The Dark Side of Christ pt 3: Jesus the Demoniac

For His theology Jesus was called a heretic. For His ministry He was called a criminal. In the final part of this blog series we will learn that because of who He called Himself, Jesus was called demon possesed. A demoniac.

The Jews answered him, “Are we not right in saying that you are a Samaritan and have a demon?” Jesus answered, “I do not have a demon, but I honor my Father, and you dishonor me.

                                   -John 8:48-49

In this passage Jesus is called demon possessed because He claimed equality with God. At the end of the chapter Jesus says to His critics, "Before Abraham was born, I Am". While we may not claim to be equal with God (and we shouldn't) we Christians claim to have an intimate relationship with The Almighty. The world and society around us have a hard time seeing this as anything but delusional and a need for psychiatric help. If you go back and read John 8, you will see that they had the same opinion of Christ.

And all the people were amazed, and said, “Can this be the Son of David?” 24 But when the Pharisees heard it, they said, “It is only by Beelzebul, the prince of demons, that this man casts out demons”

                                      -Matthew 12:23-24

In this passage, Jesus is accused of being possessed not because He claimed to be God, but because He acted as though He was God. It was one thing to claim equality with The Father, behaving as though He had authority to act on His behalf was something completely different. Jesus was casting out demons, healing the sick, and raising the dead. He was disarming the darkness that had power over people's lives, and restoring the rule of God's Kingdom. To the religious establishment, this was pure blasphemy.

As followers of Christ, we have been charged and empowered with the responsibility of chasing away the influence of evil in our society, and replacing it with God's utopia of peace, equality, and justice. He has called us to cast out fear, and bring peace. To cast out depression, and make way for a river of joy. To dismantle the hate, and create a culture of love. When we do this, we will be accused of grossly overstepping our bounds, and maybe a little possessed ourselves.

This is what will happen if you truly want to follow Christ, if you really want to live as He did. Although He was neither, they accused Him of being a heretic, a criminal, and a demoniac. Not to mention a rebel, drunk and glutton. This is the Dark Side of Christ. His reputation. We claim we want to live as He did, but Christ's reputation made Him an outcast and got Him killed! By who, the Romans? No, the "religious establishment". Let me put it in modern terms, the "church crowd" killed Jesus. Still want to be like Christ? You may be surprised who rejects you, and who embraces you as a bearer of Good News... I know I have.

The Dark Side of Christ pt 2: Jesus the Criminal

Not only did our Lord get accused of being a blasphemous heretic, He was also accused of being a common sinner, a drunk, friend of prostitutes, glutton, rebel, reprobrate, and a criminal. The religious establishment considered Him to be a low life party animal. In my neck of the woods, Jesus would have been referred to as "white-trash". Not because He actually was any of these things, or because He did anything immoral, but as we will see, because of those He associated with, and how He ministered to them.

He went out again beside the sea, and all the crowd was coming to him, and he was teaching them. And as he passed by, he saw Levi the son of Alphaeus sitting at the tax booth, and he said to him, “Follow me.” And he rose and followed him.

And as he reclined at table in his house, many tax collectors and sinners were reclining with Jesus and his disciples, for there were many who followed him. And the scribes of  the Pharisees, when they saw that he was eating with sinners and tax collectors, said to his disciples, “Why does he eat with tax collectors and sinners?” And when Jesus heard it, he said to them, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I came not to call the righteous, but sinners.”

                                   -Mark 2:13-17

The "tax collectors" that the author of Mark is referring to are not like the IRS we think of today. They were hired Jews who collected taxes and debt for the Roman Empire. They were more like money launderers, mob bosses etc. They had a reputation for being unfair, abusive, and corrupt. More importantly, the Jewish people regarded them as traitors to their own race. Yet, there was Jesus, eating dinner with them, not to mention othere "riff raff".

Jesus pointed out, that these were the people that He came for. How could He not be around them? Why do Christians forget that the very people we often disassociate ourselves from, are the ones we have neen called to reach? The sinner nor his sin is not our enemy. Who are the "tax collectors and sinners" of our day? Are they drug dealers? Are they strippers or those in the sex industry? Maybe their the gangsters, drunks, addicts, etc. Like Christ, we should seek out the scum of the earth who are the farthest from God, and "eat with them".

But Jesus went to the Mount of Olives. Early in the morning he came again to the temple. All the people came to him, and he sat down and taught them. The scribes and the Pharisees brought a woman who had been caught in adultery, and placing her in the midst they said to him, “Teacher, this woman has been caught in the act of adultery. Now in the Law Moses commanded us to stone such women. So what do you say?” This they said to test him, that they might have some charge to bring against him. Jesus bent down and wrote with his finger on the ground. And as they continued to ask him, he stood up and said to them, “Let him who is without sin among you be the first to throw a stone at her.” And once more he bent down and wrote on the ground. But when they heard it, they went away one by one, beginning with the older ones, and Jesus was left alone with the woman standing before him. Jesus stood up and said to her, “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?” She said, “No one, Lord.” And Jesus said, “Neither do I condemn you; go, and from now on sin no more.”

                                      -John 8:1-11

And when he returned to Capernaum after some days, it was reported that he was at home. And many were gathered together, so that there was no more room, not even at the door. And he was preaching the word to them. And they came, bringing to him a paralytic carried by four men. And when they could not get near him because of the crowd, they removed the roof above him, and when they had made an opening, they let down the bed on which the paralytic lay. And when Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, “Son, your sins are forgiven.” Now some of the scribes were sitting there, questioning in their hearts, “Why does this man speak like that? He is blaspheming! Who can forgive sins but God alone?” And immediately Jesus, perceiving in his spirit that they thus questioned within themselves, said to them, “Why do you question these things in your hearts? Which is easier, to say to the paralytic, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Rise, take up your bed and walk’? But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins”—he said to the paralytic— “I say to you, rise, pick up your bed, and go home.” And he rose and immediately picked up his bed and went out before them all, so that they were all amazed and glorified God, saying, “We never saw anything like this!”

                                      -Mark 2:1-12

What a lot of people don't realize is how Jesus actually broke and even usurped the law in these passages. These two passages show us how Jesus responded to these sinners that He was accused of being a friend of. He reached out to them, pardoned their guilt, and gave them hope. Our response should be the same. Reach, pardon, and give.

WWJD... Are we really prepared to live up to that? For His theology Jesus was called a heretic. For His ministry He was called a sinner and a criminal, a drunkard and a glutton. Are you sure you want to have a reputation like Jesus had? It will require you to Reach into the filth of peoples lives, Pardon them for their waywardness, and Give them the hope that is found in Christ. That's what Jesus did, and it cost Him. Are you ready for it to cost you?

"Neglect the Poor, You're Going to Hell" -Jesus

It has been said that Jesus talked more about Hell, than Heaven. Scholars have pointed out that Jesus taught more on the subject of Hell, than all of the authors of the Bible combined. Some people believe that by today's standards, Jesus was a "Hell Fire and Brimstone Preacher". I would have to agree. After all, if Hell is real, and if the majority of people are headed that direction, for Jesus to NOT place a major emphasis on Hell would be cuel and unloving. But the two times that Jesus got really graphic about Hell, He was describing it as a consequence for neglecting the poor. Let's take a look at Jesus' description of the final judgment.

“Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me no drink, I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, naked and you did not clothe me, sick and in prison and you did not visit me.’ Then they also will answer, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to you?’  Then he will answer them, saying, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me.’  And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”

                             -Matthew 25:41-47

Jesus speaks of, "the least of these". Those who have been marginalized or those less fortunate. He goes on to say that the way we treat the "least of these" is a direct reflection of how we treat Jesus. While I agree that faith in the savior is necessary for eternal life, notice how being "born again", saved, etc are not mentioned in Christ's description of the last judgment. He sends people to "eternal punishment" for neglecting the poor. Jesus describes Hell as a consequence for neglecting the poor in another familiar passage.

“There was a rich man who was clothed in purple and fine linen and who feasted sumptuously every day. And at his gate was laid a poor man named Lazarus, covered with sores, who desired to be fed with what fell from the rich man's table. Moreover, even the dogs came and licked his sores. The poor man died and was carried by the angels to Abraham's side. The rich man also died and was buried, and in Hades, being in torment, he lifted up his eyes and saw Abraham far off and Lazarus at his side. And he called out, ‘Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus to dip the end of his finger in water and cool my tongue, for I am in anguish in this flame.’ But Abraham said, ‘Child, remember that you in your lifetime received your good things, and Lazarus in like manner bad things; but now he is comforted here, and you are in anguish. And besides all this, between us and you a great chasm has been fixed, in order that those who would pass from here to you may not be able, and none may cross from there to us.’ And he said, ‘Then I beg you, father, to send him to my father's house—for I have five brothers —so that he may warn them, lest they also come into this place of torment.’ But Abraham said, ‘They have Moses and the Prophets; let them hear them.’ And he said, ‘No, father Abraham, but if someone goes to them from the dead, they will repent.’ He said to him, ‘If they do not hear Moses and the Prophets, neither will they be convinced if someone should rise from the dead.’”

                             -Luke 16:19-31

Here Christ speaks of two men... A rich man, and a poor man named Lazarus. Notice how the poor man is named and the rich man is not. This rich was condemned to an eternal hell because of his neglecting of the poor man Lazarus. Although it makes me cringe to admit, it would appear the Jesus is implying in this story that Lazarus goes to paradise as a form of justice for his suffering on earth NOT because of his goodness or his faith.

These two teachings on Hell are most compelling. Why does Christ connect eternal punishment with the poor? It goes back to the goal of the Gospel: Restoration. From creation, our reason for existence has been to represent God, and govern on His behalf. We lost that leadership ability at the fall. As a result of our failed leadership, we have war, poverty, and suffering.

The broad goal of the Gospel is to restore us back to the position of rulers and priests so that we may in turn bring God's reign of peace, equality, and justice to earth. So, when we neglect our responsibility to bring restoration and justice to the poor, it is an abandonment of the divine mandate given to us from creation. That's why Christ connects our neglect of the poor with Hell. He came to restore humanity. Those who contribute to the degeneration of humanity by ignoring the poor and marginalized, have no share in the kingdom.