This past Sunday, we heard the story of the very first thing Jesus does as he begins his ministry in the Gospel of Mark: Jesus teaches in a synagogue, with authority, and he casts out an unclean spirit possessing an individual.
Almost every time this story – or a story like this that references “unclean spirits” or “demons” – comes up in our lectionary, it’s tempting to think that today there are no such things as “unclean spirits” or “demons.” That’s just something that shows up in the Bible, right? Right?
Well, with as much as “demons” and “the devil” have been personified in pop culture throughout the years (and often have not accurately reflected Scripture), it’s tempting to dismiss any mention of “unclean spirits” and “demons.” But, the truth is that just as we confess that we’ve been filled with the power of God’s Holy Spirit – filling us with life and breath – it’s also possible for each of us to to allow other spirits – spirits that are not of God, and spirits that lead us away from what is life-giving for ourselves and for others – into our lives, our society, our church.
What are those “other spirits”? Well, those spirits might come in the form of fear, holding us captive and making us freeze rather than living fully into who God created us to be. Those spirits might come in the form of comparison, making us believe that we aren’t good enough, or that we’re better than others. Or those spirits might come in the form of escapist behaviors and habits, keeping us away from what God has to reveal to us, and away from the fullness of God’s life.
Point being: there are many other spirits that are not of God that have the potential to fill us, our world, and even the church. The list could go on and on. Though we are people made in the image of God – infused by God’s Holy Spirit – we are also broken people. And much like the individual in our Gospel reading from Sunday, sometimes we too need to ask Jesus to see us – to see what we perhaps are unable to see within ourselves – and we too need to ask Jesus to cast out that which we can’t cast out on our own so that we, and all God’s people, can be healed, restored, and made whole.
I understand…this message might not be the first thing you want to read as you get going with your work week. But, if we disregard any spirit that is not of God, and if we deny Jesus the opportunity to see us – all that we are – we can’t fully embrace the healing, the liberation, and the freedom that God do dearly desires to offer us.
So this week, consider bringing yourself to Jesus and asking Jesus to reveal to you if there is something filling you, or the world, or the church that goes against God’s Spirit of life. Some of those things that fill us very well may be things that we need to lay aside, and instead turn ourselves to God’s Spirit. But some of those spirits we just may need to ask Jesus to cast out of us, of our world, and of the church so that we, and all God’s people, might be restored to wholeness.