My two devotionals on demons of a few days ago proved timely. By now you’ve seen the news about the Waffle House shooting in Antioch, Tennessee, just outside of Nashville. Travis Reinking eluded police for 1-1/2 days before being arrested, charged with killing four people. I hate to be politically correct by assuming his innocence until proven guilty, so I’ll report that he allegedly approached and entered the Waffle House firing an AR-15 while in the nude except for wearing a jacket.
Reinking has had previous run-ins with the law. One arrest occurred in Washington, D. C. when he carried four weapons too close to the White House in seeking a meeting with President Trump. Also, he’s the guy who believed Taylor Swift had been stalking him.
Do you get the picture? To use a Southern expression, “he’s not right”. In the coming weeks I’m certain we’ll likely hear about a plea of innocence by reason of insanity. I sympathize with persons struggling with mental illness, and we need to extend help and understanding to them. I also suggest that some mental illnesses characterized by violent behavior toward others reflect demon possession. Most mental health professionals would scoff at this suggestion.
This current event resembles another one that occurred two thousand years ago. Jesus and His disciples had crossed the Sea of Galilee headed to the area of Gerasenes. After arrival on land, He met a wild man living in the tombs. This guy ran around naked and could not be contained, hurting others and himself. The description of this fellow sounds a lot like Reinking.
What did this man say to Jesus? First, he acknowledged Him as God. Second, he reported being filled with a legion–that is, a huge number–of demons. He didn’t pass himself off as being insane.
What happened next? Jesus cast out all the demons from this man and he became perfectly normal and calm. There was no mention or acknowledgement of anything else causing the man’s behavior.
Now, in consideration of the Reinking murders in Antioch and the illogical nature of his actions, is it really a stretch to accept that he’s demon-possessed? In my opinion, not at all, and I recognize that some readers will regard me as backwards for thinking so. However, Jesus thought this way–correctly, I should add–so perhaps we should as well.