Defeating Demons!

A Sermon preached on 28.1.2024 Epiphany (IV) at St. Augustine’s, WI und St. Christoph, MZ

Deuteronomy 18:15-20, 1 Corinthians 8:1-13, Mark 1:21-28

We haven’t even finished chapter 1 of Mark’s Gospel, but in this accelerated version of Jesus’ earthly ministry, our Lord has already been announced by John the Baptist, has received God’s seal of approval at his own baptism, has been tested in the wilderness, has chosen his disciples and now launched his campaign in Capernaum on the shore of Lake Galilee. I am exhausted!

I have even been to the site of the synagogue in Capernaum, when we visited the Holy Land some years ago. It must have been an impressive building. In Jesus’ day a synagogue was a community centre, as well as a place for prayer. A synagogue service would have included set prayers, the reading of scripture, and its exposition and interpretation. A synagogue was not the centre of worship and sacrifice, that was the Temple in Jerusalem. There was no professional ministry. Instead, the elected leader or ruler of the synagogue would call on competent persons to read and speak. And as Jesus was known to be a man with a message, he was called on to teach. It seems that they got much more than they expected!

Mark doesn’t tell us content of Jesus’ teaching, just that he taught and that it was powerful and authoritative. From Matthew’s accounts we know that “everywhere (Jesus) went he announced the good news of the kingdom and healed” (Mt. 4:23) and in Luke we have the famous and detailed account of what happened when Jesus spoke in the synagogue in his hometown of Nazareth. First, he recalled God’s great promise of liberation and salvation from Isaiah: “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favour,” before announcing that, “Today this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.” (Luke 4:16-21) That was pretty authoritative, so perhaps Jesus preached a similar message in Capernaum.

In any case it was impressive: “They were astounded at his teaching, for he taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes.” (Mark 1:22) It was the job of the scribes to study, extract, transmit and teach the Law. Their authority came solely from Torah and any teaching would reference back to the text or perhaps to a commentary – a bit like what I’m doing now. But Jesus’ authority was personal. He doesn’t know about God, he knows God directly. And not only that, he does not just talk about release and liberation, but manifests his authority by actually liberating the man with an unclean spirit or demon, by separating him from the evil that had taken control of him.  This is proof of his power, this is a true sign of his authority: “He commands even the unclean spirits, and they obey him.” (Mark 1:27)

What do we think of unclean spirits or demons? The Hebrew word for them is mazzikin, literally one who does harm. They were supposed to live in unclean places, in and near tombs and in the desert: Anywhere where there was no cleansing water! And today, do we think they are real? We are probably a lot happier following Jesus’ example in feeding the poor, praying for one another, and proclaiming God’s way of justice and mercy, but casting out demons? Is that a thing?

Well, in Mark’s Gospel, casting out demons isn’t something incidental, there are four exorcisms in this shortest of Gospels. And in just a moment in the Baptismal section of our service, Satan, and all the spiritual forces of wickedness and the “evil powers of this world which corrupt and destroy the creatures of God” will get a mention when the baptismal candidates or their sponsors and parents will be asked to publicly renounce them. The Church thinks they are real, we even have a section on exorcism in our Book of Occasional Services: “The practice of expelling evil spirits by means of prayer and ritual derives its authority from Christ Jesus, who understood power over these forces as a sign of Messianic identity.”  It then goes on to say, “In accordance with this established tradition, someone in need of such a ministry, and anyone desiring to exercise it, makes the matter known to a presbyter, who in turn consults with the bishop.” Don’t worry, I have not and am not about to carry out an exorcism, but I do think that evil is like a tangible force or a power that can take control of people and that does harm! Evil has many entry points, many ways of taking control. Among them are fear, jealousy, greed, anger, hate, and guilt. Their evil “fruits” are things like racism, all kinds of discrimination and persecution, addiction, war, violence and death. Or as Paul writes in Romans (6:23) “For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” And therein, in Christ Jesus our Lord, lies the cure!

We have the teaching of the one who taught with authority and who commands even unclean spirits, Jesus Christ. He came to announce the good news of the kingdom and to heal. That good news is that we have no need to fear, as his perfect love drives out fear. (1 John 4:18) He teaches selflessness rather than jealousy, love rather than anger and hate, abundance rather than greed, and forgiveness, especially the ultimate forgiveness on the Cross, rather than guilt. With his victory over death and the devil through his resurrection he completed the healing that he began in Capernaum.  

How do we fight evil and unclean spirits? We do not have to resort exorcisms. In the Baptismal Covenant, the answer to the question: “Will you persevere in resisting evil, and, whenever you fall into sin, repent and return to the Lord?” is not a simple yes, but “I will, with God's help.” We can overcome evil in our own lives by staying in connection with God, through worship and the sacraments, and through prayer. Baptism is not just a membership ritual; the waters of Baptism are genuinely cleansing. Week by week we share in Christ at Communion: Holy Eucharist strengthens and renews us. And if we need individual rather than corporate forgiveness, if something is really weighing us down, then we have the Sacrament of Reconciliation, otherwise known as confession.

And then, strengthened, renewed, and equipped, we can do our part to overcome evil in wider society by preaching and living this good news of love, and by standing up against manifestations of anger and hate, as so many people have done over the last weeks in the demonstrations against the extreme right and their ideologies, and for human rights, and for open, tolerant, and democratic societies.  In other words, putting our other baptismal promises into action:

To proclaim by word and example the Good News of God in Christ.

To seek and serve Christ in all persons, loving our neighbour as yourself.

And to strive for justice and peace among all people and respect the dignity of every human being …. All of course with God’s help!

Amen