"The J Files"

(Mark 1:21-28)

Rev. Billy D. Strayhorn

Mark 1:21-28

They went to Capernaum; and when the sabbath came, he entered the synagogue and taught. ²²They were astounded at his teaching, for he taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes. ²³Just then there was in their synagogue a man with an unclean spirit, ²⁴and 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." ²⁵But Jesus rebuked him, saying, "Be silent, and come out of him!" ²⁶And the unclean spirit, convulsing him and crying with a loud voice, came out of him. ²⁷They were all amazed, and they kept on asking one another, "What is this? A new teaching--with authority! He commands even the unclean spirits, and they obey him." ²⁸At once his fame began to spread throughout the surrounding region of Galilee.

INTRODUCTION:

According to a poll taken a few years ago in George Magazine, 10% of Americans believe Elvis is still alive. 30% of Americans believe in ghosts and 53% of Americans believe the Earth has been visited by aliens in the last 100 years. Maybe that would explain some of the things I read in the newspaper. It can all be attributed to alien mind control.

For example: Did you read about the convenience store in Oklahoma City, Okla., which was robbed by a man using a snake as a weapon. The robber told the clerk it was a "copperhead rattlesnake", but police said it was actually a python, which is not poisonous. The 21 year old man was arrested and charged with robbery. Police recovered the snake from his car. (1)

Or how about the story in "News of the Weird" about the 52 year old man in Denmark who sent the Maritime Sea Rescue Command into a frenzy searching for a freighter in distress and a crewman who had been washed overboard, off Bornholm in the Baltic Sea. It seems this guy was drunk. He was also sitting in his bathtub playing with toy boats and the phone. (2)

Things like that kind of make you want to believe in alien abductions and alien mind control and all those other things that the Twilight Zone, Outer Limits, One Step Beyond and The X Files all say are going on. And that brings us to this morning's passage from the Gospel of Mark. At first glance it has all the makings of an episode of the "Twilight Zone" or "The X Files." But it would have been called "The J Files" back then because it deals with the almost unbelievable things Jesus was doing in his ministry.

So, let's Look At The Scene; ask What Does It Mean? and then ask What Can We Glean?

I. LOOK AT THE SCENE:

A. In Looking At The Scene we can see this almost surreal event. Jesus went to the Synagogue in Capernaum to worship and teach on the Sabbath. That was his habit. He never missed. It wasn't because He was trying to impress anyone or keep folks (especially the Sadduccees and Pharisees) from wagging their tongues about how He didn't worship. It was simply part of who He was, what He did and what He believed.

Jesus was in the Synagogue in Capernaum. That Synagogue is still there next to the Sea of Galilee. Or a portion of it. You can walk where Jesus walked and possibly sit where Jesus sat. And as you stand there, you can imagine the scene.

The place is packed. The men surround Jesus, who is seated in the Synagogue's equivalent of the Pulpit. It was called the Seat of Moses. It's where one went to sit and teach. Others would stand, kneel or sit on the floor. The Teacher or Rabbi would sit to teach. The women were sequestered in another portion of the Synagogue, separated from the men. And the Gentile God Fearers, those non-Jews who were studying to become converts or who felt a kinship with the Jews but hadn't converted were in another section.

The Scripture doesn't say what Jesus was teaching or preaching but right smack dab in the middle of Jesus' sermon, in comes a man described as having "an unclean spirit."

Today, that's acceptable. The Church readily claims that none of us are perfect. We all have one thing in common, we are all sinners who have been forgiven. Or we are all sinners in need of forgiveness. But back then, you didn't go to Synagogue to be forgiven. You didn't go to Synagogue if there was something that divided you and God. Synagogue was for the upright, those in right relationship with God, the righteous. Into this atmosphere comes this unclean, unrighteous man, wandering around the Synagogue.

B. Everybody in the community probably knew who this guy was. They probably all knew he had a problem. They recognized him the minute he came through the door. You could hear the inward groan of disgust. Some of them probably even moved to escort him out before he disrupted the service too much.

But they weren't fast enough. And this is where it takes an X Files sort of twist and turn. The unclean spirit, the demon in this man, sees Jesus for who He truly is. Those around Jesus are still trying to figure this out. But, ironically, the demon recognizes Jesus and confronts Him. "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."

There is a certain power in naming something or someone. The old saw, "Sticks and stones will break your bones but words will never hurt you" is wrong. Names can hurt. If you're called stupid, useless or worthless, after awhile you begin to believe it. That's what the demon knew. Remember what Nathanael asked Philip, when Philip told him about finding the Messiah, Jesus of Nazareth? Nathanael asked, "Can anything good come out of Nazareth?"

Well, by naming Jesus, the demon was trying to gain some sort of control, at least the upper hand. The unclean spirit was trying to put Jesus in his place. By claiming the truth, that Jesus came from a small backwater town like Nazareth, the demon was claiming that Jesus was really nothing but a country bumpkin with no power or authority. Wrong answer.

Jesus told the unclean spirit to "Be silent and come out of him." The translators are too polite when they translate these words. They are actually stronger and more akin to "Shut up," than "Be silent." But you get the idea. Then, in a very X Files kind of scene, the unclean spirit obeyed and with a loud scream, the unclean spirit sent the man into a series spasms and convulsions and finally fled.

And the people were both terrifed and amazed.

II. WHAT DOES IT MEAN?:

A. We've Looked At The Scene. So, What Does It mean? I guess the first question we have to ask in determining the meaning is: Are demons and unclean spirits real? I don't think you have to look any further than the Littleton, Colorado shootings or the Wedgewood Baptist Church shootings to answer that. How do you explain those events except for the existence of demons?

I believe demons are very real. Oh, sometimes they're just in our heads. Take for instance, the story of this guy who had spent his whole life in the desert. He decides to come visit a friend. He'd never seen a train before or the tracks they run on.

While standing in the middle of the Railroad tracks one day, he hears this whistle, but has no idea what it is. So he just stands there. And sure enough, he's hit by the train. Luckily, it was only a glancing blow. The guy was thrown, head over heals to the side of the tracks. He came to with only a few minor cuts and scrapes and bruises, along with a broken leg.

After about a week in the hospital recovering, he's at his friend's house one evening. While in the kitchen, he suddenly hears the tea kettle whistling. He grabs a baseball bat from the nearby closet and proceeds to batter and bash the tea kettle into an unrecognizable lump of metal. His friend rushes into the kitchen, sees what's happened and asks the man: "Why'd you ruin my good tea kettle?"

The guy who had grown up in the desert replied: "Man, you gotta kill these things while they're still small."

Sure, sometimes the demons are only in our heads but I believe demons are very real. They are just as real today as they were in Jesus' time. They take control of people and their lives. They cause people to do weird things and carry out self-destructive behavior over which they seem to have absolutely no control.

Today's demons just have different names. Names like gambling, alcoholism, eating disorders, Obsessive-compulsive behavior, drug addiction, Mental Illness, depression and the like. I'm not trying to let anyone off the hook in taking responsibility for their own actions. But these demons and disorders are just as evil and cause just as much unending suffering to their victims and those around them as any demon in Jesus' day. These demons have absolutely no respect for age, race, sex, religious belief, educational level or social standing. They grab whichever life they can and take control.

B. Some of the demons in our lives are brought on by our own actions. Baptist pastor Bruce McIver tells a great story about a couple named Alfred and Ernestine. Alfred and Ernestine had been visiting Bruce's church for quite a while, and they looked at Bruce as their pastor. That's why they didn't hesitate to call whenever they felt a situation warranted the presence of a "man of God." Like the night Alfred called to say Ernestine had torn the house apart, and now she was locked in the bathroom with a gun. Alfred was afraid to go near her, but he was sure she would never hurt a pastor. So, with great fear, Bruce went to their house and calmed Ernestine down.

A week later, Bruce got a call that scared him even more than the first. Alfred and Ernestine wanted to join his church. Bruce visited and tried to impress upon them the importance of this step, but they still felt ready to join. A few weeks after joining, Alfred and Ernestine came forward for baptism. Ernestine was dressed in a white gown, and she radiated joy and serenity as Bruce dipped her in the water. Then Ernestine walked up the steps of the baptismal toward the women's dressing room. Another woman waited at the top of the stairs to assist her. The woman gave Ernestine a towel and remarked, "Perhaps you'd like to stand here for a moment and watch your husband be baptized."

Ernestine turned to see Rev. McIver praying over Alfred and she shouted out from the top of the baptismal steps, "I HOPE HE DROWNS!" (3)

Sometimes the demons in our lives are brought on by our own self-destructive behavior. Sometimes they are forced on us by someone else's self-destructive behavior. Victims of rape and child abuse (both verbal and physical), live with those demons all their lives. Sometimes they never get rid of them and they carry around this great load of anger, guilt and shame that bears down on their heart and soul and robs them of self-esteem. Sometimes they pass the demons on to their own children.

The children of alcoholics or any other addiction often times carry with them a similar load. Or a similar demon.

Maybe the worst demon of all is mental illness, especially those caused by a chemical imbalance in the body or brain. They may be over diagnosed at times but often times ADHD and Depression, both of which can be helped with medication, have been seen as forms of demon possession. People with depression were shunned, locked away in sanitariums. And children with ADHD were often times thought of as rude or stupid or a lost cause. Science has proven though, that both can be helped with proper medication.

So, What Does It mean? It means that demons and unclean spirits are very real and still exist today.

III. WHAT CAN WE GLEAN?:

A. And What Can We Glean? I think we can glean a lot from this passage. I think this incident in the Temple tells us that our lives can be Serene when the Nazarene Intervenes. Or more pointedly and simply, God is still in control. With Jesus in charge of our lives we are in God's hands and the demons and unclean spirits can't rule.

Notice that the folks in the synagogue talked about Jesus' teaching and His authority. No one else had ever said the things Jesus said. And no one else in all of Biblical history had ever had control over the demons and unclean spirits in the world. This unclean spirit not only acknowledge verbally, for all to hear, who Jesus was, "the Holy one of God" but this unclean spirit obeyed Jesus' rebuke and fled from the man's life.

Jesus spoke with authority. His words were filled with power. His command was one that couldn't be refused. His mere words could change lives forever. And they still can.

B. A certain Military man had been a heavy drinker for 35 years. He had the temperament of a particularly vicious drill sergeant long after he had become a Colonel. Finally, he encountered Christ, accepted Jesus as his Savior and his whole life changed.

He was speaking once before a group of medical people. He told them of his personality change, how he was now temperate as he once had been intemperate; considerate as he once had been severe; concerned for others as once he had been selfish and self-serving.

A psychiatrist, who believed that personalities are so firmly set in early life that no one can change, protested to the colonel that at his age a person could not have such a radical transformation.

"Well,, replied the Colonel, "that may be true. But I am under new management - I answer to another authority - the highest and truest there is." (4)

That's what we can glean here. That's what happened to the man with the unclean spirit. His life was suddenly under new management. Whatever had caused his life to get out of control; whatever had caused his life to be filled and controlled by that unclean spirit; was cast out by Jesus. The unclean spirit was no longer in control, Jesus was.

And that's the Good News. You see, Jesus still speaks with authority. His words can still command. Because God is still in control. And Jesus has been put in charge. The Son of God, the one for whom, by whom and through whom everything that is, was or will be created, is in charge.

We no longer have to fear any unclean spirit or any demon ever again. With one word, Jesus can make us whole. Jesus can cast every demon and unclean spirit out of our lives and break the death grip they have on our hearts, minds and souls.

Does that mean everyone should quit taking their medication and turn it all over to Jesus. NO! Absolutely not. If you chased a skunk out of your house would you invite it back in once you got the house all clean again? NO! Part of Jesus' healing ministry in the world has been physicians and medication. That would be like saying, "No thank you," to Jesus.

But part of the point is don't depend only on the medication. Depend on Jesus as well. Let Him touch that unclean spirit in your life. No matter what it is, call upon Jesus. He's the one in charge.

CONCLUSION:

An attendant at a zoo entered the cage of a wildcat while people stood and watched. When he entered the cage he had nothing in his hands but a broom. Carefully closing the door, he proceeded to sweep the floor of the cage.

One of the onlookers noticed that the Zoo employee had no weapon to ward off an attack by the beast. In fact, when he got to the corner of the cage where the wildcat was lying, he poked the animal with the broom. The wildcat hissed at him and then lay down in another corner of the enclosure.

The observer remarked to the attendant, "You certainly are a brave man, either that or the cat's tame."

"No, I ain't brave and that cat ain't tame, " said the worker.

"If you aren't brave and the wildcat isn't tame, then why didn't he attack you."

The worker chuckled, then replied with an air of confidence, "Mister, he's old and he ain't got no teeth."

It's the same with demons and unclean spirits. They're still around but they're all old and they no longer have any real teeth. When we call upon God through Christ, then Christ will cast those unclean spirits away. And we will experience new life. That's what "The J Files" tell us every time we read the Story of Jesus, our Savior, who came to set us free. Is there something in your life that has control of you? Something that you can't seem to shake. It doesn't have to be an addiction, it can be an attitude. Or it may just be a load of guilt or shame. Give it to Him. Let Jesus heal you of that unclean spirit and make you whole. Give it to Him.

This is the Word of the Lord for this day.

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Bibliography

1. This Is True, Randy Cassingham

2. News Of The Weird, Star Telegram, 00/01/28

3. Bruce McIver, JUST AS LONG AS I'M RIDING UP FRONT (Dallas: Word Publishing, 1995), pp. 85-89.

4. SermonMall.com

Other References Consulted