Season 1 Eps 1 Mary's Demons

[Dr. Shane]

The Chosen is about the disciples of Christ and it is appropriate for Dallas to start out with Mary.  First, it is empowering to women.  Jesus lived in a male-dominated society and yet Mary was one of the many women that financially supported His ministry.  She was also the first to see Him resurrected.  Jesus delivered her from seven demons.  I am not sure what demon possession was.  It seems there is a lot of discussion on it.  The Old Testament doesn't seem to talk much about demon possession.  It does seem that King Saul and maybe King Ahab were possessed but the language is not nearly as descriptive as what we find in the New Testament.

In Mark chapter 5 we find Jesus talking to demons possessing a man.  Certainly no simular story is told in the Old Testament.  However, that was probably the inspiration for Mary's demons talking to Nicodemus in Episode 1 of Season 1.  This is what I think (and, of course, I could be wrong).  Demon possession in Biblical times is what we call addiction today.  Mary had seven demons which equates to seven addictions.  Seven in the Bible is a symbolic number meaning fullness or complete.  The demons in the demonic said they were legions.  Again this doesn't mean literally 5,800 demons like a Roman Legion but can be understood as fullness or completely filled with demons.  I do believe the demons were real.  I believe demons are fallen angels.  I believe demons are at the root of addiction.  I myself am a recovering alcoholic and drug addict so I know a little bit about that.  However, I believe the only time demons actually spoke were when they came face to face with the Son of God.  What I am suggesting is a theory and might be off the beaten track.

If you have been an addict or lived with an addict you know that often times an addict fails to see something as wrong just before they do it.  Afterwards they are filled with regret.  That is, when they come to their senses.  Some Christians will condemn the alcoholic for repeatedly doing the same thing over and over.  It is as if he or she doesn't ever learn,  Or, as if they are possessed.  They do the same thing over and over, always expecting a different result.  12-step recovery groups have been shown to have the most successful treating addicts and they claim the only hope for recovery is a spiritual experience.  Addicts have no human defense against their addiction.  Their solution must come from God.

In Matthew 12:43-45 we find the parable of the empty house.  An evil spirit comes out of a person and roams around.  When it returns it finds an empty house.  So, it moves back in and brings seven of its friends.  Again, seven is a symbolic number.  I have seen this parable played out in recovery groups dozens of times.  An addict comes into a recovery group.  His or her demon leaves him or her.  They are clean and sober.  Life starts getting good.  They get a job. Perhaps the family situation becomes warm.  They accumulate a few months of sobriety - maybe a few years.  But they don't find God.  All they are doing is immersing themselves in the recovery fellowship.  The drunken horse thief becomes a sober horse thief.  What happens next is predictable.  It is one of two things. Either they relapse into their old addiction or they find a new addiction.  The evil spirit comes back and finds a clean house and moves in with his friends.  This parable, to me, sounds like the pattern of addiction I have seen played out over and over again.  Many recovering drug addicts switch addictions to become sex addicts, compulsive gamblers, shopping addicts or workaholics.  It is predictable.  Those that do not find God do not recover.  The evil spirit comes back.

In Season 2, we see Mary relapse but that is a topic for another thread.

[Gregory Matthews]

My wife and I lke this series and we watch it.

[Stan]

@Dr. Shane are you able to post youtube or other links here so people can view it along with your commentary on it?

[Dr. Shane]

Let me try and see.

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/4jVWIJqaduA" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen></iframe>

That should be a scene of the demons speaking to Nicodemus   OK. That did not work.

[Dr. Shane]