I just had to share this with you…
…I was visiting this exegetical web site I visit quite often for sermon prep called CrossMarks Christian Resources. If you page down a little bit to "Other Resources" there will be a link to exegetical notes on the lectionary. I then found the Gospel text for today and this is what I found in the opening paragraph:
"…this is the one shot the lectionary preacher has of saying, ‘This is the first reported case of deviled ham." (Of course this is the reference to Jesus driving out the demon from a man into a herd of pigs)
I don’t know about you but I laughed out loud when I read that. That line could be a good sermon opener this Sunday. If not a sermon opener then you could use it as a fun Bible fact to open a conversation…an ice breaker.
On a serious note…check out CrossMarks sometime. There is a lot of good information for Bible study and sermon prep plus other resources. The author of the site is a former pastor in Minnesota but now is a professor at Lutheran Theological Seminary Gettysburg.
Enjoy and God bless!
-edh-
The Heart of a Pastor 
thanks for the tip!
Since I don’t like food with much mayo, I figured I don’t like deviled ham, but I looked up the recipe in Yahoo recipe search and it didn’t exist. Ditto deviled eggs.
Here is the definition: http://tinyurl.com/a5oxm
But it turns out that the definition of deviling food has to do with the “heat” ie spices that are in the food. Just like there is a picture of a devil on the labels of some hot sauce. So maybe I’ll like deviled foods; I need to give them another chance, since I like hot pepper sauce.
We do use the same type of language to describe people, such as a lively boy who is into everything might be said to be a dickens or a little demon, etc.
More seriously, how do you look at someone having a demon? A pastor we had, who had lived in Africa twice, felt that this was literal because some problems/diseases/conditions seemed to present themselves as demons in Africa.
P.S.
You present an intriguing question and I would love to hear what other people think here. But I will put my 2 cents in here:
I think we often limit our view of demons to what we see on TV or in the movies. We give them bodies with evil personalities. I don’t believe we have demons running around like you would see on the TV show “Charmed” (don’t ask me how I know about that show — a guilt pleasure I guess). Anyway…I believe one way demons make themselves known to us in addictions. Sometimes they appear in ways such as feelings of intense hate towards a person (like I am planning on talking about on Sunday). We sometimes use hate to protect ourselves from a person hurting us again, but instead of protecting ourselves we separate ourselves from others and community. Is that a demon? I don’t think are are far off.
I don’t think we can dismiss the idea of demons. On some level they exist…after all Jesus did deal with them in some way.
Thanks for the question. What do others think?
Eric
Brother
I have been good, thanks, just busy
Demons,,Yes there real, Look into the face of evil and you’ll see. I have met guilty men who are repentant, and I have met Evil men wearing the mask of innocent, You can actually feel their evil spirit.
I have to agree Eric that Addictions are demonic. been there, done, that got the shirt. The reason I know that Addictions are demonic is that they can be conquered by faith and prayer. I.E. A.A. It is such a successful program and to keep clean you need to give it up to a higher power. God casts out these demons of addiction.
SO the Demonic of the Gerasenes, Check out his song by Casting Crowns. The Album: Lifesong
Title: Set Me Free
It hasn’t always been this way
I remember brighter days
Before the dark ones came
Stole my mind
Wrapped my soul in chains
Now I live among the dead
Fighting voices in my head
Hoping someone hears me crying in the night
And carries me away
Chorus:
Set me free of the chains holding me
Is anybody out there hearing me?
Set me free
Morning breaks another day
Finds me crying in the rain
All alone with my demons I am
Who is this man that comes my way?
The dark ones shriek
They scream His name
Is this the One they say will set the captives free?
Jesus, rescue me
Chorus
As the God man passes by
He looks straight through my eyes
The darkness cannot hide
Do you want to be free?
Lift your chains
I hold the key
All Power on Heaven and earth belong to me
(Repeat)
You are free
May our Father Bless you Brother, Thanks so much
In Messiah
Rick Weiss
If demons are real, then it makes sense that they present themselves differently in different contexts, different continents.
I feel that there is a POWER behind drugs, porography, and other things that suck us in (ie WantMore that I wrote about yesterday on my blog) that is much more than just the desire for profit that pushes us to do normal work.
Rick — Thanks for the comment. I know that Casting Crowns song but I never made the connection before. I will be listening more carefully next time.
I don’t think I have felt evil while in the presence of someone – actually I am usually carefull about labling people as evil because on some level we are all evil because of our sinful nature. But I do know what you are getting at. As PS said, evil/demons manifest themselves in a variety of ways and in people is definitely one way.
Eric