A Demon by Any Other Name
Mark 1:21-28
They went to Capernaum; and when the sabbath came, he entered the synagogue and taught. They were astounded at his teaching, for he taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes. Just then there was in their synagogue a man with an unclean spirit, and 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.’ But Jesus rebuked him, saying, ‘Be silent, and come out of him!’ And the unclean spirit, throwing him into convulsions and crying with a loud voice, came out of him. They 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.’ At once his fame began to spread throughout the surrounding region of Galilee.
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Can you tell me the last time you saw a demon? If you did see one, what did it look like? Did it have horns or a tail? Did it have one of those sinister laughs like they do in cartoons? Or did it resemble one of those monstrosities that only a Hollywood computer graphics artist could imagine? I would bet (and I am not the betting type) that most people would say that they haven't seen a demon recently, and that may be because we're simply not asking the right question. Have you opened a newspaper, scrolled through social media, walked through your neighborhood, or watched the news? Maybe these so-called "demons" have taken another form and we just haven’t noticed.
Jesus goes to Capernaum after calling the first disciples and, upon entering, encounters a man with an unclean spirit (a demon-possessed person) that has tormented this individual. Now, if we are asking the wrong question about whether or not we've seen a demon, let's mix it up and imagine Jesus goes into Capernaum, and instead of a demonically possessed man, Jesus finds:
A church tells an AA group they need to leave because they noticed a piece of the silver communion set missing, believing someone from the AA group stole it.
A young person offers a moving piece of worship music, and while everyone says they enjoyed it, they only remember the traditionalist who told them they didn't think it was appropriate for a church.
A bully runs a pastor or dedicated volunteer out of a church, and no one stands up to them because they are the biggest giver in the church.
Or
A person belonging to a marginalized group is told they don't belong and that they should go back to where they came from.
A family who is denied aid because it’s too expensive or they are making just above the already unsustainable poverty line amount.
A refugee who’s fled a conflict ridden zone just to find themselves in a cockroach infested hotel instead of a warm welcome.
Imagine Jesus witnessing all these things and saying, "Be silent, and get out!" Do you see the demons hidden within these examples? While we may not witness everyday instances of people writhing on the floor from demonic possession, we do bear witness to the suffering of our neighbors at the hands of demonic forces that plague our community within and without.
A demon by any other name is still a demon. Whether it be actions taken out of a desire to maintain an unjust status quo, hurtful words that are intended to drive people away, ignorance, or inaction, all the things that are not of the lifeway of God fall to us to correct by speaking the truth like the prophets of old, like the people God called, to speak truth to the powers of their day and set an example for what it means to live in the kin-dom of God. Now more than ever, we need prophets (people like you and me) who can name our failures as what they are, demons, while at the same time breathing the hope and healing of the gospel into the places that need life.
The critical thing to note is that this is not out of our reach or ability. While we celebrate the ordination and installation of called individuals to serve as church officers and ministers (who participate in breathing out hope and healing), the calling is one that God places on all our hearts. The reading from Deuteronomy reminds us that for such a time as this, God will raise individuals who dare to stand up against the unjust systems that we've grown accustomed to and cast out the evil that dwells inside them. All of us who have heard and answered the voice of God calling out from the places that are hurting partake of the holy work of casting out unclean spirits that have worked themselves inside and outside the Church.
What keeps us from speaking the truth and naming the demons among us? We have to know what some of them are if we look around and if we spend any time searching within our hearts, we could find some more that we could name, so what keeps us from speaking like a prophet of the Lord? Is it fear? Fear of alienation or upsetting the status quo? Is it despair? Do we feel like whatever we do won't make a difference because the challenge at hand feels overwhelming? Or do we hesitate because we're unsettled by what we might uncover within ourselves if we pull back the layers of the veneer we put on for others to see?
God has given us the authority to name and expel the corruption and evil that infects our current understanding of the world. God has given us the charge to create spaces for healing, reconciliation, and physical and spiritual growth, free of the demons that lead us away from the life way of God. In the New Testament, it is often said that Jesus is one who speaks with exousia, with authority and power. But it is an authority and power that stems not from human lust for control; no, it stems from the heart of God that pours out a great love for creation, all creation. And that means something; it means that you, me, those we ordain to ordered ministry, and even the stranger we pass on the street is loved. We are called with this God-given authority to name the demons we see so that the love of God can rush back in and begin to turn the world around.
The good news is that this is holy work, holy work that is done in community, not alone. God does not call prophets to be a lone voice to rise above a chorus of "that's the way it's always been." Jesus did not call one disciple, but many who participated in the sacred task of breathing a new thing from God into our presence. And the new thing from God will be more rewarding than any fear or hesitation we might have of rocking ourselves free from the status quo. It will take creativity, imagination, and energy to do what God requires of us, to speak and name the evils we see, but this co-laboring with God will yield soul and body-saving results. It will be challenging, and at times, we may not always get it right, though that is again why this is holy work, communal holy work.
Let us not forget that the demons we confront are not always the phantasmic beings we read in books or see in movies but often dwell among us in the broken systems, hurtful words, and unjust actions we witness daily. As Jesus rebuked and cast out the unclean spirit in Capernaum, we are called to silence and cast out the demons in our midst. Whether they take the form of exclusion, injustice, or indifference, these are the demons we are tasked with naming and expelling. Fear, despair, and hesitation may linger. Still, God grants us the authority to speak with power and love to reshape the moral arc of our human story toward the heart of God. May we be bold prophets, not afraid to speak truth into the places where we live, move, and have our being.