After
a certain number of days in class we could not collectively wait any longer. We
had to ask our liturgy professor about “the page.” Of course, I am referring to
the one page within the Book of
Occasional Services that mentions exorcism. Exorcism is the practice of
removing a demon from a person, place, or thing. When my seminary classmates
and I stopped clamoring long enough for our professor to talk I remember
thinking, “That’s it?”
At
least where I went to seminary they did not teach me how to cast out those dark
forces. The page in the book only refers to seeking consultation from your
bishop. Some dioceses may have someone who openly speaks of her ability to help
people overcome demonic forces, but I don’t know who that person is in our
diocese. So what is the deal with demons? Is it just mental illness shrouded in
old language or are there really forces controlled by Satan? What are demons
anyway? To understand our current beliefs about demons we would do well to go
back to Jesus’ own day.
Throughout
the gospel accounts demons get portrayed in a fairly uniform way. According to The New Oxford Annotated Bible, “Demons
were thought of as nonmaterial existences of a personal kind, hostile to human
welfare and rebellious against God.”[1]
Huh? Demons were thought not to have bodies, but they had personalities. They
were mean to people, and they did not like God. What is more humans during this
period of the New Testament did not know what to do in the face of demons. Jesus
on the other hand did.
Using
today’s Gospel lesson as an example, we discover that Jesus not only had power
over demons, but seemingly he had a pre-existing relationship with them as a
whole. Jesus who was teaching on the Sabbath—a big no-no!—astounded those in
this Gentile territory with his authoritative teaching. In the midst of the
lesson an unclean demon who was possessing a man came forth. Oddly, as the
demon came in he made it known that he did not want Jesus to do anything to
him, crying out, “Let us alone! What have you to do with us, Jesus of
Nazareth?” If the demon had said nothing, would it not have been able to
remain? We will return to this in a moment. For now notice that this demon knew
who Jesus was, but there is even more.
The
demons did not only notice Jesus, but they understood his identity far more
easily than human beings did. In this encounter the demon says to Jesus, “I
know who you are, the Holy One of God.” This strange nonmaterial entity got who
Jesus was before the disciples had made their own messianic proclamation. Those
around this encounter though did not get the full message. Instead they were
just impressed with Jesus’ ability to cast out this force that usually leaves
both victim and healer helpless.
Not
only could Jesus communicate with these demonic forces he had control over
them. As he cast out this demon he left the man whom the demon had possessed
unharmed. The response from the people was not to fully understand who Jesus
was—at least not at the time. Instead, they were just amazed at what had
happened. Of course, this is a great first step in following Jesus—being amazed
by him—still the trouble that arises as Jesus performs these healings happens
when people merely expect a transactional relationship with this man from
Nazareth. Heal this person and I will be impressed. So where does this leave
us?
Let
me return to the thought of a silent demon. In our current context as 21st
Century Episcopalians leaving in a globalized world with advances in medicine,
technology, education, entertainment, and so many other fields we may think
this demon story is just a silly tale. However, what is to say that we do not
all have immaterial personalized forces that could wreak havoc upon us? If put
under enough stress I believe we may all face strange temptations presented to
us by creatures that our conscious mind and our rational brain cannot
understand. So many times though the demons we face now are silent. Perhaps
said more fittingly, we all face challenges of sin that we cannot blame upon
some personalized force, some demon or another.
If we
all have the potential of facing demons or at least the real challenge of
removing those things that distort our relationships with God and neighbor,
what do we do? Well, I am not sure I have the perfect answer for this question.
However, as I think of our current understanding of demons, I think we are
called to actually do something that the demonic force from today’s lesson did.
We are called to recognize Jesus as the Holy One. Whatever forces that we feel
like are overwhelming us—whether it is deep seeded emotions, past traumatic
experiences, current challenges, or anything else—we will face them more boldly
with the help of the Holy One of God. This does not mean these problems will
disappear, but we will not face them alone.
I
still am not sure what the appropriate response to demons is. Nor, am I even
sure what demons are. However, I know that we are called to respond to those
challenges—as well as the joys—of life by daily asking Jesus to walk with us.
God has authority to do all things—that is to say through God all things are
possible. How will you rely upon God today?
x
[1] Soards, Marion L. "Luke." In The New
Oxford Annotated Bible: New Revised Standard Version 4th Edition, 1837. New
York: Oxford University Press, 2010.
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