Lent 3 + Oculi

Text: Luke 11:14-28

 *** The image for this sermon is from Jerome Witkins, Devil as Tailor.

If we are honest, we don’t hear nor speak of the devil very often these days. Yet, his existence can be seen all around us.

While I was on vicarage in Palo Alto, CA, home of Stanford University, there were numerous sculptures throughout the campus. One sculpture garden was of Auguste Rodin’s Gates of Hell, depicting hell's entrance. Yet, it wasn’t this nearly 20-foot by 13-foot sculpture that caught and grabbed my attention over vicarage; instead, it was an exhibit at the art museum on the campus that grabbed my attention. The exhibit was titled “Sympathy for the Devil.”   

This exhibit depicted the devil in various forms from the 16th century through the 21st century. A commentator wrote regarding the exhibit, “Interestingly, in the 20th century, graphic representation of the devil largely disappears. Hell becomes just an aspect of this world, a notion summarized in one philosopher’s observation, ‘Hell is the others.’ Hell’s inhabitation is now ordinary people who do horrible things, as in one of the paintings in the exhibit by Jerome Witkin, The Devil as Tailor, in which Satan appears as a tailor stitching the attire of those involved in Nazi Germany’s Holocaust.”

This exhibit and pieces of art should serve as a reminder and jolt the Christian; the atrocities of the Holocaust, the destruction of our families, and the danger and terror that seem to linger at every turn remind us that hell and the devil are not aspects of years gone by.

That’s right, hell and the kingdom of the devil are not fantasy, but they linger closer to us than we’d want to admit, and they lead us to be at odds with Jesus. Thus, we must take the word of Jesus seriously; “Whoever is not with me is against me, and whoever does not gather with me scatters.” (Luke 11:23)

Now, there’s this funny name for the Devil today: Beelzebul. It's a name the Philistines gave, possibly translated as “King of flies” or “great bumblebee.” No matter the translation, one can be assured that he is none other than the chief of demons, Satan himself.

It’s also important to note that the origin of Satan’s kingdom was not from the beginning of time but rather a creation after his fall from God’s grace. Since that time, Satan and the angels that fell with him have worked together as bees in a hive gathering pollen for their kingdom.

You are their pollen; their hive is the kingdom of darkness.

Any departure from the grace given in God’s Word brings us into this kingdom of darkness ruled by Satan.

And here’s the thing: the darkness of sin, the darkness of Satan’s kingdom, does not only reside over parts of the world where atrocities occur. Instead, it abides over any man born of Adam; it has been sewn into the fabric of your identity.

So, how has Satan been working to sew his life into yours?

Well, in what ways do you confess your faith not only in church but as you tend to the tasks of daily life? How do you confess your faith at your work, in school, or, most importantly, at home?

Or, more precisely, examine how you confess your sin not only before God but before your neighbors – your friends, your family? Are you eager to confess and be reconciled with your friends, your brothers and sisters, and your family members? Are you eager to forgive? Or do you permit the Devil to have his way with your heart and your lips by keeping you captive in sin, captive to his kingdom?

In today's Gospel, Jesus demonstrates His power over the devil by casting out the demon from the mute man. In doing so, He is accused of casting out demons by Beelzebul. However, Jesus demonstrates to the crowd that He casts out demons by the finger of God because the prince of darkness would not cast out his angels or bring war upon himself.

Jesus demonstrates He has come to defeat the strong man. The strong man is Satan himself, and “He is fully armed, guarding his palace and keeping all that he possesses safe.” (Luke 11:21) The kingdom of Satan is strong; it is fortified and strengthened upon the unbelief of man, those straying from faith and the denial of Christ.

However, Jesus says, “When a stronger than he comes upon [the strong man] and overcomes him, he takes from him all his armor in which he trusted and divides his spoils.” Jesus is that stronger man, the one who takes the battle with Satan to the cross. There lifted high above the earth - in the darkness of the day, Jesus defeated Satan and claimed His spoil; he claimed you!

The very reason Jesus entered this world was for your redemption. He came to claim you as His treasure, to release you from the bondage of sin, the bondage of Satan’s grip.

The great victory of Jesus upon the cross continues to say to the world today, “Either you are with me or you are against me.” The reality of the cross is our hope, comfort, and the only way to the Father and everlasting life. As Jesus said, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” (John 14:6) There is no neutrality in this life, only Jesus.

Now, one of the traditions of Lent is the preparation of catechumens for baptism and entrance into the Church. You see, through baptism, Satan and his angels have been evicted from the home they have found within the souls of man, even the littlest of us. They cannot survive the cleansing waters of baptism that continue to flow upon you and daily release you from the bondage of sin.

Yet, the demons Christ has evicted from within you so that He may take His rightful throne within your heart roam looking for waterless places to find rest. They seek wildernesses and droughts in the homes of Christians who waver in faith, who would rather avoid the conflict of reconciliation and occupy themselves with the fantasies of society than abide solely in God’s Word. They seek the places where God’s Word is no longer feared and loved in all its truth and sincerity. They return to familiar places like an addiction, worse and more powerful than ever before.

What makes all of this even more difficult is that our hearts have been inclined to sin from the day of our conception. We are naturally blind to the ways of God and unable to discern God’s Word without the help of the Holy Spirit.

And so Satan has sewn himself into the very fabric of time and everyday life so that he is unnoticeable to the eye of the Christian without the help of the Holy Spirit. For this reason, his kingdom and minions are often left to the reality of unbelief, movies, and now historical depictions in art.

But for you, the Christian, the cross says otherwise. The cross points you to Jesus, the Stronger One, and the One who defeated Satan and redeemed you with His blood. In Jesus, you have been washed clean of sin that has possessed you. In your baptism, you have been given sight to see the Kingdom of grace flowing from the side of Christ’s mutilated body and ears to hear God’s Word.

Fill your life with this Word of God, and do not turn away from it. Give no room for Satan, his minions, or any evil of this world to enter and pervert your life. Satan is crafty, but Christ is there to call you back to Him when you stumble. Trust that when you hear the voice of God in His Word, you are renouncing Satan and all his ways. When you abide and trust in His Word, you should fear no evil.

God’s Word is your solid footing and confidence, your proclamation to a world that lives in darkness. Through the forgiveness of sin, the Lord will continue the good works He has begun in you until the day He returns, namely, forgiving those who have sinned against you, and Satan, along with his minions, will be destroyed forever.

Lent is an incredibly intense time of the Church year. It is seen as a pilgrimage and battleground that ultimately prepares the Christian for their death. In Lent, we are reminded again and again that Satan and his kingdom are real and our sins are serious. As wars continue to rage throughout the days of our lives, especially within our own lives, we also have the comfort of knowing that Christ is the Stronger One. Christ has already been victorious. The cross is now our banner of hope and the fabric that we live under until we enter into eternal life with Him forever. +INJ+

The peace of God, which passes all understanding, keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.

Rev. Noah J. Rogness
Pastor
Good Shepherd Lutheran Church
Tomah, WI