It is an interesting fact that throughout recorded history, man has identified with “devils”, “demons”, and derision. The less men knew about disease and psychological illnesses, the more man’s ailments were attributed to the “spirits”, most often called unclean, evil, devils, or demons. In our quoted scripture, I have italicized a portion of each book to emphasize the fact that, even in Jesus’ day, folks knew the difference between “unclean spirits” and “disease” or illness. Modern empirical scientists believe they can account for these unclean spirits by identifying symptoms of illnesses which they have named with the actions of the “possessed”. Needless to say, many of the earlier cases of “spirit possession” have been explained as illnesses identified in more recent times. In particular, the sciences of the mind, psychiatry and psychology, have categorized and classified man’s “abnormal behavior” as illnesses, and even “diseases” of the mind.

Now, some definitions are demanded; after all, it is by defining things that scientists can confine things into their little pigeonholes. And, the language of the scientist is the language of today. We have to live with it. But, we also have to separate the language of the spirit from the language of empiricism. Many times, we (the spirituals) and they (the empiricals) talk about the same thing trying to use each other’s language, and confusion arises. Sometimes, one person can fit into both groups just named, and when they switch between the two languages, their colleagues wonder if perhaps the mind is going. Don’t know where the mind can go…but, anyway. Just an example of the switch. Now, the definitions: first, there is most definitely a difference between illnesses and diseases of the body, and the, so-called illnesses and diseases of the mind. The explanation is simple, though overlooked (or ignored). The mind is not part of the body. The brain is the part of the body most often identified with the mind. Now the body can be assaulted by a host of alien things ranging from the microscopic organisms abundant in our environment to sticks, cars, bullets, etc. They can all cause illness or (dis)ease. They’re even called diseases if we know they can make us sick. (We’re really sicker than we thought.) Now illness or sickness is known to exist by the physiological activity of the body; that is, it produces a fever, skin turns red, blisters, boils, cramps, pain, blood, and cough reveal the presence of unwanted visitors or physical dysfunctions. Modern medicine is surely to be commended on its collective contribution to the welfare of the people of the world. Just remember that everything this body does is not in the domain of the medical sciences, and this is especially true for the behavior of the body as a total entity or individual.

The mind, on the other hand, when separated from the brain becomes part of the personality, which we know (I hope) is not a physical entity. That is, it is spiritual, ethereal, if you will. We cannot grab hold of it, we cannot stick a knife into it, hit it with a stick, and my personality cannot stick to another like two glued sticks. Catch the drift? For the empiricists (as opposed to the empiricals) to claim otherwise is ludicrous. The personality is described by the relationship behavior fostered onto a body by a mind, not the brain. Now, when we start classifying this behavior as sick, ill, inappropriate, or unacceptable; we have just begun using scientific language to describe something ethereal (spiritual, if you will). Misbehavior is not an illness or disease, and cannot be treated with drugs or medicine. Unless you want to induce a stupor where no behavior occurs, or you want to control the individual. The authority now given to psychiatrists to hospitalize someone against their will, “treat” that individual with medicines they may not want to take, and to keep them institutionalized indefinitely, is very questionable. Do we need such social police in a free society? Enough of my opinions…just pointing out that folks “way back when” knew the difference.

One other comment in this regard. If you had ever seen a person actually possessed by a foreign spirit, seen the complete control of the body by this entity, you would know experientially that spirits exist, and the influence they can have on individuals. I have been in and out of psychiatric hospitals, and have seen folks with “multiple personalities” and a wide variety of psychiatric diagnoses. And, I have been present on several occasions when a spirit has been invited into a person’s body (whom I knew quite well) and witnessed the transformation of physical characteristics, even to the manifestation of crippled limbs and blindness. I know the difference, whatever the empiricists want to say. Spirits are real; they can influence people in many ways; but, their power is limited. If we are mindful of our own spirit, and maintain its health, we have absolutely no need to fear these entities. And, I’m not talking about “spirits” of fear, greed, avarice, lust, etc. These are only manifestations of personality choices, not real spirit entities.

An unhealthy spirit (our own) is susceptible to succumbing to the overwhelming influence of the physical body which it inhabits, and foreign spirits. A healthy spirit, on the other hand, can influence the physical body, both in its physical health and its social relationships, and guard the body it inhabits. Remember, God is a Spirit. He deals with us on a spiritual level, only using the physical to get our attention, both for blessing and cursing. Jesus is His Messenger, and He is just as focused on the spiritual as God. He did not come to give us eternal physical life, as we know life right now; but, to point out that our Spirit is eternal, and it constitutes our eternal existence (in whatever kind of body God, the Creator, chooses). Do not confuse the dos and don’ts with spiritual health. The doing and the not doing are only indicators of true spiritual health, and they will come of themselves when the spirit is healthy. Individually, we cannot force ourselves into spiritual health by controlling our behavior. This is why we must live by faith, totally freefalling into the abyss of the unseen realm of the spirit. Instead, we’re much like a falling person grabbing for the outcroppings of belief, doctrine, liturgy, and ritual; jerking ourselves around with our grasping, causing pain and injury. When we could give in, open ourselves like a skydiver knowing we will reach terminal velocity; and, even if we land hard, we’ll survive (live eternally). Back to our scriptures…

These scriptures are illustrative of Jesus’ ministry to the populace of Galilee, and indicative of what our ministry should be to our communities. Remember St. John 17. As Jesus was while here as a man, so are we able to help the health of our neighbors. Pray for more doing. Just as Jesus did, and just as we are instructed to do, pray for more “all they that had any sick with divers diseases brought them unto him; and he laid his hands on every one of them, and healed them”; understanding that it is God who did the healing through Jesus, and God that does the healing through us. These folks were healed because they knew of no other way to get healed, thereby “accepting Jesus’ healing”. Today, the medical profession is in the miracle business to such an extent that God’s hand gets ignored for the most part.

Remember that Jesus uses the physical reality to teach spiritual truth. Spiritual wellbeing comes by teaching. But, not by teaching alone. The recipients of the teaching must be willing to accept the teaching for what it is, not just to confirm what they think they already know. Learning involves new information, new insight, new results, new actions. If we don’t follow through with our teachers’ instruction, we have not gained anything but confusion. We cannot put “new wine in old wine skins”, “new cloth on old fabrics”, and so on. “Therefore every scribe which is instructed unto the kingdom of heaven is like unto a man that is a householder, which bringeth forth out of his treasure things new and old.” For folks bound by their beliefs, “things new and old” are often the same things. It’s no wonder these folks were “astonished” by Jesus’ teaching. He wasn’t just repeating platitudes and slogans, as the scribes (who were actual copiers of the scriptures) who knew what the scriptures said, but had little idea what they meant. I hear preacher after preacher, read Christian writer after writer, who are very good scribes, as scribes go. But little real spiritual instruction is given; more of a recipe for spiritual appearances. Spiritual teaching is received by listening to what God has to say after you’ve heard the teacher. Just make sure it’s God talking, and not you talking to yourself.

When our “itching ears” start hearing what they want to hear, we need to say, “Hold thy peace, and come (get) out of him (me).” That man with an “unclean spirit” could very well have been a scribe A spiritual guide that leads our flesh is not a spiritual guide. At best, he is a doctor. At his worse, he confuses, frustrates, and hides the truth of the Spirit. “It is the Spirit which quickens”, not rules, regulations, and recipes. Life is in the Spirit; so, Live in the Spirit. And, look where Jesus was teaching…in the synagogue, their spiritual meeting house. Maybe we should call our churches, “spiritual meeting houses” to distinguish them from the “social clubs” of many congregations. We should take advantage of the true spiritual teachers while they are nearby, because, they too “must preach the kingdom of God to other cities also: for therefore am I (are they) sent.” Just as the Spirit, we “know not from whence it cometh, nor where it listeth.” We can only see its manifestation while it is near. And true spiritual teachers preach “ the kingdom of God” because that is all that they are sent to teach, preach, or otherwise communicate. The “kingdom of God” is not manifested by living by rules, but is manifested in our love for one another, which, at its best, always puts the interest of the other before our own interest. Because, then, “all these things will be added”.