Text: Mark 1:21-28
Grace and Peace to you from God our Father and the Lord
Jesus Christ. Amen.
Who
knows how long this evil spirit had been attending the synagogue. Had the evil spirit been in the synagogue for
days or weeks or months or years? Furthermore,
had the evil spirit caused division and disruption in the synagogue or simply
tried to blend in? Had the evil spirit
ever been noticed by fellow people in the synagogue; did people in the
synagogue distance themselves from this man who had this unclean spirit or was
this man accepted as one of the regular attendees who seemed to be a couple
French Fries short of a Happy Meal?
In
case you are not totally following me at this point, permit me to bring you
into the context of our Gospel reading from today.
We
hear in today’s Gospel reading from the Gospel of Mark that Jesus came into a
synagogue to teach. While He was teaching
in the synagogue, the words and teaching of Jesus actually collided with a man
who had an unclean spirit. Keep in mind
that this collision did not happen in some slummy dark alley or in some drug
infested ghetto at night, but rather this collision of light and darkness occurred
in a religious synagogue, it happened during a religious service in the day where
apparently no one suspected that this man had an evil spirit. Indeed, this collision happened in a
synagogue, a building where a Jewish assembly met for religious worship and
religious instruction. It was from
inside this religious building and this religious service—much like our modern
day church service—that the Kingdom of God crashed with the kingdom of darkness
and literally all hell broke loose.
Can
you imagine being present that day, settling into the religious service
listening to Jesus teach as the guest speaker of the day? Then all of a sudden Frank—the local
farmer—bursts out in a loud guttural voice crying out loudly, “What have you to
do with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you
come to destroy us?”
Can
you envision the confusion?
Who
said that?
Oh
my, is that Frank?
What
is Frank doing?
Why
is his voice weird?
Why
is he freakin’ out over Jesus and the teaching?
Then,
to make things even more intense, Jesus in complete authority, power, and
integrity boldly rebukes and casts out crisp powerful words saying, “Be silent!
(aka, shut up you filthy demon), and come out of him!”
What
proceeds to happen is that Frank convulses and cries out loud as this dark
unclean spirit is separated from him.
Intense,
is it not? Truly, a collision of
Kingdoms! Light and righteousness meet
darkness and evil.
Regarding
this collision, in last week’s sermon we likewise heard something similar. We heard that when Jesus and the Kingdom of
God draw near to us that repentance and faith happen and come forth. Otherwise stated, it is the same in today’s
Gospel reading, we hear a bit more of what happens when the Kingdom of God
draws near in the person and work of Jesus.
Yes, when Jesus drew near in the first-century, not only did repentance
and faith happen, but a battle broke out due to darkness and evil being
infringed upon. The light shined into
the darkness and darkness squirmed!
All
of this said, I am sure that each and every one of you are thinking about this
exorcism that occurred in our text as the Kingdom of God came upon this man
with an unclean spirit. I am sure your
curiosity is wandering a bit about the topic of demons and exorcisms. Considering this, let us take a moment and
address this subject.
First
of all, we need to keep in mind that we have three enemies in this life. They are: the world, our sinful flesh (i.e.,
our sinful nature), and the evil one (i.e., the devil) along with all of his
cohorts (i.e., demons).
Second,
because the evil one and his cohorts are our enemies, we must also be careful
when approaching the subject of demonism and the devil. In the words of C.S. Lewis,
“There are two equal and opposite errors into which our race can fall about the devil and demons. One is to disbelieve in their existence the other is to believe and to feel an excessive and unhealthy interest in them. They are equally pleased by both errors and hail a materialist or a magician with the same delight!” (Screwtape Letters)
To
rephrase this a bit, both a denial that evil exits, as well as an infatuation
with evil is not healthy. Evil does
exist and it is not our friend.
Thirdly,
scripture teaches that demons are evil angels.
“Because demons are evil angels, we cannot detect them. That means that we cannot touch, smell, hear,
or see them. Today’s Gospel demonstrates
that they can exert an influence on the physical world, but this influence is
only a disguise. They are not physical beings.”[1]
Fourthly,
while there are obvious cases of people acting like delirious raging lunatics
due to having demons, we must understand that the forces of evil typically
disguise themselves. Yes, scripture says
that the devil parades himself around like an angel of light, seeking to kill,
steal, and destroy our faith. Demons and
their pathetic work are often disguised in our modern culture; they cleverly
attempt to make good into evil and evil into good. Otherwise stated, “Demons have worked out
that they can do the most damage in our modern culture by working quietly,
behind the scenes. It is possible that
there are just as many demon possessions now as there ever were [in the New
Testament times], but they are choosing not to act out.”[2]
What
does all of this mean for you and for me?
It means that demons don’t spend a lot of time attacking people who are
already on their way to hell, for there is no need to oppose those who are living
in darkness. But rather, demons do
attack people and congregations—that is to say Christians and Christian
Churches—where the salvation of Christ is proclaimed and given, but they do so
under the guise or sneaky appearance of goodness and light. Permit me to give an example: Hypothetically, what would things look like
if satan really took control of Sargent County and Gwinner? If you are like me, immediately our mind
drifts to negative things such as: mass chaos, anarchy, bloodshed, moral decay,
outbreaks of painful infidelity and so forth.
However, is this how satan would unleash his rule if he could? As previously mentioned St. Paul describes satan
in his second letter to the Church in Corinth.
He says that, “Satan disguises himself as an angel of light.” Therefore, it seems to me from this reading that
satan tends to work much more covertly. So,
I ask again, what would things look like if satan took control of Sargent
County and Gwinner?
Consider
the following answer from a Presbyterian pastor named Donald Barnhouse. Some 50 years ago he offered up a scenario
on his weekly radio sermon that was broadcast nationwide on CBS. He speculated that if satan took over a city
that, “all of the bars would be closed, pornography would be banished and
pristine streets would be filled with tidy pedestrians who smiled at each
other. There would be no swearing. The children would say, ‘Yes, sir’ and ‘No,
ma’am,’ and the churches would be full every Sunday…where Christ is not
preached.”
Bluntly
put my friends, satan only needs to get the church to look away from Christ
crucified for the forgiveness of sins.
Keep in mind that a lot of things that distract us from Christ are not
only negative but can be very good things.
“In order to push us offpoint, all that satan needs to do is throw
several spiritual fads, moral and political crusades and other ‘relevance’
operations into our field of vision.
Focusing the conversation on us—our desires, needs, feelings,
experiences, activity, and aspirations—energizes us.”[3]
So
what would things look like if satan took over Sargent County and Gwinner? Simply put, Christ not preached. The key issue is Christ and Him Crucified for
the forgiveness of our sins. Where
Christ is clearly professed and presented as the Savior of sinners, we can be
most assured that the forces of evil will be on-site trying to turn the eyes of
the church away from Christ.
While
this news of the kingdom of evil and demons certainly can be sobering and even
discouraging to you and me, we mustn’t forget what our Gospel reading shares
with us. In the Gospel reading, “Jesus
rebuked [the unclean spirit], saying, “Be silent, and come out of him!” And the
unclean spirit, convulsing [the man] and crying out with a loud voice, came out
of him. The unclean spirit [had] no
choice. It [was] no longer in
control. It [had to] submit and come
out. Jesus is Lord even over the
demons. It is just as James, the brother
of the Lord wrote, [James 2:19] Even the demons believe—and shudder!”[4]
In
summary, in our own strength we have nothing, are nothing, and frankly don’t
stand a chance against the devil, his evil lies, and his fallen angels. That is why we pray in the Lord’s Prayer that
we would be delivered from evil; that is why we pray in Luther’s Evening Prayer
that we would be protected from the powers of the evil one. However, even though we are weak sinners in
thought, word, and deed we do have a Savior, we do have a Lord that we belong
to. Yes, Jesus is your Lord; He is the
Son of God. He lived a perfect life for
you and died on your behalf. He rose for
you. He defeated death; He defeated the devil;
He defeated sin. You are baptized into
His name, into His death, and into His life.
You no longer live but He lives in you.
Thus, you can know and confess today and together that Jesus has
complete and total power over demons and over the pathetic-foul-weak-blind-no good-rotten-dirt
eating-ignorant-brainless-hopeless worm, who is known as satan or the devil. Yes, Jesus’ power over evil is pure Gospel to
you and to me. “The most powerful demon
can no longer rule you. Jesus has
come. He has come to expel them and set
you free.”[5]
Therefore,
Blessed Saints, “When the devil throws your sins in your face and declares that
you deserve death and hell, tell him this: ‘I admit that I deserve death and
hell, what of it? For I know One who suffered and made satisfaction on my
behalf. His name is Jesus Christ, Son of God, and where He is there I shall be
also!’”[6]
Yes,
the Kingdom of God came in the first-century; it has come to us in our
baptisms, in the Word, and in the bread and wine. Therefore, you belong to the Lord! He is yours; you are His; He has and will
save you and preserve you from all evil in this life and even in death.
Even
if masses of demons filled the land with threats to devour you and me, we shall
not tremble or be unmoved for we stand underneath the shadow of the Cross. The evil foe cannot overpower us for his
might is doomed to fail. The Lord’s
judgment will prevail, for the Lord’s Word subdues the evil one and forgives
you and me, thus promising us everlasting life forever.[7]
May
the peace of God, which passes all understanding, keep your hearts and minds in
Christ Jesus. Amen.
[1] James
Batchelor, “Fourth Sunday After The Epiphany.” (1 February 2015) http://lcmssermons.com/index.php?sn=4030
(31 January 2015).
[2] Ibid.
[3] Michael Horton,
(Specific Source Unknown).
[4] James
Batchelor, “Fourth Sunday After The Epiphany.”
[5] Ibid.
[6] Martin Luther
Quote.
[7] A loose
paraphrase of Stanza 3 of “A Mighty Fortress Is Our God.” (St. Louis, MO: Concordia Publishing House,
2006), 657.
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