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Jesus, Deliverance, and Demons

"Then people came out to see what had happened,
and when they came to Jesus,
they found the man from whom the demons had gone
sitting at the feet of Jesus, clothed and in his right mind."

Astrid is a streaming program I often watch.

The plot is a basic cops and robbers action until the criminal is caught.

The uniqueness of the program is Astrid, who is on the Autism spectrum, is brilliant at solving puzzles including connecting clues to solve the crime.

Watching this program has given me a more profound insight to people living with this condition and their acceptance in society.

My first-hand experience with children on the Spectrum was driving a Special Needs school bus for 6 years.

With this experience, I can imagine the life the possessed man was experiencing, especially living among the tombs, bound with chains and shackles, having to live in the wilds.

It was no wonder he cried for mercy.

Jesus, with his power and mercy, cast the demons out and eventually into a lake where they drowned.

This story though, is a complex one with deeper political, economic, and historical content as indicated by the word “Legion”.

It seems to me that Jesus’ next actions demonstrate the meaning of deliverance.

Jesus later sat quietly with the man who was fully clothed and in his right mind.

Jesus sits quietly, listening.

Jesus sits quietly, delivering us when we are tormented by our past, considered barely human, or seeking an end to our addictions.

Jesus, continues today, bringing deliverance to God’s kingdom on earth as it is in heaven.

The end of the story, however, is Jesus telling the man to go home and tell others what God has done.


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