Jesus is passing through a certain town. He meets many people, most of whom do not know who He is. It’s early in His ministry; He hasn’t performed many miracles or preached many sermons that He would have developed a reputation that would precede Him.And yet, there is one man in the crowd who recognizes Him. He calls Him out totally: Jesus, of Nazareth, the Holy One of God. He names Him as human and divine. In short order, it is a complete definition of who Jesus is.
There’s a lot of illness going around these days. There’s viruses, flu, colds, along with just simpler struggles with the aches and pains of winter. We go to the doctor to discover what the problem is. The physician on call will examine us, in order to name the illness. Once it is given a name, it can be properly treated.
This demon-possessed man in Mark chapter one is trying to do just that. He figures that if he can name Jesus “to a tee” then he will have power over Him. However, if you read the following verses after the one printed above, you’ll learn that Jesus is the one who gains power. After all, He is the Messiah, the Holy One of God.
The man in the story asks an interesting question. “Have you come to destroy us?” In Mark, we can guess that this person represents all that is bad in the world. By using the pronoun “us” he is including all demons of this existence. It’s clear that no one else has been able to help this person, so up until now, his “illness” has gone unchecked.
The word for “destroy” can mean simply that. It means to “cause something to end or no longer exist; to damage so badly it cannot be repaired. To defeat easily or completely.” But in the Greek, the word can also mean “to set loose or to set free.” For me, that changes the scene altogether.
God came to create and to nurture. He came to help and love. It is true, and it has been proven (via the flood in Genesis credited to God’s own doing) that He can destroy, but His principal purpose is to be our God (and we His people). Therefore, God’s work is to set us free from the bondage of sin, and not seek our (or any other’s) demise.
And – I would say that our task is to mirror this care of one another. We live amongst all kinds of people. We are called to love and respect, even those who do not respect us. Even though this demon possessed man knew who Jesus was, He was trying to destroy the Lord before He could do the same to him.
God always finds a way to turn the tables. His answer is always found in love and compassion. Remember—as children of God—when confronted by those who do not agree with you, when they are trying to gain power over you—remember the God of love and compassion.
Remember that God loves you and so do we!
Pastor Jim