NEW WINE IS HARD TO SWALLOW: (eBook)

The Tale of the Briar Patch

If you are a Baby-Boomer as I am, you may recall the classic Disney film Song of the South, featuring Old Uncle Remus and his story about three wild and crazy critters: Brer Fox, Brer Bear, and Brer Rabbit. Brer, of course, is short for brother.

The Tale of the Briar Patch, as I have titled it, is old Georgia folklore and can be traced all the way back to Africa. However, it was first introduced to the American consciousness by author Joel Chandler Harris in 1879. Bear with me now as I retell this tall tale:

Brer Fox had been trying to get his paws on that loathsome lagomorph, Brer Rabbit, for the longest time. In fact, the felonious but clever old Fox had launched many an attack against the velveteen varmint, but all had been in vain. Finally, he concocted a foolproof plan. Enlisting Brer Bear as his confederate, he fashioned a tiny toddler of tar and proceeded to set it on a log alongside the road. Well, zip-dee-do-dah, along comes Brer Rabbit. “Good morning,” he says to the tiny tar-toddler, but there is no reply. Brer Rabbit, stupefied, stops and backs up. “Good morning,” he repeats. But again, there is no reply. Over and over, he greets the tacky toddler, but there is only silence. Finally, in a fit of rage, the riled rabbit strikes the tar toddler, sinking his paw deep into the tar. Panic-stricken, he struggles but it is too late, he is stuck. Rejoicing, Brer Bear and Brer Fox jump out of the bushes and seize Brer Rabbit, free him from the tacky toddler and begin to indicate the incredible indignities they intend to inflict upon him. “I’m gonna knock his head off,” says Brer Bear brandishing his colossal club. But Brer Fox has some other terrible torture in mind. So, they begin to toss about the most outrageous methods of torturing and then terminating their pitiful prisoner. Remarkably, Brer Rabbit keeps his cool during this rather callous conversation and instead of freezing in fear, he begins to act out a little melodrama of his own. So, no matter what means of torture or execution his captors suggest, he quickly agrees. “Yes, anything,” he says, “but please don’t throw me in the briar patch!” Time and again he consents to the most disgusting deeds. “Yes,” he says, “whatever you want, but please don’t throw me in the briar patch!” Finally, Brer Fox can stand it no more. “I’m gonna throw him in the briar patch,” he says. “Oh no,” pleads Brer Rabbit, “not the briar patch!” But it is too late. Holding him hard by his hindquarters, Brer Fox hurls the helpless hare, headlong, into the briar patch. Oh, the weeping and wailing that comes pouring out of that prickly briar patch! Brer Bear and Brer Fox, elated, fall down kicking and striking the ground in triumph. Then, there is silence. “That fat little furball is finally finished,” they agree as their eyes meet. What joy! What jubilation! Then, suddenly, they are jerked back to reality by a wee small voice… Oh Bo-oys. Spinning in shock they see Brer Rabbit, completely unharmed. Jaws drop open, tongues fall out, and eyes bulge forth as sickening-sweet singsong words breech the baffled brains of the two bewildered buffoons:

“Oh bo-oys, I was bo-orn in a briar patch.”’

I must confess, I love this silly old story. However, what possible point is to be made by retelling this now politically incorrect children’s story in connection with spiritual new wine?

It’s simple, beloved, this is how the Holy Spirit revealed some new wine spiritual truth to me, and I hope to show it to you using this tale as my point of reference. In short, I am asking you to be mindful of the things of God (Matthew 16:23), setting aside the political correctness of men so you can see something you might not otherwise see.

As you read The Tale of the Briar Patch, you had to admit that Brer Rabbit exhibited considerable cool under fire. However, if you will, allow me to show you someone in Scripture equally as cool as Brer Rabbit. His name is Legion:

And they [Jesus and His Disciples] arrived at the country of the Gadarenes, which is over against Galilee, and when he went forth to land, there met him out of the city a certain man, which had devils long time, and ware no clothes, neither abode in any house, but in the tombs. When he saw Jesus, he cried out, and fell down before him, and with a loud voice said, What have I to do with thee, Jesus, thou Son of God most high? I beseech thee, torment me not. (For he had commanded the unclean spirit to come out of the man. For oftentimes it had caught him: and he was kept bound with chains and fetters; and he brake the bands, and was driven of the devil into the wilderness.) And Jesus asked him, saying, What is thy name? And he said, Legion: because many devils were entered into him. And they besought him that he would not command them to go into the deep [the lake]. And there was there an herd of many swine feeding on the mountain: and they besought him that he would suffer [allow] them to enter into them. And he suffered them. Then went the devils out of the man and entered into the swine: and the herd ran violently down a steep place into the lake, and were choked [or drowned]. (Luke 8:26-33 KJV)

So, how did so many demons come to possess this man? Well, evidently, this pitiful Gadarene was so open to demonic influences that Legion was able to go in and out of him at will; bringing several of his “friends” with him every time he went into the dry places.

Jesus described this infiltration process in Luke 11:24-26:

When an unclean spirit goes out of a man, he goes through dry places, seeking rest; and finding none, he says, ‘I will return to my house from which I came.’ And when he comes, he finds it swept and put in order. Then he goes and takes with him seven other spirits more wicked than himself, and they enter and dwell there; and the last state of that man is worse than the first.

This going in and out must’ve occurred several times because a legion is about 6000. Now that’s a lot of devils! Also, notice that demonic spirits are free to move unrestrictedly through the dry places. However, they soon become restless there because they can find no satisfactory means of self-expression in dry places, so they search out a “wet place,” like a human body, that they might express their evil.

As I’m sure you know, human beings can go a very long time without food, but not long at all without water. Humans need water to support their bodies of water.

This realization that human bodies are bodies of water presents us with the following paradox: While Legion was dwelling in a human “body of water” he was afraid of being cast into the deep, which is also a body of water. This paradox in mind, let’s continue examining the biblical record of Legion vs. Jesus:

When Legion was commanded to “come out” by Jesus in Luke 8:29, he suddenly realized he was not dealing with a buffoon, but rather an apostle (Hebrews 3:1) and much more than an apostle; even the Son of the Living God.

Legion’s first mistake was that he blurted out that which he feared most, i.e., that Jesus might command him to go into the deep. But what does the KJV mean by the deep? The Greek word translated as the deep (in the KJV) is abusso, meaning “perceived as bottomless.” Abusso is usually rendered as “abyss” in our modern American English and is a variation of the Greek word buthos which implies “deep in the sea.” Today, the word “abyss” typically refers to the depths of the sea. Hollywood even made a film, The Abyss, about an alien spaceship hidden deep in the sea.

But why was Legion afraid of the abyss? He freely moved from the dry places to a man’s body which is also a body of water, so why was he afraid? It seems clear to me that Legion must’ve known that the deep had no spiritual doors through which he could escape. Humans, on the other hand, do have spiritual doors because Jesus said:

Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me. (Revelation 3:20)

Oceans don’t have these spiritual doors, nor do lakes, ponds, rivers, streams, or animals. Ah-h-h! Legion was no dummy; for he knew that animals have bodies of water just as humans do.

Therefore, when Legion asked Jesus if he could enter the swine (Luke 8:31-32), he was actually asking that he not be imprisoned in some lifeless body of water like the deep.

Please understand, beloved, possessing a swine is just another form of prison as far as evil spirits are concerned; for they cannot express their evil through a mindless, speechless, swine. I believe this is why Jesus allowed Legion to enter the swine. But, before we move on, we need to confirm this idea that evil spirits can be imprisoned in bodies of water:

And the sixth angel sounded, and I heard a voice from the four horns of the golden altar which is before God, Saying to the sixth angel which had the trumpet, Loose the four [fallen] angels which are bound in the great river Euphrates. (Revelation 9:13-14 KJV)

(These verses may soon be fulfilled because the Euphrates River is going dry. Thus, the four fallen angels may soon be free if they aren’t already. Can the destruction of Damascus be far behind? (Isaiah 17:1)

Legion’s original plan was to attack Jesus and His Disciples, so he rushed out to meet...