Now Jesus was casting out a demon that was mute. When the demon had gone out the mute man spoke, and the people marveled.
This is the third week in a row where you have heard Jesus dealing with demonic power. Two weeks ago it was our Lord in weakness routing Satan with his flesh, blood and word. Last week, it was Jesus calmly stating to the woman begging for mercy for her demon-possessed daughter “Let it be to you as you desire.” And her daughter was healed that very hour. Today our Lord Christ casts out a demon that caused a man to be unable to speak, and with seeming ease the mute man spoke and the people marveled. You can see that the Church in her wisdom wants us to know in these first three Sundays in Lent that the devil and demonic powers are real, and strong. But there is a stronger man, Jesus Christ who overcomes the devil and all the wicked hosts who stand in the way of healing and peace for the children of God. He is so strong that with but a twitch of his finger Satan is routed, He is the one who brought Satan into being after all, and He is the same one who through that rebellious angel straight out of heaven.
Jesus is strong, stronger than the devil and death. Whether it is with a word, the tip of his finger or even a statement to a woman whose daughter wasn’t even present, Satan does not stand a chance with Jesus around. You are assaulted by demonic forces, do not forget this. The devil is prowling around like a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour. He wants nothing more than to oppress you and those you love body and soul in this life and bring you into eternal death through unbelief and despair. And at times you have been at the brink. Because of your own sins, because of the broken world and especially because of the assaults of the devil, who would have you think that there is no hope, no help, no forgiveness for you, no love for you from God or from anyone else, you seem to think that maybe, just maybe there is no way out, nothing worth living for anymore. And that is despair, and it is where the devil wants you to live, but that kind of living is no living at all. And for you the devil, the world and your own sins are much, much too strong to overcome.
Jesus says that the devil is strong, he is too strong for you, but he is not too strong for Jesus. The devil would have you bound up in fear and despair, in sin and grief, and he would guard you and keep you from Christ by any means at his disposal, and he has plenty of means. But Jesus is stronger. Jesus is the strong man in his parable that comes to the devils palace, comes upon the devil and overcomes him. But it is the way in which he does this that is beyond even the devil’s comprehension. The devil wanted Jesus dead. We are told in the Scriptures that Satan himself entered Judas Iscariot to betray Jesus to the chief priests. It seems that the devil thought if He could kill the man Jesus then the kingdom would be his. As a man, Jesus was weak, He had limited himself to every human frailty, and what greater limitation is there than death. But this is the greatness of God, that in the frailty of Jesus, in his death, Satan would be conquered, not for Jesus own sake; he already had power over the devil, but for you. Satan wanted Jesus dead, because then in his mind anyway his man would not be walking around healing and saving. But by dying Jesus shows his great strength, because in his death is the release for you of everything that Satan could hold against you.
So think of it this way. You are down low because of your sins. You know them and here the devil puts into your mind that you are no good. You can’t be loved, and you certainly couldn’t be forgiven. But the stronger man, Jesus says no to that. You have Jesus who died for you. Sure you’ve sinned. So what? It is true, you can’t shake your sins, and you can’t set yourself free from them. But Jesus does. The devil has nothing on you. He can’t hold you. You are forgiven by the strength of the blood of Jesus. You are given a righteousness that is beyond your sin, which covers up your sin; the righteousness of Christ that protects you from the devil and his lies and his tempting. To have the victory over the devil is nothing for Jesus, with but a finger he can cast him away. But for you it is more than something. It is everything, because the strong Jesus shares in his strength over the devil and makes you free by the forgiveness of your sins. By his strong life laid down and taken up again. Gives you His strength in his Sacred Body and Blood. The spoils of his victory – everlasting life. The devil has got nothing on you. You’ve got Jesus. And He is all you need. Just as the people who marveled at the Jesus in the Gospel, we marvel as well at Jesus who is strong to save, and who always does.
Amen.
