Demons and sickness are rebuked. Exorcisms and healings take place. The simple words of Jesus carry extraordinary authority and power. They are part of the proclamation of the coming kingdom of God; the result of Jesus having been anointed by the Holy Spirit to do exactly what he said he had come to do at Nazareth – to release the oppressed, to give sight to the blind, and to set the prisoners free.
• Is there room in your understanding of the kingdom of God for remarkable healings and exorcisms?
• Do you believe in demons?
• Do you think you could rebuke a demon or a fever?
• What do you think these episodes tell us about Jesus?
I have to say I really struggle with this whole area of demons and exorcisms. Should this be put in the cultural context of that time and locality? You just have to look at some very sadly wrong cultural beliefs and traditions that are prominent today in so many countries to see what I mean e.g. some people actually believe that children are witches. Can ordinary people really be possessed or is this description in the bible symptomatic of the cultural beliefs of the time? Despite all that, Jesus clearly was an extraordinary healer of the sick.
ReplyDeleteThere has been a lot written on "being possessed" and can Christians be "demonised" and I can commend John WImber's book Power Healing plus books by Mary Pytches. There is a tendency among some people to blame demons and the devil rather than accept personal responsibility, at the same time it requires wisdom and discernment to differentiate between, God's spirit, human spirit and demonic spirit.
DeleteMy experience, as one who does not go "hunting the demonic" is that they definitely exist, and are not culturally bound. Two more recent books worth reading are a "The Grace Outpouring" by Ron Goodwin, relating about God's work at a Christian Retreat in West Wales, or even more recent "The boy who came back from heaven" - they are testimonies that need to read with an open heart. - Happy to discuss further
Don't like the phrase, "believe in demons" because it sounds too like "believe in Jesus", but believing that demons exist goes with the territory: if Jesus believed that demons exist, and I believe He is the son of God, then, whether I like the idea or not, I seriously diminish His authority if I do not admit that they are real. The strongest evidence I have that they exist is the occasions that unexpected wicked thoughts cross my mind , that on some occasions I just manage to notice, and send back to the pit they came from. They are not disimilar (in the manner of reception) from the unexpected revelations that I believe come from the Lord.
ReplyDeleteAs regards rebuking demons, I'm not happy to do that unless there is a clear manifestation of something demonic, not just someone behaving badly, or having a fit, or with a mental disorder.
Though I am less reticent to rebuke a fever, I struggle to do so with real faith. Most fevers come with a name that implies a particular micro-organism is afflicting someone, and the fever itself is evidence that their immune system is fighting back (praise the Lord for the immune system). I find it easier to pray for the victory of the immune system, and have faith for that to be answered. Meanwhile, whatever my faith or lack of faith, if it is a serious fever, and not already diagnosed and being treated, I would strongly encourage the victim to a doctor or casualty department for professional diagnosis and treatment. Easy to say in this country, but far harder to say to a poor person in the USA.
My first experience of dealing with the supernatural was in a dream and had me thinking I was being stupid until I spoke to the late Rev David Watson who said it was OK and it was of God. Since then I do not go looking for demons but have been used numerous times and I have no doubt they exist but more importantly how great God is, and the truth of the words "Greater is He that is in you than he that is in the world". This passage and this gospel I think show that Jesus's ministry (and ours) is not just for the hereafter but the here and now. God's kingdom breaking into today
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