What would you do – what would WE do – if someone walked into church this morning that was clearly having a very serious problem . . . whose behavior was causing a disturbance? What if you could tell by his disheveled appearance that something was not right? What if he was yelling – being disruptive and inappropriate and rude? Would we ignore him? Call 911? Try to reason with him? Sounds like something the Elders should deal with, don’t you think?
Something just like that happened in our Gospel for today from Mark. Right there in the synagogue – a sacred space of worship – a man appeared who confronted Jesus. He was not being respectful or even polite but he was taunting Jesus and mocking him. What an unsettling scene that must have been. Can you imagine?
We are told that the man in question had an unclean spirit which is a very interesting phrase. Some Bible translations go ahead and call it an EVIL spirit. But the text does not actually say evil. It says unclean. And the presence of that spirit in the synagogue – a place where the difference between clean and unclean was a matter of life and death – could not have been more upsetting.
So what exactly what was wrong with the man? What is meant by an unclean spirit? There are a few suggestions ranging from actual demon possession to some other mental or psychological disorder. But if this story is going to mean anything to US – and it IS intended to speak to us — then I think it best perhaps not to define his problems too narrowly or specifically. Let’s just say the guy was broken. He was spiritually, socially and emotionally wounded and beat up. And in this, we can relate to him.
I don’t think we can blame the man for being broken. Jesus does not appear to hold the man responsible for his outrageous behavior. In fact the only time Jesus ever appears to confront people with their sin is when he meets up with the hypocrisy, the judgmentalism and the self-righteousness of the religious leaders. But here in the Galilean synagogue, Jesus reaches out to a broken man. He distinguishes between the man in front of him and the unclean spirit within him. He silences the SPIRIT, not the man. He commands the spirit – “Come out of him” – as if they are two separate entities. Jesus sees the real person. He values and loves him. And he came to do something new and life changing for this guy. Whatever had its grip on this man, Jesus was there to release him from it and to protect and defend him from the things that are keeping him from being at peace with himself, in harmony with others and one with God.
Jesus’ response to the man amazed the congregation that day. His authority over the spirit astounded them. This was not what the scribes had demonstrated to them. The scribes had taught them the difference between clean and unclean and how to avoid uncleanliness — at least on the outside. But in Jesus something new is revealed. He sees inside. He sees what’s real. And because he looks deeply and with love he is able to restore what is broken. He gives life. And he is not afraid to take on anything that that threatens to rob his children of hope and joy and peace.
There were actually some unruly types that walked in here this morning. Don’t be offended when I say this. But there were, I’m estimating, about 80 of us or so. We are all in this together. And yes, we clean up well on the outside, but let’s face it. We have some demons inside. Some monsters we usually keep at bay, but who occasionally let out some nasty hisses and growls. We are possessed by many things: anger, jealousy, fear, prejudices. Some of our demons may be more socially acceptable like workaholism or greed. We’ll all had the experience of feeling possessed by something that is very clearly not good for us, clearly not a blessing to those around us and clearly not from God!
It’s not your fault that we have these unclean spirits inside of us. Experience teaches us to be afraid of things so yeah, fear is something we deal with. Disappointments in life can cause resentment. Sometimes we have every reason to feel angry. So all this baggage we carry around – it’s not all of our own making or choosing. It just is. Most of it just happened to us. And it has become a part of us. And so what are we to do with it?
There is some powerful good news for us in Jesus’ activity today. This encounter with the man and the unclean spirit is Jesus’ first stop on his ministry journey throughout Galilee. He is signaling to all the things that bind us – all the things that hold us back – all the things that keep us from being at peace with ourselves and with each other – that he is willing to battle with them. In fact he has come to destroy all the things that haunt us and possess us — any force which would rob us of all that God intends for us.
We are not destined to be ruled by our demons. Jesus is doing something new among us. He is releasing us. He is offering a new way. He is embracing us and transforming our brokenness to wholeness. Our fears to hope. Our anger to peace. Our resentment to joy. He has a powerful word of love for you.
What has he to do with us? Everything. He is always for us no matter what lurks beneath the surface. And let’s remember . . .not JUST for us. For everyone. Even for those who captive to things we don’t like or don’t understand. We can’t always see what’s going on inside a person and holding them back or bringing them down. We have no idea what battles are going on in our neighbor’s heart and mind. But Jesus knows and he sees. And it’s the first and perhaps only thing on his agenda: to set us all free.
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