Luke 9:41 - Have you ever wondered about this passage? Why were the disciples defeated in this situation? Jesus had already blessed them with the ability to drive out demons and heal. They had already had experience roaming the countryside and doing just those things...they had been very successful. What happened in this instance? I think they were scared. Luke describes a pretty scary demon here that takes control of a little boy and forces its will upon him...I think in the face of disgusting evil, the disciples backed down...they didn't believe they were strong enough to face such a demon...they doubted God. Jesus is heartbroken when he hears about their failure, and he calls them out about it, "You faithless and twisted generation!" When you read this it comes across as a little harsh, but think about it from Jesus' perspective...them to losing faith when confronted by demonic evil is affirmation of their doubts about God's power. Sure they had seen God work...they had seen God miraculously heal...but this...this was really nasty evil, and their faith crumbled. The reality that Jesus understood was this - is there any form of evil that God cannot overcome? No. What is there to fear when you are followers of God? Nothing. Jesus is hurt by their faithlessness, and he responds by showing them what true power looks like...he effortlessly drives the demon out of the boy.
When we allow ourselves to be ruled by fear, we are doing nothing by highlighting our lack of faith. Everywhere I turn...the radio...the TV...the computer...somebody is talking about guns. Gun control. Right to bare arms. Etc. I don't really care about what gets decided from a political standpoint, but I do care that it seems like more and more Christians in our community are allowing themselves to be controlled by fear when it comes to guns. Any time we are being driven to act out of fear, we are not walking in the footsteps of Jesus Christ. What if somebody comes into the church offices? What if somebody comes into my home? What if...what if...what if...what if!!!? Let me ask you something...is God still in control? Is there any form of evil that God cannot overcome? Is the only possible response to violence in the world, responding with more violence...greater violence? Did the earliest Christians...those closest to Jesus...those led by the disciples...did they respond to persecution, jailing, beatings, death and torture with war? Did they start having CSL (Concealed sword carrying) classes in their places of worship? No, they responded with strength that can only come from God...they responded in love...they responded in forgiveness...they responded in non-violence...and they changed the world.
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