Immobilized by Evil

Immediately after witnessing the transfiguration, Peter, James and John descended the mountain with Jesus and encountered one of the most horrifying and evil demon possessions recorded in the Bible. On top of the Mount of Transfiguration they were so moved by God’s presence and glory that they wanted to build permanent shelters so they could stay on top. When Jesus led them down into the real and ugly world, they were bull rushed by evil. At the foot of the mountain, the father of a demon possessed boy seeks the disciples’ help to remove this demon that causes the boy to throw himself into fires. The disciples try to cast out the demon, but they are unsuccessful. They all ask Jesus for help and Jesus rebukes the demon and heals the boy. (Matthew 17:1-20, Mark 9:2-29, Luke 9:28-43)

There are two things I think should be considered in this sequence of events.

1. There are seasons in life where we get to visit the mountaintop. As a mom, I have loved watching my children grow in their love for the Lord while on their “summer camp mountains”. They would choose to stay at camp forever. Living in a healthy environment, constantly being fed scripture and surrounded by Christian friends makes for a perfect world, but when their term is up, they have to come down. When they are confronted with evil, slander and malice at the foot of the mountain, they are whiplashed. The contrast of good versus evil is more acute and it breaks their heart. They want to run away from it and head back up the mountain, or they want to fix it. They must learn, like the disciples, to trust Jesus. It is faith in Jesus and the trust in his power and purpose that can squash the evil and mend the broken at the foot of the mountain. When the disciples could not cast out the demon, Jesus told them,

“You don’t have enough faith. I tell you the truth, if you had faith even as small as a mustard seed, you could say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it would move. Nothing would be impossible.[a]” Matthew 17:20 (NLT).

When our eyes are opened to the horror of evil, we must put our faith in Christ first and let him powerfully act through us.

2. The second point, and the one that I am more convicted by is this:At this very moment in my life, am I so focused on God’s beauty that evil, by contrast, horrifies me? Is my perspective clear? Is Jesus my vision?

If I can answer, “Yes”, then the things that are happening in Israel, Ferguson, Mo., Orange Mound and all around this broken planet should rock me to my core and push me to my knees. I absolutely should NOT let it scroll through my twitter feed while moving on to the next funny video, quiz or list. If my eyes and heart have been filled with the glory and beauty that is Jesus Christ, then my heart should break over the things that break God’s heart. God’s heart is broken over the horror going on in Israel. God’s heart is broken for how his precious children are being mistreated in Ferguson, and in our own city, and God’s heart is broken when we are too busy to be broken by the things that break His heart.

We must make sure to spend time seeking God’s beautiful face. We need to be transformed by his word and his love. We need to be shattered by the vivid contrast of His good versus the evil that surrounds us, and when we see it, we are called to action. We can rebuke the evil and promote peace when we place our faith in Jesus. On our own, we are immobilized by evil, but with faith in Jesus (even as little faith as a mustard seed), we can help. He can heal and he wants to use us as his disciples and promoters of peace.

 

“O people, the Lord has told you what is good,
    and this is what he requires of you: 
to do what is right, to love mercy,
    and to walk humbly with your God.”

Micah 6:8 (NLT)