Lent 3 (Oculi)

Luke 11:14-26

In the late 1940s, a thirteen-year-old boy lived just outside Washington, D.C. He was a normal young man, living in a middle-class home, with a mother and father who took him to church, a Lutheran church, for that matter.

Like many young boys, he was curious about life, including good and evil. Like a child around Halloween, he wondered whether spirits spoke to the living, whether the grave was the final resting place, or whether something lingered in the shadows and darkness.

The boy’s curiosity was ignited by an aunt he admired and deeply loved, a reminder of how important family is for children. The aunt was a spiritualist, which means she believed the living could communicate with the dead, and that the dead still spoke with the living, like a medium or a psychic. 

While children today fiddle on their phones and play video games, this young man played with the Ouija board, a game-like device from the 1940s that was mass-produced with the idea that it’s fun to communicate with the dead. 

Not exactly the kind of game I’d like to play around with.

Well, when the boy’s aunt died, he experienced a deep period of sadness and despair, and his family noticed significant changes in his behavior. Over time, they began to see strange things happening around the house—scratching noises on the walls or under the floor. Furniture moved by itself across the floor, objects were thrown off shelves, and a vase floated into the air before crashing to the floor. 

As the days went by and the strange occurrence continued, the family noticed the boy was acting differently, becoming quiet during the day and screaming uncontrollably at night. His behavior was erratic, unusual, and quite scary. 

What were the boys’ parents to do?

They did what any faithful Christian parents would do: they went to their pastor at the Lutheran Church they attended to seek his help. Their pastor was not only a dedicated student of the Scriptures but also interested in psychology, so he reached out to his psychologist friends as well, thinking they might be able to diagnose the young man with a mental disorder. 

However, the psychiatrist couldn’t diagnose the young man with any specific mental illness. They had no medical explanation for what was happening. So, the Lutheran pastor suggested that an exorcism be performed on the boy. Not having any experience with exorcisms himself, the pastor recommended that the parents contact a Roman Catholic priest. And so, they did.

The boy was taken to Georgetown Hospital in Washington, D.C., where an exorcism was performed on him. Nothing seemed to take hold, and the boy remained unchanged.

As time went on, the mother believed that whatever was possessing her son was giving her a sign to return to where she grew up, in St. Louis, MO, and so the family did.

Once the family arrived in St. Louis, a cousin, recognizing the challenges, reached out to the church again, requesting help. Eventually, three priests ministered to the boy and conducted the rite of exorcism night and day.

On the night of Easter Monday, 1949, it is said that the possession reached a climax, and after days and nights of continuous prayer, reading Scripture, and commanding the demon to depart, the demon relented and left the body of the young boy, restoring his life. 

For some of you, this might have been a difficult story to hear this morning. Others may have read it or seen it on the big screen. This reveals the real story behind the book and movie, “The Exorcist.”

An interesting aspect of the real story of the Exorcist reveals that the boy’s family was Lutheran, not Roman Catholic. However, they still went to the Roman Catholic Church for help, as described. The Lutheran pastor felt unprepared for such a battle.

It’s a fascinating story that few of us would probably believe today, but that’s exactly how Satan would like it. As St. Paul writes, “Even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light.” (2 Corinthians 11:14)

We Lutherans do get squeamish when we talk about exorcisms. Heck, many don’t even like the bulletin cover this morning. But an exorcism? It sounds so full of evil and darkness.

But Martin Luther did not share this belief; he believed demonic possession to be as real as the devil. He once wrote to a fellow pastor engaged with a woman who was demon-possessed,

The first thing you and your congregation ought to do is this: pray fervently and oppose Satan with your faith, no matter how stubbornly he resists. About ten years ago, we had an experience in this neighborhood with a very wicked demon, but we succeeded in subduing him by perseverance and by unceasing prayer and unquestioning faith. The same will happen among you if you continue in Christ’s name to despise that derisive and arrogant spirit and do not cease praying. By this means, I have restrained many similar spirits in different places, for the prayer of the church prevails at last.

Luther’s belief, and the church’s belief today, is that where the Word of Jesus is preached, the sacraments are administered, and the forgiveness of sins exists, Satan cannot remain. Instead, he must be expelled and driven out from that place, the assembly, and the Christian – the Church.

And this is the core meaning of conducting an exorcism: to have Satan, sin, and darkness expelled or cast out of you. It’s not just something from books and movies; it’s what Jesus does for each of you through prayer, hearing His Word, receiving the Sacraments, and forgiving sin. 

In fact, the Gospel today is all about exorcism, the casting out of a demon. St. Luke wrote, “Now [Jesus] was casting out a demon that was mute. When the demon had gone out, the mute man spoke, and the people marveled.” (Luke 11:14)

The Greek word for “casting out” is ἐκβάλλω (ekballo), and this is where the Church gets the word “Exorcism” from.

But the “Ex” in ἐκβάλλω or exorcism is the foundation of the word “exercise.”

When you put this little word study together, you learn that an exorcism is the exercise of casting out what is evil and sinful from your heart.

Now, because Lutherans believe the Christian is both a saint and a sinner, it means you must frequently exercise faith to overcome the evil and sinful desires in your heart. 

This is where Confession and Absolution and Holy Baptism come into play, through the confession of your sins, the darkness of your heart, the secret transgressions that plague you, those things that not even a spouse or friend knows, you exercise faith in Christ Jesus and ask Him to remove your guilt and shame, to forgive you, and cast out of the devil and his darkness from your heart.

St. John says precisely this in his first epistle, “The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil.” (1 John 3:8)

But this doesn’t mean you are immune to future evil, either.

As the Gospel reading concluded this morning,

When the unclean spirit has gone out of a person, it passes through waterless places seeking rest, and finding none it says, ‘I will return to my house from which I came.’ And when it comes, it finds the house swept and put in order. Then it goes and brings seven other spirits more evil than itself, and they enter and dwell there. And the last state of that person is worse than the first.

These words emphasize the continuous need to confess your sins and return to your Baptism to drown the Old Adam, and all the serpent’s lies that echo in your ears. 

Don’t underestimate the enduring power of the font. It’s there—the pastor first speaks into the ears of the baptized, “Depart unclean spirit and make way for the Holy Spirit.”

It’s at the font, sides are taken, and lines are drawn in the ancient battle with the Devil. Luther wrote regarding Holy Baptism,

It is no joke to take sides against the devil and not only to drive him away from the little child, but to burden the child with such a mighty and lifelong enemy. Remember too that it is very necessary to aid the poor child with all your heart and strong faith, earnestly to intercede for him/her that God, in accordance with this prayer, would not only free him from the power of the devil, but also strengthen him, so that he may nobly resist the devil in life and death.

Why is it that we don’t see the dangers of the devil as Luther describes?

For one, because “[He] disguises himself as an angel of light.” (2 Corinthians 11:14)

We simply don’t want to accept evil or acknowledge Satan in our lives.

But secondly, as the story of the boy at the beginning of today’s sermon shows, we often invite Satan into our homes and hearts through what we consume—the games we play, our entertainment, our addictions, and sadly, even some of our relationships.

The way forward, the path of escape, is to return to faith, the community of believers, the Church, and the exercise of your faith. As Luther emphasized, the strongest weapon a pastor has, and that you have against evil, is to pray without ceasing and with the unshakable faith of a child. 

As the season of Lent continues, the struggles of faith grow harder, pray for one another, teach the little ones in your life to pray the Our Father, and help them understand that when you pray, “Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil…,” you’re not just speaking of generalized evil, but to highlight the original language, you’re praying to be delivered from the “Evil one,” from Satan himself. 

And this is why Jesus was born into your sinful flesh, endured the temptation in the wilderness, experienced the sadness of a friend and loved one’s death, and suffered His holy Passion, even dying upon the cross, to be the stronger man who delivers you from the “Evil one.”

My friends, Satan is real, evil exists, and so do exorcisms.

Recognize that this evil surrounds you, seeks to turn you against one another and against your Savior, Jesus Christ. But through prayer, hearing God’s Word, the forgiveness of sin - the Holy Spirit, the finger of God, is at work in you, giving the gifts of Christ’s victory and driving out all darkness from your heart, just as He did when you were brought to the waters of Holy Baptism and the pastor spoke into your ears, “Depart unclean spirit and make way for the Holy Spirit.”

So, hold on to the gift of your Baptism, rejoicing in how God—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit—has freed you from Satan’s reign and gives you and all children of God, safe harbor in the ark of His Church. +INJ+

Rev. Noah J. Rogness

Pastor, Good Shepherd Lutheran Church

Tomah, WI

Good Shepherd Lutheran Church Website: www.goodsheptomah.org

The Shepherd’s Voice Podcast: https://goodsheptomah.podbean.com/