Today we hear the Gospel of two men who were possessed by demons. Scripture teaches us of the existence of demons, personal evil which deliberately seeks to bring the downfall of men and women.
We do not only have to carry on a battle with our own weaknesses but also wage war against the wicked spiritual forces in the Heavenly world, the rulers, authorities, and cosmic powers of this dark age.
As Orthodox Christians we need to put on the armor of God and stand up against the Devil’s evil tricks. Jesus Himself did not reject the popular notion of His time that Satan and his demons had power over the fallen world, causing physical and spiritual sicknesses and bringing about a distortion of the divine likeness of human beings. An important part of Jesus’s saving work was to exercise the demons.
Jesus’ presence, which is God’s presence, expels demons. Even His enemies admitted to Jesus’ ministry of casting out demons, although these enemies tried to attribute His exorcisms to the power of Beelzebul, the prince of demons, and thus they sinned against the Holy Spirit. Jesus’ divine presence binds the demons. Through His ministry Jesus establishes God’s Kingdom and pushes back the boundaries of the kingdom of darkness.
This is the essence of this gospel reading for the 5th Sunday of Matthew. The power of God’s presence!
