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Pentecost 2 Proper 7 2025
Immanuel Lutheran Church, Hamilton, Ohio
Pastor Kevin Jud
June 22, 2025
Isaiah 65:1-9, Galatians 3:23-4:7, Luke 8:26-39
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In a battle between you and the spiritual forces of darkness, who would win? In a battle between Jesus and the evil one, who would win? Today’s Gospel reading demonstrates Jesus’ power over demons. Jesus is God… and has power over everything. In the Gospels we see that Jesus has power over sickness, injury, the weather, even death. Today we see His power over the devil and his demons.
Jesus and His disciples cross the Sea of Galilee to a predominantly Gentile area. No sooner do they set foot on the shore than a demon-possessed man challenges them. This demon possession is pretty intense. The man lives among the dead, he wears no clothes, and the locals are unable to restrain him even with chains. Luke 8:28–29 (ESV) 28 When he saw Jesus, he cried out and fell down before him and said with a loud voice, “What have you to do with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I beg you, do not torment me.” 29 For he had commanded the unclean spirit to come out of the man.”
Jesus shows His power over demons by talking with them. Although demons are the sworn enemies of God, they have no choice… they must answer Jesus. When Jesus asks “What is your name?” he answers, “Legion”, indicating the strength of the evil forces in this man. A legion is an army numbering in the thousands. Thousands of demons against one Jesus, but it wouldn’t make a difference if there were a billion demons; Jesus is Lord over everything and even the demons must obey Him.
When Jesus commands the demons to leave the man, they have no choice but to leave, the only question is where do they go. The demons ask to inhabit a nearby herd of pigs, but even for this they need Jesus’ permission. Jesus gives permission. The demons enter the pigs and the pigs promptly stampede into the lake and drown. After that we aren’t told what happens to the demons.
The swineherds have a predictable response at the drowning of their herd of pigs… they run away. They flee to a nearby city for help. When the city folk hear the news they go out to check out this pig-murdering Jesus fellow. This scene gives us a glimpse into the difference between people who are saved and people who are still enslaved by the devil.
The man who is now saved is sitting at Jesus’ feet; he is listening as Jesus teaches. The round trip to the city takes a little while, so the man who is now free of demons has had time for Bible class with Jesus. He cannot get enough of Jesus and wants to go along when Jesus returns across the lake.
The people arriving from the city are terrified of Jesus. They ask Him to leave. Like so many unbelievers today, the local people see Jesus as a problem … not as a savior.
Jesus complies with the people’s wishes. He departs, but He leaves a missionary behind. The man who is now demon free wants to go with Jesus, but Jesus leaves him there, saying, Luke 8:39 (ESV) 39 “Return to your home, and declare how much God has done for you.” And he went away, proclaiming throughout the whole city how much Jesus had done for him.”
When Jesus arrived, this man was full of demons and out of control. When Jesus departs, this man is commissioned a missionary to the people on the east side of the Sea of Galilee.
Demons are mysterious creatures. The Bible teaches us that demons are fallen angels. God created them sometime during the six days of creation along with all the other angels. Soon after the creation a group of angels rebelled against God and God condemned these angels to an eternity of punishment in the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.
Since demons are angels, they are spiritual beings; they do not have bodies and are not subject to the laws of the physical universe. Since demons are fallen angels, they are enemies of God.
The problem with having God as your enemy is that God is all-knowing, all-powerful, and unlimited by time and space. Demons are God’s enemies but are still God’s creation, and cannot win against God in a direct attack. They must find some other way to express their hatred of God and the battlefield they have chosen… is you, a follower of Jesus. Revelation 12:17 (ESV) 17 Then the dragon became furious with the woman and went off to make war on the rest of her offspring, on those who keep the commandments of God and hold to the testimony of Jesus…”
The demons’ main weapon against you is deception as Jesus says in, John 8:44 (ESV) 44… When [the devil] lies, he speaks out of his own character, for he is a liar and the father of lies.” It would be obvious if the devil appeared to you dressed in red body armor with horns and a pitch fork, smelling like burning Sulphur and demanding, “Follow me”. You would instantly know that this is the prince of darkness and you would flee. But the devil is clever. Knowing you are naturally sinful, demons present temptation in ways that make sense … ways that seem like the right thing to do … ways that have a certain beauty. As the Apostle Paul writes, 2 Corinthians 11:14 (ESV) 14 And no wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light.”
In Eden, the devil uses a serpent to tempt Eve to eat of the forbidden fruit. “Did God actually say?” Eve and Adam fall to this deception and the temptation to want to be like God, and from then on, all of their descendants, every human being, inherits a sinful nature at conception.
The rite of baptism in the Lutheran Service Book states, “The Word of God also teaches that we are all conceived and born sinful and are under the power of the devil until Christ claims us as His own. We would be lost forever unless delivered from sin, death, and everlasting condemnation.” In baptism you renounce the devil and all his works and all his ways. You receive the Holy Spirit and you are set against the devil.
You are a baptized child of God and a follower of Jesus, but the demon’s lies and temptations can feel so right because you are, by nature, sinful and unclean. Instead of naturally loving God with all your mind, soul, and strength, you love yourself. This is why you cannot trust your feelings, but trust the Word of God.
Since demons deal in deception, they adapt their lies to the culture of any given time and place. Rationalism has had a profound effect on our culture. Many today do not believe demons even exist and that suits the demons just fine. It doesn’t bother them one bit if you don’t believe in them.
Folks are very concerned with outward appearances and trying to analyze people’s behavior. Demons don’t care if the crime rate goes down. They don’t care if charitable donations go up. They don’t care if people give each other a helping hand. They don’t care there is a cure for every disease. They don’t care if everyone is just one, great big, happy family, as long as it is one, great big, happy family on the wide road to hell.
The demons don’t care if there are churches on every corner as long as the churches don’t talk about sin and its punishment, and Jesus and His salvation. The demons don’t care if we talk about god as long as that god is not the god who took on human flesh and died to save you. The demons don’t even care if we talk about Jesus as long as Jesus is just a great example or just a great moral teacher or just a great liberator or just a great unifier. The only God – the only Jesus -- that the devil hates is the Jesus who is the way, the truth and the life. The Jesus who died on the cross for the forgiveness of sins and then rose from the dead in order to confirm forever His victory… over sin… over death… and over the devil.
There is only one person who defeated the devil. That person is Jesus Christ, God in flesh, crucified for the forgiveness of all sins and raised from the dead. That person and that person alone is the only one who endured every temptation that the devil could throw His way and yet never sinned. Jesus and Jesus alone endured being forsaken by God for you as He died on the cross for your sins and He offers His victory to you.
Demons don’t always identify themselves by driving pigs into a lake. Sometimes they quietly inhabit people who look like quite normal. They inhabit people who look respectable on the outside and seem very nice, but who repeat the lies of the evil one and ask, “Did God actually say?”
Just like dangerous strangers may tempt children with candy or puppies, demons tempt you with your selfish desires to get you to indulge them and proclaim, “I am being true to myself.” It is the demon’s goal to make you feel very comfortable and even righteous while traveling the path to hell.
We see Jesus’ power over demons in today’s Gospel. He has defeated the devil once and for all on the cross for you. In baptism He has given you His Spirit who dwells in you and makes your body a temple of the Holy Spirit. Trust in the Word of God. Trust in Jesus. Trust in His holy life, His innocent suffering and death, His resurrection from the dead and His ascension into heaven.
The one who defeated the devil is the only one who can protect you from the attacks of the devil. He is the only one who can give to you life everlasting. Trust in Christ crucified and risen from the dead, and pray that the Holy Spirit will work that saving faith in all people, to rescue them from the devil, and give to them eternal life.
You cannot face the devil alone. You need Jesus. Amen