Clean As A Whistle

Unclean spirits and demons – we hear so much about them and how Jesus and then the 12 apostles drove them out of people, according to today’s Gospel reading (Mark 6:7-13).   The meaning of all this scary talk is made clearer when we remember what Jesus did earlier, according to Mark. 

In the preceding chapter of Mark we read about Jesus’ healing of the Gerasene demoniac who “dwelled among the tombs” and who had an “unclean spirit.”  Jesus asked his name, and the demoniac replied, “Legion is my name.  There are many of us.”  It has been suggested that “Legion” is used because it ties uncleanliness (hearts turned away from God) and demon-like behavior to the Roman Legionnaires who prowled the countryside and the cities, especially Jerusalem.

Mark wrote his gospel around 70 A.D.   In 66 A.D. the Jews revolted against Roman rule.   The consequence: in 70 A.D. the legions re-conquered Jerusalem and destroyed the city and the temple – an unimaginable event for 1st century Jews such as Mark.   The “end of the world” had arrived for the Jews.  Thousands were crucified.  Ten thousand corpses hung on crosses ringing the Temple Mount.   To Mark and his contemporaries heartless (unclean) Roman demons were everywhere.

Importantly, when Jesus sent the unclean spirits out of the demoniac and into a herd of about 2,000 swine, the man no longer possessed by Legion regained his mind – his right mind. 

The point: Jesus has power over the forces that stand against God.  He has the power over evil spirits.  He has power over Legion, and he has power over death.

Jesus told the 12 they had the same power.   We have that power as well.  

We all know the forces that stand against God such as racism, hate, and intolerance, and we can counter them. 

We all know the evil spirits within us such as envy and greed, and we can counter them.   

We all know the Legion within us such as violence and thirst for power and control, and we can counter that horde. 

We all know that death is our fate, and we counter it through faith, hope, and love.  This triplet - being another way to image the Trinity - keeps us clean as a whistle, demon-free, and right-minded.

Deacon David Pierce