Among the Tombs

“...he had his dwelling among tombs.” Mark 5:3

In Mark chapter 5, we read of an amazing incident where a man with a legion of evil spirits is made free by Jesus. He had been dwelling among the tombs and he was always crying out and bruising himself.

Here in our city there are many who live in the cemetery, among the gravestones. They build haphazard shanties on top of stacks of tombs. The “lucky” ones get to live in fancy mausoleums they are paid P50 to take care of. There is no water, no electricity, the residents say, but there are TVs and karaoke machines and light bulbs. The community is frequently raided by the police in violent anti-drug raids, and the victims are buried there, near the shanties of their families. Their lives are terribly wretched, but they are used to it. Some have lived there since the 60s.

Sometimes some of us get too comfortable living amidst dead things. Many of what we concern ourselves with have no eternal value. Instead of spending time with loved ones, we work to accumulate things we cannot bring with us when we die. We are surrounded by dead things. I am surrounded by so much stuff that sap my energy, and I cannot hope to take care of even if I live to be a hundred! I hope I can put more of my time and effort investing in people instead of things.