If you desire solitude, I have found a full proof way to clear a room. It does not require raising your voice, you don’t have to fake illness by coughing into your hand, and it does not involve acting crazy or using threatening behavior. People tend to leave quickly, usually in a quiet and respectful manner, when you start talking about Jesus. “Have you found Jesus?” is a great line for clearing a room.
This actually happened at a family Christmas party several years ago where the question and the response cleared the room. One relative posed the question “Have you found Jesus?” to a non-believing and intoxicated relative who replied “I didn’t know He was lost”. I shook my head in disgust with both relatives. People who try to use baited questions to introduce Jesus do more harm than good in my humble opinion. They come across as used car salesman trying to hook a buyer. I wasn’t particularly happy with the disrespectful response from the other relative either. My understanding is that the insolent relative is still a non-believer. What is it about Jesus that makes people so agitated?
A few months ago, I started playing pickleball and came to know and enjoy the camaraderie of the other players. One day I noticed many of them were not as engaging as usual and some a bit stand-offish. It wasn’t until I got home that I realized I was wearing a wrist band quoting Ephesians 6:11 (about spiritual readiness). I had driven straight from Bible study to pickleball and forgotten to take it off. What is it about Jesus that makes people uncomfortable?
I shouldn’t be too surprised. When I was a very “religious” person, I probably reacted the same way as my fellow players, but I was more polite about it.
When believers get together, we love to talk about our Lord and savior. We love to share our testimonies, the journey that led us to open our hearts to Him. Josh Baldwin captures the believer’s passion in the lyrics of his song “Made for More”.
I know who I am ’cause I know who You are
The cross of salvation was only the start
Now I am chosen, free and forgiven
I have a future and it’s worth the living
Believers know Jesus’ work on the cross was just the beginning. Our future is already promised and it is definitely worth “the living” for an eternity with our Creator. We enjoy a peace “that surpasses all understanding”. It’s not that we no longer experience the trials and tribulations of this world. The difference is we no longer have to tolerate them with fear and frustration. We endure them with faith and confidence.
Believers are not the only species on this earth who believe in Jesus. There is another group of beings, fallen angels, better known as demons. They recognize Jesus immediately because they once enjoyed His presence in heaven prior to their fall. Demons are the angelic beings who rebelled against God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. They chose the darkness over God’s light and were expelled from heaven. Darkness and the light of heaven are not compatible.
There are numerous scriptures where demons readily acknowledge the Son of God. Here are two:
Suddenly, a man in the synagogue who was possessed by an evil spirit cried out, “Why are you interfering with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are — the Holy One of God!” – Mark 1:23-24 NLT
And whenever the unclean spirits saw him, they fell down before him and cried out, “You are the Son of God.” – Mark 3:11 ESV
It is hard to fathom how demons immediately recognized Jesus during His 3-year ministry but humans who heard His words, who witnessed His works and miracles, refused to acknowledge His deity.
Why?
The Jews had been waiting for their Messiah for years. In fact, their brightest and best, the most learned Jews were their religious leaders, the Pharisees. Surely they should have recognized Jesus from their knowledge of the scriptures. Was it their organized religion that prevented them from seeing Jesus for who He was? Absolutely, that was certainly part of it. What about the common people, the average Jews and Gentiles? What prevented them from recognizing Jesus’ deity? What prevents so many people today from recognizing Jesus?
Perhaps we can find the answer in Matthew Chapter 8
When Jesus arrived on the other side in the region of the Gadarenes, He was met by two demon-possessed men coming from the tombs. They were so violent that no one could pass that way. “What do You want with us, Son of God?” they shouted. “Have You come here to torture us before the appointed time?” In the distance a large herd of pigs was feeding. So the demons begged Jesus, “If You drive us out, send us into the herd of pigs.” “Go!” He told them. So they came out and went into the pigs, and the whole herd rushed down the steep bank into the sea and died in the waters.
Those tending the pigs ran off into the town and reported all this, including the account of the demon-possessed men. Then the whole town went out to meet Jesus. And when they saw Him, they begged Him to leave their region. – Matthew 8:28-34 ESV
Two men hopelessly possessed by many demons are immediately freed from their torment by Jesus. How do the town’s people respond?
- Do they praise Jesus for expelling the demons from the two men?
- Do they thank Him for ending the years of fear and violence the demons caused upon their community?
- Do they invite Jesus to come into town and spend time with them?
No, they do not. Instead they basically say … “Hey there Jesus, those pigs were the town’s main source of income and You just cost us a ton of money. Please leave!”
There in lies the answer. People do not recognize Jesus due to their inability to do so, they refuse to see Him because they do not want their lives to change. People are not willing to have their lives disrupted to follow Jesus, especially if it is going to cost them something.
The town’s people were more upset with the disruption of their income than the miracle of ejecting the demons from the possessed men.
The Jewish hierarchy, the Pharisees, had pretty good lives compared to the rest of the Jews. Their religion afforded them a higher status, they enforced the religious laws, they were respected, they ate better food, lived in better accommodations and they did not have to perform manual labor to feed their families. Life was good. But Jesus was about to disrupt their lives too. They were going to lose their status and control over the people.
There are many people, too many individuals today who stiff-arm Jesus. Deep down in their souls they know Jesus is real, but they are not willing to have their personal lives disrupted to follow Him. They choose the temporal safety and comfort they have found in this world to the eternal life of His world.
What about those poor pigs?
There is a lesson there too. Demons are spirits and they are always looking to occupy a physical body. They too are looking for safety and comfort in this world but always at someone’s expense. They are like homeless vagrants looking for an empty house to inhabit.
Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. – 1 Peter 5:8 ESV
The demons that possessed those two men were very unhappy that Jesus was about to disrupt their situation. Knowing they were about to be evicted, Jesus gave them permission to enter the pigs. Interestingly, the pigs preferred death over possession.
Who are the demons in your life?
Demons don’t readily announce themselves. They can be very subtle. They influence their hosts using a variety of tactics to keep you turned away from Jesus. The last thing they want you to do is to turn towards Him and welcome His light into your heart, because they know their darkness cannot exist in His light. So they use the desires of our flesh, the desires of our site, and our pride of life to keep us from turning towards God.
Demons distract us with pornography, drugs, alcohol, money, power and fame. While some become dependent on gambling or drugs, others are seeking fame and power. None of these vices will allow us to turn towards God and be filled with His light. It is to the demons’ best interest to keep our hearts turned towards the darkness.
Paraphrasing Timothy Keller: “It is not the strength of your faith but the object of your faith that determines your outcome. Jesus is the only God that if you find Him, He will satisfy you, and if you fail Him, He will forgive you.”
If you are a non-believer and you actually read this far, I ask you with a genuine heart to give God a chance. Turn towards Him and be filled with His light. Ask Jesus to come into your heart and watch those demons flee.
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