Jesus taught with authority and he healed a man with unclean spirit. Authority, from
Latin word augere means to increase; Jesus and his words increase in us what is good,
healthy, normal, truly human! Driving out the demon was a sign of the arrival of Christ
the Messiah, his power defeating the invasion of evil, ending the reign of satan and the
beginning of God’s kingdom and that evil has no standing before God. While evil seeks
to destroy, Jesus uses his authority to save humans, bring healing, give hope and
strength to begin life anew, rebuild life through his mercy and love. Evil spirit says to
Jesus, ‘I know who you are; you are the Holy One of God and that there is nothing
common between you and me; you come to destroy us’ [prayer ‘thy kingdom come’ is
about destroying evil]: in the bible , calling someone by name is also an attempt to
control that person. Evil spirit is about power over us. The demon wants to control
Jesus, as in the ‘temptations of Jesus in the desert’: devil uses scripture to tempt
Jesus; quoting word of God, Jesus says to the devil, ‘my gifts, power [authority] flow
from my relationship with God my the Father. You have nothing human or divine; yours
is empty promises’. The Word who became flesh defeats the devil by the power of his
word, ‘come out, be gone’.
In the ancient world, all abnormalities like epilepsy, mental illness were attributed to evil
spirits. Many mysteries of the universe are unknown to us! Evil spirit is also called
diabolus [devil] meaning to divide, cause damage, ending in separation from God; it is
also known as satan, the accuser, deceiver, that leads to conflicts and lasting hatred,
mob hysteria, fear of each other. We know human capacity to inflict evil on fellow
human beings, negative, dark power within the mind associated with envy, greed and
ideologies that divide and destroy. Is devil a force outside of us? Throughout human
history people experienced possession of evil, a power outside of them that science
cannot explain or medicine wouldn’t help. Church uses the power [authority] of Christ
to heal [deliver, purify, release] people possessed by unclean spirit, which is called
exorcism. Everyone has a story of life. The poor man in the gospel was a tortured,
broken soul; all sanity was taken away from him, he lost his identity and was living in
anxiety. He was cut off from human relationships. Evil possessed self is a false self. C.S
lewis: ‘God whispers in our pleasure; he talks in our conscience and he shouts in our
pain’. Jesus shouts in the pain and fear of the man afflicted by evil spirit. He is friend of
the brokenhearted. Examine, what are the unclean spirits that tear us apart?
A heart attuned to the Holy Spirit, a praying heart that desires the good, a discerning
heart that reaches out with compassion knows the threat of evil forces that surround
us. Jesus is our light therapy that delivers us from evil, dark powers. We need to let the
presence and words of Jesus amaze us and a cleaning, purifying ritual has to happen
in us each day. The more we long to remain in Christ the freer we become from evil
impulses.
Fay Sampson’s prayer by one who lives in anxiety or in someway afflicted: ‘Christ my
help in danger: I am terrified. It doesn’t matter that the terror has no real reason. I still
feel as though I am going to die. Take me by the hand. Let me feel your reassuring
presence very close. Stay with me while the panicked minutes drag by. Assure me that
they will end. Lord, I am afraid to sleep, in case I wake up in a panic. May your
comforting Spirit soothe me. Help me to remember those things that make me relax.
Ease my tense muscles. Calm my breathing. Fill me with pleasant thoughts. I need
help. Guide me to people who will listen with understanding. It feels as if I am walking
through the shadow of death. Walk beside me, precious Lord’!