Jesus and the Demon-possessed Man

Bhanu Dudat is a Hindu artist. However, he has a unique way of picturing the Bible using Indian imagery. You can look at some of his work at his site Dudhat Art Gallery.

Newly baptized and anointed with the Spirit, Jesus was the new rabbi on the block. He was invited to preach at the synagogue in Capernaum. The people noticed immediately that this new rabbi preached with authority (Mark 1:22).

Certainly, the devil does not want that kind of preaching going on. The devil had heard that kind of preaching in the desert. The prince of the demonic forces had been shut up and sent away by the King of the heavenly host. Satan didn’t want to hear any more of this kind of authoritative preaching. So he sent one of his emissaries into the synagogue on that Sabbath.

Fearful of what was to come, the demon spoke with an insight which was born of ancient knowledge: “What do you want with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are– the Holy One of God!”

The demon causes disruption in the quiet synagogue. Dudat pictures anything but a quiet worship service. There are musicians playing in the background. However, it is the foreground that I found extremely interesting.

Though Dudat is not a Christian, the force of the demon being expelled from the poor possessed man’s body is a powerful Christian image. He pictures the demon with an elephant head, which is common imagery in the Hindu religion. But as Christians, we understand that demons can take forms that are necessary for the tempting and tormenting of poor souls.

Though we may not see much physical possession by demons today, we know that spiritual possession is very common. The devil knows that an all-out frontal assault by his demons may be counter-productive. It would very likely make us run screaming right into the arms of God. That’s why we don’t often see demon-possessed people standing up and shouting in our worship services.

However, the devil having his demons constantly whispering in our ears eventually makes us comfortable with the presence of evil. They may take all kinds of other forms in order to persuade us into unbelief. We don’t even realize that we are slowly being dragged along with other tormented souls into the depths of hell.

You see, there used to be a time when society showed outrage at people’s misconduct. But no more. We accept the flaws of others so easily. We accept their misconduct without hesitation. It isn’t that we forgive these people – we simply excuse their behavior. We boast about our sexual conquests. We laugh off our youthful indiscretions. We excuse the behaviors of others so that our behaviors can be excused. We put no filter over our mouths. We have learned no way of waiting for anything. We must gratify our cravings right now. Then we are belligerent toward those who dare to chastise us.

The Lord preached to the people of Jeremiah’s time: “Are they ashamed of their loathsome conduct? No, they have no shame at all; they do not even know how to blush” (Jeremiah 8:12). God could very well be describing our time, couldn’t He?

We have forgotten how to blush. We have no shame.

This is all from the devil. This is the voice of the demons whispering in your ears. This is the form the demons take to slowly pull us away from Christ.

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What is the result when Christians have no sense of shame? The result is that we live just like unbelievers do. We live in sin, just like those who don’t believe in the God of marriage. We do drugs, just like those who have no faith in a Savior who cures all ills. We curse and gossip, just like those who have not been sanctified by the Holy Spirit. We don’t worship our Savior, just like the pagans who have no faith in a Savior. We ignore the voice of Christ and salivate over the whispers of hell’s henchmen.

What happens when people have no sense of shame? The result is immoral Frankenstein monsters who don’t care about the hurt and damage and pain they cause. We look alive on the outside, but on the inside we are almost as spiritually dead as the unbelievers.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, we may not be physically possessed by demons, but we can be spiritually possessed by them. We know better. And yet we still allow it!

If you have ever seen the movie, “The Exorcist,” what makes it so haunting is that it was based on real evil. The haunting aspect of Mark’s Gospel is that the people in the Capernaum synagogue were comfortable with the presence of evil (sitting calmly as I imagine it from the Gospel of Mark or dancing and singing as in Dudat’s painting). The haunting aspect of our lives as Christians is that we have become so comfortable in the presence of evil.

Jesus was never comfortable in the presence of evil. And the presence of evil was not comfortable in the presence of the Holy One of God.

The evangelist, Mark, records in his Gospel: “Just then a man in their synagogue who was possessed by an evil spirit cried out, ‘What do you want with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are– the Holy One of God’” (Mark 1:23-24)!

With a word, Jesus silences the disruptive demon and restores order to the liturgy of the synagogue. “‘Be quiet! said Jesus sternly. ‘Come out of him!’ The evil spirit shook the man violently and came out of him with a shriek  (Mark 1:25-26). The demon obeys Jesus’ command. He has no choice. He must obey the Word Incarnate.

Now that’s authority! This is a word that cuts through the darkness, that casts out the demons, that changes water into wine, that calms the wind and stills the waves, that cleanses the leper, and lifts the paralyzed man from his bed. It’s the Word that declares with the authority of God that Baptism is your personal rebirth in Christ, that the bread of the Supper is His Body given for you, the wine of His Supper is His blood shed for you. By His Word your sins are forgiven, you are saints in Christ. By His Word He will raise you from the dead.

This is the Word that was spoken at your baptism, exorcising the demon from your soul. Because we were born with a sinful, unbelieving nature, we belonged to Satan. We were spiritually possessed by the devil. That’s why the Scriptures say, “we were by nature objects of God’s wrath” (Ephesians 2:3). All that changed at the font, as water and Word were poured over our heads.

It is that Word that was poured over our heads; that Word that causes Christ’s body and blood to be present in the bread and wine of the Lord’s Supper; that Word that enters our ears and changes our hearts and converts our souls and modifies our behavior. Because of this Word we now do feel shame for our sins. That Word then drives us to our knees in repentance. That Word then absolves our sins and announces Christ’s blessing. That Word makes it so that we are no longer comfortable in the presence of evil.

With the power of His Word, Jesus ripped the convulsing and crying demon from the breast of that man and sent him screaming back to the pit of hell. Christ has driven the devil out at your Baptism. Christ keeps the demons at bay at the communion rail. Christ reclaims your heart and soul at the pulpit. Christ’s voice is heard clearly and firmly in the Scriptures you read and the hymns you sing and the liturgy you speak.

The imagery Dudat uses in his painting of Jesus and the Devil is different than what we are used to. However, Jesus driving out the devil and his demons with the power of His Word is something that we should be used to. For by the grace of God it is something has happened to us … and continues to happen to us. All by the authority of Jesus’ Word.