In every way evil possession transforms the boy into a caricature of a human being, forcibly overwhelming human freedom. Contrast that scene with possession by the Holy Spirit. Paul warns, “Quench not the Spirit” and “grieve not the holy Spirit of God.” The Lord of the universe becomes so small, so freedom-respecting as to put himself somehow at our mercy. Words fail to capture the enormity of descent when a sovereign God takes up residence in a person and says, in effect, “Don’t hurt me. Don’t push me away.”
