Just then there was in their synagogue a man with an unclean spirit, and he cried out, "What have you to do 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 NRSV Bible)
Our scripture reading today tells us about man who had an unclean spirit. Something had gotten into him that made him unclean in the eyes of those who surrounded him. He had what was called, in Jesus's time, an unclean spirit. I often have people ask me if there are really unclean spirits and demons. I think the terms of "unclean spirits or demons" used in the Bible are simply a personification of the unknown. Terms like "unclean spirit" give some identification to things that people didn't understand. When people where sick with some unknown disease, they were labeled as being possessed, especially people with mental illness. I am a firm believer that when we choose to do something wrong, that it comes from within us. It is a choice we make.

When the census was being taken, I heard a story about a census worker who approached a house in her territory very slowly. There was a fence around the house and the worker being terrified of dogs, quietly opened the gate. She hurried up to the house and rang the door bell. She breathed a sigh of relief when the lady of the house opened the door. She felt safe now. But the lady of the house promptly bit her! The census worker actually required medical attention for the human bite.

What causes people to do such things? What causes someone to take their own life? What causes people to experiment with dangerous drugs? What causes nearly 50% of marriages to end? What causes us to do wrong things and move ourselves away from God?

When Michele and I got married, a minister friend of mine told us that children have a very important job in life. Their job is to continuously test the boundaries. This statement has given us much relief too. But why do children always have to test the boundaries? They would receive so much more attention, support, and love, if they would simply follow the rules and butter us up a little bit by saying, "Yes ma'am and yes sir."

Unfortunately, there are no easy answers. Our basic humanness was messed up with original sin in the Garden of Eden. Fortunately, there is someone who can help us to make choices that will bring us closer to God. That person is Jesus Christ.

Dear God, thank you once again for bringing Jesus into my life, so that I may be close to you. Help me to make good choices that will bring me even closer to you. In Jesus name, Amen.

Ron Newhouse

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