Readings for today: Luke 8-9, Psalms 116
The world of the Bible can seem strange at times. Today’s passage is filled with stories of Jesus confronting demonic powers and we aren’t sure quite what to make of it. Should we take these stories literally or figuratively? Are these encounters real or just a first century, rudimentary understanding of mental illness? Is Jesus casting out demons or is He healing the mind or is it a bit of both?
It’s important to read these stories in context. Jesus has just exercised His authority over creation as He calms the wind and the waves on the sea. Interlaced between these stories are miracles of healing and resurrection as Jesus exercises His authority over physical illness and even death itself. It shouldn’t surprise us then that Jesus would exercise His authority over the spiritual forces of evil in our world. In addition, we need to remember that though these stories were written for us they are not written to us. They are written to people living in the first century with a first century understanding of the world around them. For most of human history and for most cultures around the world today, there is no separation between the physical and spiritual world. Human beings are integrated creatures with no division between heart, mind, body, and soul. The fracturing of the human person into these component parts is a thoroughly modern, Western concept.
For example, whenever I travel to rural villages in South Sudan, Uganda, and Ethiopia, I frequently hear the indigenous people describe illness or disease in terms of demonic activity. When they pray for healing, they pray for the whole person. They pray for the Spirit to heal body, mind, soul, and heart. It’s powerful and it is a far more holistic way to approach healing. The same was true for the people Jesus encountered all over Galilee. They lived in a supernatural world where science and faith were not mutually exclusive but deeply intertwined with each other.
Why is the Western world so different? The renowned philosopher, Charles Taylor, outlined a powerful argument in his monumental work, A Secular Age, in which he traced the “disenchantment” of the world back to the Enlightenment. During that period, science and religion began to compete rather than collaborate and the result was a deep fracture that exists to this day. This, of course, creates all kinds of cultural distance we have to overcome when we read the Scriptures. In the Bible, we re-enter an “enchanted” world where the supernatural and natural overlap. This understanding is critical if we are to understand what’s happening when Jesus performs His miracles. He is not just addressing physical issues but mental, emotional, and spiritual issues as well.
Readings for tomorrow: Luke 10-11, Psalms 117