(11.) Soldier, Priest – The Helmet of Salvation

(11.) Soldier, Priest – the Helmet of Salvation.

“Finally, be strong in the Lord and in His mighty power. Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For this struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm, then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God. And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints.” (Ephesians 6:10-20).

Helmet: (Greek, “perikephalain”); literally means, “around the head;” a headwrap; a high and rounded headpiece; any type of headgear such as a helmet, that protects the head.

Roman Soldier’s Helmet: Helmets changed through the Roman era, but during the 1^st C. the soldier’s helmet was made of bronze, and included a tight skullcap worn inside the helmet that was made of thin metal and lined with leather.

High Priest’s Headpiece: Consisted of two pieces; a high turban made of fine white linen was put on his head first, and then a golden headband called a crown was worn over the turban. The crown was pure gold, worn over the forehead from ear to ear, and inscribed over the forehead of the crown was “Holiness to Yahweh”. God’s holiness was their protection and their salvation as they continued to trust in Him and that system of sacrifices that He instituted. With that inscription in full view of everyone, the Lord confirmed that worship is holy unto the Lord, and that Yahweh in His holiness will continue to graciously accept the sacrifices of His Chosen People. This headpiece was indeed a sacred garment, and was made to be beautiful and distinctively honored God.

“But let us who are of the day be clear-minded, sober in our thinking, and put on as a HELMET the hope of salvation.” “And the Lord saw it, and it displeased Him that there was no justice. He saw that there was no intercessor; Therefore His own arm brought salvation for Him; And His own righteousness, it sustained Him. For He put on righteousness as a breastplate, and a HELMET of salvation on His head.” (1 Thessalonians 5:8, and Isaiah 59:17 in reference to the coming Messiah).

HOPE: (Greek, “elpis”); Biblical hope is not what the modern people think of as hope… merely wishful thinking or crossing the fingers: Biblical hope is often called “Blessed Hope” and it is absolute certainty and confident expectation of God’s faithfulness; hope is an optimistic desire for a future good with an expectation of fulfillment; it is a faithful response to God’s promises; hope is trust in God’s promise of salvation and ultimate rescue. Hope isn’t simply a matter of the will, it is a gift of God. Faith is a gift, love is a gift, and so it follows that the third Theological Virtue, hope, is also a gift. God provides the helmet of hope to us to protect our mind. God gives us the helmet of hope, and all we have to do is ask the Holy Spirit for hope and the ability to live into that hope, to participate in the hope of God as found in Christ. The three Theological Virtues of Faith, Hope and Love are found in 1 Corinthians 13:13, and are called theological because they all point to God as their source, and consider God as the One who infuses those virtues into us through the Holy Spirit.

Hope and the Brain. Once we have acquired hope through God, our brain was created in a way to be impacted in a wonderful way. It has been discovered that brains simply function better with hope… Hope causes the brain to release neurochemicals called endorphins that promote healing, helps block pain, reduces anxiety and fear, and actually dampens the anxiety circuits in the brain. Hope increases the heart rate, enabling us to think more clearly and to be more alert. God made the brain to operate at its best with hope. Most practitioners in the field of psychology as well as the neuro scientists claim that humans really need something positive to look forward to, something they can anticipate with joy. When God gives us the gift of hope, we can follow the science and safely say that our brains were made to function best on hope. The certain hope of deliverance, of salvation, of an eternal life with God… Now that’s something to look forward to!

“For though we walk in the flesh, we do not wage war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not physical but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, casting down arguments and every pretentious thought that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ…” (2 Cor. 10:3-5).

The Battlefield of the Mind. Spiritual warfare is not the time to lose your head. It is most important to put on your helmet of hope so our minds are protected from the demonic spirits that love to mess with our minds. Many, if not most, of the assaults from our Adversary and his minions are at the intellectual level, our thought life. In his Second Letter to the Corinthians, St. Paul told them that our spiritual weapons given to us by God are able to take down demonic strongholds that try to work against the knowledge of God. Paul said that we have been given divine power to combat every argument, every pretentious and lofty thought that are exalted against what we know to be the truth. Instead of taking prisoners, Paul instructs us to capture every Christ-centered thought we can while in the midst of our warfare, embrace every thought that brings us closer to obedience and trust in Christ. It is essential that we know the truth, that we have solid and accurate knowledge of God so we have a reference point during those arguments that are clearly intellectual assaults from the evil one. To adequately defeat the assaults on our mind from Satan, we need to know in the biblical sense, so to speak. We need to possess the true knowledge of God as we continue the process of acquiring the “mind of Christ.” (1 Cor. 2:16).

To Know. Biblically speaking, what does it mean to “know’ the truth so that it can be used in this inevitable warfare with the evil one? The Hebrew concept of truth, “yada,” was embraced by the early Christians, and is jam-packed with meaning. On the one hand it implies acquiring something factual through the intellect. It is mentally grasping some piece of knowledge and remembering it. When you know something, your mind says, “I got this.” So on the one hand, knowing is a mental exercise. But on the other hand yada is so much more. Knowledge is actually a relationship word in the Scripture. The Bible says that one can only know something through personal involvement, through an intimate experience with whatever or whoever is known. Knowing something involves a heartfelt focus, an intense investment. To know something is to care for it, to give oneself over to it. Knowledge is a personal experience with the truth, a union with whatever is known to be true. To know is to have a committed understanding of something or someone. One doesn’t know something unless it has changed the knower. Knowledge of Scripture is like this, or knowledge of someone. When Jesus talked about knowing Him and thus knowing the Father, it is this very experience He’s talking about. A knowledge of Him that is personal, intimate, committed. Knowing Him in a way that changes us. Knowledge that involves giving ourselves over to Him in a deeply personal way. Head knowledge is not sufficient, because it leaves the knowledge in the abstract. Limiting our knowledge to religious principles, doctrinal statements or theological propositions doesn’t go deep enough. Too many of us stop at talking about God, instead of talking to God. Intellectual knowledge is a dead end if disconnected from a personal relationship with God. Knowing God, and thus knowing truth, requires a personal investment, an intimate involvement. Otherwise, it’s all just an idea. And God can tell the difference. The worst words any of us could possibly ever hear at the End is, “Depart from me, I never knew you.” (Matt. 7:33).

Stronghold. Paul refers to Satan’s stronghold in the passage above, and that’s a fascinating reference because Jesus (Mattew 12:29; Luke 11:21) anticipates His defeat of Satan in an interesting little parable about the “strong man.” He told the Pharisees about a strong man who appears to be in good shape when he is fully armed and guards are posted around his palace, and he is the master of his own domain, probably complete with prisoners. And Jesus said that a stronger man than that man must first overcome that man and bind him so he is helpless, and then the overcomer can plunder his goods, take his armor, and render him powerless. The fact is that Jesus did indeed bind the “strong man” through His death, resurrection and ascension. Unfortunately, that strong man is angry and commands his guards to make life miserable for all those who follow the “stronger man.” Every kingdom has a stronghold. God’s kingdom has an unshakeable stronghold, as we fight against any remaining little strongholds the devil might have.

Hope in the midst of warfare. There are many battles fought these days that could very well be spiritual in nature. God offers hope in every single battle we experience. This first battle needs hope because of all the broken homes, fatherless children, unhappy families, and destructive marriages that we see around us. Imagine yourself at a wedding ceremony where the speaker offers a short declaration centered on the importance of hope in their new marriage.

Biblical Hope for a Blessed Marriage and Family. The great love chapter in Scripture, 1 Corinthians 13, ends with the mentioning of the three great virtues in life: Faith, Hope and Love. Those are the Big Three. And the one that always gets lost in the shuffle is the one in the middle: Hope. It is the forgotten virtue, maybe because the two virtues flanking it on either side are so monumental. Hope is often seen as the little virtue in the middle between those two giants, Faith and Love. But we must do our best to remember hope. It is important we do it justice. For if there is one quality that will propel you forward in your marriage, —- and —-, it is hope. It is what will enable you to keep growing and moving into the future together. Hope is your faith in the future under God. It gives you somethings substantial to look forward to. Hope is when you eagerly anticipate that your life has purpose together, that your life has meaning that extends beyond today.

It is crucial in your home to keep your faith alive, and of course to keep your love alive. But I’m wondering if that will even be possible if you don’t keep your hope alive.

You might be asking yourself… Does hope have any practical use? Isn’t hope kind of a boring topic to bring up here at a wedding, all about pie in the sky with no point to it in daily life? But aren’t you both sitting here today with a ton of expectations, many hopes and dreams… a happy home, a loving family, a resilient relationship, successful careers, a thriving Christian faith. And all of that is worthy and good, but hope is what will make that happen. Hope is essential in your marriage, because hope is three things according to Scripture. Hope is your survival skill because hope is a helmet, hope is an anchor, and hope is a springboard. Let’s take just a minute to break that down.

First of all, Hope is a helmet (1 Thess. 5:8).  Hope protects your mind. Hope keeps you from the ravages of despair. Hope keeps you healthy mentally and emotionally. When you put on a living hope as a protective covering over your mind, you think more clearly, more purposefully, more faithfully. One of the wonderful mysteries that takes place today is that from today two become as one. You two, — and —, become as one. Whatever affects one, affects the other. You are stand-ins for each other. You grow together as two vines do, so that it’s hard to distinguish between the two because you are as one. Somehow you keep your individuality, but you now have a dual identity. It’s a mystery, but it’s true, you develop together as one heart and mind. If each of you is hopeful for the other, if you each put on hope like a helmet, your fused oneness will eagerly anticipate the future, you will expect good in your marriage and your home. You two will collectively expect good things, and you will be of sound mind, you will have emotional stability together. You will live and work to that end and in that spirit. You will see that if circumstances invite you to despair, if you work on being hopeful together, you will survive. You will conquer that type of hopelessness that affects so many. In fact, Proverbs 13:13 says that deferred hope makes the heart sick. That’s right, you will be sick at heart, you will take a downward plunge, if you abandon hope. If hope is delayed, you will be heart sick, you will become imprisoned by despair. So hope is a helmet, protecting your mind. Put it on together.

Secondly, hope is an anchor (Heb. 6:19). A hopeful view of the future will tie you each in your marriage to eternity with God. Your hope is an anchor for the soul. This anchor is firm and secure. This is interesting, because it’s upside down. This isn’t an anchor that goes down from above to the depths. No, hope is an anchor that is lodged up above in heaven, and is tied to you here below. This anchor is actually secured in heaven, and so it keeps you connected to heavenly matters, to eternal virtues, to the everlasting person of Christ. The anchor up there keeps you tied to the will of God down here. In Col 1:27 Paul talks about God’s salvation as “the glorious riches of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.” Hope will connect you two to an anchor in glory, keep you tethered to that which will not diminish and fall apart here on earth. Keep your hope alive, so you are anchored to life eternal. So hope is a helmet, and hope is an anchor.

Finally, Hope is a springboard (Col 1:5). Once again, Scripture talks about hope. Paul says that love springs from the hope that is stored up for you in heaven. Hope is a springboard for love. When you embrace the future with hope, you are able to embrace the present with love. Love jumps out of hope, and not just love for each other, but also love for your neighbor, love for God. If you can imagine a diving board at the swimming pool. Imagine love right now, today, approaching that board. A little timid, a little unsure of what is to come. And imagine that love having the courage to walk out on the diving board of hope, and jumping into the water with confidence and assurance. Hope is that diving board for love. Confidence in the future because of God’s goodness produces love, eagerly and joyfully anticipating good things around each corner. If you want to keep your love alive, then keep your hope alive. Hope is like a resurrection of the heart of love. Hope is a springboard.

So there you have it… Hope is a helmet to protect your mind and your thinking; hope is an anchor to keep you connected to eternal life; hope is a springboard for love. Keeping hope in your marriage is crucial. Hope is the most profound and beautiful thing you can give to each other in your married life.

But all this begs the question… What is your hope based on? What allows you to hope in the first place? What is the basis of your hope? Is there a way to keep your hope from becoming merely wishful thinking or an empty optimism?

Well, there is only one reason you can hope realistically, one solid thing to base your hope on, and that is the mercy of God.

Let’s look at this final point together for just a minute. How did God choose to describe Himself when asked His name by Moses in Exodus 34? What did God choose to reveal about Himself? He said, “I am the Lord, the Lord, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in mercy and faithfulness, and forgiving wickedness, rebellion and sin.” And that’s why rabbinic tradition says that mercy rather than justice is regarded as the outstanding attribute of God (A.J. Heschel). Indeed, Jesus, the human form of this same God, comes to us “full of grace and truth.” (John 1).

If you remember anything about this little talk we’ve had here, — and —, remember this: When you can trust God for the future, you can hope with confidence. When you can trust the character of God, you can hope with joy. When you know a merciful God has your back, you are free to love each other through all the ups and downs of life. In fact, sometimes I wonder if there is anything else I can bank on in life. I wonder if there is anything more trustworthy than God’s love. I believe that the one sure foundation for your new home together would be this beautiful statement of faith in Lam. 3:22-24: “Because of the Lord’s great love, we are not consumed. For His compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. The Lord is all I have, therefore I will hope in Him.”

Our hope rests on God’s character, the only truly solid thing in the universe. God being who He is, I also wonder if there is anything that pleases God more than to trust in His love. With God holding the future, knowing His character that is so trustworthy, we are free to hope to our heart’s content.

So here you are, — and —, with your hopes and dreams, starting a new life together. Based on God’s love for you, is there one big hope you can take home with you today? I believe there is, and it’s found in Jer. 29:11. Here is your hope on this momentous day. Here is your hopeful vision for your marriage. “For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. You will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. And I will be found by you, declares the Lord.” So there is your hope for today, trusting in God’s love. God sees you here, — and —, and He knows the plans He has for you, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future, and plans that include a relationship with Him.

I’d like to leave you with a blessing from Psalm 33. This psalm states that the whole earth is full of God’s unfailing love, and that the eyes of the Lord are on those who fear Him, on those whose hope is in His unfailing love, His mercy. This psalm closes with these monumental words: “May your unfailing love rest upon us, O Lord, even as we put our hope in you.” Everything else fails, only His love is unfailing. Only His mercy is left standing. Only His grace is worthy of your trust. Keep your hope alive in Christ, and you will not be disappointed (Ro. 5:3).

Biblical Hope for Shame. “All you who hope in the Lord, be strong and let your heart take courage, for with the Lord there is lovingkindness, and with Him is abundant redemption. God has a thousand ways to set us free. This hope will not let us down or put us to shame, because the love of God has already been poured into our hearts by the Holy Spirit who has been given to us. So my heart is glad and my spirit rejoices, my body also will rest in hope.” (Ps. 31:24; Ps. 130:7; Romans 5:5; Ps. 16:9). The Bible offers hope to all who live under the cloud of shame, those who are guilty with shame due to a wrongdoing, and those who are suffering from undeserved shame due to someone else’s wrongdoing. Both kinds of shame are found throughout Scripture, where shame was only wished upon one’s worst enemies. In the Gospels of the New Testament, though, Jesus revealed the eternal God to be a shame-breaker. Christ went out of His way to give life and healing to those in shame… the demeaned and the humiliated, the poor and demon-possessed, the unclean and those rejected by the religious authorities, the lepers and the prostitutes, the sinners and the ignored. Jesus sought out those whose spirits were damaged or defeated. Jesus reflected a Scripture that was a constant stream of hope for those who suffered with shame. After all, our compassionate Christ knew shame from the inside, and understands shame like no one else.

Biblical Hope for the Hopelessly Impatient. “No one waiting for you will be disgraced, for how could anyone be disgraced when he has entwined his heart with you?” (Psalm 25:3). One of the most important qualities a believer needs to learn is the ability to wait. The Hebrew meaning of the word wait means to combine, to bind together by twisting, much like twining a rope or braiding hair. To wait is to braid together the scattered fragments and fragile strands of our lives into a firm unity of purpose and meaning. It is crucial to make the Lord one of our strands. Weave together Jesus with painful memories and shameful experiences. Watch healing take place when we braid God with our personal challenges and present anxieties. Watch hope and meaning emerge as we wait with the Lord, braiding our life experiences with God’s life. In our waiting, our personal weaving project, remember one strand is you, the central strand is Jesus, and the third strand is whatever you want to bring to the Lord. Waiting is a hard-earned spiritual skill. We live in an instant age, where everything is valued in terms of speed; a busy age, in which we can’t sit still and prefer instead to be hurried and harried; an over-stimulated age in which there is constant background noise and distractions and amusements. So we are not living in a culture that makes it easy to wait. Braiding together one’s life experiences with one’s identity as an image-bearer, with the very presence of Christ, is time-consuming and a focused activity. Waiting requires patience and hope and living in a state of faithful readiness and anticipation. Waiting forthe Lord actually involves waiting withthe Lord, and is crucial in the healing process regarding shame.

Biblical Hope with our Identity. “And God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.” (Genesis 1:27). This is the age of finding one’s identity. It’s the way everyone wants to define themselves. We want to lay claim to who we are at the deepest level. There are many identities being proposed: sexual identity; gender identity; racial/ethnic identity; religious identity; political identity; national identity; physical identity; social class identity; professional identity. Among all these trees, is there a sequoia that stands taller than the rest? Is there one identity more important, more central, than the rest? Or are they all equally important? If all those identities were spokes in a wheel, is there a primary identity that would be the definitive hub of the wheel?

Central Identity. Traditionally, there is one central identity that is up to the task of defining ourselves. There is one identity that is the primary source of all the other identities: the image of God in each human being. Each and every person ever conceived has a common identity by virtue of their humanity. Each person has been imprinted with a likeness to our Creator God. Everyone has been individually handcrafted to reflect God’s character and Being. Each person has been created to represent God in this world. Each person is thus a sacred being, because we bear the stamp of a holy God. God’s image in us is the foundational identity that defines who are at the most basic level. God’s image in us is the hub of the wheel, and all the other identities operate out of that hub. The other identities are the spokes of the wheel. Any of these secondary identities that are put in the place of God’s image result in the frustration of a short-sighted, incomplete, insufficient identity. They fall short of defining our essential self. Without our image-bearing identity, we have lost our purpose in life, our true self, our reason for being. All these other identities are intended to be inspired by the image-bearing identity, sparked by it, formed by it. Every identity that we claim for ourselves which is not directly an offshoot of our image-bearing, reflects badly on us and on our Maker. The secondary identities are not up to the task of self-definition. They are not worthy to be in the hub of the wheel.

God’s Image. What does it mean to be made in the image of God? It means we are created to mirror God’s nature and therefore represent His presence in the world. Each person is created to be like God, one step below God, but a giant step above the rest of the created order. Humanity is the pinnacle of creation, the most wondrous and glorious of all that was made . So each person has tremendous value, is worthy, has inherent dignity above everything else in the world. Every person is worthy of self-respect, but not self-worship. Being made in God’s image doesn’t mean we share all of God’s attributes. Only God can make something out of nothing. Only God is self-existent and was not a product of creation. Only God is all-powerful and all-knowing. Humans are made to resemble God, but not to duplicate Him. We are called to imitate God’s character and display His nature, but God is the only divine Original. As rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel once said, “What is the mission of man? To be a reminder of God. As God is compassionate, let man be compassionate. As God strives for meaning and justice, let man strive for meaning and justice. If we are created in the image of God, each human being should be a reminder of God’s presence.” 

Being made in God’s image, we reflect His freedom to make decisions, to be creative, to think with reason, to exercise a conscience in discerning right from wrong. Being made in God’s image means we were created for relationship, for fellowship with others. We were not made to be alone without human contact, without the experience of loving others and being loved. Being made in the image of God means that we are living souls, speaking spirits, with an essential quality that exists above and beyond the physical, the intellectual, the emotional. We were made to be spiritual, tied to eternity, beyond the temporary. God’s image in us means that we reflect His eternal status, His everlasting existence.

God’s image in us is therefore a matter of ownership. We are not our own. Every person belongs to God. we are rightfully His. We carry God’s imprint. Therefore He is our ultimate authority. Every human being owes his/her allegiance to Creator God, in whose image we exist. It’s time for an object lesson…

Biblical Hope if Assaulted by Demons. Please read Mark 5:1-2, Matthew 8:28-34 and Luke 8:26-39. This amazing miracle occurs right after Jesus’ dramatic calming of the storm with his disciples. After this healing of the demoniac, Jesus heals a bleeding woman and restores a young girl to life. Jesus would soon return to his home town of Nazareth, when the residents thought they knew Jesus and refused to believe in Him. They knew Him as a carpenter, and were offended by His heavenly wisdom and miraculous acts. Jesus was amazed, He “marveled,” at their unbelief.

WHERE. Jesus’ journey across the Sea of Galilee, which included His astounding calming of the storm, ended up at the direct opposite side of the Lake. Capernaum is on the northwest side of the Lake, and Gadara is on the southeast side. Gadara was an important city in that region, and a member of Ten Towns, or Decapolis. This entire collection of towns were mostly inhabited by Gentiles. This region of Greek cities was self-governing, and didn’t belong to a particular country or empire. Jesus easily embraced Gentiles and Samaritans and other non-Jews, and was pleased to teach and perform miracles in the presence of Gentiles. He considered His ministry to Gentiles to be an integral part of His ministry as Messiah, prophesied in the Hebrew Bible.

WHO. Jesus and HisDisciples. All His disciples were amazed and perplexed at what had just occurred on the Lake. They are still underestimating Jesus’ power, and after Jesus calmed the fierce storm, they were muttering to themselves, “Who is this man, who commands the wind and the waves?”They are about to be confronted with more evidence of Jesus’ extraordinary power, for as soon as they climbed off the boat onto the shore near Gadara, they are met by a naked, insane demoniac. Jesus was unafraid to approach and heal this man, who was unclean in three ways: He was a Gentile; he was demon-possessed; and he was constantly in touch with death while living at the tombs. Jesus never seemed to let the matter of ritual uncleanness get in the way of showing mercy to needy people in their distress. He approached and touched the unclean during His whole ministry. Being utterly pure, He was unconcerned with being unclean.

The Raving Demoniac. This unfortunate man was literally filled with demons, he was fully given over to demonic possession. The evil spirits inside him had driven him to insanity, self-destruction, and somehow had given him extraordinary physical strength as well. He lived among the tombs, caves cut out of soft rock, away from society, and was so notorious in that region that no one would ever dare venture into that area. He was naked, and he would shriek, unable to speak. He would cut himself with sharp stones. The people would try to contain him by binding him with shackles and chains, but he was so strong that he just pulled apart those chains. The people were justifiably terrified, because this man acted like a wild animal, and simply couldn’t be tamed. The demons had driven him away from home and family, into the wilderness surrounding the tombs, where he howled night and day. This deranged man was living a hopeless life, a constant danger to himself and all those in the region. The demons were out to destroy him, to make his life miserable, and they were succeeding.

The Demons. These unclean spirits are Satan’s messengers sent to torment people and destroy what is vulnerable to their powers. Demons are those fallen angels who rejected God in the Satanic rebellion, choosing to follow Satan into evil. Jesus spoke of this when He told the disciples, “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven.” (Luke 10:18). And during this war in heaven, it is said that Satan took a third of the angels to his side. (Rev. 12:4). These evil spirits occupy and are active in the unseen world.

Christians, though, because they contain the Holy Spirit, need not fear demonic possession. Believers can be harassed and confronted by demonic activity, but Jesus said, to encourage us, “He who is in us in greater than he who is in the world.” Jesus nonetheless expects us to engage in spiritual warfare if it confronts us, wearing the whole armor of God. “Put on all of God’s armor so that you will be able to stand firm against all the strategies of the devil.” (Ephesians 6:10-18). Evil spirits are a reality in our world, though invisible. There is more to the unseen world than we could ever imagine. But Jesus has defeated Satan once and for all, and the devil’s days are numbered. Do not by an means follow through on your curiosity about or involvement in the occult, the hidden demonic world. That has been off limits since Day One. “Do not let your people practice fortune-telling, or use sorcery, or interpret omens, or engage in witchcraft, or cast spells, or function as mediums or psychics, or call forth the spirits of the dead. Anyone who does these things is detestable to the Lord.” (Deut. 18:10-12). Remember, with Jesus, if we resist the devil and his influences, he will flee from us. (James 4:7).

WHAT. An Exorcism.  The demoniac runs to Jesus as soon as He steps off the boat, and he shrieks at Him, falling down at His feet. Jesus immediately commanded the evil spirit to come out of the man. But now the demon talks to Jesus, using the man’s voice, to scream at the overpowering Jesus, “Don’t interfere with me! Don’t torment me! I beg of you don’t torture me, Son of the Most High God! Are you here to judge us before our time?” Jesus engages in conversation with the unclean spirit possessing this man, asking what its name is. Jesus didn’t ask the name of the man, but of the spirit. Jesus focuses on the problem at hand, and wasn’t very personal with this man until after the exorcism. But what an interesting question for Jesus to ask. Do demons have names? And why would Jesus need to know the name of this demon? Speaking through this man, the evil spirit said that its name is “Legion… for we are many.” This poor man was possessed by many, many demons, for a Roman legion has 6,000 soldiers. We are not given the history of this man, and how he became so controlled and filled by this demonic horde. We don’t know how this happened to him, or if he himself invited them into his life at some point. Jesus doesn’t go into any of the history with this man, He didn’t pursue any of that background story by adding guilt or shame. This exorcism was done in the spirit of redemption and forgiveness.

Composure. Isn’t it amazing how composed and calm Jesus was after being confronted by a naked, screaming, physically aggressive demoniac? Jesus didn’t panic, he wasn’t intimidated, he had everything under control. This is the type of man who was able to take a nap in the boat during a tempest on the Sea of Galilee. The composure of Jesus in the midst of this confrontation is mind-boggling. He seems to be fully at ease in a situation that would cause most people to panic and run in the other direction. Instead, Jesus calmly spoke with the demons and took care of business.

WHY. Jesus simply wanted to heal and restore this man to his right mind. This poor man’s status as a demoniac ran contrary to God’s original plan when He created man. Jesus wanted to see this man return to his senses, to flourish as someone made in God’s image. Jesus was being His merciful self, caring for a hopeless and extremely unfortunate person. Also, Jesus wanted to show who’s boss. He knew He had ultimate power over these demons, that these evil spirits had no choice but to obey Him. It was no contest. Jesus overpowered them. Jesus commanded, and the demons obeyed.

The Healed Demoniac. The man of the tombs is now calmly talking with Jesus and His disciples. He is no longer deranged or self-destructive or a menace to society. Naturally, this man who is never named wants to be one of Jesus’ band of disciples, following Him wherever His ministry takes Him. This man is keenly aware of his life before Jesus and after Jesus. He wants to follow Him to the ends of the earth. But Jesus does something unexpected. He tells the healed man to return to his family and his town and tell everybody what has happened. Tell all the people how God had mercy on him. Preach His saving word to all who would listen. Spread the word about God’s mercy and compassion. Normally, if He was in Jewish territory, Jesus wanted His miracles to be kept secret. He didn’t want it to get around that He is the promised Messiah until the time is right. Jesus didn’t want the people to try to crown Him king or trumpet Him as Messiah. Jesus didn’t want anything to disrupt the divine timetable as He performs His ministry. Jesus knew when the time would be right to live out the Passion and the Cross and the Resurrection. Jesus was usually rather secretive. But here Jesus tells the healed man to spread the word, tell everybody about what God has done for him. Jesus knew the Gentiles were a fertile mission field. He knew they would not try to claim Him as king or messiah, since they weren’t even looking for a messiah. He knows this particular man would be an effective witness, since everyone knew him as an insane and dangerous person. And now they could see him sane and speaking lucidly and a solid citizen. This man’s effective testimony would not hinder Jesus’ ministry in any way, which is what might happen if they were in Jewish territory. So that’s what the healed man did. He told everyone he knew about what Jesus had done. This man who was full of darkness is now a light in his corner of the world.

Biblical Hope for the Guilty. “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” (Luke 23:42). When Jesus was raised on the cross, He found Himself hanging between two criminals on their crosses, one thief on the right and the other on His left. Jesus the Innocent One, executed between two guilty ones. This fulfilled the messianic prophecy of the Suffering Servant in Isaiah 53:12. He was numbered with sinners. He let himself be regarded as a criminal. He was counted as one of the rebellious. These two rebels surrounding Jesus on the cross might have been similar in their criminal behavior, but it appears their hearts were as different as night and day.

The unrepentant thief, traditionally named Gestas, remained cynical and bitter to the end. He ridiculed Jesus. He hurled abuse at Him, sneering such remarks as, What kind of Messiah are you? If you really are the Anointed One, prove it! Save yourself from this fate! And while you’re at it, be our savior and save us too! Jesus did not respond to the abuse. He never opened his mouth to the criminal who was scoffing at Him. He was like a lamb led to slaughter, silent before His foe.

The repentant thief, named Dismas according to church tradition, treated Jesus much differently. He even advocated for Jesus by rebuking the other thief. Have you no shame? Have you no fear of God even before you die? You and I deserve this punishment. We were criminals, so we shouldn’t be surprised that this is our fate. But this man does not deserve this. He is totally innocent. What has He done wrong? Nothing. Nothing at all.

The repentant thief saw the sign above Jesus’ head on the cross that declared “This is the King of the Jews.” At that moment Dismas hoped that Jesus truly was the King, even if He was a dying King at the moment. A mustard seed of faith entered his heart as he pleaded with Jesus, Please remember me when you come into your kingdom!

And that was all the opening Jesus needed to act. Even a hairline crack in the heart, a simple request to be remembered, was enough for Jesus to offer His saving grace. Technically, it wasn’t even a confession, or an outright repenting of his sinfulness. But when it comes to grace, Jesus doesn’t get very technical. Even in his tortured state, Jesus saw right into the criminal’s heart, and didn’t expect the perfect confession. Remember me, and that’s all it took. Jesus responded to Dismas with, I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in Paradise. Paradise. Heaven. The restored Garden of Eden. The place of rest for the departed in Christ. In His mercy, Jesus promised a new life to the redeemed criminal, a life with Jesus Himself.

“Gestas and Dismas both have their say while Jesus bridges the distance between them – the bitter man and the hopeful one, the lost one and the found.” (Barbara Brown Taylor, The Man in the Middle).

Jesus will bend over backwards to accept faith and hope whenever it happens, whether in the pleadings of a dying criminal being executed, or in a young innocent girl singing in kindergarten class. The angels will rejoice over one fallen creature who repents, no matter when or where that repentance takes place. On Good Friday, the angels were rejoicing over the simple request of that hopeful thief.

A FINAL, HOPEFUL BLESSING:

“Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.” (Romans 15:13).