Jesus’ effective, out of the gate rebuke of the enemy’s tactics in the wilderness, followed by a series of devil-rebuking events might lead us to reimagine our concept of “the unclean” and its broader, deeper application. It was doubt, false pride and deception which were the unclean things that facilitated the original breach, and resulting fall – luring Adam and Eve away from their first love – The One who first loved them; dismantling the divine family unit, and costing them access to paradise with an eternally loving Father. It’s the same strategy the enemy attempts nearly 4000 years later with The Second Adam – but fails magnificently. (Interesting to note how Luke 3 concludes – introducing the beginning of Jesus’ ministry bookended by His genealogy dating back to the first Adam … “Which was the son of Enos , which was the son of Seth, which was the son of Adam, which was the son of God.” Luke 3:38)

As repairers of The Breach pursuing healing in the earth, Jesus  first calls us to recognize, acknowledge and address the source of our own sin resulting in blindness weakness impotence, disease  and threat.

“And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother’s eye, but perceivest not the beam that is in thine own eye?

Either how canst thou say to thy brother, Brother, let me pull out the mote that is in thine eye, when thou thyself beholdest not the beam that is in thine own eye? Thou hypocrite, cast out first the beam out of thine own eye, and then shalt thou see clearly to pull out the mote that is in thy brother’s eye.” Luke 6: 41-42

And there’s that casting out language again – that beam’s starting to look a lot more like sin, or synonymously an unclean thing.

And in that same hour he cured many of their infirmities and plagues, and of evil spirits; and unto many that were blind he gave sight.” Luke 7:21

In Luke Chapter 8, Scripture points to women who had been healed of “evil spirits and infirmities, and out of whom in one case “went seven devils…”

In Luke 8 27-36  Scripture rehearses the account of Jesus casting out seven devils (Legion) from a man who had been tormented by them for years. Then He heals a woman of a bloody issue which had plagued her for 12 years, and who would have been considered unclean; and then restored life to a twelve-year old girl who had died. Luke 8:41-56 (He’d actually also resurrected a young man upon passing  by him as he lay on a stretcher in Luke 7, where of course we also have the account of Jesus healing the centurion’s beloved servant. Neither of those events were related to anything depicted as sinful or unclean, but it seemed a shame to leave them out. And suddenly it makes me wonder whether The Lord God considers death to be unclean … hmmm. A question for much greater wisdom than my dispensation.).

In Luke 9 after giving the twelve disciples power and authority over all devils, and to cure diseases, upon returning from a desert place with His apostles, He received a group who had  followed Him and He healed those who needed it. Later, after retreating to the mountains to pray with Peter, John and James, and after having had a visitation with Moses and Elias (which His disciples witnessed but almost missed because they were sound asleep), a man beseeched Him to cast out a dangerous devil tormenting his son because the disciples could not.

^“And, behold, a man of the company cried out, saying, Master, I beseech thee, look upon my son: for he is mine only child.And, lo, a spirit taketh him, and he suddenly crieth out; and it teareth him that he foameth again, and bruising him hardly departeth from him. And I besought thy disciples to cast him out; and they could not.

⁴¹ And Jesus answering said, O faithless and perverse generation, how long shall I be with you, and suffer you? Bring thy son hither. And as he was yet a coming, the devil threw him down, and tare him. And Jesus rebuked the unclean spirit, and healed the child, and delivered him again to his father ..” Luke 9:38-42

Scripture is full of accounts of Jesus casting out devils either preceding or tandem with His healing works.  Most of these accounts are preceded by His seclusion in prayer – even the kind that alters his countenance and clothing, and produces an encounter with saints from generations past (Luke 9:29-30). Of course we can be quick to flock to the relief and the restoration that Jesus’ healing brings, failing to discern the root cause of a condition, and then sometimes quickly forsaking The Healer once our appetite for healing, miracles, signs and wonders has been satisfied …

At this time in the history of the world, and  with evidence of our poor stewardship of the earth and its peoples all around, we can’t afford to be in denial. That kind of blindness is acutely dangerous. Why couldn’t the disciples cast out the devil from the man’s son? Why did Jesus rebuke them for being “faithless?” Was it because they didn’t believe in the power and authority He had given them – or was it because they were unprepared? (They sure did sleep a lot). We can’t afford to be too sleepy either. We must squarely face and cast out any devils lurking within our own midst in order to effectively cast out plagues lurking without.

The unclean thing within us; in our lives gets dealt with by the all-powerful Holy and righteous hand of God first. You may have heard it said leave no room for the Devil. Why? Because he comes to kill, steal and destroy through unclean things, that we underestimate – deceit, false pride and forsaking our God and His commands.

Let us get our house in order. Repent and re-commit to love The Lord Our God with all our heart, strength, mind and soul.  Then we’ll be in the right posture and position to discern, call out, and cast out unclean spirits elsewhere. As The Priesthood, the first order of business after our individual, familial cleansing, and that of our local fellowships, is to attend to the broader condition of The Body. As followers of Christ, how have we prepared The Bride to present herself without spot, or wrinkle or blemish before her King?

That said, we must have a care in tending to The Church’s flaws – even sins. This is the work unto, and of The Bride of The Christ – no amateur business for those who think like a child. It requires the putting away of childish things in order to clearly discern our failings and approach healing and restoration with: clean, empty hands and with the mind of Christ: no festering infected wounds from implanted beams, and no unwashed hands clutching the enemy’s baggage. This is the work of preparation.  Then we’ll be rightly positioned to rightly divide the Word of Truth – corporately, and to properly turn Godly attention toward communities, and nations in need of our love and of a Savior. It’s time perhaps beyond time. it’s the season for a mature Church to collectively launch a full-on assault on unclean things in our midst, and on powers and principalities in high places. Indeed we can no longer afford the luxury to addressing failures in linear sequential fashion. The era of hyper acceleration is upon us and is relentlessly dynamic, as The Lord’s return approaches. The Church must draw on the power of the Holy Spirit to prepare us to address our individual and corporate sin – quickly. Our Savior was prepared for every work. He was conceived by the power of The Holy Spirt, and empowered by The Holy Spirit for ministry;  He frequently withdrew and sequestered Himself in prayer before The Father such that He was equipped with miracle-working “virtue,” He called it. When will we hunger and thirst for such faith, such righteousness and for the desire to be fully immersed in His cleansing flow. We simply can’t afford to leave the sanctuary of our Blood-stained doorposts, venturing into the town or the city without such a passion, lest we reap the harvest of vanity.  

^“Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.”James 5:16

Beloved, we too are called to the business of denying power to unclean things – whether they be physical, mental, or spiritual – habits or attitudes. Within the Body we’re called to encourage, admonish, and to hold one another to account in brotherly love. We’re called to hold up the blood-stained banner of truth and of love to speak Truth one to another in agape and to speak Peace to the nations. We are responsible for the condition of The Bride, and for the state of the earth. Yet we cannot perform the work isolation; needing the strength each joint supplies. So arise slumbering Bride and take your place. Let us be about Our Father’s business.

Image by: A. Blanco