Читать книгу Preaching Black Lives (Matter) - Gayle Fisher-Stewart - Страница 12
ОглавлениеLUKE 8:26–39; JOHN 13:35
In Luke’s Gospel, Jesus encounters a man possessed by demons called Legion. A military legion is six thousand men. We can assume that he was possessed by not just one, but many demons. His demons caused him to be violent and self-destructive. He was so strong that he overpowered everyone and even broke his chains. He was an outcast living outside of the community where the dead were buried. To the people of the community, it was as if he was dead. He was no longer a part of the community. Who are the demon possessed in our community? Who are the outcasts, those we treat as if they were dead?
To answer these questions, I reflected on my recent trip to the historic civil rights sites in Birmingham, Montgomery, and Selma, Alabama. Reliving that journey through pictures, historical accounts, and the stories of those who actually experienced Bloody Sunday on the Edmund Pettus Bridge, the bombing of the 16th Street Baptist Church, the attacks of the dogs, the tear gas and the beatings, I am reminded that we live in a country full of demons. These demons have names, not just an all-inclusive name like Legion. But individual names like hatred and self-hatred, injustice, cruelty, intolerance, arrogance, greed, selfishness, addiction, mental illness, and I’m sure you can name more.
But the man doesn’t come to Jesus looking to be healed as others have done. He comes confronting Jesus asking, “What business do you have messing with me? You’re Jesus, Son of the High God, but don’t give me a hard time!” (Luke 8:26–29, MSG). The demons are behind this outburst because when Jesus saw the man, Jesus commanded the demons to come out of him. Who are the demons who confront Jesus today basically saying leave us alone? Which demons is Jesus messing with, giving a hard time today? Who is Jesus disturbing?
Our country and the world are like the demon-possessed man. We are naked before each other: seen for our hypocrisy. We claim to be a Christian nation yet our actions say, “Jesus we know who you are but leave us alone and stop giving us a hard time.” We are disturbed by what we know is right, but do what we want any way. We live in graveyards that are filled with the victims of our past and present demonic behavior. People kidnapped from their homelands and sold into slavery. African families torn apart because they were seen as property, not humans, or Native American families separated because they were considered savages and their children needed to be civilized—made White. Systems and institutions were built upon the premise that white is superior and everything else is inferior. We are still tearing apart families of those who fear for their lives in their own country and have bought into the contradiction of this country as a place of safety and freedom for all. We foment violence around the world because of religious differences, ethnic differences, cultural differences. We are self-destructive, destroying our planet for profit. We are demon possessed.
Jesus doesn’t send the demons back where they came from, the abyss, but gives them permission to enter the herd of pigs. The pigs are driven crazy by the demons and end up drowning. This so frightens those who saw all of this taking place that they run into the town to tell everyone what happened. When the people return, they find the man seated at Jesus’s feet, fully clothed and in his right mind. Yet, what was the people’s initial response? Fear. They were afraid. They were so afraid that they asked Jesus to leave their home. Why were the people afraid? Who is fearful of Jesus’s actions today?
Like the demon-possessed man, we are bound with chains of division and chaos crafted out of hatred for the other, greed for profit over people’s welfare, selfishness over the common good, and arrogance in the belief that our way is the only way. But our country isn’t the only country that is demon possessed. The world is demon possessed. Just spend one hour watching the news and you will see these same things happening in Europe, Asia, the Middle East, Africa, all over the world. And yet, there is hope. There is a saving grace.
Just like Christ crossed the sea to step on the land where the demon-possessed man lived, there are Christians all over the world who believe in and live out the command of Christ to love your neighbor as yourself, to love your enemies and those who persecute you. There are Christians, like Christ, who confront the demons of the world and command them to leave. But there are many of us who like the townspeople are afraid. We are afraid of what goes for right; what goes for being Christ-like. We don’t want our lives disturbed by Jesus. We don’t want to live the way Jesus calls us to live. It is difficult to put the love of Jesus first over our own self-interests.
Recently I saw the documentary Emanuel, about the killing of nine members of Mother Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston, South Carolina. Many of the family members of those killed forgave Dylan Roof because of their faith. The public and some of their family members and friends were amazed at their ability to forgive. But that is what Jesus calls us to do. In the face of evil, the demons of the world, we are still called to forgive, while also confronting that evil, those demons.
This is uncomfortable. Yet Jesus calls us out of our comfortable lives. By comfort, I’m not talking about material comfort, but physical and spiritual comfort. We are called to do more than send our thoughts and prayers when the demons confront us; we are called to do something as opposed to continue living our daily lives. Jesus isn’t calling us to just pray. He is calling us to action. I struggle with this daily. Sometimes we are so overwhelmed by the legions of demons that we do nothing or we are paralyzed with fear. Jesus isn’t calling us to confront all of the demons. But we can pick one issue—a couple of demons—that we are passionate about or can become passionate about. We can learn about it, see who’s currently working on it, identify what gifts we can bring, and join others to confront it. We can do this as individuals and as church, the beloved community.
The victims of demon possession are outcasts. They are estranged from the community. They cannot rid themselves of the demons alone. They need community. As the Beloved Community, we bring the love of Christ that confronts the demons and casts them out. We are there to support, uplift, and surround the demon possessed and bring them back into community as healthy and whole persons. Whether the demons are addiction, self-hatred, mental illness, materialism, intolerance, there are so many, we have the love of Christ that overcomes all.
