The Jinn
Many people in the Middle East have beliefs and superstitions about ‘The Jinn’ – spirits which can be good or evil but, on the whole, people are afraid of them. Often they are seen as different beings from angels or demons. The English word ‘genie’ is derived from this word and their depiction in stories as being tricksters who find ways to harm you at the same time as helping you is close to many people’s views about the Jinn in the Middle East.
Recently, we were visiting a family and one member of the family told us that she was very interested in learning more about the Jinn, out of curiosity. She has been trying to find books which can give her more information about them.
We told her that the Gospel has many interesting stories about how Jesus cast out spirits from possessed people. She replied, ‘Oh yes. They are also in the Qur’an. Whilst it is true that the Qur’an mentions that Jesus was able to cast out evil spirits, there are no stories of any specific deliverances.
We started to tell her a couple of the stories and she was very interested to hear them. We explained that Jesus said that it is not enough just to cast them out, but the door must be closed afterwards, otherwise the spirit will return with seven others! Our time with the family was limited, but she expressed interest in reading more of the stories in the future.
Although some topics are not necessarily beneficial to focus on, it is good to find ways to link them to the gospel message or stir up interest in reading scripture. Speaking about this topic can also lead to opportunities to pray for deliverance, if there is a need.
