Sometimes, in order to put a kind interpretation on a person'a behaviour, we say he is not himself, he is out of sorts. A more critical view would say that he is beside himself, or out of his mind. Even more critical: he is gone mad or crazy. We find all these analyses of Jesus's actions packed into today's gospel reading. The most radical and critical one of all is to say that he is possessed, he has been taken over by a demon or some other kind of evil spirit, that he is completely controlled by his own 'demons'.
But to say that the Spirit in Jesus is demonic is the worst view of all. It is bad enough practically, for how could the kingdom of darkness be producing the fruits of the kingdom of light? How could the kingdom of lies be serving the one who is Truth Itself? What makes it really evil is that it regards the One who is the way, the truth and the life as an agent of the kingdom of confusion, falsehood and death.
This conflict of two kingdoms was foretold at the very beginning, as we see in today's first reading, that there would be a continual spiritual warfare between the woman's seed and the seed of the serpent. The decisive battle of this warfare is about to take place in the life of Jesus Christ, when the father of lies does his utmost to confuse, distort, disturb and confound the work of the Lord of life and truth. It seems that he wins, hounding Jesus to death, but then he loses, and loses definitively, in the resurrection of Jesus from among the dead.
It is right to be critical and hesitant where people make claims to spiritual or supernatural wisdom or power. It is still the case that Satan can take the form of an angel of light and there are very recent cases of such abuse to confirm this. The Church recently issued new norms for evaluating such claims, norms that are founded on the fundamental principle articulated for us by Jesus himself: 'by their fruits you will recognise them'.
The Gospel of Mark is very honest in recording the reactions of Jesus' closest friends and family even when it does not show them in a favourable light. His family members are concerned about what is happening to Jesus and what he is doing. They offer the kinder analyses of his condition: he is out of his mind, beside himself, gone a bit crazy. His enemies go for the radical accusation: it is through the prince of devils that he casts out devils. Jesus not only rejects the latter accusation but shows how deeply wrong it is. It means inverting light and darkness, right and wrong, truth and lies. Who can be rescued from such a distortion if it once takes root in their minds?
But his new family, the new community he is gathering around him, is made up of anyone who does the will of God. That is the first criterion of membership, deeper even than ties of blood. We can put it alongside the other principle mentioned above: 1) do the will of God; 2) by their fruits you will recognise them. In analysing our own behaviour and what is happening to us in our relationships and in our work we can apply the same criteria. Am I doing what is God's will for me? And if I am not sure am I at least seeking to know what God's will is? And what about the fruits my life is bearing? Can I recognise them as fruits flowing from God's grace or are they the product of my own narcissism?
The warfare between good and evil, truth and lies, the kingdom of the serpent and the kingdom of the Son - our own souls are a battlefield in this war. But we have the guidance of Christ to help us understand what is happening and we have the presence of the Spirit to enable us to undertake the work, sometimes long and difficult work, of overcoming the kingdom of the serpent and seeking to undo the damage it has perpetrated.
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