“Drowning
Your Demons”
Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord
Jesus Christ. Amen. The demon-possessed man in today’s Gospel Reading is representative of
all of humanity, including you and me. For, Paul says in Galatians,
“Scripture declares that the whole world is a prisoner of sin,” and John writes,
“Everyone who commits sin is of the devil.” For most of us, the outward manifestation of the devil’s influence in
our lives is like an iceberg. They say 90% of an iceberg remains hidden,
underwater. We are actually no less sinners, no less by nature under the
influence of the devil, than the man described in today’s Gospel Reading as
demon-possessed. But, like an iceberg hidden beneath the water, for most
of us the outward manifestation of the devil’s influence is hidden, beneath a
veneer. When we do display outbursts of sin, that is really only the tip
of the iceberg of our sinfulness, which is always lurking beneath the surface of
our lives. There are some people, like the man in today’s Gospel Reading, where
the iceberg is flipped, and the outward manifestation of the devil’s influence
becomes dominant in their lives. We call those people demon-possessed in
the technical sense. Such demon-possession may include symptoms like we
see in today’s Gospel Reading: violence, self-mutilation, superhuman strength,
shrieks and cries, a double personality, and unexplainable or supernatural
knowledge. Peter says in Acts, “God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy
Spirit and with power, and he went around doing good and healing all who were
under the power of the devil, because God was with him.” It seems that on
account of Jesus’ presence on earth, there was during his earthly ministry an
unusual level of demonic activity around him. Matthew reports, “Many who
were demon-possessed were brought to him, and he drove out the spirits with a
word,” and Mark says, “So he traveled throughout Galilee, preaching in their
synagogues and driving out demons.” The reason there was this unusual level of demonic activity around
Jesus was because the devil was desperately trying to find some way to interfere
with and thwart his mission of salvation. As Luke reports one demon in a
possessed man shouting, “Leave us alone! What do you want with us, Jesus
of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are—the
Holy One of God!” Although you and I are not demon-possessed in the same way, in this
technical sense, “Scripture declares that the whole world is a prisoner of sin,”
and “Everyone who commits sin is of the devil.” So, we are actually no
less sinners, no less by nature under the influence of the devil, than the
demon-possessed men and women of old, who gathered around Jesus for healing and
freedom from their bondage. “What is your name?” Jesus asks the demon in today’s Gospel Reading.
“My name is Legion,” he replies, “for we are many.” Although not
necessarily demons in the technical sense, we do commonly call those things that
torment us our “demons.” What is your demon’s name? Lust, greed,
materialism, selfishness, anger, quarreling, hatred? Or perhaps your
demons are lingering guilt over something in your past, fear, sorrow, sadness,
hopelessness, loneliness. Perhaps your demons also are legion, for they
are many. “A large herd of pigs was feeding on the nearby hillside. The
demons begged Jesus, ‘Send us among the pigs; allow us to go into them.’
He gave them permission, and the evil spirits came out and went into the pigs.
The herd . . . rushed down the steep bank into the lake and were drowned.” There is symbolism for us also in this unusual method of exorcising the
demons. We often make the mistake of trying to “drown” our demons
ourselves. Maybe we try to drown them in alcohol, drugs, or some other
addiction or illicit activity. Or, we might try to drown them in something
that seems positive, or at least harmless, like our work, or a hobby,
amusements, material things. But, all that too is just more veneer.
Or, we try to keep our demons submerged, by repressing our feelings and
problems—but they keep haunting us. “The evil spirits came out and went into the pigs. The herd . . .
rushed down the steep bank into the lake and were drowned.” What is the
symbolism for us in this unusual method of exorcising the demons? Pigs
were considered unclean animals, so the pigs in miracle are symbolic, of our
sinful nature, what Scripture calls the “corrupted flesh,” often referred to as
the “Old Adam.” The demons going into the pigs symbolizes that this sinful
nature, our Old Adam, works in league with the devil. But, what of the drowning, of the pigs and the demons in them?
What does that symbolize? Listen to Martin Luther’s explanation of Baptism
in the Small Catechism: “What does such baptizing with water signify? It
signifies that the Old Adam in us should, by daily contrition and repentance, be
drowned and die with all sins and evil lusts and, again, a new man daily come
forth and arise, who shall live before God in righteousness and purity forever.” You see, God does want you to drown your demons. But, not in
alcohol, or drugs, or other addictions or illicit activities; not in work, or
hobbies, amusements or material things; and not by merely repressing them.
God wants to drown your demons in his own “immersion therapy.” God wants to
drown your demons in the “washing with water through the Word” in Holy Baptism.
God wants to drown your demons in “the cup of blessing” in Holy Communion.
God wants to drown your demons through immersion in his Word and Sacraments, in
worship and prayer. Through these means God wants to drown your demons in
“the blood of Jesus, his Son [which] cleanses [you] from every sin.” That’s why
we are gathered here today, just like the demon-possessed men and women of old,
who gathered around Jesus for healing and freedom from their bondage. Just
like that poor man in today’s Gospel Reading, whose demons were drowned in the
Sea of Galilee. Like them we are here today to be set free, to drown our
demons. “The reason the Son of God appeared,” John says, “was to destroy the
devil’s work.” He destroyed the devil’s work by drowning the legion of
demons and freeing the demon-possessed man in today’s Gospel Reading. He
destroys the devil’s work by drowning your demons in his own blood, as Paul says
in Ephesians, “In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of
sins.” He destroys the devil’s work through Baptism, Communion, his Word,
worship, and prayer, which is God’s immersion therapy for “Drowning Your
Demons.” Amen. Return to Top | Return to Sermons | Home | Email Church Office
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