LIBERATION AND UNITY - Rev. H. C. Vankairinga

Posted On: 2009-08-06 11:43:00 By: SCMI

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LIBERATION AND UNITY

Rev. H. C. Vankairinga[1]

 

One day I met one of the Church leaders, who holds high office in the State Government and spent some times with him in his office on official duty. After finishing the official work, he shared with me some of the burning issues including possession of demons. I’ve told him that every Friday night we have a programme of fellowship group in my College where students and faculty members participate. Then he asked me to contribute the issue for our discussion and to let him know our conclusion. The question is: “Can a born‑again person really be possessed by demons?”

 

Since then that issue occupied my mind even in the middle of the night. I opened my Bible in the next morning after finishing my private morning devotion and read Mk.5:1-20 (cf. Matt.8:28-34; Lk. 8:26-39) where we have a record of the Gerasene demoniac liberated by our Lord Jesus. Jesus here not only healed but united the person into himself and his ministry. This is what Paul also said to the Ephesians: “Now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ” (2:13). I believe, each and every member of the Christian community is called to liberate and unite people, who are in bondage of various kinds.

 

The Synoptic Gospels recorded the story of a person(s) in Gersenes, possessed by demons, who could not set himself free from the demonic power. The second and third evangelist of the New Testament tells us about Jesus coming out of the boat and was met by a man out of the tombs with an unclean spirit.  He was mad, wore no clothes, refused to live with his people but preferred to be in the tombs. He was kept under guard, bound with chains and shackles, but he broke the bonds and was driven by the demons into the wilderness. When he saw the Lord from a far distance, he ran and bowed down before him and shouted at the top of his voice neither to torment him nor to send him out of the country: “What have you to do with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I adjure you by God, do not torment me” (Mk.5:7). Jesus asked his name, he answered, “Legion.”

 

A Roman legion was a regiment of 6,000 soldiers. Obviously this man might have seen a Roman legion on the march and felt that there was not only one demon but the whole regiment inside him. As was asked, Jesus caste the demons out and sent them into the herd of swine, numbering about two thousand. The first evangelist tells us that the number of persons possessed by the demons, however, was not only one person but two, coming out of the tombs. They were so fearful that no one dare to go that way.

 

When they saw Jesus, they shouted, asking him whether he came to torment them before the time, and asked him to send them into the herd of swine that were far distance from them. Jesus sent them away and liberated them. Jesus liberated the man from his bondage to the evil spirits and restored him to sanity. Though the man wanted to go with Jesus, he rather was asked to go back to his own people and tell them what the Lord had done for him: “Go home to your friends, and tell them how much the Lord has done for you, and what mercy he has shown you” (Mk.5:19). Thus, the man went away and proclaimed what had happened to him, and whoever heard of him speaking how much Jesus had done for him, his hearers were amazed.

 

I was reminded of the incidence that I have had before when I was in the pastoral ministry. In one of my pastorates, I had been informed of a man who had been empowered by the evil spirits to heal people of various sicknesses. One day, one of the Church members got accident and had his leg broken. He was attended by the physicians but the latter could not heal his wound. He was then brought to the man who was said to have had a demonic power. The demon-possessed man asked the wounded family to bring a dog, which he killed and took the bone of its leg. He then blew the bone of that dog’s leg with the help of a hollow tube made of bamboo into the leg of that wounded man. The broken bone was replaced by the bone of dog and automatically the man was healed and could walk without any problem. It was too wonderful for me to believe but it seemed to be true. The demon-possessed man was now born again and was effectively participate in the Church ministry.

 

In another village, I have heard about this kind of incidence yet in a different way. It was during the Christmas season where people sang praises to God for a number of days. By the way, it is the Mizo way of doing, particularly during Good Friday and Christmas seasons, gathering in one of the houses of the Church members, singing, dancing, praying, sharing and preaching the word of God. Generous people donate their money and animals in order to feed the people who come to praise God, singing and dancing with drums for days. On one occasion during the Christmas season, on one particular night, a man was suspected to have possessed by the evil spirits. The Church leaders gathered together and asked God through prayer to open their eyes and ears to know if the man was really filled with the evil spirits. At the middle of the night he was led by some of the Church members who claimed to have been filled with the spirit of God to the water point, watered him and beaten him up in order to set him free from the power of the evil spirits. He was helpless and tired but nothing came out of him.

 

Problem of Today

When we say, “Christ liberates and unites,” what do we really mean? Should it determine our policy and programme as Christian community living together, serving our Lord and King? How far are we to involve in the struggle for liberation? Are we really prepared to liberate and unite people, who are possessed by various types of demons?

 

First of all, let us look at the situation where people live in bondage of various kinds. We have been reading and hearing the problems of our fellow human being particularly the young ones, who are caught and chained by the power of alcohol. We have never heard and seen any book published prior to 1985 that have the content of AIDS disease. According to the Progress of Nations Report, released by UNICEF in July 2000 at the end of 1999,[2] since its first detection in 1985 the number of people living with HIV/AIDS has risen to an estimated 34.3 million people of which 1/3 are youths. Every minute 6 young people are reported to have been infected. The cumulative death toll since its first detection is 18.8 million of which 10.3 million are young people. Africa with 24.7 million affected people is the highest and accounts for 72% of the 34.3 million affected people.

 

India has 3.7 million affected people and is second to South Africa in terms of sheer numbers. Asia has an estimated 6.1 million people living with the virus as against 1.3 millions in Latin America, 900 thousands in North America, and 520 thousands in Europe. The UN report given by the UNAids agencies like UNAIDS UNICEF and WHO that met at Copenhagen in early December 2000 tells that the number of people with HIV in eastern Europe had increased to 700 thousands from 420 thousands just a year ago, the worst affected being Russia where an estimated 500 thousands people are HIV positive, and this number will reach 10 million in 2005.

 

According to another source, 2.5 million died from AIDS and 5.8 million test positive HIV each year. On the other hand, the AIDS epidemic update, 2003 reported that there are 34-46 million people living with HIV/AIDS. Out of this, 37 million are adult and 2.5 million are children below 15 years of age. It is also reported that there are 5 million people (4.2 million adults and 70 thousands children below 15 years), who are newly infected with HIV in the year 2003. About 2.8 million people died of AIDS in 1999, and about 3 million people (2.5 million adults and 56 thousands children) died in 2003.

 

In India, there are 5.1 million people who are affected by HIV/AIDS, which is the second highest rate in the world (the highest is S. Africa). More than 60% of the prostitutes in Mumbai are HIV positive. More than one hundred thousand people died of drugs, nearly 800 thousands died of drinks, and 3 millions of tobacco. As we know, the disease was first detected among homosexual. Although there are other causes of infection like transfusion of infected blood, sharing of needle in the case of injecting drug users which also is responsible for infection of a vast number of people particularly the youth, immoral sexual behaviour is the main express highway for the spread of the disease. If this is the report we have only from one state, how many people of our land would be affected by this demonic power?

 

One lady, who was addicted to heroin, amended Ps.23[3] –

           

The heroin is my shepherd, I shall always want.

            It makes me lie down in dirty places;

            It leads me beside still trouble waters;

            It completely destroys my life.

            It leads me in paths of wickedness for its name sake.

            Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of poverty,

            I fear no evil, for you heroin are with me;

            Your needles and your capsules they comfort me.

            You have stolen all the utensils that are placed on a table before me

in the presence of my family;

You have made my head with meaningless;

My cup is overflowed with sorrow.

Surely the love of heroin shall follow me all the days of my life,

And I shall dwell in the hell for the length of days.

 

Another person altered the same Psalm as “Politician Psalm,” and reads[4]

           

            The politician is my shepherd; I am in want.

            He makes me lie down on park benches;

            He leads me beside still factories and corporations;

            He always disturbs my life.

            He leads me in paths of selfishness and favouritism for his name’s sake.

Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of depression and recessions;

            I anticipate no recovery, for he is with me;

            His greediness and egocentricity they upset me.

            He prepares a reduction in my salary in the presence of my enemies;

            He anointed my shares with great losses, my expenses overflow.

            Surely unemployment and poverty shall follow me all the days of my life,

            And I shall dwell in a mortgaged house forever.

 

Problems of unemployment, hunger, illiteracy, under-nourishment, indebtedness, etc dehumanise quite a large section of people. In many cities of our land, people are living in slums with all their problems of destitution, prostitution and other crimes., I have seen the misery of a garbage eater. One evening, when I was in the Union Biblical Seminary, Pune, doing my further studies my friend and I were walking after dinner outside the campus. I saw a man, wearing nothing except sackcloth with dirty big sack, standing nearby garbage, searching, eating and collecting some eatable things from the garbage. He was disturbed by dogs, cows and pigs that were also busying for the same purpose. After spending for some times, he went to the next, doing the same job. While watching him, the statement made by St. John Chrysostom came to my mind:

 

“The master and creator of the universe says, ‘I was hungry and you gave me no food’ (Matt.25:42). What heart is so hard that it is not moved by these words? Your Lord is out there, dying of hunger, and you give yourself up to gluttony. And the terrible thing is not only this, but as you give yourself up to gluttony, you calmly despise him, and it is very little He asks of you: a peace of bread to assuage his hunger. He is out there, dying of cold, and you dress yourself in silk and turn your way without mercy. What pardon can such action merit? Then let us not devote our efforts to accumulating wealth at all cost. Let us also consider the way of administering it properly and helping the needy; and let us not exaggerate in the goods, which remain and cannot be transferred. His is why the Lord has hidden the last day from us; He wants us to remain alert and vigilant, to encourage us to virtue: ‘Watch, therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour’” (Matt.25:13).[5]

 

The nearby people including the one who was with me were not bothering about that man and also did not understand what was in my heart. I was speaking to myself that our Lord was with the poor and the downtrodden while he was here on earth. He was with the prostitute, the despised tax collector, the simple fishermen, the women and the beggar. His whole existence was a clear demonstration of what it was to be really poor. The way in which he drew near to the poor, taking theme into account, sharing so many things with them, shows that God does not forget the poor. I asked my friend to have a look at that man and said to him that we have lots of remaining rice and curry in our hostel kitchen, which would suffice that man’s hunger! But we were of no help to him!

 

The struggle against all forces and power structures, which cause the dehumanisation of people as MM Thomas said, is a spiritual struggle. The resources for such struggle are derived from Jesus Christ who liberates. Let us organize ourselves with Jesus Christ as our centre. Unless we are committed to him and to his mission and unless all our inspiration is derived from him, we shall not have the power to liberate others and ourselves from various bondages. The apostle Paul said, “For our struggle is not against enemies of blood and flesh, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers of this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places” (Eph.6:12). These evil forces can be overcome only by the spiritual power, which we have in Christ.

 

The first three evangelists tell us about the reaction of the people to the loss of pigs. It is very strange that demons asked Jesus to permit them to enter into the herd of the swine. With the permission of the Lord, they entered into the herd of the swine but were driven into the sea. The owner got angry and condemned Jesus for sending demons into the innocent swine. His action had been characterized as cruel and immoral action. This exposed the sense of values people had in their mind. They were more concerned with the pigs, which to them was wealth, than a human person, which to them was a troublemaker. But for Jesus the demoniac(s) was of more value and important than all the wealth in the world.

 

Material possessions are for the well being of mankind and not the other way round. This challenges us to ask what our priorities are! What priorities do various theological institutions in our land set? What about the Church? Can we say that our missionary programme, development projects and everything else are directed toward the liberation of our fellow human beings who are in bondage of various kinds? The liberating power of Jesus is seen not only in his verbal teaching, but in his concrete action such as the liberation of the demon‑possessed, healing of the lepers, liberation of the woman caught in adultery, etc. Gandhiji’s fighting against the untouchability was accomplished not merely through his teaching but through his actions. As a result, he was killed. As a member of the Church or as theological community what shall we do in liberating people who are in bondage?

 

Secondly, when we say that Christ unites, what do we really mean? Do we really unite ourselves with Christ and with our fellow human being? We are called seriously to be concerned about the oneness, which Christ gives to his people. The goal of oneness in Christ is the oneness of all. In India, we need to be concerned about the oneness of the Indian people. In Mumbai we need to be concerned about the oneness of the Mumbai people. Similarly in the theological seminary, we need to be concerned about the oneness of the theological community.

 

A friend of mine once attended a mission consultation and gave a report when he came back. One thing that he noted was that various organisations and Churches no longer want to send their missionaries to the theological colleges or seminaries because when they finished their course of studies, usually they do not want to go back to the Mission Field where they had been working. When I think of my own Church, this seems to be true. Some of my pastor friends had been working in the Mission field as various capacities like Evangelist Teacher, Evangelist, Field Director. When they joined theological studies and completed their course of studies, very few of them, however, went back to the field yet most of them do not. Why? Most probably due to the struggle of power in the Church or else, comfortable life the Pastors enjoy in ministry. I do not believe that they have entirely lost the love of the lost souls, yet are convinced by other ministries.

 

Paul was speaking the objective of liberation in Eph.2:11-21. The passage, however, is specifically about the relationship between the Jews and the Gentiles, who were traditionally enemies of each other. It is God’s purpose of sending Jesus that they should be united into one people. By the death of Christ on the cross, people who were once far off have been brought near and united into one humanity. In Christ all barriers and divisions are overcome. The dividing wall of hostility between the Jews and the Gentiles was broken down. There is neither Greek nor barbarian, neither bond nor free, neither male nor female, but all are united in Christ as one new humanity. It is for this new unity we are liberated by Christ. William Carey united Krishna Pal and Krishna Prasad in the Holy Communion table, saying, “In the blood of Jesus Christ, there is neither low nor high. All are one in Christ Jesus. If you really accept Christ as your personal Saviour and Lord, take the cup and drink.”

 

Conclusion

We are called to liberate people who are in bondage and unite them with Christ and their fellow human persons. Christ offered his body and set his blood on the cross so that the poor would receive good news, the captives would be released, the sight of the blind would be recovered, the oppressed would go free and the acceptable year of the Lord would be proclaimed here on earth. He himself was not fighting for power and leadership while he was here on earth. Otherwise he would have prayed to his Father, who would have provided him more than twelve legions of heavenly hosts (Matt.26:53). However, the main task of our Lord is to establish his kingdom into the hearts of human beings. He taught us that whoever wishes to be great must be servant, and whoever wishes to be first must be slave because he himself came not to be served but to serve and to give his life a ransom for many (Mk.10:43-45). He transformed the Old Testament Law:

 

An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth

into not to resist an evil person;

You shall love your neighbour and hate your enemy

into love your enemies, bless those who curse you,

do good to those who hate you, and pray for those

who spitefully use you and prosecute you (Matt.5:38-39, 43-44).

 

He even taught us to turn the other cheek to him who slaps us on our right cheek, to let him have our cloak who wants to sue us and take away our tunic, to go him two miles who compels us to go one mile, to give him who asks us, and to respond positively to him who wants to borrow from us.  (Matt.5:39-42). Similarly, the apostle also taught us to do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility regard others as better than ourselves. He wanted us to look not to our own interests but to the interests of others, for this is the mind of Christ (Phil.2:3-5). This is how we should liberate and unite people.