Landesmuseum, Darmstadt

Source: Christian Art

Gospel of 3 February 2025
Mark 5:1-20

At that time: Jesus and his disciples came to the other side of the lake, to the country of the Gerasenes. And when Jesus had stepped out of the boat, immediately there met him out of the tombs a man with an unclean spirit. He lived among the tombs. And no one could bind him any more, not even with a chain, for he had often been bound with shackles and chains, but he wrenched the chains apart, and he broke the shackles in pieces. No one had the strength to subdue him. Night and day among the tombs and on the mountains he was always crying out and cutting himself with stones. And when he saw Jesus from afar, he ran and fell down before him. And crying out with a loud voice, he said, '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 was saying to him, 'Come out of the man, you unclean spirit!' And Jesus asked him, 'What is your name?' He replied, 'My name is Legion, for we are many.' And he begged him earnestly not to send them out of the country. Now a great herd of pigs was feeding there on the hillside, and they begged him, saying, 'Send us to the pigs; let us enter them.' So he gave them permission. And the unclean spirits came out and entered the pigs; and the herd, numbering about two thousand, rushed down the steep bank into the sea and drowned in the sea.

The herdsmen fled and told it in the city and in the country. And people came to see what it was that had happened. And they came to Jesus and saw the demon-possessed man, the one who had had the legion, sitting there, clothed and in his right mind, and they were afraid. And those who had seen it described to them what had happened to the demon-possessed man and to the pigs. And they began to beg Jesus to depart from their region. As he was getting into the boat, the man who had been possessed with demons begged him that he might be with him. And he did not permit him but said to him, 'Go home to your friends and tell them how much the Lord has done for you, and how he has had mercy on you.' And he went away and began to proclaim in the Decapolis how much Jesus had done for him, and everyone marvelled.

Reflection on the Carved Ivory Panel

Today's ivory panel is one of a remarkable set of sixteen surviving ivory carvings depicting episodes from the life of Christ, dating back to 968 AD. Known as the Magdeburg Ivories, the set was commissioned by Emperor Otto I to commemorate the dedication of Magdeburg Cathedral in the same year. Each panel is exquisitely small, measuring just 13 by 12 cm (5 by 4.75 inches), yet displays extraordinary craftsmanship with its intricate openwork background. This particular panel portrays Christ casting out an unclean spirit from a man, with Saint Peter standing behind Him, holding the keys. The unclean spirit, depicted mid-flight towards a herd of pigs below, is strikingly missing its head-a possible result of alterations during the object's thousand-year history, perhaps due to its grotesque nature being deemed inappropriate at some point.

Our Gospel reading today might seem like a vivid yet distant story, with its unclean spirits, swines, and dramatic cliff-top plunge. What relevance could such an event hold for us? The key may lie in the opening line: Jesus travels to "the other side of the lake." In recent readings, Jesus has been in Galilee, the Jewish side of the sea. Today, however, he crosses into non-Jewish territory, the country of the Gerasenes, a land considered unclean by Jewish law. This deliberate journey reflects Christ's mission to reach out to all people, even those deemed farthest from God. It reminds us that no one is so unclean, so distant, or so "other" that they fall beyond his loving, healing, and saving embrace.

Jesus's response to the man was to set him free, not only from his physical chains but also from the tormenting spirit that left him so distressed. This offers a powerful image of how God acts, seeking to liberate people from anything that diminishes or dehumanises them. This mission of freedom is not solely the Lord's work, it is also the calling of the Church, the responsibility of his followers, and therefore, our work. we all share this responsibility. Each day, we are invited to participate in this mission, helping others to experience greater freedom and fullness of life.

LINKS

Gospel in Art: https://christian.art/
Today's Reflection: https://christian.art/daily-gospel-reading/mark-5-1-20-2025/