When evening came, many who were demon-possessed were brought to him, and he drove out the spirits with a word and healed all the sick. This was to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet Isaiah: "He took up our infirmities and carried our diseases." -Matthew 8:16, 17
Some years ago I was having a conversation with a man who was telling me of a relative who had long struggled with addiction: "He just can't seem to get straightened out," he told me. "Try as he might, he doesn't seem to be able to drive the demons from his life." I have pondered many times this conversation and others like it. We often refer to someone who is wrestling with alcoholism, drug addiction, and any other problem that interferes with life as dealing with demons. Our terminology is intended to be symbolic, but actually is not off the mark. People do struggle against demonic forces every day. We confront evil in all forms as we go through daily life. As a pastor I have counseled with people whose lives have been ravaged by those dark forces. Indeed, people have the desire to be set free, but sometimes lack the ability to do so.
The Scriptures says that Jesus spent some time driving evil spirits out of people thus delivering them from the dark forces that were oppressing them. These persons had known the pain of loneliness, hopelessness, despair, and sorrow. Their lives were not just in a shambles, but rather were walking catastrophes. A more modern idiom might be that their lives were a "train wreck." With no where else to turn they came and threw themselves at the feet of the Prophet from Galilee. According to the account given in Matthew 8, Jesus did not pry into their pasts, He did not grill them about what had gotten them into such a state, and He did not tell them they were too far gone. Instead, He simply drove the demons from their lives. While we don't have the details of what happened afterward, we do know that they were given another chance; a new lease on life.
Just as Christ drove the demons from peoples' lives then, He can still do the same today. Countless people are wandering a dark and dreadful road that if not changed will result in disaster. Jesus Christ has the power to remove from our lives that which pushes us away from God and toward destruction. Christ doesn't just drive it from our lives, but He also empowers us to keep it from us should it ever try to return. What is keeping you from a right relationship with God today? What is hindering your happiness, joy, peace, and contentment? You may not be in the same condition as the people who came to Jesus that day, but you still are in need of His cleansing touch. Just as the Lord did with those He ministered to then, He will do with us. He will not judge, condemn, or berate us for making such a mess of our lives. Rather, He will offer to us the grace that will bring transformation and healing.
