Sermon - 4 after Pentecost "daily exorcize"

Sermon – 4th Sunday after Pentecost
Luke 8:26-39
June 20, 2010
“daily exorcize”

The World Cup is particularly significant this year because it is in South Africa. During the period of Aparteid in South Africa, soccer played a role in freedom struggle. Political prisoners were held at Robben Island, the notorious jail where former South African President Nelson Mandela was imprisoned. The conditions at the prison were inhumane, they barely received enough food and endured brutality from the guards. They worked tough 10 hours shifts in the quarry.
In the midst of these conditions, the prisoners strived for the right to play soccer, as a way of maintaining their dignity. They started out kicking around a ball of rags in their cells, and after intervention from the Red Cross, they were eventually allowed to play. Even though they barely had strength to play because of their poor diet, they began to play games and eventually started their own league. Amid their captivity, their oppression, dehumanization, soccer gave them a sense of freedom.

Captivity can be experienced in many ways, it may be physical, emotional spiritual. Today in our gospel we have a story of a demoniac, a man held captive, possessed, by a demon. What do we know about him? The man was naked and alone, homeless, living among the dead in the tombs. He would be kept under guard and bound with chains and shackles; suffering from a total loss of his humanity. The demon was holding him captive, it was controlling him, enslaving him, preventing him from living his life to the fullness of who God created him to be.

Our understanding of the demonic might be different than someone living at the time of Jesus. But a demon doesn’t have to be a little red guy with pointy horns. It’s the real life struggles against that which seeks to hold us captive… It could be a captivity like that of the South African political prisoners, or it could be another type of affliction, maybe an addiction or depression. It could be hate, greed, or envy. All of these things can keep us captive.
Regardless of how we might feel about the demonic, we can see that this man is being held captive; and we can see the need for healing, liberation, and restoration. Maybe we haven’t seen someone who was demon possessed with their eyes rolled back. But have you seen someone who was held captive? Controlled? Enslaved? Held under some force that was preventing them to truly live out their God given potential? Have you ever been held captive by something? Has anything ever held you back from who God created you to be?

So, what we know about the demons in the man and those evil forces, energies, powers and principalties (as the apostle Paul refers to them) that we struggle with today, their program is that of captivity.
It is clear (especially in Luke’s gospel) that Jesus has a different program than that of the demons, a program that goes in direct opposition to that of the demons. In Luke chapter 4, we hear Jesus’ mission statement which identifies “release to the captive” as a part of the program. We see this “release” as a theme Luke develops throughout the gospel, one embodied in Jesus ministry. It is clear that Jesus came to bring release.
So, when the demoniac comes into an encounter with Jesus, we can see the drama building, and we can anticipate a great clash. It’s like when we first heard that the Lakers’ opponent in the championship would be the Celtics. We knew that there was going to be a clash, a throw down, we could hear the music, “let’s get ready to rumble.”

We knew there was going to be a clash between the demons and Jesus, because they have opposing programs. The demons come to hold people captive, and Jesus comes to bring release. So, these forces inherently are going to clash with Jesus.
We can see this in the demons reaction to Jesus. Even though not everyone realized Jesus identity, the demons did. That’s why they fell before his feet, and screamed and begged before him.
Clearly, the demons are no match for Jesus. He doesn’t need a seven game series. Jesus overcame the demons, exorcized them and sent them out to the pigs. I can’t resist telling a joke my friend told: Do you think they had deviled ham? It’s an odd scene, but one that represents the power of Jesus’ program of release over the demons’ of captivity.

Jesus overcame evil in this story, and ultimately overcomes evil on the cross. Jesus freed all of humanity from the power of sin, evil, death, and anything that should seek to bind us, control us, and keep us captive.
Jesus continues to be about this program of release in our lives today as we struggle against that that seeks to hold us captive and hold us down.
Even though it may not look like the dramatic sort of exorcism; we are free in Christ, and we are being freed daily from what holds us captive. Wherever there is a force trying to hold us captive, there is going to be a clash…because wherever there is captivity, Jesus brings release.

It’s important what happens after the exorcism. When the man released from his captivity, he can participate fully in society: he can probably have a love life, a family, a job… he is free. Spiritually, physically, emotionally, socially free.
Then he went on to be a faithful disciple of Jesus, spreading throughout the town the good news of the release that Jesus brings, which he experienced first hand. Jesus has released us and continues to release us in our day to day lives. May we rejoice and give testimony to the freedom we have in Christ. Amen.