Today’s Gospel story takes place immediately following the call of the disciples. Called away from their familiar work, they respond to Jesus’ invitation to join his work of proclaiming the nearness of the kingdom of God. Jesus’ ministry is beginning, and from the outset, he reveals that teaching, healing, and liberation will be the central themes and actions of his ministry.
Having left their nets at the lakeside, the new disciples follow Jesus to the synagogue in Capernaum to observe the sabbath. The people that gather there and hear Jesus teach are astounded that he does so with authority, in words and stories they can understand. Something new and different is happening. Their amazement only magnifies once they witness Jesus’ authority even over unclean spirits.
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| "Healing in Capernaum" by Rebekah Krevens |
There’s a lot going on in this passage, but I was struck this time around by the words of the unclean spirit. Threatened by Jesus’ presence and the authority he carries, the unclean spirit cries 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.” We don’t talk much about demon possession or unclean spirits. Often, we aren’t sure what to make of it.
Sometimes, we imagine possession by unclean spirits as an ancient way of describing or making sense of mental illness. We see the ways that mental illness often has the power to take over a person’s whole body, controlling their thoughts and words and actions. We can see how untreated mental illness often serves to separate a person from the community - sometimes because the lies that mental illness tells causes them to withdraw, and sometimes because their erratic behavior is off-putting or frightening to others who don’t understand.
We also know that there are forces in the world that oppose God, regardless of the way we personify them, or not. One need only spend a few minutes scrolling through the news to see the ways that greed and hatred and lies seem to possess people, bringing destruction to individuals and communities.
In this Gospel story, we only see a brief encounter with the man who is possessed by an unclean spirit. We don’t know his name, or how long he’s been possessed, or how his life changed as a result. Did he still have a relationship with his family? Was he able to hold a job? Did he come to the synagogue each sabbath, or was this day different? What we do know is that the unclean spirit seems to have control over the man’s body - convulsing him - and his voice, as it cries out and questions Jesus. “What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us?”
The answer from the teaching, healing, liberating God is a resounding “yes!” Yes, Jesus has come to destroy all enemies of God. Yes, Jesus has come to destroy all that keeps us captive, all that separates us from the community and even from ourselves. The God of wholeness, love, and life does not hesitate to enter places of fear, evil, or torment in order to free us from everything that enslaves us.
However unclean spirits manifest in our lives today, whatever lies they may tell us in an effort to maintain power, know that God's power and authority will always win. If you find yourself in the grip of something that does not bring wholeness and life, know that God is with you even there, working to bring you to freedom. With the crowds, we also find ourselves amazed at what God can do.
This brief encounter in the synagogue paves the way for the rest of Jesus' ministry, which will continue to be focused on teaching, healing, and liberation. Unclean spirits and even death have no power over the one who works wholeness and life in the world. In Jesus, the kingdom of God has come near, even to us - and liberation and life are for us, too.
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