Ethan's high school running skills earned him a top spot in New York State competitions. This was a long time ago. Now, he is divorced and a dead beat dad. Never there for his son's Little League games, his son has grown up angry and bitter.
Frank was never the brightest crayon in the box, but his family never thought that he would be homeless and begging for money on Main Street.
Caroline smoked a little weed in high school but that didn't worry her parents much. Mom and dad smoked in high school and are now fervent supporters of legalization efforts in our state. Caroline's parents were successful and so would she be, right? Actually, wrong. Caroline committed suicide.
What do all these people have in common?
If you guessed drug addiction, you are right! In the bucolic and downright sleepy towns of Westchester County where successful parents raise successful children, there is a dirty little secret.
A local police officer who confronted many parents with the fact of their children's drug use told me that the most common response in his tony Westchester community was DENIAL. Followed by a common first question : Is this going to be on his record? He's going to Harvard next fall.
As our society grapples with issues of marijuana legalization, college campuses are de facto "party central" headquarters of our country and high schools have become the best place to score a local drug buy, we must face a new reality. The truth that drugs are and continue to be a major problem taking our best and our brightest, destroying families and causing untold pain and suffering.
We have seen science, psychiatry and the educational system tackle this problem, to no avail.
Whether it was social-emotional learning, the D.A.R.E. program or countless other attempts at engineering our children into self-actualized geniuses with higher self-esteem, people have turned to drugs in record numbers and their addictions have resisted treatment.
We must ask ourselves why billions of dollars and a multi-disciplinary approach aimed at the problem of drug addiction has failed so miserably. The answer is because none of these above mentionned approaches has sufficiently addressed the spiritual needs of mankind. The need for God.
If we deny the spiritual realm then it is impossible to battle what is beneath the surface. " For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against wickedness in high places. " Ephesians 6:12 ( KJV )
Any educational or family strategy to combat drug addiction which does not address the spiritual battle is like fighting with one hand behind your back. Are you or somebody you know fighting with one hand behind your back? In the above Bible quote from Ephesians we can begin to define the spiritual aspect of the problem, and that problem is evil.
Many people believe that there is no such thing as Satan, or demons. They are uncomfortable discussing what the Bible says about evil. Yet, some of those same people have helped to make television and movie hits out of vampire, werewolf and zombie tales. Whether we like it or not evil exists and we should know that our only defense to vanquish it is Jesus Christ, not a wooden stake, silver bullet or whatever "The Walking Dead" suggests you do.
If you want to see real demons, check out a video showing what someone on bath salts does. They develop a supernatural strength which often results in horrible, violent attacks and even makes it difficult for law enforcement to subdue them. Or what about Crystal Meth. It is a drug so lethal that the user's health quickly deteriorates and it often appears to accelerate the aging
process. And heroin has again resurfaced with it's promises of life-long slavery to it, or even
methadone. These and other drugs often produce hellish visions and hallucinations that seem beyond comprehension, but are they?
2. " and when He (Jesus) had come out of the boat, immediately there met Him out of the tombs a man with an unclean spirit,
3. who had his dwelling among the tombs; and no one could bind him, not even with chains,
4. because he had often been bound with shackles and chains. And the chains had been pulled apart by him, and the shackles broken in pieces; neither could anyone tame him.
5. And always, night and day, he was in the mountains and in the tombs, crying out and cutting himself with stones.
6. When he saw Jesus from afar, he ran and worshipped Him.
7. And he cried out with a loud voice and said, " What have I to do with you, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I implore You by God that you do not torment me."
8. For He (Jesus) said to him, "Come out of the man, unclean spirit!" Mark 5:2-8 (NKJV)
Breaking it Down
This story of demon possession over 2000 years old contains an amazingly accurate
picture of the life and behavior of a drug addict. Let us review the story. "Dwelling among the tombs" is the best description that I have ever read to describe the life of an addict. Drugs are a dead-end street ultimately leading to death. Another meaning of "dwelling among the tombs" indicates that this man was going against society and God by the way he was living. God showed ancient Israel that there was certain things that rendered one ceremonially unclean, living in or near these tombs was one of them. He lived outside of societal norms. Drug addiction separates one from the normal and healthy routines of family life and relationship with God. How many addicts can hold a job, help their children with homework or maintain a clean home?
Chains represent the enslavement of drugs, not to mention the incarceration he or she will most likely
face. We also see that just like the individual on bath salts, PCP etc the demon-possessed man is difficult to subdue.
In verse 5 we see the insomnia and self-mutilation often a side-effect of drug use. But arriving at verse 6, the story turns around when we see that the demons are no match for Jesus Christ. Even the demons must submit to Him. This needs to be part of the hope we have as we deal with the scourge of drug addiction in our life or those we love. We see the demons trying to wiggle out with every evil manipulative behavior in verse 7. But notice, that Jesus is not persuaded by that, and heals the man of demonic possession, in an instant. Praise God.
Is demon possession real? Some scholars like to suggest that what the Bible shows in cases like this is merely mental illness which had yet to be discovered. Do I believe that people doing drugs open themselves up to demon possession? If we don't explore this topic we will continue to lose the war on drugs. As the story of the now demon-free man continues, we see what the stakes of this problem are. Please take time to read the Gospel of Mark 5: 9-20 which I will now summarize. Jesus proceeds to send the demons into a herd of swine. The swine then promptly go over the side of a cliff. The goal of a demon is to destroy the host. Satan's goals are uncovered !
Satan and his team have the goal of preventing your son and daughter from having a relationship with God. Drug and alcohol abuse has got to be one of the easiest ways that Satan can use to derail a person's life and prevent a relationship with God. The end of this tale brought tears to my eyes. Jesus' disciples are still shocked, reeling and frightened to see what Jesus had done. The grateful man wants to travel along with Jesus as He travels and continues to preach the Good News of Salvation. However, Jesus tells him instead to go back to his friends and community. Jesus desires the reconciliation of the drug addict to friends and families and for them to become a productive member of the community. He told this man to testify to the miracle of what our Lord had done for him. Jesus still wants us to tell everyone the story! Have faith and understand that Jesus wants to heal us and our loved ones from the torment of drug addiction. Remember that Jesus' first mission statement described freedom for the captives. So whether you or a loved one, is in the throes of an addiction or currently incarcerated, this message is for you.
NEXT WEEK : Beneath the Surface-Part 2. I will continue exploring the topic of how Jesus heals the drug addict and how we can help.
* All names have been changed and some stories have been changed slightly to protect the innocent.
