“Just then there was in the synagogue a man with an unclean spirit, and he 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.’ But Jesus rebuked him, saying, ‘Be silent, and come out of him.’” (Mark 1:23-25)
Jesus exorcized evil spirits, foul spirits, demon spirits. I know that Jesus doing such actions may sound, well, rather primitive or scary to us, and I am guessing that such actions may elicit images of Grade B horror films. And yet, there is no getting around that a major part of his ministry was casting out bad and awful spirits. He fed. He led. He healed. He forgave. He loved. He did so much for us, and one of the things that he did then and does now is, again, exorcize.
So, what are your evil spirits that you need cast out? Control? Fear? Anxiety? Shame? Despair? Worry? Rigidity? Meanness? What are the “spirits,” the emotions, the attitudes, the prejudices, the addictions that separate you from God, from others, from your best and most glorious and most alive self?
Jesus wants to cast out those spirits so that you can be led by God’s Spirit. He wants you to be free. He wants to rebuke anything, any voice, any power or force that shuts down your heart, that closes your mind, that derails your faith-path.
The question is not whether Jesus wants to or can exorcize. He does and he can. The question is whether we want him to. Sometimes those “evil” spirits can be enticing. Sometimes they can seem like our friends. But, don’t be seduced. Those “spirits” are slanderers, liars, accusers, and they will suck the life and hope and joy right out of you.
I am thankful that Jesus came to exorcize. I know I need his casting out voice in my life. I hope you feel and know the same. He came to exorcize in order for us to be free. Thanks be to God.
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This resonates with Jim's call this morning to define ourselves by what we are "for" rather than what we are "against". All the things that we spend energy pushing against can become "evil" spirits, sucking the life and hope and joy out of us.
ReplyDeleteAs I start tomorrow in a new assignment that I have spent every minute of the last few weeks thinking about why I'm against this and what I don't want to do in this,,,, I'm now prompted to think about what am I going to be "for" in this, and what am I called to contribute here?