Tag Archives: demon-possessed

Tradition Versus Knowledge

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TRADITION VERSUS KNOWLEDGE 

“At this they exclaimed, ‘Now we know that you are demon-possessed! Abraham died and so did the prophets, yet you say that whoever obeys your word will never taste death. Are you greater than our father Abraham? He died, and so did the prophets. Who do you think you are?’

“Jesus replied, ‘If I glorify myself, my glory means nothing. My Father, whom you claim as your God, is the one who glorifies me. Though you do not know Him, I know Him. If I said I did not, I would be a liar like you, but I do know Him and obey His word.'” John 8:52-55 (NIV).

Listen to the tone of voice! These men were not out to learn the truth. They were only out to prove that they were right and Jesus was wrong. Their problem was that they were basing their argument on tradition and Jesus was basing His on experiential knowledge. They claimed to know God because they followed in the tradition of their ancestors who had built up an elaborate religious system based on the interpretation (yoke) of the ancient rabbis.

Isn’t this rather like the Roman Catholic system that follows the traditions of the popes who have gone before, claiming to have the authority to interpret the Bible the way they see it and not the way it was intended to be understood? Each one adds his bit until the Bible is so pulled out of shape that it is no longer recognizable as the Word of God.

It is Jesus whom the Father glorified and to whom He gave the highest place and the highest name in the universe and to whom every knee will bow. How do these religious systems fit into Jesus’ simple invitation? ‘Follow me’? To what is Jesus calling us? To live in the light; to be honest with God and our fellow-men and to live generous, merciful lives towards all people.

“With what shall I come before the Lord and bow down before the exalted God? Shall I come before Him with burnt offerings, with calves a year old? Will the Lord be pleased with thousands of rams, with ten thousand rivers of olive oil? Shall I offer my first-born for my transgressions, the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul? He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly, to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.” Micah 6:6-8 (NIV).

If we take an honest look at the doctrines and practices of many of the streams of the church, we have to ask ourselves the question, “Is this what Jesus came to do?” Let’s take one example. Jesus taught that God’s economic system is based on giving and receiving, sowing and reaping. Giving to others puts our resources into a current which keeps flowing and will come back to us in our time of need. Our Father knows our needs. He wants us to take care of the needs of others because this is His way of taking care of our needs.

Why is it then that many parts of the church operate according to the world’s economic system of buying and selling? Raffles, bazaars and fund-raising functions are the way we get our money, not the simple process of giving. Unfortunately, by propagating that way, God’s people are robbed of their access, through faith, to the resources God has promised us to live godly lives (2 Peter 1:3, 4).

Jesus’ way of life demands the risks of faith. God places great value on our confidence in Him and His word, so great in fact that He puts our faith through the fire to test its genuineness (1 Peter 1:6, 7). It is easier to substitute religion for faith and to deceive ourselves into thinking that God is satisfied with our ritualistic performance rather than trusting and obeying Him. Paul put it bluntly: “…Everything that does not come from faith is sin.” (Romans 14:23b).

Faith demands obedience to Jesus’ command, “Love one another as I have loved you,” and that demands self-sacrifice. How much easier to do stuff than to obey God!

Following Jesus means learning to live like sons and daughters of God. Jesus showed us how to be children of God. Submission and obedience is the way and that demands spending time with God and getting to know His ways. Jesus said, ‘I know Him.’

Do you know Him?

 

 

A Mob Dispersed

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A MOB DISPERSED

“Jesus asked him, ‘What is your name?’

‘Mob. My name is Mob,’ he said, because many demons afflicted him. And they begged Jesus desperately not to order them into the bottomless pit.

A large herd of pigs was browsing and rooting on a nearby hill. The demons begged Jesus to order them into the pigs. He gave the order. It was even worse for the pigs than for the man. Crazed, they stampeded over the cliff into the lake and drowned.” Luke 8:30-33 (The Message).

For anyone reading this for the first time, this is a strange story. It sounds a bit like science fiction, doesn’t it?

But for anyone unfortunate enough to be caught up in demonic involvement, and for those looking on, this was a very real and frightening situation. This man was inhabited by spirit beings who had completely taken over his life, using his body to host them and controlling his mind and his behaviour. They were representatives of the realm of absolute evil, controlled by the devil who had rejected and rebelled against God.

Their presence had turned this man into a raving lunatic who had no control over his thoughts and behaviour. He was on a path to destroy himself and everyone and everything around him. There was no physical power strong enough to bind or muzzle him.

It was only the presence of Jesus, whom the demons acknowledged to be the Son of the High God, and to whose authority they had to bow, that calmed the situation down enough for Him to speak to the man and get a sane reply.

Why did Jesus ask him his name? Was it out of curiosity or was it for a deeper reason than that? The first step towards this man’s healing was for him to acknowledge who he was. In Hebrew thought, a name was a prophetic utterance of character. Who he was expressed in his name.

Jesus wanted him to acknowledge who he was. The name, Mob, was not the name his parents had given him. It was the name he had acquired through the process of bad choices and the eventual invasion of demons who controlled what he had become.

Why did the demons beg to be sent into the pigs? Why could they not have just been told to go somewhere else? They knew that the time was coming when they would be judged along with their master, the devil, and all his other henchmen, but that time was not yet. In the meantime their territory was earth and their victims, people. They needed to inhabit human bodies but to enter humans needed their cooperation through deception and that took time. In their desperation not to be left bodyless, the pigs were their next option. Perhaps Jesus gave His permission because pigs were regarded as unclean animals and unfit for human consumption according to the Torah. They were fitting hosts for unclean spirits.

We have to remember that Jesus, as a rabbi, was always exposing His disciples to learning experiences. What would their impression have been? In the midst of this chaotic environment, one person stood out as being in charge — Jesus! He was not fazed by the hullabaloo this man was causing. He was not afraid of his violence. His presence calmed him down, allowing him to give Him a sane answer and His authority was unmistakeable, over the demons and over the man.

Jesus had taken charge of a violent storm and restored calm. He had taken charge of a violent man and restored peace. They were slowly building confidence in Him as the one He claimed to be — the promised Messiah. With their own eyes they were witnessing what the kingdom of God was all about.

This is the Jesus we have been invited to trust. Have you trusted Him?

Free To Be Ensalved

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FREE TO BE ENSLAVED

“They sailed on to the country of the Gerasenes, directly opposite Galilee. As He stepped out onto land, a madman from town met Him; he was a victim of demons. He hadn’t worn clothes for a long time nor lived at home; he lived in the cemetery.

When he saw Jesus he screamed, fell before Him and bellowed, ‘What business do you have messing with me? You’re Jesus, Son of the High God, but don’t give me a hard time!’ (The man said this because Jesus was ordering the unclean spirit out of him). Time after time the demon threw the man into convulsions. He had been placed under constant guard and tied with chains and shackles but, crazed and driven wild by the demon, he would shatter the bonds.” Luke 8:26-29 (The Message).

However familiar this story is, one cannot read it without feeling pity for this tormented man. He was a victim of demons, according to Luke.

A victim of demons? How did they get in there in the first place? Demons don’t just walk in and take over wherever they feel like it. They can only gain access to a life when their lies are believed enough to let them in. It all begins when the unsuspecting person gives in to temptation, begins to do ungodly things that become a habit and then adopts ways of dulling the conscience because he cannot live with his guilt.

A young girl may run away from home, get involved in prostitution to make a living, and then turn to drugs and alcohol to dull the pain of her guilt and shame. It will not be long before she is so enslaved by this way of life that she is a candidate for demon possession. What she believed would be a way of escaping authority at home becomes a nightmare of the kind of control she was not bargaining for.

This man, who once made choices of his own, was now a victim of demonic control. What had led him into a lifestyle of sin so terrible that the demons took over? We don’t know but, once they were in, they were there to stay. He had made his choices to sin, time and again until the lies he had believed so often had opened the door for the demons to come in and take over. Once they were in, they showed their true colours and the real torment began.

How did Jesus know about him? Perhaps He didn’t but He went where the Spirit led Him. He went across the lake at His leading, and when He stepped off the boat, He knew why He had come. Although the man was inhabited by His arch-enemies, he was drawn to Jesus, both falling at His feet and screaming his antagonism. The human in him worshipped; the demons in him resisted.

Strange, isn’t it, that while humans refused to acknowledge who Jesus was, the demons were quick to identify Him as the Son of God. They knew who He was and they knew that their judgment was coming. This man was schizophrenic; there were two voices coming out of his mouth, the voice of a tormented man pleading for help and the voices of both terrified and defiant demons, knowing that their rule was temporary and their doom sure.

This story confronts us with the ugly truth of what happens to people when they venture into the realm of demonic deception, lured on by the promises of pleasure and “freedom”, only to be trapped by the consequences of their choices into a life of slavery far worse than the slavery they were trying to escape.

Jesus came to set us free, free to choose a life that leads us to peace and wholeness. The only source of peace is Jesus. His peace come to us when we choose to believe what He says and follow His way — the way of unselfishness, generosity and love.

“To the Jews who believed in Him, Jesus said, ‘If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.'” John 8:31, 32 (NIV).

Freedom is not doing whatever you please. Freedom is taking responsibility for yourself and choosing to live God’s way.

Do you know this kind of freedom?