"What Have You to do With Us, Jesus of Nazareth?"
Epiphany 4 • Sermon • Submitted
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· 11 viewsGoal: That the hearer would marvel at Christ's teaching and healing power that saved the demon possessed man in the Synagogue as well as all that binds us to the kingdom of darkness.
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A farmer, troubled by a flock of crows in his corn field, loaded his shotgun and crawled unseen along the fence-row, determined to get a shot at the crows. Now the farmer had a very “sociable” parrot who made friends with everybody. Seeing the flock of crow, the parrot flew over and joined them (just being sociable, you know). The farmer saw the crows but didn’t see the parrot. He took careful aim and BANG! The farmer crawled over the fence to pick up the fallen crows, and, there was his parrot—badly ruffled, with a broken wing, but still alive. Tenderly, the farmer carried the parrot home, where his children met him. Seeing that their pet was injured, they tearfully asked, “What happened, Papa?”. Before he could answer, the parrot spoke up: “Bad company!”
It is said, that ‘bad company ruins good character’, and in our text today, we see something that might make us scratch our heads for a moment with the question, “Why?”
Our text today is a continuation of last week’s Gospel reading where Jesus calls His first four disciples as He passed by the west bank of the Sea of Galilee. Here we see that after that, Jesus, Simon and Andrew, James and John entered Capernaum, which is located on the north west coast of the Sea of Galilee. On the Sabbath, Jesus entered the synagogue and was teaching. The text tells us that those who were present “were astonished at His teaching, for He taught them as one who had authority, and not as the scribes” (v 22).
The people were amazed and then, “…immediately there was in their synagogue a man with an unclean spirit.” Perhaps this is better rendered “…all at once” a demon possessed man burst into the synagogue”. Here our English translation calls him “a man with an unclean spirit”, but the original text, ἄνθρωπος ἐν πνεύματι ἀκαθάρτῳ, it might be better understood as “a man in connection with an evil unclean spirit” which made the man ceremonial unclean, and therefore unable to even be in the synagogue.
The demons speak, “What is there between you and me, Jesus of Nazareth, I know who You are, the Holy one of God.” And Jesus rebuked him saying, “Be silent, and come out of him!” (v 25).
For me, here is what left me scratching my head. Why did Jesus command the demon to “Be silent...”? Doesn’t Jesus want people to know who He is? We see this spattered through out the Gospels in many places and in many circumstances. The hidden God desires to remain hidden. He definitely does not want to be known as being “in connection” with evil spirits. Not for one instance does Jesus accept the testimony of the demon. He instantly silences the evil spirit. God refuses to be associated with anything from satan.
The weird thing about this text is why did the demons drive this man into the synagogue and in front of the very Word of God? One would think that the demons would want to keep this man far away from the Holy One of God so that they could possess this man that much longer. Regardless, the demons obey and cause the man to convulse horribly and then utter a loud, horrid cry. The miracle was wrought, the man was free. Jesus had shown His omnipotent power in Satan’s own domain. This expulsion of demons by a single command of Jesus exhibits the power of Jesus in the highest degree.
This is the power of God for us in Christ Jesus. Jesus casts our demons because God and evil can not coexist! In love and mercy He drives out the demons that possess this man and made him perpetually unclean.
God does the same thing for us. In Lutheranism, baptism holds a very high standing, all wrought through the promises of God. just prior to baptism, certain questions are asked and answered. Do you renounce the devil? Do you renounce all his works? Do you renounce all his ways?” The proper response to these questions is a resounding “Yes, I renounce him/them”. This is Luther’s shortened form of exorcism. It is verbally and publically renouncing satan and all the lies that he brings. Then the person is baptized after responding to the questions of whether they believe in the Trinity through the words of the Apostles’ Creed, for a person is baptized in the name of the Father and of the + Son and of the Holy Spirit. In baptism we are transferred from satan’s kingdom of darkness into the marvelous light of Christ (Colossians 1:13). This is what God has done for you in Christ Jesus.
There are many things in this life that we still are in connection with that are just downright evil. For starters, how many of us are still looking to the government of the United States as your god? How many of you look first to what is coming out of Washington DC, or Sacramento, CA, as refuge or where we are to receive all good? Because if that is what you are doing, you are breaking the first commandment. How many don’t honor or respect authorities that God has placed over us? How many look at the man or woman in leadership and refuse to pray for them because they are, in our opinion, evil? How many of us still want to live our life as we see fit and ignore God’s call in our lives to holiness? You see, if you are not loving and serving God and neighbor as He has loved us, we are putting yourself in connection with that which is evil.
Christ loves the whole person. The focus of His love is to keep us pure and not allow anything get in the way of our relationship with Him. This cannot be done if we continue to focus on sin and evil, and want to live a perverted sense of freedom and love. Satan and the world look at freedom to live life as we see fit, serving the unholy trinity of “Me, myself and I”. Sin and evil will constantly make us focus on ourselves and what we don’t have or coddling what we do, which has nothing to do with Jesus and the love of the Father for us. What does evil and Jesus have to do with each other…nothing. God establishes a wall between what is His and satan. They are not in connection together. Jesus removed Himself from the evil teachings of corrupt Judaism that was leading people to hell and not to the waiting and loving arms of their Father in heaven. Jesus turns their teachings upside down, exposing their lies, their deception, their rejection of the Messiah. He laments over Jerusalem and the Chief priests, Scribes and Pharisees. God’s love was for them too, but they rejected God’s love in the flesh and they crucified Him because of it.
However, their rejection leads to our salvation. Yes, Christ was crucified at the hands of evil men. Men who rallied the crowds to demand Barabbas be released and their King be crucified and Pilate’s washing of his hands of the whole ordeal.
The love and hidden power of Jesus, the eternal Son of the living God, was displayed for us in the healing of that man who was possessed by evil spirits. Once the demons were gone, the man was restored to wholeness again. He could once again enter the synagogue pure and clean and hear the Word of God. In the work of Jesus on the Cross, God restores us into a right relationship with Him. He cleanses us from all uncleanness, from all impurity, from all sin that would hinder, break and destroy that work. He battled the enemy there on the cross and won not only the battle, but the war. Satan has been judged and condemned. Jesus bound the strong man so that He could plunder satan’s house and bring out those who are bound by evil and selfishness. You and I once were residents of the house of evil, but we are no longer. We are new creations, just as the man who burst into the synagogue that day was made a new creation. For Christ speaks not as the scribes and pharisees of His day. He speaks not like the elected officials do today. Jesus speaks with the power of the God of all creation. And when Jesus speaks, things happen.
He speaks over you with Law and Gospel to turn your attention from that which binds you to evil. He speaks over you in the water of baptism to make you clean and pure. He continues to speak over you through the Word preached and read and the the Sacrament of the Altar. He speaks over you through the words of holy Absolution, declaring you forgiven and at peace with God. And so you are!
Christ has set you free. “So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed” (John 8:36). The Word made flesh that dwelt among us, sets us free. As Jesus said those words from John 8, he was speaking to the religious leaders who believed that just because they were children of Abraham they were safe; yet Jesus declares to them, “I know that you are offspring of Abraham; yet you seek to kill Me because My Word finds no place in you.” (v 37).
Brothers and Sisters, dearest family of God, God’s Word is for you. His Word desires to find it’s home with you and become a part of you. His Word made flesh, Jesus, desires to have something to do with you, because He has done everything for you and your salvation. And He promises to keep you in connection with Him through the gifts He has given you, namely His Word in which you are baptized and give you to strengthen your faith, baptism itself, the sweet comforting words of Absolution and His true body and blood given and shed for you for the forgiveness of all you sins.
In Christ Jesus you have been freed from satan’s hold on you. You have been cleaned just like the man who barged into the synagogue that Sabbath day, You have been forgiven through the precious blood of Christ so that He is in loving connection with you, there is definitely something between you and Him: God’s love for you and your full redemption in and through the work of Jesus.
In the name of Jesus and for His eternal glory. Amen.
Nestle, E., Nestle, E., Aland, B., Aland, K., Karavidopoulos, J., Martini, C. M., & Metzger, B. M. (1993). The Greek New Testament (27th ed., Mk 1:23). Stuttgart: Deutsche Bibelgesellschaft.