When I think of demons I immediately think of the images of demons from movies. Ghostbusters, The Exorcist, Fallen are all movies portray humans that have been demon possessed. It is always done in a way which seems far-fetched and disconnected from reality. But for Jesus, demons were real and serious. Are we missing something here? Are we too quick to dismiss demons?
In chapter 5 of Mark, Jesus and his disciples travel by boat to the country of the Gerasenes, a great distance from their normal travels. When they arrive the text says:
"When Jesus got out of the boat, a man with an evil spirit came from the tombs to meet him. This man lived in the tombs, and no one could bind him any more, not even with a chain. For he had often been chained hand and foot, but he tore the chains apart and broke the irons on his feet. No one was strong enough to subdue him. Night and day among the tombs and in the hills he would cry out and cut himself with stones. When he saw Jesus from a distance, he ran and fell on his knees in front of him. He shouted at the top of his voice, "What do you want with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? Swear to God that you won't torture me!" For Jesus had said to him, "Come out of this man, you evil spirit!"
A significant detail here is that demon possessed man lives among the tombs. In Jewish culture, associating with the dead in any way was a major taboo and to live among the dead would be a guaranteed way to both be left alone and raise significant questions within the community. The demoniac has either been pushed out of the community or voluntarily removed himself. The text implies that this man was well known to be demon possessed, and no doubt stories, rumors, and legends of this man with demons were well known. Yet, Jesus seems to seek out intentionally this man. He specifically comes to this strange land to met and heal this strange man. A man who has been left for dead and forgotten by the world.
It is no accident that Jesus has come to this place and is meeting with this man. In Mark however, it is part of a theme where Jesus consistently interacts with demons (cf. 1:21-28; 3:7-12; 7:24-30; 9:14-29). Jesus has power and authority over the demons and they seem to know exactly who he really is. This is quite remarkable because in Mark there is a continual theme of people not understanding who Jesus really is. Yet the demons know Jesus and they are scared of his power.
In this episode, the demons have fully taken over the man. Jesus does not address the man because the man doesn't exist in his demon possessed state. When demons are allowed to take over and become powerful, the person hosting the demons for all practical purposes ceases to exist. In the end, Jesus confronts the demons and casts them out, into a herd of pigs which are cast into the sea (vv. 10-13), restoring the man to health and wholeness. The demoniac has been restored and his transformation is so dramatic that the crowds are in disbelief and fear. (vv. 14-16) The man asks Jesus if he can become a follower and assist in his ministry. Jesus refuses, telling the man to tell his story of transformation and healing to all of his friends.
For me, this strange and bizarre story of demons exemplifies Jesus' earthly ministry. Time and time again Jesus searches out the most vulnerable, forgotten, and marginalized members of society. He spends time with the blind, the deaf, the lame, the lepers, the prostitutes, the tax collectors, and demon possessed. He seeks out the forgotten and acknowledges their humanity, giving them dignity and respect. Jesus never gives up on anyone, no one is ever beyond the miraculous healing power of God.
What would our world look like if we took this example seriously? Who are the forgotten ones in our world today and what are we doing to acknowledge their humanity?
Today we might label a demon possessed person as mentally ill, epileptic, addicted, or eccentric. These labels may give us some level of understanding, but there are whole segments of our world that are forgotten and marginalized. Jesus' ministry calls us to love and serve all people, with particular emphasis and passion for the forgotten.
What would this mean for us? How can we actualize this in our life today?
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5 comments:
How can we actualize Jesus' love for the forgotten today? The famous quote, "What would Jesus do?" could be applicable here, yet so difficult. Jesus never said life would be easy when following Him. His life was far from easy. Mark paints scenes for us of Jesus being crowded in by people desperately needing healing. Was He ever overwhelmed? The text (Mark 1:35) states His needing to get away and pray. In doing so He received His Father's renewing spirit to continue the road ahead. Jesus models what it is to be followers of Christ. We are to seek out and speak to those in our every day lives who need Christ's grace shown to them through us - the annoying co-worker, the crabby server, the angry neighbor, as well as those truly labeled with mental impairments or physical addictions. To truly follow Christ begs us to act differently. We have a moral obligation to do so. One of my favorite preachers, Joyce Meyers, says, "A true Christian must broaden their circle of inclusion." Do I fail? Yes. But I pray as Jesus did and I get out there and try it again... because I my deepest desire is to bring joy to my Lord by loving all His children-including the forgotten.
wow. what a great reflection, thank you. I like your comment about broadening the circle of inclusion. For me, this is exactly what Jesus has in mind. It is also quite difficult to do and we can never get complacent.
Question:
Are some demons actual evil devil-like entities?
are some demons evil devil-like entities? good question. I really am not sure. I definitely cannot rule out anything. what I will say is that demons are real and seem to be able to manifest in different ways.
I have always seen demons to be something from within us rather than an outside force. when we lack a strong center or are imbalanced we open ourselves up to be dominated by demons, whether those are our sin, or outside influences. these demons can take us over or possess us if we are not prepared. I believe we are all susceptible to weakness, corruption, and sin. A line from one of my favorite movies "The Usual Suspects" comes to mind: "the greatest trick the devil ever pulled, was convincing the world he didn't exist."
Someone recently ask me if demon activity is increasing in the World today. My response was "without a doubt, yes" demon activity is increasing. 2Timothy 4. speaks of sin increasing and professing believers being deceived and turning from the faith. Turning from the faith is referring to turning from the truth. Timothy is told that in the last of the last days people will turn from truth, they will be lovers of themselves, they hate what is true and embrace what is false and so forth. Deception is the master tool of satan and demon spirits. The more people reject Jesus Christ, the more they will embrace the sin of the world and the greatest deception of all, which is there is no hell, and no matter how they live their lives they will be allowed into heaven, "provided there is a heaven". This opens the door for more deception and more demon activity through human beings. This is exactly the reason we see more and more evil. Parents killing their children, children killing parents, and all the sick preverted things reported on the news almost daily. When people reject Christ and truth, them open their lives up to demon activity, without realizing it. Agin, the Word of God is filled with information about demon activity, satan's kingdom of darkness and it is also filled with information on how to be free from their deception and control. Ephs. 6 is speaking to Christians. There are many scriptures on this topic. The best news is....anyone, anywhere, can be set free from the power of sin and close the door in the face of satan and every demon that attempts to control their lives or enter into their lives to do harm in any form. Thank God! We have authority through the name of Jesus and a new and better Covenant which entitles us to authority and power to stand against whatever form of evil attempts to enter our lives. The best thing a Christian can do....is found in Mark 4:24 To the amount of thought and study you give to the truth you hear, that is the amount of understanding you receive and the fruit your bring forth in your life will be the manifestation of the new life in Christ. I pray that this will encourage and enlighten all who read it. God's blessings and understanding be yours.
TRS
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