Sermon: The foremost contortion (Mark 9:20,25-26)

WHAT IS FOREMOST?
The Foremost Contortion (Mark 9:20,25-26)
pdf
Dr. Paul Manuel—2012

(This sermon is part of Dr. Manuel's sermon series: "What is Foremost?" Links to
each of the sermons in the series will be found here as they are posted.)

You face a host of decisions every day, some more important than others—whether to wear the blue shirt or the brown shirt, whether to go through the yellow light or slow down and stop. In some cases, there may have help in deciding—the blue shirt is dirty but the brown shirt is clean; there is a cop sitting at the corner, and you already have several points on your license. In other cases, there may not be those extra factors that can help you make the decision.

Bill and Bob were talking about making tough decisions. Bill said, "I found a wallet in the church parking lot packed with money." "Did you give it back?" Bob asked. "Not yet," Bill replied. "What are you waiting for?" Bob asked again. "This should be a nobrainer." "Not necessarily," said Bill. "I have to decide—and it's a tough choice.... Is this a temptation from the devil or a provision from the Lord?"

You face a host of decisions every day, some more important than others. If you make consistently wrong decisions about important matters, it will put you on a path that makes you vulnerable to your enemy, Satan. Even if you feel pressure from him despite good choices on your part, bear in mind that your enemy will not win, as is evident in The Foremost Contortion.

Satan enters the biblical narrative at the very beginning, soon after man first arrives. The devil or his minions make an appearance several times thereafter, in various attacks on God's people, but not with any regularity or intensity.¹ That changes with the gospels, where Jesus' advent triggers a backlash from the enemy.²

In the course of Jesus' ministry, and despite the relatively benign nature of his activity, as he preaches to the masses and heals the sick, he encountered resistance from two quarters.

• On the one hand, there was persistent resistance from those who should have been his friends. As John said,

John 1:11 He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him.

This was mostly those among the religious establishment who, whether jealous of his popularity or threatened by his authority, chose to reject his message and oppose his ministry.

• On the other hand, there was token resistance from those who were most definitely his enemies. Mark records that...³

Mark 3:11 Whenever the evil spirits saw him, they fell down before him and cried out, "You are the Son of God."

This was exclusively among the spiritual forces of evil, who knew Jesus and who knew the inevitable outcome of any confrontation with him.⁴

There were times when Jesus' human opponents attempted forcefully to oppose him⁵ but, in the end, their efforts only served to advance God's plan.⁶ Jesus' demonic opponents knew who Jesus was, so they knew that any opposition against him would be pointless and never attempted it.⁷

One such encounter with the spiritual forces of darkness occurs when Jesus returns from the Mount of Transfiguration. While Jesus was away, a man approached the disciples seeking help for his son, who was possessed by an evil spirit. Although the disciples had successfully exorcised demons on other occasions,⁸ this instance proved particularly resistant, and it was not until Jesus returns that the father is actually able to get the help his son needs. As the father describes his son's condition to Jesus, it is immediately evident that the boy is in dire need, but he may not be the one who suffers most from this encounter. Rather, it is for this demon...

XLVIII. The Foremost Contortion

...as he encounters a power far greater, and it throws the demon into...

• The panic before God (Mark 9:20, 25-26)⁹

Please turn to...

Mark 9:20b When the spirit saw Jesus, it immediately threw the boy into a convulsion. He fell to the ground and rolled around, foaming at the mouth.... 25b ...Jesus...rebuked the evil spirit. "You deaf and mute spirit," he said, "I command you,¹⁰ come out of him and never enter him again." 26a The spirit shrieked, convulsed him violently and came out.

Contrary to what some charismatics assume, all disease is not the work of the devil. So when you hear about 'the demon of alcohol' or 'the demon of anger,' while minions of the devil can cause distress of various kinds, the origin of some disorder is more likely to be physical or emotional than spiritual. The challenge for the Christian is to make a correct diagnosis or, at least, a cautious one, lest Satan get credit or blame for what is solely a medical condition. While physical or psychological illness can be a supernatural malady, the more likely origin is probably ordinary, and relating more to us than to some external force.¹¹ That said, demonic attacks can imitate natural ailments. In this case, for example, the boy's symptoms resemble epilepsy, but the Bible's inspired authority enables us to make a correct diagnosis. The cause of this problem is supernatural, as is the cure for it. The synoptic gospel writers—Matthew, Mark, and Luke—must have regarded this event as significant, because all three recorded it and with similar details.

The foe of God's people has not changed in two thousand years and, although he does not appear to be as active today, he will be again as Jesus' return draws near. You will probably not experience anything like what this boy or his father did, but you can learn at least three things from their experience, especially what it reveals about your enemy. The first thing this shows comes as no surprise...

1. Your enemy will cause distress (Mark 9:20b).

The gospel writers record different details from the father's description of his son's condition, which was very serious, and, while the symptoms were intermittent, they would frequently recur.

• In Matthew the father says, "[An evil] spirit.., has robbed him of speech. He has seizures and....often falls into the fire or into the water." (17:15b-c)

• In Mark the father says, "Whenever it seizes him, it throws him to the ground. He foams at the mouth, gnashes his teeth and becomes rigid." (9:18b)

• In Luke the father says, "[The evil spirit] throws him into convulsions so that he foams at the mouth. It scarcely ever leaves him." (9:39)

The Bible describes two kinds of activity by Satan and his minions: demon oppression and demon possession.

• They have different characteristics.

• Oppression is when an evil spirit attempts to suppress a person's will partially and afflicts him physically.

• During oppression, the demon is outside the person (e.g. Job).

• Possession is when an evil spirit manages to supplant a person's will completely and co-opts his body, causing him to afflict himself physically.

• During possession, the demon is inside the person.

• They have different cures.

Jesus encounters both oppression and possession, and even when the symptoms are similar, he treats them differently.

• The remedy for a malady caused by oppression is to heal the person.

• In such cases, Jesus will often interact with the person.

• The remedy for malady caused by possession is to exorcise the demon.

• In such cases, Jesus will often interact with the demon.

What the demon does to this man's son is a case of demon possession, and it must be heart wrenching for the father. Christians today might wonder if the same thing could happen to them or to their children. Keep in mind that...

• They have different causes.

• With oppression, the person has attracted the attention of a demon by his obedience to God.

• This is something a believer may not (be able to) avoid.

• With possession, the person has invited the intrusion of a demon by his disobedience to God.

• This is something a believer must (at all costs) avoid.

The Christian is only vulnerable to the devil's attacks if he allows himself to be. Paul, in his letter to the church at Ephesus, alludes to these causes and addresses the believer's ability to withstand them.

Eph 2:2b ...the ruler of the kingdom of the air [is] at work in those who are disobedient.

Eph 4:27 [so] do not give the devil a foothold.

Eph 6:11 Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes.

There are some details in the narrative suggesting the cause of the boy's trouble. That the father "brought" his son to Jesus suggests the boy/child is still quite young, before the age of when he would be responsible officially to obey God's commands. In answer to Jesus' question about how long the boy had been suffering, the father says from "childhood," indicating that the problem has been longstanding, since he was younger still. It is unlikely someone that young would have done something to open himself to an evil spirit. It is, perhaps, more likely that his father disobeyed God in some serious way and that his sin has had this consequence for his son. The Lord issues a warning He repeats several times, beginning with His instructions in the Decalogue.¹²

Exod 20:5 [= Deut 5:91 ...I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the fathers...

In this encounter with Jesus, the father's sin may be the cause of the son's suffering. Either way, it is evident from the narrative so far that your enemy will cause distress.

Reading on, we see the second thing this event shows, that...

2. Your enemy will receive direction (v. 25b).

...from the Lord, and there will be no resistance. "Jesus...rebuked the evil spirit.¹³ 'You deaf and mute spirit,' he said, 'I command you, come out of him....'" Demons would rather possess a host than not, having the run of the playground instead of being expelled from it.¹⁴ Elsewhere, Jesus describes what it is like for a demon who must leave his host.

Luke 11:24 When an evil spirit comes out of a man, it goes through and places seeking rest and does not find it.

This may be why when Jesus exorcised several demons from a man...

Matt 8:31 The demons begged Jesus, "If you drive us out, send us into the herd of pigs."

Jesus complied, rather than as a concession to the demons, perhaps as an indictment against those who would raise for food what God forbade for food.¹⁵ Besides, Jesus knows what would happen. The pigs were so upset by this new arrangement that "the whole herd rushed down the steep bank into the lake and died in the water" (Matt 8:32c). The pigs preferred death to demon possession.

Did you notice the additional stipulation Jesus attaches to this boy's exorcism? ...He says to the demon 'get out and stay out': "never enter him again." There is no guarantee that an evil spirit will not return to a host. Elsewhere, Jesus tells about a demon who leaves a man but reconsiders later, saying...

Luke 11:24b ...'I will return to the house I left.' 25 When it arrives, it finds the house swept clean and put in order. 26 Then it goes and takes seven other spirits more wicked than itself, and they go in and live there. And the final condition of that man is worse than the first." [= Matt 12:43-45a]

This boy's exorcism is the only case on record where Jesus adds the prohibition, forbidding the demon to return, perhaps, as I suggested, because the boy, unlike others, was not ultimately responsible for his condition. In any case, your enemy will receive direction from Jesus, and there is neither resistance nor renegotiating.

Reading on, we see the third thing this event shows, that...

3. Your enemy will suffer defeat (v. 26a).

The demon does not leave the boy willingly,¹⁶ but it cannot resist the authority of Jesus' command. "The spirit shrieked, convulsed him violently and came out." The boy's convulsions are also the demon's convulsions as it is forced to leave its host, never to return.¹⁷

This outcome is similar to how the final confrontation between the forces of good and evil will end, when Jesus returns to reign. The devil will amass his army in a last ditch effort to assert his authority, but he will suffer a crushing defeat. There may be conflict, but there will be no contest.¹⁸ The devil's forces receive a preview of that final outcome in their various confrontations with Jesus during his first advent, all of which, like this one, end badly for Satan's side.

Whether or not you ever engage demonic elements directly, remember the words of the apostle John.

1 John 4:4 You...are from God and have overcome [the forces of evil], because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world.

Satan will increase his activity during Jesus' second advent, but he will not be able to overcome Jesus' supreme authority. Even as the devil attempts to establish a foothold among God's people, he will experience repeated defeat. Like The Foremost Contortion here, the panic before God will seize his forces when they face the power of the messiah.

Having considered The Foremost Contortion, we will look next at The Foremost Conscription, which demonstrates the pity of God in Luke 17:10.

For the Bibliography and Endnotes, see the pdf here.

(This sermon is part of Dr. Manuel's sermon series: "What is Foremost?" Links to each of the sermons in the series will be found here as they are posted)