Jesus Sets Us Free, Second Sunday of Pentecost, June 23

We are held captive by many things in this earthly life, but especially by sin, death, and Satan. In the Gospel reading Jesus asks his disciples to sail across to the side of the lake that they prefer to avoid. Jesus stepped ashore and encountered a man who possessed by many demons. This man had been chained so he wouldn’t hurt himself or others. Jesus comes to this man in his captivity and sets him free. There is no border to Jesus’ mercy and compassion. He can reach us wherever we are. By His death and resurrection, Jesus sets us free from our enemies, from sin, death, and Satan. We are free to tell of Jesus’s mercy and compassion.