Grace to you and peace from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.
Satan
likes to do something like this. He doesn’t use magic, of course, but he will
do whatever he can to cause you to take your eyes off of Jesus. He will do it
by hook or by crook, by using his own wicked powers, the world in which we
live, our friends and family, and even our own inborn sinful nature. Any time
he can get us to look somewhere other than Jesus, or listen to someone other
than Jesus, or obey something other than Jesus, he wins – or, he thinks he
wins.
This
morning’s Gospel lesson gives us a very powerful example of how he did this in
the form of a man who has an unclean spirit. Boy – that’s something that will
get the attention diverted, won’t it? I mean, there is something…well,
otherworldly about the demonic. It strikes our curiosity. Movies and TV shows get
the heart pumping with a fear-injected, turbo-charged boost of adrenaline
coursing through our body and mind. Characters search for endoplasmic residue
with proton packs and ghost traps, using high-tech cameras to discern the
presence of the departed in homes, businesses and – yes – even in 18 wheelers
(thank you Kevin Bacon and Maximum Overdrive).
It works; it sells.
So,
instead of focusing on the side-show, let us turn our attention to Jesus
instead. In this morning’s Gospel lesson, Jesus is teaching in Capernaum in
their synagogue. In a synagogue, like a local church or chapel, the Scriptures
would be read. If a rabbi were available, he would then expound and teach about
the text. It was a cross between a sermon and Sunday school. Rabbinic tradition
was important in that day and age, and because the teaching was oral, rabbis
would cite their favorite rabbis to demonstrate the expertise of the teaching.
Jesus’
teaching, though, is different. He teaches as one who has authority, Mark
records, not having to cite other rabbis. He doesn’t need to include footnotes
in his sermon or a bibliography in his bulletin. When He teaches, He doesn’t
have to say, “Here’s what I think.” Every time He opens His mouth, He can say,
“This is most certainly true.” Where rabbis would teach about God’s word, Jesus
is the very Word of God in flesh.
You
recall John the Baptizer’s ministry. St. Mark simply says, “John appeared,
baptizing in the wilderness and proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the
forgiveness of sins” (Mk. 1:4). John’s preaching preparing people for the reign
of God in Christ; God’s rule in the coming Messiah. Now, as Jesus begins His
ministry, the Kingdom of God has arrived. The Kingdom is present in that
Capernaum synagogue. Without their realizing it, the Scriptures are being
fulfilled in their very presence as Jesus reads and preaches to them. The Word,
in flesh, has made His dwelling among them. What does He preach? If His Easter
sermon to the Emmaus disciples is any indication, He takes the text and,
tracing through the Law, the Writings and the Prophets, he connects the
Biblical dots to Himself and His ministry so that the people of Capernaum might
know and believe that the Messiah has come.
And
the devil hated every second of it. He hated that the poor in spirit were being
enriched. He hated that those who were mourning Israel’s faithlessness were
being filled with joy in these words. He hated that people who were hungering
and thirsting for righteousness were being filled and empty cups were
overflowing. The devil needed to do something to stop this…this…this
faithfulness in receiving Jesus’ words!
St.
Mark says, “And immediately there was in their 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!”
Christian
missionaries and pastors in Africa tell us that there are far more demonic
possessions in their country than the United States. These things don’t happen,
by and large, in the United States. African pastors say that the devil doesn’t
need to do these dramatic things here. Why break out the big stuff when he gets
such great results with something much more sneaky and subversive?
Some
of it seems so harmless and mundane: the coach calls for practice on Sunday
morning so you can’t go to church. An unexpected project takes up our personal
devotion and prayer time. We are surrounded by images on screen and in print that
glorify the sexuality of the human body in the name of “art” while degrading
the gift of husband and wife to each other.
Other
times it rears its sinister and ugly head and we see it for the evil that it is:
Children are treated worse than animals and locked in a basement. This past
week, two angry teenagers felt that murdering classmates was a perfectly good
strategy to deal with their anger and hurt. We are taught that if you want
something, get it by any means necessary – even if you have to beg, borrow, steal
or murder. We see people scream at each other; love for others is left behind; selfishness
is fueled, grudges are held and honed to a razor’s edge. And we – the people of
God – stand in the middle of it, in the world but not of the world – and see
the chaos around us. It is so easy to get caught up in it, to get wrapped up in
it, and be distracted by it so that we lose sight of the one who can rescue us
from this world: Jesus.
Jesus
entered into this very chaos to put satan back into his place. He comes to
establish the Kingdom of God and put down the kingdom of darkness. He comes to
destroy the destroyer. He speaks truth to the father of lies. He comes to rescue
and save.
This
is why Jesus entered Capernaum’s synagogue: to face satan’s lies and
distractions, to silence the lies and return order to creation. With a Word, Jesus
silences the man with the unclean spirit. Jesus is able to speak for Himself;
He is able to show His own power and authority – He doesn’t need the devil to
do it for him, or to mislead those gathered. Jesus speaks again and the evil
spirit is driven out. This demonstrates Christ’s power, not only in Word but
also in action. In that moment, Jesus is showing that the Kingdom of God is
truly present and that He has come to establish His throne.
It’s
not much of a throne, really. It’s made of rough wood. The throne isn’t housed
in a palace. It’s driven into the ground outside of the city walls. And instead
of a kingly crown of gold, He will wear a crown of thorns. But from that
throne, Jesus defeats and silences the devil eternally and restores perfect order
into the world.
We’re
not there, yet. While these things have all happened in Christ’s cross, we are
still waiting for the fulfillment of them in His return. We live in the “now,” as
we wait for the “not yet.” For a little while, the devil roars about like a
hungry lion seeking whom he may devour, and he does everything he can to
distract us. When your eyes are tempted, look to Jesus. When the siren songs
try to pull you away, listen to Jesus. When the chaos of this world incites
fear, trust in Jesus. And, when you do sin, do not despair. Turn to Jesus: confess
your sins and trust in His perfect forgiveness that He won for you at that very
cross. No tricks…no distractions. Simply Jesus and His promises for you.
When
those people left the Capernaum synagogue, they went back out into the world,
but they did so telling what they had heard and seen that day. In a few
moments, you will leave this house of God and re-enter the world with all of
the devil’s distractions. Do so, likewise remembering all that you had seen and
heard this morning. Go back to you homes and places of work, to your
restaurants and grocery stores in the sure and certain confidence that is yours
in the cross of Christ. Remember your baptism and trust the promises that God made
for you there. You are His; He is yours. Nothing can separate you from Him. In His
name. Amen.
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