Authority

Jesus healing the man with the unclean spirit in the synagogue at Capernaum.

Often the theme of a Gospel lesson will so jump off the page that a preacher need only to politely step out of the way, so that the power of Jesus’ words and actions may fully impact the congregation. Like a two foot putt for birdie, a point-blank shot on a goalie-less goal, or a simple one-yard touchdown pass this opportunity may seem too easy to mess up. However, let me assure you that I can (and often do) mess up this simplest of tasks. With this warning in mind, let us take a look at this coming Sunday’s Gospel lesson.

The theme that leaps eagerly off the page in Mark 1:21-28 is Jesus’ authority. In particular Jesus compels listeners and even unclean spirits with merely his words. Jesus’ preaching and exorcism points to the power vested within him. As the synagogue-goers put it, “What is this? A new teaching—with authority! He commands even the unclean spirits, and they obey him” (1:27). The gimme sermon here would outline how Jesus’ authority differs from others, and even now how his power, healing, and dominion still compel all realms of existence. Of course, sometimes preachers (like me) miss the easy sermon going in search of something much more complicated. So what other sermons might flow from this passage?

Early evidence – The first two-thirds of Mark’s Gospel provide an adrenaline rush for the reader. One event bleeds immediately into the next. Not only this, but also one story may in fact be commentary on another. Jesus’ Baptism leads quickly to his temptation in the wilderness, then Jesus inaugurates his public ministry with a message of repentance, which quickly turns into his calling of Simon, Andrew, James, and John as his first disciples. Through God's calling Jesus overcomes temptation and he begins his own ministry by calling others to take part in what he has undergone! The disciple's first taste of Jesus’ leadership comes in the synagogue teaching and encounter with the unclean spirit. For those who had just left the safety and security of home and work this authoritative action in the synagogue would be early evidence of what the reader knows from the very beginning of Mark’s telling of the Good News: Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God. A preacher could build the case with this early evidence that Jesus truly is the Son of God.

Unclean spirit(s)? – The narrator describes the man in the synagogue as having an unclean spirit, but the way the spirit talks points to something different. As Jesus approached the man, the spirit cried out, “What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are, the Holy One of God” (1:24 italics added for emphasis). Is more than one spirit present? Perhaps. Another way of seeing this might provide for a fruitful sermon. The unclean spirit and the man have become so interwoven that the spirit speaks in the personal plural form for it and the man. Does Jesus have the power to cast out the spirit without the man being harmed? Yes! How are the unhealthy parts of ourselves called to be cast out? What part of us does Jesus yearn to heal? These are worthwhile questions to pursue if a sermon on healing attracts the preacher.

The healing power of silence – One could also focus on how Jesus rebukes the spirit. Was it by force? Speaking in tongues? Angels with the weapons of heaven? Nope! Through his words Jesus invokes the power of silence. Jesus commands the spirit to be silent and come out of the man. Sure, the spirit causes the man to cry out in a loud voice; however, the healing happens. Plus, the result of the crowds could have very well been a stunned silence in the synagogue before everyone began losing their minds over what Jesus did. A sermon on the profundity of silence could arise from the way through which Jesus healed this man.

Authority 2.0 – Although perhaps the most obvious path to approach Jesus’ healing in the synagogue hones in on the two mentions of his authority (in comparison with the scribes and as a result of his healing of the man with the unclean spirit), but a more robust sermon might engage asking the question, "From where does this authority really emerge?" How do we see people in positions of authority today—especially thinking that the world is becoming more and more wary of traditional seats of authority (government, religion, and other institutions)? How does Jesus’ authority speak for itself? In what ways does Jesus claim authority in our lives? These are just a few questions that I am pondering this week as I feel drawn into exploring how God’s authority resists coercion and instead compels us through healing and transformation.

While this week’s text (like many in Mark) appears straightforward, the preacher has multiple opportunities to walk faithfully on a path that illuminates this early example of Jesus’ authority as the Son of God.

What About Demons?

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 21^st 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.

Be Healed OR Ask Jesus To Go?

What's hidden at the back of the fridge that is your life?

The Tupperware sits within my refrigerator hidden by the spinach, filtered water, and package of chicken. I forget what is in it for at least a little while. Was it the pulled pork I cooked in the crock pot or the leftover sautéed squash that I put in the plastic container? A few days pass. Then, a few more days. I still don’t open up the Tupperware. I kind of know that it’s there, but for some reason I do not acknowledge its existence. The smell of rotting food, the guilt of wasting resources, and the other demands on my day keep me from prying open the container. I finally get a moment one evening and discover it was leftover sweet potato fries. I really would have enjoyed eating those again I think too bad I did not want to look inside. If you are anything like me and you do not like dealing with stuff hidden away in a cold dark place, then you know more about demon-possession than you ever knew.

There was a man in the land of the Geresenes who was possessed by demons. Enough demons that the evil spirits called themselves “Legion,” like the giant Roman formation of troops. The demonic force recognized Jesus, and what happened next is painful to all of the bacon-lovers among us. The demons drove the pigs down a steep bank and into a lake where they drowned.

The swineherds told the rest of the town, the town members came to find Jesus, and imagine that they grabbed pitch forks, torches, and machetes to form a viciously angry mob. This group of peo-ple was going to confront this man who had broken up their barbeque and plunged their pork into a pool. The text never says that the Geresenes got freaked out by the man possessed by demons, even when he went running stark naked through the graveyard. (Can you imagine a burial with a streak-er?) However, when the Gersenes saw that the man formerly possessed by demons was in his right mind, they were afraid.

They were not scared of a man chained up by the tombs, unafraid of a man possessed by demons, but when this man came into his right mind they were filled with fear. This makes absolutely no sense. And, what happened next is shocking! The Gerasenes asked Jesus to leave. First they get freaked out by a formerly demon-possessed man who was healed, then they realize the potential of Jesus, and so they wanted nothing to do with it. WHY?! Why on earth would these people want Je-sus to leave? It has everything to do with Tupperware, well Tupperware and God.

Anything we hide away or forget about without dealing with it can end up rotting, producing guilt, and hit us at a time when we feel like we just do not have time to deal with it. It could be a skeleton in the closet, a small moment where we traumatized that we just have not dealt with yet, or that re-lationship that just feels off, but we are too afraid to say anything about it. The Gerasenes saw Jesus offering to get rid of the old Tupperware (or demons), but they were too used to the way things were, they were too accustomed to the crazy man being crazy to actually allow Jesus to stay.

They did not want to go through the difficult work of healing. They would have rather just let eve-rything stay the exact same. They wanted their bacon. They were okay with the crazy person being crazy. We do this too. And not just with the Tupperware. We do this with relationships, with our own problems, with complexes, old traumas and with communal issues. God worked through Christ Jesus then, and God still works through Christ now to bring healing, but it is not easy.

If God brings this healing and it actually works, then it means that God is real and not in our imag-ination. If this healing happens, then it means that we might actually have to give up something we really like to see more healing take place. If this healing takes place, then God is the one that is in control and not us, and yes, the Geresenes were right to be scared, for this is scary! God being in control can produce fear in us, as we are not just making up God and we are not making up what is happening, but instead we are living into the reality of God, the kingdom of God, the dream of God. The question is would we rather have the nightmare that is our world as the Geresenes saw it and as it still is today, or would we rather live into God’s dream for this world?

Often it seems we would rather just keep the status quo instead of finding a way to dream with God. We would rather allow people on FBI watch lists have access to purchasing guns than create a safer world. We would rather keep silent than stand up for those who are struggling to have equal rights because of their race, gender, religion, ethnicity, or sexual orientation. We would rather Jesus leave than guide us through the hard work of healing, the pulling open of old Tupperware, and the casting out of demons.

In an age of too much violence are we willing to listen to the ancient dream heard in Micah and Isaiah to beat our swords into plowshares? In an era of exclusion are we able to break down the walls built in obtaining a false sense of security, so that we might live as one body? In a time of stink and rotting will we allow Jesus into our lives, so that we may do the difficult, but life-changing work of reconciliation? Or will we be like the Gerasenes and ask Jesus to go?

Healing is hard. It’s much more difficult than pulling out old Tupperware from the fridge. God’s work is reconciliation though, and if we live freely in God’s grace our response will lead us to being more like Jesus who sought healing and restoration for all. To be healed is as great a transformation as one man going from a demon-possessed streaker to being a fully clothed, sane follower of Jesus. What will you do? Be healed or ask Jesus to go!

The Spiritual Realm

Don’t you just love a good demon story? In our world where popular culture craves post-apocalyptic/Sci-Fi/fantasy TV shows and movies with zombies, vampires, and witches, a story about Jesus releasing two demoniacs appears a bit mundane though. Were there no werewolves or ogres to conquer? While I am being a bit playful, I have a hard time with stories about demonic forces in the Bible.

I do not think I am alone in the Episcopal Church in having some questions about demons. We keep a tight lip about things like exorcism in this tradition. In fact, the only reference made to it in our liturgical resources is one page within The Book of Occasional Services. It merely urges one who suspects some sort of demon-possession in oneself or another to call the bishop. And yet, Matthew’s telling of the Good News of Jesus of Nazareth overflows with references to demons.

People bring the demon possessed to Jesus for a cure, Pharisees claim that Jesus casts out demons because he is the ruler of the demons (Beelzebul), and Jesus gives voice to a mute man by casting out his demon. Other stories in Matthew and the other Gospel accounts seem to have much more credence in how we live out our Faith in God. “Love God with all your heart, mind, spirit, and strength, and love your neighbor as yourself,” (Matthew 22:37-38) makes sense to us. Heck, even the feeding of the 5,000 has some interpretations that allow ultra-rational folk to understand it in a way that applies to my life. When some saw the generosity of a few who offered the bread and fish that led to all sharing the provisions they had brought with them. However, curing people with demons lies outside of my tightly-held worldview. One could choose the route of believing that demons were what we call mental illness, but an experience from my life showed me that there is more to this world than what meets the eye.

On an outreach experience in Quito, Ecuador my group went to a small church one Sunday morning. This community met in a bright yellow school room that sat on the edge of a cliff face that overlooked the valley where Ecuador’s capital city rests. I was completely out of my element at this service. Electric guitar praise music blared through a broken set of speakers, a thirty minute sermon turned into a forty-five minute sermon due to translating it into English, and then came the altar call. When one of the students on the trip wanted to go up I felt the need as group leader to support her decision, even if it made no sense to me. After hearing the prayer both in Spanish and then translated into English I thought, “This is not so bad. It is kind of like the Public Service of Healing.” The student got up from kneeling and she returned to her seat.

At that moment I turned to walk back as well, but the leader of this congregation stopped me. What was translated to me was something like, “You are the leader of the group and you need a blessing.” I waved my hands and shook my head saying, “No, I’m good.” Then he insisted, and not wanting to deny his hospitality and thinking, he’ll just say some prayer, I agreed to the blessing. This is when things got weird.

As soon as this man put his hands on my shoulders my heart began to race, as though it were trying to burst forth from my chest. He spoke words that were being translated, but somehow I already knew what he was praying. His hand touched my forehead and it felt white hot! Then, he said the Spirit is strong with you and this blessing will knock you down. I thought, “No, it won’t!” I had no power over what was happening, though and I fell backwards into the arms of some fellow leaders. There’s a picture of me after this experience and I have this calm look on my face, as though a peace, which I cannot understand was dwelling within me.

As much as I try not to believe in a spiritual realm where demons, angels, and other forces exist, I am almost certain that I am wrong. Just because I do not understand quantum physics does not mean that it does not exist. Jesus was more than aware of the spiritual realm; he encountered it; he tamed its unruly members; he held control even over those parts of reality that we cannot see or have a hard time believing exist.

When the Messiah came among us in the person of Jesus God touched every part of our existence setting it apart as holy! This story of Jesus casting out demons from two Gadarenes (Gad-a-renes) informs us of the thickness of our reality. There is more to life than what meets the eye. While on some level this may appear frightening, Jesus controls even those parts in this universe that we cannot perceive with our human senses. When we trust in God through Jesus strange things may happen, even the casting out of forces that repel God. Following Jesus is not about having understanding, but about having Faith. Have Faith that Jesus is the Lord of all things: seen and unseen!

Road Trip!

Photo courtesy of http://bit.ly/1wSwpFQ

Audio for this sermon can be found here.

Have you ever been on a road trip… with someone that you just met? Not someone you have been friends with for a year or two, or even a couple of months. I mean, have you ever been on a road trip with someone that you JUST met? I have not even come close to this, and what is worse, I cannot even imagine doing this, as I am the type of person who brings with me everything and the kitchen sink when I travel. Although I was not a boy scout, I live by their motto: “Be prepared.”

The gospel lesson for today seems to fly in the face of this motto, as it is in essence the beginning of a spontaneous road trip. Last week we heard the story of Jesus calling Simon, Andrew, James, and John, and this week’s tale follows immediately after the fishers becoming fishers of men. I like to think about how four fishermen would have gotten along traveling with the Son of God. Talk about a great reality TV show! Did James and John get into some sibling rivalries, like later when they would fight over who gets to sit at Jesus’ right hand? Did Andrew ever get tired of Simon seeking to be Jesus’ pet? What did Jesus make of these dirty, smelly fishermen? If there were any fireworks early on during the journey we do not get a whiff of them. Instead, we hear that this group of men made their first stop on the northwest corner of the Sea of Galilee at a synagogue meeting. What happens there indicates to us that this will be unlike any journey that these fishermen (or anyone else for that matter) have ever been on before.

At the synagogue meeting Jesus begins teaching, but his words strike directly to the heart of those who are listening. The religious leaders who typically gave teachings at the synagogue, the scribes, seemed lacking in light of Jesus. Those who heard Jesus were astounded at his teaching. The one attribute that stands out about Jesus’ teaching Mark highlights writing, “For he taught them as one having authority.”

All of a sudden a man comes into the synagogue meeting, a man who was possessed by demonic forces. The gang of demons within cannot keep quiet immediately yelling at Jesus, “What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us?” What must the disciples have been thinking? “I left my job for this? A religious meeting with this crazy guy bursting onto the scene!” Yet it is here that the demon correctly identifies Jesus, “I know who you are, the Holy One of God.” The disciples were not present at Jesus’ baptism, so they did not hear God’s voice from on high, they just left everything and followed Jesus.

At the beginning of Mark’s gospel we did hear God’s words at to Jesus, “You are my Son, the beloved, with you I am well pleased." Remembering Christ's baptism illuminates the irony of this encounter with the unclean spirit. The Son of God consumed by the Spirit of God comes face-to-face with a man occupied by a spirit of Demons. Jesus wasted no time in arguing with the demons, as he rebuked the unclean spirit. Yet, the word for rebuke might come off too weak. This was not a verbal slap on the wrist, but was all encompassing and thorough conquering. Like elsewhere in the Old Testament where God defeated the forces of Satan, Jesus again puts down an enemy of God. Certainly we can feel good for this man possessed by demons, he’s been saved, but in this moment Jesus’ healing is not just about getting better. Something new happened when the man filled with God’s Spirit came in contact with the man full of demons.

We can be so focused on the exorcism in this scene that we completely missed the words that the demon possessed man uttered. “What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us?” Maybe this is the demons fighting for their place, but I believe something else is going on when Jesus says, “Be silent and come out of him!” To teach with authority would have certainly “astounded” the disciples, but the convulsing man and the spirits crying as they fled would have shown the disciples that they were not just following an inspiring teacher.

Something brand new happened in the middle of this synagogue meeting. Jesus calls out the status quo. All that was stale or old or counter to God’s work consumed that demon possessed man. In the course of one profound statement Jesus calls out this tendency to just hang onto the status quo: Be silent and come out of him. This was the roadmap that this spiritual road trip was to follow: Inspiring teaching was to be proclaimed, healing was to happen, and the forces that ran contrary to God’s blossoming Kingdom were to be defeated! And the good news for us is that the journey that Jesus began with the disciples he continues with us.

All of us can be bound up by something that runs against God’s grain. We can all be possessed. Perhaps not by demons like this man, but we can be consumed by material possessions (the things we own, own us too!), addictions, obsessions, lies, guilt, shame, and all of those things that deny the will of God.

The words Jesus spoke to cast out the demons cut to our core as well: “Be silent and come out!” The consuming forces were no longer to speak. How many times do we make excuses for those things that keep us from a deepening relationship with God? I will stop and help the stranger in need some other day, I will pray with God next week, I will read my Bible when I have time, I will give more to God’s work in the world when I have more to give… Our demons may not look like stumbling into a church shouting at the preacher, but that does not mean they do not exist.

Christ began a journey with a ragtag group of fishers long ago, but He yearns to walk with us too. Jesus wants to unbind us from all that consumes us. Our Savior silences all our distractions, so that He can cast down all those obstacles, and show us clearly that we are no longer bound by any enemies of God. Instead we are called not just to be part of a church but to follow Christ on this expedition that brings fully to life God’s life-giving, world-transforming, love-filled Kingdom. Drop everything because Jesus wants to go on a road trip with you!