Being able to "recognize" him is related to what we expect from him. Do we need a leader with a charismatic personality to inspire us? Do we need a wonder-worker to set things straight that have run amok? Do we need a care-giver who will bring comfort to wounded spirits? Do we need a moral authority who will teach us how to make right decisions?
I want to make it clear from the start that this sermon is not directed to "seekers" but to people who are already part of the church. Would you recognize Jesus? What do you want from Jesus? What do you want Jesus to do for you?
I hesitate to take such an approach because I realize these are self-centered questions. They reflect the consumer mentality that permeates our society which begins with the question, "What's in it for me?" Christianity, by comparison, begins with the question, "What does God want?" Jesus came to earth to reveal God's will for us. Jesus came to show us what God has done for us. Jesus came to answer the question, "What does God want for us and from us?" So, that is the question I am exploring this morning.
Let's go back to Mark's story. It is the account of Jesus and a demon-possessed man. Mark makes it very clear that this poor man facing Jesus had somehow been invaded by a force from outside of him over which he apparently had no control. A great deal of speculation has taken place in modern times about what an unclean spirit really is. Some experts say it's what folks called "mental illness" back in those days. Other experts claim that people back then regarded all illness as being the result of some form of possession!
Oddly enough, things haven't changed much since biblical times. Granted, we live in an age of modern medicine. But we still are subject to maladies which defy scientific explanation. Oh, I know that medical research keeps trying to discover genetic causes. But it still remains that many of the ailments which come upon us lie beyond any kind of explanation.
Ask anyone who has a family member suffering from depression, for example. Depression plagues many people, despite the various drugs that are tried. Some experts claim it is due to a chemical imbalance. Others claim it is rooted in the emotions. No one has a clear cut answer. I find it intriguing that despite our science and technology, our age still describes the unexplainable in the same way. Haven't you ever heard another person's irrational actions described by saying, "I wonder what possessed them to do that?"
The Prayer of the Day which goes with this text begins with the words, "O God, you know that we cannot withstand the dangers which surround us." None of us have any guarantees. Any of us could be assaulted by a myriad of life's external dangers -- whether it be an accident, an illness, or a drive-by shooting. I don't think I need to enumerate them all. My point is this: I wonder how frightening life must be to that individual who concludes that he or she must navigate through life's perils without any resources or guidance from without.
Today's Gospel suggests a way to approach facing the trials of daily living. As simplistic as it may sound, it suggests that while we acknowledge and recognize the perils of life, our ultimate focus is not on them, but on Jesus! Mark does not provide the answer to the phenomena which he describes. He gives no blueprint as to what demon-possession is, nor does he give a series of steps we can take to avoid it! What he does do is shift our focus from the malady to the messiah!
Notice how Jesus quickly silenced the demons at about the time they started to identify him as the Son of God! I find that rather curious to say the least! You'd think that Jesus would have welcomed such an identification of his power and authority! Yet, when seen in light of Mark's entire Gospel, we discover that Jesus did not want to become known as a "Mr. Fixit." He did not want people to find room in their hearts for him only because they thought he was a miracle-worker. He did not want people to follow him only because they thought he could be called upon simply to put bandages on the wounds of life.
That's important for us to see, because we often hold those same expectations of Jesus: miracle worker -- Mr. Fixit -- invisible protective shield. His immediate action to silence those demons could just as well be for our benefit, too, lest we cling to our own unrealistic expectations.
We need to be clear that Jesus' purpose was to free men, women, and children to enter into a new relationship with God! To persons whose lives were cluttered by everyday cares, he proclaimed that all people are fashioned in God's image and are the jewel of God's creation. To persons who were struggling with life's trials, he proclaimed that God's love is the anchor that will allow them to stand against the dangers both from within and without!
In short, Jesus proclaims a relationship with God that pushes back our darkness -- that pushes back our secret fears -- and that frees us to walk boldly, knowing that every single day of our pilgrimage through life is worth the effort, in spite of all its dangers. That's the good news for us this morning! It is not to argue whether or not there are really demons in this world. It is to proclaim the kind of trust which believes that God's love for us is so great that life's demons and dangers never have the last word.
Rather than talking about what we expect from God, Jesus is telling us about what God wants from us, and that is a relationship with God that is based solely on trust. I am sometimes afraid that such an expectation is too simple for our scientific mindset. We have been taught to challenge everything. Childlike trust is too simplistic for a complex world. But that is where Jesus is leading us.
How many of us have parents and grandparents who had that kind of trust in God? How many of us as young people used to think they were naive? However, over the years I have discovered that is what faith is like. To put it in the words of a modern phrase, to trust in God does mean to "let go and let God."
I want to tell you a story about a conversation between an African convert to Christianity and the missionary to his village. I think we have much to learn from Christians who live in places where native, animistic religions battle with Christianity for the hearts and minds of people. One day as the two men were walking through the jungles outside the village, the African was reflecting on the change in his life that had been brought about by his faith in Christ. "These jungles," he said, "are very dark. Most of my life I have walked through them in fear of the demons that I was taught lived here." I no longer walk in fear on these paths. There may be demons or there may not be demons, but I am Christ's and that is enough!"
We who have been Christians all our lives often take faith for granted. I know that I need to hear that African man's simple expression of trust. The reality is that we all have our own jungles in life to walk through, whether they are covered with vines or paved with concrete. And there may or may not be demons on those paths. But we are Christ's, and that is enough!