Following their Lord, the disciples gingerly stepped out onto a shore that Luke describes as “opposite” Galilee – opposite in customs, values and traditions. Be cautious! And, sure enough, as soon as Jesus stepped off the boat, a wild man ran right up to Him…a naked, dirty, weird, wild man, who lived among the tombstones of a nearby graveyard, ran up, shouting, crazily, “What have you to do with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I beg you, do not torment me!” (Lk. 8:26-31) Such was the strange man that we will now call “The Man of the Tombs.”

     Yes “The Man of the Tombs” does indeed cry out loud—too loud, as a matter of fact. We’ve all met people like him: they talk too loud, they talk too much, they aren’t polite, or private with their pain, or nice, or genteel in how they express themselves – far too often what they say embarrasses themselves and others around them. As David just sang, this man “tears at himself;” he “knows no mercy and no forgiving” – his personal demons have driven him out, out among the dead for “He counts himself dead” – but why? What has he done? And what does his plight, his situation, have to do with me and you?

            Underneath this thing that I’ve become
            A fading memory of flesh and blood
            I curse the womb, I bless the grave
            I’ve lost my heart, I cannot be saved
            Like those who fear me, I’m afraid
            Like those I’ve hurt, I cannot feel pain
            Naked now before my sin
            And these stones that cut against my skin
            Some try to touch me, but no one can
            For Man of the Tombs I am….

     Now, how is he like you and me? You know, don’t you…as I know…but we don’t like to admit it, do we?…admit that there’s a “Man” or “Woman” of “the Tombs, of Bad Memories” lying deep, deep inside each one of us…. His aching, fearful voice is deep inside of us, saying, to ourselves, “What a miserable failure you are – a hypocrite; you have no value or purpose…a lost soul.” We have what Luther called that “Old Adam” or “Old Eve” deep inside of us, the lost soul. Then we try to placate that lost soul with addictions and distractions, with criticisms of others, or with strange enthusiasms toward which we put too much time and effort…feeding the lost soul and at the same time avoiding true, humble service…to God.

            Down at the shoreline 
            Two sets of footprints meet 
            One voice is screaming 
            The other voice begins to speak 
            In only a movement and only a word 
            The evil departs like a thundering herd 
            Man of the Tombs, he hears this crying out loud: 

            Underneath this thing that you’ve become 
            I see a man of flesh and blood 
            I give you life beyond the grave 
            I heal your heart, I came to save 
            No need to fear, be not afraid 
            This Man of Sorrows knows your pain 
            I come to take away your sin 
            And bear it’s marks upon My skin 
            When no one can touch you, still I can 
            For Son of God, I am….

     You see, this man was not the only one who counted himself dead. So did his fellow Gentiles, the townspeople he used to live with, who rejected him – for take note of this: instead of ministering to this troubled man, the townspeople feared him, and had him chained up. They were messed up, too.  So, when in the course of this man being healed, the townspeople lost a herd of their prized pigs, the people of this city became quite angry, and told Jesus to leave – at once! And when they saw the man they had rejected and called insane, now all clothed and clean and quiet and “of his right mind,” they were…what? Overjoyed? Happy? Welcoming him back home? No. NO!! Luke reports that they were, instead, “afraid.”

            Dressed now and seated 
            Clean now of Spirit and healthy in mind 
            Man of the Tombs 
            He begs to follow, but must stay behind 
            He’ll return to his family with stories to tell 
            Of mercy and madness, of heaven and hell 
            Man of the Tombs, soon he will cry out loud: 

            Underneath this thing that I once was 
            Now I am a man of flesh and blood 
            I have a life beyond the grave 
            I found my heart, I can now be saved 
            No need to fear, I am not afraid 
            This Man of Sorrows took my pain 
            He comes to take away our sin 
            And bear its marks upon His skin 
            I’m telling you this story because 
            Man of the Tombs I was….