(A sermon for Mark 1:21-28 Presented at Christ Christ, Bordentown, NJ, January 27-28, 2024)

If I ask, “Who ya gonna call”? _most, if not all of you just thought _ “Ghostbusters” _ those guys who fought off demons such as that nutty Zuul, and Gozer the Gozerian who turns himself into a giant destructive Stay-Puft Marshmallow Man. Only by crossing the streams of their proton guns were the Ghostbusters able to exorcize New York City from the infestation of demons.

Imagine if it was just that simple _ to remove all that evil_ all one had to do is “cross the streams”? Of course, that’s in the movies. And of course, Jesus did not have a proton gun to fight off evil. But he knew evil when we encountered it. And as we hear in today’s Gospel, it also recognized him.

During Epiphany Season, we’ll hear the accounts of Jesus’ baptism and his ministry up to the point of his transfiguration. We hear about his wisdom and reassuring words alongside his healing miracles.

But just as Jesus saw the good in this world, and shined a light on it, he also dealt with the unpleasant parts of our world: afflictions, sadness, arguments, betrayal. And the gospel writers want us to know he dealt with demoniacs several times _ those who were possessed. It’s easy to relate to the typical unpleasant parts of living that Jesus encountered. But the topic of demoniacs can be incredibly unpleasant to hear or think about, and in some ways, it can sound too incredulous. 

It’s no wonder. Today’s passage sounds like a script from a horror movie. You can almost hear or imagine the eerie snide tone of _ “What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are, the Holy One of God.”

So it’s a natural reaction to draw away from this type of unpleasantness. It can be more comfortable leaving the talk of Satan to the stereotypical fire-and-brimstone preacher, or the TV evangelists, who can easily be mimicked by a stand-up comic.

But it’s OK to laugh, especially in the face of Satan. He hates all types of joy and comfort, all the good things that God hath brought. What we shouldn’t do is pretend that Satan’s influence is of no great consequence. No matter how big or small the influence, the consequence is always great.

Unfortunately, we get our image of Satan and his demons from the horror movies, and we see mostly extreme exaggerations of Satan’s wrath against mankind.

What Hollywood does do correctly is show Satan as the fallen angel full of sinful pride, rejecting any humility and obedience to God. Fallen angels have either forgotten, or chose to not remember, that angels were also created by God. Despite what they think, they are not gods. They do not have the power of God. They cannot read our thoughts. They do not create us. They get in mankind’s way. They persuade us to turn away from God and act in the same way as they do toward God. They do this to mankind because they hate God’s sacrificial love for us, and our love for God.

And they come from all directions to tempt us _ to tempt us to disregard the Ten Commandments; to not have love for mankind; to engage in the occult and spells; to waste our gifts, resources, and time; to let greed and fear motivate us. To limit us of from our full potentials. To distract us. To get in front of us and turn us away from God.

It’s said that the greatest trick the devil ever pulled, as I’m sure you’ve heard, is convincing mankind that he doesn’t exist. The greatest consequence of that is_ instead of believing that Satan is the source of evil in our lives, it’s believing that the source of evil is either our neighbor, or those live in a country on the other side of the world, or those who speak a different language, or those who have different customs or identities, or those who simply express a different opinion than us.

Truly, it’s important to recognize evil. But it’s equally important to not be quick to judge and label. Most people in this world who seem afflicted with evil or seem possessed most likely have a mental or physical ailment _and should be treated by a doctor, or a social worker. They most likely do not need an exorcist.

So how do we recognize the influence of evil in ourselves, or in someone else? A good test question for ourselves is, is it something that is turning me, or turned me away from God? And when we think we recognize evil in others_ have mercy, grace, hope and trust in God, because you can never know for sure about someone else.

That said, evil wants to stay hidden. It most likely is not going to appear to you as a giant Stay Puft Marshmallow Man. <Though if you do see that, I highly recommend that you just run.>

But in all seriousness when you do suspect an evil presence that won’t leave you or your family alone, and you have exhausted all other possibilities, there is no {do-it-yourself-at-home} kit.

Call Father Matt. Call any priest. If a priest is not available, call on God to deliver one. Just don’t be afraid because Satan loves fear. He also probably hates the “Ghostbusters” theme song. Because Satan wants us to feel alone as if we have no one to call.

But be assured we always do. We always have Jesus Christ’s phone number, and He is always stronger than Satan.

Amen.