Monday, March 29, 2010

"I adjure you by God" - demon.

Orkizw se ton Theon, me me basanises – I adjure you by God, do not torture me.
Seems to say something about the hierarchy of the universe- and when demons come face to face with Jesus they recognise it. The “I adjure you by God” out of a demons mouth is startling. Great fear seems to be the predominant motive- we're in a life or death situation here (interesting to compare this to the disciples – both demons and disciples end up appealing to a higher authority- but the demons have more idea in one sense what they are appealing to- and the power that resides there. That is why they are qualing before the height of the storm in a sense, and trying to avert that, whereas the disciples were most scared afterwards.
There is an appeal to mercy from the demons- (Is this a– we know this is a weakness of our enemy- we'll throw all our dice on this?)
The demons strategically ignore or at least delay on Jesus first command, 'Come out of the man you unclean spirit!” Could they because of the technicality that he wasn't an unclean spirit, but unclean spirits? Then Jesus asks him what his name is- a bit like a teacher disciplining a child where he doesn't know his name- there is no question here of the demon giving a false one- “My name is legion for we are many”
And then they get in and suggest a brer rabbit type of solution- before Jesus can come up with anything worse- don't send us out of the country- send us into the swine- let us enter them.
What are the disciples thinking? Can the swineherds overhear this exchange as well? There is this interaction between two realms that most of the time are very opaque to humans. And the lines seem a bit more clearly drawn for the protaganists, than the corresponding story unfolding on the more 'human' level. There also seem to be interactions between God and man that this 'spiritual' realm finds fairly opaque- “It was revealed to them that they were serving not themselves but you, in regard to things that have now being announced to you through those who brought you good news by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven- things into which angels long to look! (1 Pet 1:12)”

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