January 22, 2022 — “Mad as a hatter” (Luke 8:26-39)

“Then they arrived at the country of the Gerasenes, which is opposite Galilee. As he stepped out on land, a man of the city who had demons met him. For a long time he had worn no clothes, and he did not live in a house but in the tombs. When he saw Jesus, he fell down before him and shouted at the top of his voice, “What have you to do with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I beg you, do not torment me”— for Jesus had commanded the unclean spirit to come out of the man. (For many times it had seized him; he was kept under guard and bound with chains and shackles, but he would break the bonds and be driven by the demon into the wilds.) Jesus then asked him, “What is your name?” He said, “Legion”; for many demons had entered him. They begged him not to order them to go back into the abyss. Now there on the hillside a large herd of swine was feeding; and the demons begged Jesus to let them enter these. So he gave them permission. Then the demons came out of the man and entered the swine, and the herd rushed down the steep bank into the lake and was drowned.When the swineherds saw what had happened, they ran off and told it in the city and in the country. Then people came out to see what had happened, and when they came to Jesus, they found the man from whom the demons had gone sitting at the feet of Jesus, clothed and in his right mind. And they were afraid. Those who had seen it told them how the one who had been possessed by demons had been healed. Then all the people of the surrounding country of the Gerasenes asked Jesus to leave them; for they were seized with great fear. So he got into the boat and returned. The man from whom the demons had gone begged that he might be with him; but Jesus sent him away, saying, “Return to your home, and declare how much God has done for you.” So he went away, proclaiming throughout the city how much Jesus had done for him.” Luke 8:26-39

“Mad as a hatter”

“Mad as a hatter” refers to someone who is completely crazy. The origins of this idiom is an interesting tale. While “hatter” refers to Lewis Carroll’s Mad Hatter character in Alice in Wonderland, the expression has its origins in the effects of the chronic mercury poisoning commonly experienced by 18th and 19th century hat manufacturers. Apparently they used a copious amount of mercurous nitrate in felt hats. Erratic, flamboyant behavior was one of the most evident alterations in a person’s personality caused by mercury. (Others included excessive drooling and mood swings.)

The Gerasene demoniac would have appeared to be someone we might call “Mad as a Hatter” in the 18^th century. What we know of mental illness today suggests that this man had some break with reality — and suffered severely for it. We can only imagine what it might have been like to know you are ill, even severely ill, and to have no resources to combat your illness, let alone any support from the community. Thus, once the demoniac has been cured by Jesus, to be sent back to the community to share what G-d had done for him would have taken a lot of courage. And yet, we are left wondering what success he had — and how well his community received him.

We always need to be mindful of our friends and family who are experiencing difficulty with mental illness. It is not easy to live through such an illness — even though there are so many treatments available today. If you are struggling with depression, or anxiety, or even just feel blue once in a while, talk to someone. For so many in our communities, mental illness is a silent disease — but you can’t find help is you suffer in silence. And, as a community, we need to not only provide the proper help, but we need to welcome them, embrace them, and join them in the journey.

Let us pray,

Lord Jesus, help us to see those in need of our love, mercy and understanding today. For those suffering from mental illness, we pray for their healing and recovery. Amen.

Pastor Dave