From the BBC website: Eastenders 4 February 2016 - Despite her better judgement, Denise decides to face past demons; The Rack Pack 17 January 2016 - Higgins’ chaotic life away from the table saw him battling not just his sporting rivals, but his inner demons...
Past demons? Inner demons? These trouble us all. And we hide them from others......Take a look at the AD 30 incident (in bold above) recorded by Luke in his first-century biography of Jesus Christ. It’s a very revealing story, a story which uncovers hidden realities about the people around us – about us also....
(1) The man with these intangible motivators was “from the city” – with all that that implied. |
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(2) The man’s intangible motivators had moved him to shed his clothing and to live “among the tombs”. He avoided contact with other living people because of his overarching motivators. His sole focus was -- himself.
(3) Despite this, no sooner had Jesus “stepped out on land”, the former city-dweller “came to meet him”. Why would he do that? That’s the last thing that his intangible motivators wanted him to do. Deep inside, they were telling him that Jesus had come to bring “torment” to him. “I beg you, do not torment me.” Yes, don’t have anything to do with Jesus if you have these intangible motivators within. He’ll muck up your desires. But, unexplained, a stronger force compels.
(4) What was the effect of these intangible motivators in this man? The public had to deal with him. The police, the courts and the prison authorities were all involved – then as now. He was kept under guard and bound with chains and shackles, but he would break the bonds and be driven by the intangible motivator (demon) into the desert. The person creates his own “desert” around himself. And a desert, a wilderness, for others as well…. Clearly these restraints didn’t work – they don’t change a person within.
Shortly after this incident, another first-century biographer (Mark) records that the religious people back in Galilee criticized Jesus and his disciples because they were eating without ceremonially washing beforehand, This was regarded as dreadful – they were bringing defilement into themselves. Does defilement come from outside a person - or from inside?
The disciples didn’t want to be unclean. But Jesus taught them to look at things from a different angle. He said, “What comes out of a person is what defiles him. For from within, out of the heart of man, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, coveting, wickedness, deceit, sensuality, envy, slander, pride, foolishness. All these evil things come from within, and they defile a person.” Are these the intangible motivators? Are they the cause of full jails in Jersey, Britain, Europe….? |
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What are we to do about these intangible motivators in Jersey people? What are you going to do about them within me? Will you put me in jail? Would that help?
Back then to AD 30: “Then people... found the man from whom the intangible motivators (demons) had gone, sitting at the feet of Jesus, clothed and in his right mind, and they were afraid… The Gerasenes asked him to depart from them, for they were strongly motivated by great fear… The man went away, proclaiming throughout the whole city how much Jesus had done for him.” |
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