Insightful Musings on the Scriptures

by

Raymond P. Sparre
Northwest University class of '67

Good morning, dear people.

It’s another big day. And since yesterday was such a big day, I kind of slept right up to my need to get in the car and dash off to pick up Nicholas at 6:15am in Canby. Becki isn’t supposed to be driving yet. In view of all that, I’m resorting again to a repeat from 2010. I think it contains some worthy thoughts. The realm of the spirit is going to have to remain in the class of mystery this side of the grave—while we still see only “as through a glass darkly.” But to be sure, it is an ignorant and arrogant error to presume that the physical world is the real world, and the spiritual world—well…it’s not really real—it’s just kind of a non-tangible abstraction. This short passage from Mark’s account helps to confirm that there is a reality going on behind the scenes that is real. Does that make any sense? I’m just shooting from the hip…sitting right here.

I need to run off and check out a job that just landed in my lap. Then an insurance inspector is coming about noon. Then…

Blessings on your day.

Love, Dad/Ray.

There is obviously a lot of spirit activity going on here beyond what the account actually describes. What would cause this demon-possessed man to run to Jesus and both identify Jesus’ deity and plead for His mercy in His treatment of them? (It’s happened before. See also 1:23-24 and 3:11-12.) Why didn’t the demons run away from Jesus rather than run to Him? I can only conclude that these demons were simply over-powered by the sovereign Spirit of God, or by angel-spirits behind the scenes of visibility, forcing them to identify themselves, to confirm Jesus’ identity, and to vindicate Jesus’ ministry that He came “to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners” (Is. 61:1).

It also seems clear to me that the demon-possessed man was not the only one who was demon-influenced. It looks like the whole community was under a spell of darkness. Why else would they want to cast Jesus out of their area just because He cast demons out of one of their accepted community amusements? Remember that the demons pled with Jesus “again and again not to send them out of the area.” The demons clearly liked it there. I think there were too many willing subjects. Maybe it was one of their strongholds. The fact is they did not “leave the area.”

What is the value of this kind of exposure and conjecture? For one thing, I think it helps us understand that there is a good deal more spirit activity mixed into the affairs of men than is revealed by our physical perception of things. This limited understanding is sufficient to motivate us in the direction of being Spirit-filled people of God, capable of seeing “what is unseen” (II Cor. 4:18) and exercising the authority of Christ over darkness in the vital ministry of proclaiming “freedom for the captives.”