Continuation of Mark 1:21-28... Unclean spirits

THURSDAY:

Today I want to examine the concept of “unclean spirits” or “demons.” We live in a world that likes to blame our actions on someone else… or something else. Many of you may remember the great comedian Flip Wilson. One of Flip’s comedic characters was Geraldine. Geraldine was immensely funny but had a huge character flaw… she would never take responsibility for her own actions. Geraldine made famous the comment, “The devil made me do it!” Unfortunately, this has been humankind’s excuse since the Garden of Eden. Let’s look:

¹³ Then the Lord God said to the woman, “What is this you have done?” The woman said, “The serpent deceived me, and I ate.”

Apparently, Eve wanted to blame her actions on the serpent. Of course, this was just her way of saying, “The devil made me do it, I am not responsible.”

Adam is not any better and perhaps worse. He places the blame on Eve and someone else:

¹² The man said, “The woman YOU (God) put here with me—she gave me some fruit from the tree, and I ate it.”

In other words, “My old lady Eve made me do it!” Talk about a misogynist. And, if you look closely, Adam is telling God it was also His fault by stating, “The woman YOU put here with me.” Adam, is in effect saying his bad actions are God’s fault. Adam’s thinking, “I would have been all right God, but that woman YOU gave me… it’s ALL her fault!” Talk about throwing someone under the proverbial bus! It had to be more than a couple of cold nights on the couch for Adam! In any event, some things never change. All through history humankind has tried to blame their actions, usually their bad actions, on someone else, an evil force or even on God. In other words, no one is responsible.

So here is our first point, God wants us to take responsibility for our own actions, good or bad. God wants us, so to speak, “to man or woman up!”

Let’s build upon this point by looking at the primary teaching of Jesus. To do this we turn to Matthew 5-7. This is where we can find Jesus’ most important message called the “Sermon on the Mount.” I like to teach this is where the “Jesus Ethic” is made very clear. It is here we find how corruptible humankind has become… through their own actions… and just as importantly… their own thoughts. In this passage Jesus charges with murder those who are angry, carry a grudge, or who call another person “fool.” In the very next passage, Jesus charges with adultery not only those who engage in the physical act, but also those who “lust in their hearts.” In this teaching, Jesus’ is repeating what had been known for years as Proverbs 23:7 indicates…

⁷ For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he…

Therefore, the difficulty of being “good enough” for salvation finally dawned on the disciples when they heard Jesus teach…

²⁵ For it is easier for a camel to go through a needle's eye, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God. ²⁶ And they that heard it said, Who then can be saved? ²⁷ And Jesus said, The things which are impossible with men are possible with God.

Once we realize OUR corruptibility, then we can understand why we need a Savior. And, we can also begin to realize we need a Savior who is the ‘complete and perfect’ sacrifice for all our sins: past, present and future. Why? Well, I don’t know about you, but if I am to be judged by Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount then I am a murderer and an adulterer. And that is the point, humankind is corrupted. The reformers called this the doctrine of total depravity. The idea behind total depravity is this, “We cannot save ourselves!” BUT, we have this promise, “The things which are impossible with men are possible with God.” Thank you, Jesus!

So, let’s review. First, we understand that humankind has historically tried to blame external sources for their bad behavior since the Garden of Eden. Second, the Jesus Ethic taught in the Sermon on the Mount places the blame at our doorstep. In other words, we are ALL hypocrites and we need a Lord and Savior.

Now, let’s look at a third point. Many people believe that since Jesus did not take time to correct the idea of ‘unclean spirits’ or ‘demons’ that they must exist. This is a flawed view. There are a lot of subjects and concepts that Jesus did not address during His time on earth. Why? Because it was required of a Savior to be vulnerable to the very people God was trying to save. In other words, Jesus was fully human, even though Jesus was also fully God. However, while on earth, Jesus could only know or do those things that God (His Father) directed…

¹⁹ Jesus gave them this answer: “Very truly I tell you, the Son can do nothing by himself; he can do only what he sees his Father doing, because whatever the Father does the Son also does. 

This verse from John 5 should teach us a lot about Jesus. While on earth, Jesus does not know everything! Jesus could only do those things or know those things the Father has revealed. Some people like to think that since Jesus was God, that Jesus did not struggle in the same way we struggle. Once again, this is a way for humans to discount Christ’s struggle. Many Christians when confronted with their bad behavior often say, “Well, Jesus is God! He has super powers!” If you are one of these folks you need to read this passage from Hebrews 4…

¹⁵ For we do not have a high priest (Jesus) who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been TEMPTED IN EVERY WAY, just as we are—YET HE DID NOT SIN. ¹⁶ Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.

Jesus did not have superpowers while on earth. He could only do and know that which the Father permitted… just like you and me!

This point is important for a lot of reasons, but for our purpose let me propose this… Jesus did not correct the idea of “unclean spirits” or “demons” because it was not revealed to Him. In the same way, WHILE ON EARTH, Jesus did not know everyone or everything about everyone. In other words, GOD BECAME VULNERABLE… for you to understand that GOD UNDERSTANDS! Jesus was not sent to teach political or social concepts. Jesus was not sent to teach science. Jesus probably did not even build perfect houses. He was fully human and fully God. However, access to His divinity was LIMITED while on earth. This makes Him the perfect sacrifice, especially when we learn Jesus was “TEMPTED IN EVERY WAY!”

Let’s review where I am going and where I believe the Bible is taking us…

HUMANKIND IS RESPONSIBLE FOR THEIR ACTIONS!

Now, before I address the reality of “unclean spirits” or “demons” let me explain who gives power to such an ‘evil’ force or forces. In John 4:4 we find this teaching from the Apostle…

Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world. ² This is how you can recognize the Spirit of God: Every spirit that acknowledges that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, ³ but every spirit that does not acknowledge Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you have heard is coming and even now is already in the world. ⁴ You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world. ⁵ They are from the world and therefore speak from the viewpoint of the world, and the world listens to them. ⁶ We are from God, and whoever knows God listens to us; but whoever is not from God does not listen to us. This is how we recognize the Spirit of truth and the spirit of falsehood.

Wow! The question to ask is this, “Who gives unclean spirits or demons their reality or power?” And the answer of course is, “We do!” However, “WE DON’T HAVE TO!” Why”, “because the One who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world…” Evil only has power when WE give EVIL it’s power.

Pastor Jim? Don’t you believe in ‘demons’ and the ‘devil?’ Here is my answer, “Yes, but not in the sense we as a culture have come to believe in them.” I do believe in evil and I do believe the “spirit of the antichrist” is in the world. However, to understand what all of this means requires us to clean out our cultural baggage (cultural beliefs) of “demons” and the “devil.”

The common concept of demons and the devil are not Biblical! Unfortunately, what almost ALL CHRISTIANITY believes regarding the devil and his demons is a fabrication from several NON-Biblical sources:

·       Paradise Lost by John Milton

·       Dante’s Inferno by Dante Alighieri's

·       Cartoons

These are all literary works that have put into the mind of the public the red-tailed menace and his pitchfork. Along with his ‘minions’ that are forever circling you, hoping you will stumble! This is why you have heard me mention in my sermons from time to time, that much of Christianity and what is believed is more from the pagan world than it is from Jesus. More from the pagan world than it is from the Bible.

We buy into these images because it is easier for us to blame an external force that “tempts” little old us. It places the responsibility for our sins on the shoulders of a personified evil… called the devil and his minions. All the while, God wants YOU to understand YOU are responsible. This is why God sent Himself to be your Lord and Savior.

Now as to the ‘spirit of the anti-christ’ you need to understand this is the force of evil, NOT ONE GIVEN CHARACTER! However, this is a discussion for another blog for another day!

So, what’s with the “unclean spirit” or demon in today’s story that Jesus rebukes. Well let me tell you…

Jesus came, as Matthew 15:24 indicates…

 ²⁴ Jesus answered, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of Israel.”

The story in Mark 1 is a real one. It really did happen, but it is a story filled with symbolism. Jesus’ primary first goal was to redeem Israel. To get them back on course. However, the religious leaders chose to reject Jesus. In Mark 1, the man with a demon (unclean spirit) is emblematic of Israel’s leadership (their shepherds) rejecting God and the Messiah (see Ezekiel 34). The Pharisees and Sadducees (religious leaders) knew Jesus was special. At the very least, they knew Jesus was “from God.”

² He came to Jesus at night and said, “Rabbi, WE KNOW that you are a teacher who has come from God. For no one could perform the signs you are doing if God were not with him.”

Of course, in this story Nicodemus becomes “born-again” and realizes Jesus’ is the Messiah. However, the above verse reflects the “WE KNOW” by the religious leaders. Obviously, they were talking about Jesus. Nicodemus was part of this religious leadership. Nicodemus was a Pharisee and assisted Joseph of Arimathea when placing Jesus’ body in the tomb.

Therefore, the “unclean spirit” is symbolically ‘Israel’ crying out in the midst of the synagogue, that Jesus is, “The Holy Son of God.” This crying out is a declaration of God’s judgment. It was a warning to the religious leadership the Messiah has come. In any event, Jesus rebuked the unclean ‘demonic’ spirit. This man had given himself over to evil. And Jesus demonstrated His grace by removing that spirit. Just like Jesus removes our sins. There is little doubt the man with an unclean spirit had profited from the control the Pharisees and Sadducees had over the rank and file. Perhaps he was part of the leadership. We need to look at Ezekiel 34:4 for the prophecy regarding God’s judgment of the bad shepherds:

You have not strengthened the weak or healed the sick or bound up the injured. You have not brought back the strays or searched for the lost. You have ruled them harshly and brutally.

Is it any doubt why the religious leadership were expecting a powerful political ruler? Power is all they understood. Power is how they saw God. They were supposed to be God’s children, but they were not in relationship with God. To be in relationship is not due to power, but due to love.

TEACHING POINT: ALL relationships based on exerting power are NOT healthy relationships. Power is a proclamation that you are in charge and not God. Power is a sin! Those who depend on their own power will not be able to see the transforming relational power of Jesus. Therefore, we need to make ALL of our relationships emulate the Servant King Jesus. Remember this passage from the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 7:11..,

 “If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!”

Concluding, this week’s Bible study is one of Jesus’ authority and our responsibility. Our responsibility to recognize Him as our Lord and Savior. Our responsibility that we indeed choose our behavior and that our behavior, negative or positive has a cumulative effect on the world.

TEACHING POINT: It is important to understand God’s judgment. I will expound on this in a later blog. However, for the moment understand that God’s judgment is built into the fabric of the universe. God is not in heaven waiting around for you to mess up. God is not looking for opportunities to give judgment. That is not a relationship. Just as gravity and other laws are built into the fabric of the universe for our own good, so is God’s judgment. A reminder for our own protection… to “turn around.” In John 3:16-18 we find…

¹⁶ For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. ¹⁷ For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. ¹⁸ Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son

Some people’s understanding of God is one of judgment. An image of “God is gonna getcha! This would not be a relationship. God never has to lift a finger to judge… ever! For our own protection, and due to God’s desire to remind us that He wants to be in relationship with us, God does not condemn or judge… but we judge or condemn ourselves. There is ‘such a thing’ as living in harmony with the fabric of the universe, versus living in dissonance with the fabric of the universe. I can choose not to believe in gravity, but it will be painful! It is not God judging me. God has created a protective universe in which the fabric gently redirects our hearts back to Him… hopefully!

Now if you want to believe in some personified force of evil or little weird looking guys running around bringing temptation to your doorstep... go ahead. Evil is real! However, you must remember, you are the one who empowers evil. God through His Word teaches us that WE ARE RESPONSIBLE!

God bless... Check in tomorrow as we look at the symbolism of the singular ‘sabbath’ versus the actual plural (in the Greek texts) ‘sabbaths’ in verse 21. On Saturday we will return to our story-telling and see how the Roman Centurion... shows up again!

See you tomorrow! Go love Jesus!