Preached by Vicar Kyle Krueger

The new creation begins where the old creation ceases- on the Sabbath day in the temple.  It is not the least bit ironic that the Epiphany season started with the young boy Jesus in His Fathers house.  Now, over half way through the Epiphany season we see Jesus as a grown man about His Fathers business teaching and healing still in His Father’s house.  This account brings up a question that you may not first see.  That question is this, “What is Spirituality?” or “What does it mean to be spiritual?” or yet another way to put it, “What is it to be Spirit-filled?”

It is somewhat commonly agreed upon that it is a “good thing” to be quote “spiritual.”  What does that mean and what does our text tell us about such things?  We have one of the most “spiritual” and “spirit filled” persons in all of scripture before us today.  He is controlled and guided by the spirit, the spirit allows him to know exactly who God is and the spirit even speaks in his place.  The person of whom I want your attention to be drawn to is surprisingly not Jesus; it is this first man with the spirit of an unclean demon.  This man is exceedingly spiritual and spirit-filled, but not in a good way.  This man has lost control of his body, he cannot speak for himself, and astoundingly this unclean spirit knows God very well, but we would find no evidence of saving faith in this spirit.

The world often puts forth a line about spirituality, “Well, I’m spiritual but just not in the ‘traditional’ or ‘usual’ way.” The question then becomes- What kind of spirit are you filled with then?!  One may respond to all of this by simply saying, “This kind of demon stuff doesn’t happen anymore, there is no such thing as demon possession today”. 

Satan is smarter then we think.  If Satan where to use demons as prominently in the way we see in the text today- then where would people flee to out of fear that there may be something else besides this world?  THE CHURCH!  That is the last place the Devil wants people to go.  Satan has changed his tactics on us a bit today.  Instead of manifesting the evil side of spirituality he confuses the world in more subtle ways.  For example he leads us astray on what true and good spirituality really is.  People do not look to Jesus words of authority and truth, but rather to things that speak about “unconventional”, “new age”, and “inner” spirituality.

You wish to know what true God pleasing spirituality is?  Listen to the words of Jesus- which possess authority.  This does not exclusively mean Jesus was simply a bold and confident public speaker, but that His words seem to be that from the mouth of God.  When the people of our text “were astonished at His teaching because His word possessed authority” it shows indication that He spoke as God himself.  Later in Luke’s Gospel Jesus teaching is expressed in this way, “He opened the scriptures to us.”  Jesus was doing nothing less then being about His fathers business.  Jesus was speaking the truths about His Father in heaven.

The first two miracles of Jesus in this text- first healing the man with a demon and second healing Simon’s mother-in-law from a high fever- bears witness that He is the great physician of body and soul.  Jesus exemplifies what true spirituality is.  Spirituality is not about simply knowing God in His eternal characteristic’s such as all-knowing, all-powerful, all-present.  The unclean spirit knew those things and even knew the identity of Jesus- that he was the “Holy one of God.” 

True spirituality is recognizing the power and authority of the one who can cast out demons, who can heal fevers.  His word of power and authority is such because of its truth and rightness.  His words bear authority for our sake, pointing us to the uncleanness due to sin.  Yet, wonderfully these words and promises deliver us from sin and from attacks of the wicked foe.  The old hymn “Thy Strong Word” beautifully says, “Thy strong Word bespeaks us righteous; Bright with Thine own holiness, Glorious now, we press toward glory, And our lives our hopes confess.”  Now, this is what it means to be “spiritual”- that we see the cleansing word of God active and living in our lives bringing us to the glory of heaven!

One of the great Church Fathers, Cyril of Alexandria, said this about the power of Jesus words, “The bystanders, witnesses of such great deeds, were astonished at the power of his word.  He performed His miracles, without offering up a prayer, asking no one else at all for the power to accomplish them.  Since He is the living and active Word of God the Father, by whom all things exist, and in whom all things are, in his own person he crushed Satan and closed the profane mouth of impure demons.”  Jesus words always say what they mean and mean what they say.  Jesus did not ask the demon to kindly come out of the man but He commanded it to with divine authority by rebuking the demon and saying, “Be silent and come out of him!”

As we look at these miracles of Jesus, we often view them as central to what Jesus came to do, but in fact the casting out of the unclean spirit and the healing of the high fever are actually foreshadowing’s of something greater.  The rebuking that Jesus does makes no distinction between the body and the soul.  Demon possession, sickness, sin and death are all evidence of this world’s broken and flawed state.  Jesus grants freedom and rescue to those who are in bondage to such things by rebuking them.  He rebukes the fever of Simon’s mother-in-law.  He rebukes demons who call him the son of God because they know him to be the Christ, and those demons obey him.  This rebuking is used then not only for these things but also for sin.  Jesus tells His disciples to rebuke those who sin, driving them to repentance and then giving forgiveness. 

The point is this- the words of forgiveness spoken in absolution are words of Jesus own authority and power.  Christ’s words still have healing power for you today.  True spirituality is receiving those things that Christ wishes to give.

Jesus would not let the unclean spirits confess His name.  Jesus would not let them speak.  Even when the demons spoke the truth in recognizing Jesus being the Holy one of God, the Son of God the Lord silenced them forbidding them to speak.  They know the truth of Jesus real identity, but they would surely do nothing but pollute and corrupt the truth from there.  Spirituality of our day seems to speak a word truth, but it wishes to twist and corrupt the authority and rightness of the scriptures.  

It is not until the ninth chapter of Luke’s Gospel that people start confessing Jesus as God.  But the Demons know who Jesus is and they state His identity very early in Jesus ministry.  Demons hold people in bondage.  They also recognize that the power that Jesus has from God the Father to destroy them by casting them out of those they hold captive.  This comes to a culmination on the cross.  All exorcisms point to the release from the devil’s bondage brought by Jesus death and resurrection.  The cross becomes the ultimate exorcism of the world.  The crucifixion is where Jesus draws all the demons, sins, and illnesses to Himself and the resurrection becomes the rebuking words of, “Be silent and come out!”

You don’t want to give Satan and demons too much airtime- so to speak- in the churches teaching and preaching.  However, we need to take heed of the evil and twisted things Satan does through out the scriptures and how he cunningly influences spirituality today.

Jesus began teaching, preaching and healing in the synagogue.  He then arose and went to Simon’s house healing his mother-in-law.  Then He went to a desolate place.  Jesus there declared to all the visiting people, “I must preach the good news of the kingdom of God to the other towns as well; for I was sent for the purpose.”  God’s spirituality in Christ is eternal, never changing, but always moving.  The Word of Christ proceeds forth over all of the world making new creations out of us- cleaning us, forgiving us, and filling us with the Holy Spirit.

In Jesus name. Amen.