Perspective: Disturbing the Demons

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Disturbing the Demons

For our struggle is not against enemies of blood and flesh, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers of this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.

Ephesians 6:12 (NRSV)

I'm gonna pray until they tear your kingdom down
Pray until they tear your kingdom down
I heard the voice of Jesus say
Satan, your kingdom must come down

From "Satan, Your Kingdom Must Come Down," a traditional spiritual

In the Gospels, we read that, on one Sabbath day, Jesus teaches in the synagogue in Capernaum.  Evidently, He teaches with a kind of authority that the congregation is not accustomed to hearing.  At one point, Jesus is interrupted by a man who is possessed by a demon.  Through the man, the demon shouts at Jesus, "What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth?  Have you come to destroy us?  I know who you are.  You are the holy one from God."  Jesus silences the demon and commands it to leave the man.  With a protest, the demon obeys.  The people in the synagogue that day are amazed by the authority with which Jesus teaches and casts out demons.¹

This story highlights both the power of Jesus' teaching and Jesus' dominion over the forces of evil.  That said, I think this story can also be read as a warning.

Note that, though the Gospel writers tell us that the people in the synagogue are amazed that Jesus teaches with authority, they do not explicitly tell us that the people like what He is saying.  It is quite possible that their reactions to His teaching are mixed.  Some people in the congregation might be troubled by what Jesus is saying.  Others in the congregation might have had certain inklings for which Jesus is finally giving them the words to express.  Some might simply be amazed that Jesus can get away with saying the kinds of things He is saying.

When one person in the congregation hears what Jesus has to say, something possesses him to start shouting at Jesus as if He is some sort of existential threat.  I suspect that, when we encounter this particular story, we tend to think that the man possessed by a demon just happens to wander into the synagogue on a day Jesus is teaching.  Perhaps the demon has been lurking silently in the congregation for some time, completely unbothered by the teachings of those who normally speak in the synagogue.  Perhaps Jesus teaches so provocatively that the demon simply cannot remain silent any longer.  In either case, the demon has to go.

Our world is infested by insidious, invisible forces that oppress and control people.  Sadly, our communities of faith are not immune to such "demons," and far too often they live in our faith communities completely unbothered and unchallenged.  People who proclaim truly prophetic words as Jesus did have a way of stirring up the "demons" that have been lurking silently.

The story of Jesus' casting a demon out of the synagogue is a warning that if we rock the proverbial boat, as Jesus did when he taught and healed with authority, we will invariably be met with opposition.  In the words of scholar N.T. Wright, "When the church learns again how to speak and act with the same authority, we will find both the saving power of God unleashed once more and a similar heightened opposition from the forces of darkness."²  People who dare to challenge the status quo must be ready to stand up to the forces that want to preserve it.


Notes:

1. Mark 1:21-27 or Luke 4:31-36 (CEB)
2. N.T. Wright.  Mark for Everyone.  2004, Westminster John Knox Press.  p. 12

The Possessed Man in the Synagogue was painted by James Tissot in the late 1800s.

Perspective: Afraid of Jesus

I share these thoughts hoping they are of help to someone else.
Comments are always welcomed.
If you find these thoughts helpful, please share.

Afraid of Jesus

Listen!  I am standing at the door, knocking; if you hear my voice and open the door, I will come in to you and eat with you, and you with me.

Revelation 3:20 (NRSV)

Don't get too close
It's dark inside
It's where my demons hide
It's where my demons hide

From "Demons" by Imagine Dragons

In the Gospel of Matthew, we read that one day, after Jesus sails across the Sea of Galilee with the Disciples, He is met by two men who are possessed by demons.  Matthew tells us that these men have become so violent that people have been avoiding the roads they stalk.  Aware of exactly who Jesus is, the demons become afraid and cry out, "What are you going to do with us, Son of God?  Have you come to torture us before the time of judgment?"  Seeing a herd of pigs in the distance, they start bargaining with Him, saying, "If you throw us out, send us into the herd of pigs."¹

Jesus grants the demons their request.  Commanding them to "go away," He casts them out of their two hosts and into the pigs, and then the possessed pigs run off a cliff and drown themselves in the sea.  The pig herders run into town and tell the townspeople what Jesus has done, and the townspeople confront Jesus and beg Him to leave.²

It appears that everyone is afraid of Jesus in this story.  The demons possessing the two men know that Jesus is the Son of God, so they are afraid of what He has the power to do to them.  The townspeople know that His exorcising the demons from the two men has cost the town a herd of pigs, so they are afraid of the additional havoc He might wreak in the area.  Jesus has saved two men from the demons tormenting them, and He has made it safe for people to travel throughout the area once again.  One would think that the townspeople would be grateful to Jesus, but they apparently find Him even more problematic than the violent demoniacs.

I think that this strange story presents us with a number of questions.

The townspeople presumably want Jesus to leave their area because His casting the demons out of the two men came at a great cost to the town, specifically a herd of pigs.  It appears that they would have put up with the violent demons in their midst as long as their economy remained intact.

What kind of violence are we willing to tolerate so that we may maintain our standard of living?  Consider all of the goods we enjoy every day that are manufactured in places with immoral labor practices or contain ingredients or components that are sourced unethically.  Consider how many people have died during this pandemic because people refuse to change their plans or allow themselves to be inconvenienced.  Loving our neighbors as Jesus taught us, be they across the globe or down the street, is not always easy, and it is not always economically advantageous.

What kind of insidious, invisible forces are we harboring in our lives and in our society?  In the past year, we have seen a number of "demons" at work in our midst.  The racism that is always lurking about in our society has once again been brought into the light.  Selfishness has continued to run rampant at a time when we all need to make sacrifices to keep ourselves and one another safe.  People have become possessed by their own delusions, embracing fictions when they don't like the facts they're presented.

Might we, like the townspeople in the story, be afraid of Jesus?  Though we want Him to save us, might we still be keeping Him at a distance, afraid of what He might do if we truly opened our hearts and our lives to Him?

 

May we have the courage to confront our demons and the courage to welcome the light of Christ into the dark corners of our lives.

Notes:

1. Matthew 8:28-31 (CEB)
2. Matthew 8:32-34 (CEB)

The Gadarene Demoniacs is an engraving made by Léonard Gaultier in the late 1500s.