Jesus casts out a demon. Demonic possession is a controversial issue. In C.S. Lewis' book The Screwtape Letters, Screwtape writes in a letter to Wormwood that there are two weaknesses that humans have, a disbelief in demons and an unhealthy interest in them.
Horror movie characters, such as, Jason and Freddy are supernatural. They are portrayed as being really powerful and really smart. Watching these movies brings a pleasant thrill of ascetic terror. Good will triumph over evil in the end, We can allow ourselves the indulgence of being scared. The fearfulness and scariness of these creatures is boosted and their creators make them seem more powerful and brilliant than real demon are.
Demons are not strong and not are really quite dumb. There is a connection between teaching the Gospel and casting out demons Demons recognize Jesus and calls him "The Holy one of God" in an effort to cast Jesus out by calling him by his name. Exorcists now and from ages past will try to engage in a conversation with a demon to learn it's name in order to cast them out. Jesus rebukes the demon and silences it. In fact, he says, "Shut up and come out of him." cutting the demon off in mid sentence. Christ is the most powerful.
Jesus' power is more superior to demons. Demons are quite small but dangerous. It all depends on what you believe. There are three levels of belief:
- Belief accepted in fact--I believe that....
- Belief in someone or something...I believe in God.
- To believe it's real--I believe Jesus, or I trust Jesus.
The Gospel is the a story of Jesus' victory over evil.It is a healing story. The whole synagogue was healed when the demon was cast out.
We are not spiritual heroes we are Lutherans. We do not have to depend on spiritual superstars. We are all counting on Christ's presence.
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