The power of demons
The gospel reading for this week is about a man who has been demonized for
quite some time. For a long time he had worn no clothes, and he did not live in
a house but in the tombs. When he saw Jesus, he fell down before him and
shouted at the top of his voice, “What have you to do with me, Jesus, Son of
Most High God? I beg you, do not torment me” – for Jesus had commanded
the unclean spirit to come out of the man.
This man had lived a terrible life and the people knew about it. How many
times they wanted to control and help him, but without success. They bound
him with chains and shackles, but he would break the bonds and be driven by
the demon to the wild. No wonder he was powerful because he was possessed
by not one demon but by a legion of many demons.
What are the messages we have from this story? Firstly, this man had lived
with this condition for sometimes and the demons have been firmly in his life.
When Jesus approached him to be healed, he did not want to do that because
his life had been used to living with the devil. When we change our lives to
become Christians, it is hard because we are get used to living in sin.
With Jesus in our lives, we become a new being, just like this demonized man,
he was tamed by Jesus, sat at his feet, clothed and in his right mind, and is
ready to follow him. It was a great message at the end of the gospel, Jesus sent
him away, this new man, saying – “Return to your home, and declare how
much God has done for you.” As Christians, we are called to go out into the
world to tell the good news, starting at home. The power of the demon is so
strong, only the power of Jesus can free us from that power. As we continue
our journey during this season of Pentecost, let the Spirit of God be with
us so that we can face the future with hope.
Grace & peace, Rev Maile