Mark 1:21-28
21 They went to Capernaum, and when the Sabbath came, Jesus went into the synagogue and began to teach. 22 The people were amazed at his teaching, because he taught them as one who had authority, not as the teachers of the law. 23 Just then a man in their synagogue who was possessed by an impure spirit cried out, 24 “What do you want with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are—the Holy One of God!”
25 “Be quiet!” said Jesus sternly. “Come out of him!” 26 The impure spirit shook the man violently and came out of him with a shriek.
27 The people were all so amazed that they asked each other, “What is this? A new teaching—and with authority! He even gives orders to impure spirits and they obey him.” 28 News about him spread quickly over the whole region of Galilee.
Jesus’ authority undoes demon danger
What was Jesus’ first miracle?
It depends on who you ask. John tells us that Jesus turning water into wine at the wedding of Cana was “the first of the signs through which he revealed his glory.”[1] And we have no reason to question that. Water to wine must have been Jesus’ first miracle.
But, when Mark writes his Gospel, he doesn’t start there. The first miracle that Mark records for us is an exorcism. And so, in Mark’s Gospel, Jesus explodes onto the scene with authority and power in Capernaum.
Why demon possession? What does this account from the first chapter of Mark’s Gospel teach us about demons, about Jesus, about ourselves?
The first thing that I think I want you to know – that I want you to take with you when you go home today – is the knowledge that demons really do exist and that the devil has real power and influence in the world; and not only in Jesus’ day, but in our time too.
Have you ever heard this quote?
“The greatest trick the Devil ever pulled was convincing the world he didn’t exist.”
Film buffs may recognize that as a part of Kevin Spacey’s dialogue in The Usual Suspects, but the quotation actually originated from a book called Quakerism Examined by John Wilkinson back in 1836. Whoever said it first, doesn’t really matter. It’s true.
One of the greatest dangers to your soul is believing that the devil is not a threat to you. Look at the passage again:
Jesus went into the synagogue and began to teach… just then a man in their synagogue who was possessed by an impure spirit cried out.[2]
Before we go any further – and before I plant any nightmares in your brain – I want you to know that no demon can ever intrude into your heart or mind and possess you if you are unwilling. The devil and his demons have power, but not unlimited power.
With that said, look at where this impure spirit is active – in their synagogue. The devil cannot claim your heart if you are unwilling, but Christians are not immune from his influence. This demon was active in the synagogue.
Here’s the thing about first century synagogues: they didn’t have their own resident pastor. There was no one dedicated spiritual leader (that’s why men like Jesus were invited to speak Saturday after Saturday). And that had consequences.
It is well documented that many of those first century synagogues were spiritually adrift. Traveling teachers would ramble on and on about the proper way to wash your hands to stay ceremonially clean and they would spend precious little time on the people’s relationship with God. There was plenty of talk about sin and guilt and shame, but practically no talk about grace, forgiveness, or the promise of salvation. Instead, they’d be taught how to try to be perfect people, how to accomplish their own reconciliation with God, with no comfort for when they inevitably fell short.
Christian, that’s fertile ground for the devil to do his work – when you only have a tangential relationship with Jesus.
That may help to explain why there are so many examples of demon possession in the New Testament. At the time of Jesus, Christianity was in its infancy. If the devil could interrupt Jesus’ work before he even finished it, then no one would ever believe in Jesus to begin with, let alone start a religion in his name. And that’s what the devil and his demons want to do more than anything else. They want to separate you from Jesus.
And it may just be that we haven’t seen the same degree of demon possession today, because the devil doesn’t have to go that far to drive a wedge between believers and their God. Why would the devil need to possess anyone if he could convince them that he doesn’t exist? Why would demons need to hold hearts captive if they could captivate imaginations with lies and false teaching, or even just dazzle us into spiritual oblivion with shiny distractions?
It’s often been said that if there were such things as aliens and if they landed on earth on any given day and observed human behaviour, they would think that malls and stadiums and concert venues are our temples, because that’s where the people are. They would think that our god is a rectangular black box because that’s what we give all our attention to.
The devil doesn’t need demon possession when people are content to call themselves Christians and leave it at that – even to come to church every week (like this man in Mark’s Gospel) but fail to inform their faith with God’s Word and grow in their love and trust for God in their lives. Demons don’t need to possess you, when you have already handed over ownership of your heart to any of the hundreds of things in your life that contend with Christ for your love and attention.
The devil and his demons are real and powerful. Christians are not immune to their influence. In fact, Christians are their target audience, especially when you only have a tangential relationship with Jesus. They do their best work when you think you’re a Christian but don’t cultivate your Christian faith and life around an active use of God’s authoritative Word.
That’s what made Jesus different. That’s what amazed these Galileans when they heard Jesus preach, i.e. “because he taught them as one who had authority.”[3]
Jesus wasn’t like the traveling teachers of first century Israel. He didn’t concern himself with manmade rules for how to lead a more holy life. He didn’t lean on anyone else’s opinions, research, or theories. He spoke God’s Word to them. He reminded the people that he was who the demon said he was, i.e. “the Holy One of God.”[4][5]
That’s who Jesus was – the the perfect, sinless Son of God. And we see it in the first sentence. It’s a blink and you miss it moment, but Mark is doing more than just setting the scene for us when he says,
“They went to Capernaum, and when the Sabbath came, Jesus went into the synagogue and began to teach.”[6]
This was Jesus’ habit. No matter where he was, he made public worship a priority – the hearing and meditating and growing in God’s Word, and doing that with other believers.
Isn’t that so often where the devil gets us? Isn’t that how the devil can still be active in our synagogue – tempting us to choose between the two?
“I believe! I read my Bible everyday. I’m a Christian.” But you isolate yourself from other Christians – you’re content to live without the community of faith – and you make yourself vulnerable to lies and deceit and trials and temptation.
“I go to church every Sunday. I’m a member and that means something.” But you skip out on Bible class, forget to do your devotions at home, let your prayer life languish and the fledgling faith that’s fed on Sundays struggles to survive the other six days of the week.
Jesus didn’t give in to that temptation. He made public worship a priority – the hearing and meditating and growing in God’s Word and doing that with other believers.
Jesus really was the Holy One of God! Sinless, spotless, perfect, in every way that you and I are not.
But Jesus did not come to do to us what the demon was concerned that Jesus would do to it:
“What do you want with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us?”[7]
Jesus did not come to destroy impure people like you and me. He came to deliver us from impure spirits like this – to defeat the power and purposes of the devil, and to preach a message of peace to all men and women who by guilt are driven.[8]
What is the devil’s goal? To separate you from Christ by attacking you at your weakest point
Jesus did not separate himself from you because of your sin. It was quite the opposite. Because of your sin – and because of his love for you – he “entered our human story” and became like one of us. He entered synagogues and preached God’s Word to souls who were thirsting for it. He still speaks through that same Word to you today and everyday that you open your Bible and meditate on his love for you. Nothing can separate you from the love of God in Christ Jesus,[9] because he shored up your weakness in his own flesh and blood.
The devil loves to deceive us into thinking that he doesn’t exist or isn’t a real threat. Jesus knew otherwise. He knew that there was an impure spirit in that man in the synagogue in Capernaum that day, and with two short commands – and in no uncertain terms – he told that demon where to go.
That’s what Jesus did on the cross for you. He took the teeth out of the devil’s accusations by paying for your guilt with his holy blood. He showed the devil what he wants with you – your salvation through his sacrifice. He put the devil on a leash, making it clear to him and us that we have nothing to fear.
The devil and his demons are real and powerful. Christians are not immune to their influence. But Jesus is more powerful and filled with more love for you than all the petty malice and violence of all the spiritual forces of evil put together. Jesus has all authority and power in heaven and on earth, and he uses it in love for you.
So, what are you going to do with it? Are you going to go back to a tangential relationship with Jesus and make yourself vulnerable again? Are you willingly going to walk back into the reach of the devil on his leash and toy with sin and temptation? Or are you going to stay close to the Christ who came close to you on the cross? Are you going to follow the lead of the Holy One of God and make not only public worship a priority but Bible study and personal devotion too, because you know that he still speaks to you today in his Word?
It’s not even a question, is it? This is Jesus, the authoritative preacher, the powerful demon defeater, your loving Saviour. Be quiet and listen to him. Amen.
[1] John 2:11
[2] Mark 1:21-23
[3] Mark 1:22
[4] Mark 1:24
[5] King David was the first one to use that name for Jesus in Psalm 16, but he wasn’t the only one. Asaph wrote psalms about him. So did Ethan the Ezrahite. Isaiah used it liberally – in history (1 Kings 19:22) and in prophecy (26 times! Isaiah 5:19,24; 10:17,20; 12:6; 17:7; 29:19,23; 30:11,12,15; 31:1; 37:23; 41:14,16,20; 43:3,14; 45:11; 47:4; 48:17; 49:7; 54:5; 55:5; 60:9,14).
[6] Mark 1:21
[7] Mark 1:24
[8] Rise, Shine, You People (CW:744); stanza 2
[9] Romans 8:39