There's Only One Way Out of This Mess
The Shooting in Nashville and the Only Solution
Another school shooting. More lives lost. More families thrust into grief at the hands of a person with evil in her heart. I don’t think there is any question that the shooter at the Nashville school was driven by demonic forces. Some of us were shocked to see the news. Others kept scrolling, having been desensitized to these kinds of things. Everybody has a hot take. We all want these things to stop happening.
As is their usual pattern, all of the media personalities and politicians are taking this opportunity to tell us what the solution is. “Ban assault weapons. Look into how we are handling the mental health crisis. Do more security training.” Added to the usual post-tragedy grandstanding, there is the element of the shooter’s “transgender identity” and the fact that her target was a Christian school. Christians, including children, were murdered by a transgender attacker. But the mainstream media is already spinning this into a “those poor LGBTQ+ people” sentiment. It’s disgusting.
After these tragedies, there is always widespread public demand that somebody do something about it. Everyone wants it to stop. But there is only one way to fix it. There is only one way out of this mess.
A Demon Possessed Man
In Luke 8 there is a familiar account:
“And when He came out onto the land, He was met by a man from the city who was possessed with demons; and who had not put on any clothing for a long time, and was not living in a house, but in the tombs.” (Luke 8:27, NASB)
In the country of the Gerasenes, Jesus encounters a man who is not living naturally. He is living in an unreasonable and illogical way. All men are sinners, but this man’s state is more confounded. He is living against nature. The text tells us why he is living so. He is possessed with demons.
To enter a school and shoot young children is against nature. It is sub-human. It arises from the same spirit that drives a nation to slaughter their own children in the womb. This is nothing short of demonic. A culture that is demonically driven will live just as the demon possessed man did. Surrounded by shame and death. It is not natural to refuse clothing. It is not natural to live in the tombs. Likewise, it is not natural to change one’s gender identity. It is not natural to murder children.
I believe America has severe issues with demonic activity. We may not have as many shamans and voodoo doctors as some other nations have, but Satan knows that would be too obvious for us. America’s demonic activity comes to us through the headlines.
Man’s Solutions
The locals had great ideas for keeping this guy in check.
“…he was bound with chains and shackles and kept under guard, and yet he would break his bonds and be driven by the demon into the desert.” (Luke 8:29b, NASB)
They tried two main strategies for fixing the problem:
More Restrictions (“bound with chains and shackles”)
Better Security (“kept under guard”)
Do those things sound familiar? Every time one of these shootings occurs, we show up with all of our strategies. Gun control, more security at places, better training, more mental health programs (Let’s be honest. Most mental health programs take all your money and give you no actual help.), and more regulations across the board. Despite all of our strategies and implementations, the next shooting occurs and we are driven back into the whirlwind of “solutions”. It never seems to work and Scripture tells us why.
“…yet he would break his bonds and be driven by the demon into the desert.” This man had a spiritual problem. The locals tried to fix it with human means. You cannot legislate demons, and no barricade, guard, or security system will fend off demonic forces. Everybody is looking to the politicians to do something about the shootings in our country. Their hands are tied. They may be able to write laws and give speeches, but they are not able to conquer demons. All their potential legislation will just be more chains and shackles for the demons to throw off like feathered pillows.
Our government can’t save us. This is especially true considering most of them are infected with the same demonic forces. In the words of Jesus, “How can Satan cast out Satan” (Mark 3:23)?
The Only Way
“Seeing Jesus, he cried out and fell before Him, and said in a loud voice, ‘What business do we have with each other, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I beg you do not torment me…The people went out to see what had happened; and they came to Jesus, and found the man from whom the demons had gone out, sitting down at the feet of Jesus, clothed and in his right mind…” (Luke 8:28-35, NASB)
There were two beings that saw Jesus in that encounter: the demon(s) and the man. Seeing Jesus drove the demons into terror and disarmed their power. No chains. No shackles. No guard. Just the sight of Jesus Christ. For the man, seeing Jesus was the instrument of redemption. The demons having been cast out, the man was found clothed and made right.
This is the way. It is the only way. If this nation is ever going to see the end of all of this wickedness and violence, we must see Christ. The proclamation of Jesus and His Gospel is the only way to fix this. It is the only way to drive out the demons that possess our nation and redeem the lost that fill our nation. And when the proclamation of Jesus has accomplished widespread redemption of the people of this country, we will not need the legislation, the bolstered security, the training, and the reliance on mental health programs.
Doesn’t it make perfect sense that this stuff has become prevalent since we, as a nation, turned from God? Likewise, it will only get better when we, as a nation, turn back. And that only happens via the Gospel.
Dear Christians, now is not the time for hiding. Now is not the time for trying to fit in with the world around you. Now is the time for boldly holding up Jesus in every way possible. Don’t take the easy road. Let everything in your life be a testimony of Christ. Let the whole world see Him! It is the only way out of this mess.