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᛭ INI ᛭

Jesus takes up many metaphors today in order to talk about some difficult topics. In fact, He mixes His metaphors a bit. He talks about the topsy-turvy topics of demons, demon possession, exorcising demons, and bing re-possessed by the demons. He also talks about those who are against Him and don’t gather with Him. He talks about the blessings of His Word, and how those who hear God’s Word and Guard it are blesséd, that is, they’re happy or content or have joy in spite of the circumstances of their life.

It’s hard to take up one approach to handle all that Jesus says today. The best I’ve got, at least, for this year’s go-round with this text is to take up one of Jesus’ metaphors, and then touch on the very heavy things Jesus says. They’re heavy because He doesn’t give opinions. He’s not giving some nice things to think about or mull over. He’s not giving things that can be safely ignored. You can ignore them but it’s not safe! Jesus is making assertions! Strong assertions that don’t leave any of us any wiggle room.

We don’t like people who make assertions, and we’re definitely suspicious of bold assertions. We reject anyone’s assertions that don’t line up with we already think. We view assertions as an opinions that someone’s trying to force upon us. Doesn’t matter if it’s assertions in politics, science, or medicine. We do this because our modern culture has rejected objective truth. Living in that culture, our way of thinking, ruined by sin, does the same thing with assertions made by preachers or the Bible or even Jesus!

Jesus makes some bold assertions today. We can’t treat Jesus like we treat preachers. When a preacher makes an assertion from the Bible or Jesus’ own words—might even be a direct Bible quote!—if we don’t like it, or if it doesn’t fit what we already think or like, Old Adam asserts, “That’s just your interpretation!” The devil’s lie comes out of many mouths: “Did God really say?”

As hyper-consumerist Americans, we judge everything by our likes, our preferences, and what makes us feel good. We complain about a society that’s chucked objective truth, but we do the exact same thing with God’s Word! “Blessed are those who hear God’s Word and keep it,” is just something we say but don’t actually live out. “Blessed are those who feel something about the idea of ‘God’s Word’” is a bit more accurate…

We’re rickety houses. Jesus’ assertions today drive us to that truth. Satan and his demons are slum lords, living and ruling in our rickety and rundown frame. They want to take us from bad to worse. Of ourselves, in our flesh and blood, in heart, soul, and mind, that’s what we are! So, our feelings and thinking about ourselves and our relationship with God are all ruined! Same with what we know or think we know about ourselves and God. In fact, we’re so bad off, we don’t know we really are! We think ourselves a mansion, maybe a flipper, when we’re really like that house just across the Nebraska border, just north of [Bethlehem/here]!

In our thoughts and feelings, we’re often just adrift in our wants and desires. Stuffing our lives, our homes, gardens, and drive ways, our hard drives, smartphones, and browsing histories, our schedules, days, and weeks with whatever just gives us a moment’s pleasure.

Yet, we’re so self absorbed we don’t think we’re that bad. Who’d admit and actually behave like their poor, dilapidated sinners? Who even admits they’re wrong about small things… “Our bones are wasting away. Our hearts are unfeeling like fat. Our strength is dried up.” Our hearts and minds and lives are packed with demonic false gods we use to project the lie: “I’m happy. I’m ok. I really am.” Truth is: we’re run down, burned out, stressed, unhappy, joyless, lifeless. If you weren’t, would you treat family, friend, stranger like you do? We rot our bodies and hearts, our lives and relationships…

We cope by consuming: eating, drinking, buying, binging, watching, listening, playing, scrolling, vacationing, volunteering, working! Demonic black holes!

Reading the Bible, hearing a sermon, singing a psalm or canticle or hymn, doing family devotions, and communing don’t even enter our minds! Who’d do that? But because, in our appraisal, we think we’re mostly good people, the grass is greener in our life than others. So, we’ll be okay…

That’s just the way the devil and demons like your life to be. They’re slum lords who’d run you into the ground even more. Anything that’s good and beautiful they make bad and ugly. The only thing beautiful for Satan is a house (you!) like I’ve described, where the only thing left to do is to burn it forever in hell. Your flesh really is that bad, and you can’t do anything to upgrade, remodel, or restore it.

Don’t despair! There’s hope! It’s not a wish, but a holy and certain “hope that does not disappoint.” For you have a Jesus who’s stronger than the devil. When Jesus says, “the one who is stronger,” that’s Him! Born of Mary, He breaks behind enemy lines into the devil’s kingdom. Jesus, God’s Son, comes into your darkness and ruin. He drives out the demons with a Word. By His death He defeated the devil. His blood pays off the mortgage, and every HELOC we take out when we try to fix ourselves. His heavenly Father deeded you over. You’re no longer within the borders of the domain of darkness but in the Kingdom of His beloved Son, in Him you have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.

You were the spoil “Stronger Man” Jesus wanted. Yes, rickety, rundown house that you are. We couldn’t and wouldn’t offer Him anything to do it. He just does it. He says you’re a prize worth plundering—worth His very blood and life. Why? Only His unfathomable, unreasonable, unconditional mercy!

So, He washes you out at Baptism, puts you in order by the Holy Spirit. He begins refashioning you, squaring your walls anew—not with straight 2x4s. Each stud, each rafter fashioned after the form of His cross. You are polished “not with gold or silver” but “with the precious blood of Christ.” The curtains of His righteousness all around. His Word bejewels you “with gold, even much fine gold.” Your cupboards full enough to weather any storm—full of His body and blood, full of the sweet honey of His Holy Word.

It’s because of His Word and Sacraments that Christ says, “Blessed are those who hear the Word of God and keep it.” Not just God’s Word—Bible—but God’s Word at the Font, in Bible Class, from the Pulpit, on the Altar. Blessed are those keep the Word wherever it may be found!

The devil and his demons would rather wreck it all, wreck you. They keep at it! Whether it’s one or seven, in every area of your life, every day of your life demons are at work everywhere! Padding our bank accounts, filling our credit card statements, filling our minds and hearts through TVs and phones, even the AI algorithms that know you better than you do! The devil’s tearing down the house, and he’d turn us into hoarder’s paradise: all sorts of things you just can’t live without or not do…except Jesus and His Word…do without that he says.

So, Jesus warns us. “Whoever’s not with Me is against Me, and whoever doesn’t gather with Me scatters.” What an assertion! You’re either on His side, or you’re His enemy. You’re gathered with Him or you scatter. It’s crystal clear. Jesus doesn’t leave it up to your opinion. Look at your house, look at your life, look at you: Are you with Him or against Him? Are you gathered around Him or scattered? What about your family, your friends? We always think yes, but why? What’s your metric outside of your feelings or opinions? Actually listening to God’s Word in such a way that it actually changes your personal religious opinions and your behavior besides… cracking open a Bible to check… pretty good metric…

Those who are with Jesus, who gather with Him are blessed and blesséd, happy in spite of their circumstances. What Jesus warns about here in Luke, Jesus makes promises about in John. **“If you remain in My Word, you’re really My disciples and the you’ll know the truth and the truth will set you free.” (Jn 8) “Whoever eats My flesh and drinks My blood, remains in Me and I in him.” (Jn 6) Jesus answered him, “If anyone loves me, he will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him.” (Jn 14) ** By Holy Baptism, through faith alone, rickety houses become temples of the Holy Spirit! You were bought with a price!

There’s more power in Jesus’ cup of blessing than any demon in the bottle, or phone, or algorithm. His Word and Body and Blood are God’s finger to send demons packing and remodel your life. *Christian Question 20 asks, “What should someone do who has no hunger for the sacrament? “He will certainly have the devil around him, who with His lying and murdering day and night will let him have no peace within or without, as the Bible pictures him.”*

The demons are just squatters. Jesus evicts them at baptism. Woe if they take up residence again! “The last state is worse than the first.” But Jesus makes your rickety, rundown house delightful and livable. He’d fill you all the more with Himself His very own life! “Whoever comes to Me I will never cast out.” (Jn 6) “Whoever eats My flesh and drinks My blood has My life in himself.” (Jn 6) With His Word in your ears, your heart, your mind, with His body and blood “sprinkling your heart clean,” (Heb 10) you can’t and won’t ever have the devil or any demons within you. You’ll have Jesus and the Spirit and the Father until your fully restored, renewed, and resurrected to dwell in His house forever.

᛭ INI ᛭