Scripture Reference: Mark 1:14-45

The Call You Can’t Resist – Continued

Please read Mark 1:16-28 for the background to this section.

If you remember, the beginning of the Gospels tell us that Jesus began His ministry by going out to confront Satan, the controlling power behind all demons. That wasn’t the end of it by any means, for even now the confrontation continues. Jesus’ presence flushes those spirits out of hiding; and here, in the synagogue, He has not gone looking for a demon, but His very presence has forced the demon to show itself. As far as we can tell, this man has been peacefully attending the synagogue all his life, which probably says something about the level of spiritual life in the synagogue. While the people sitting around may not be too clear who this new teacher is, the demon has no doubt at all. “Jesus of Nazareth?” it asks, yet there is nothing remarkable about his knowing Jesus’ home town, but probably the use of His name represents a futile attempt to control Him. “Have you come to destroy us?” That may well in fact be a statement; “You have come to destroy us!” The demon correctly identifies Jesus as God’s unique representative, “Holy One of God,”—set apart, the antithesis of all evil—and it recognizes that His coming spells the end, not just for one demon that Sabbath morning, but ultimately for all the powers of evil, because Jesus has come bearing all the authority of God!

How is it that a demon can recognize the Son of God for who He is, while the people, by and large, do not? The answer is that Satan blinds people to Jesus’ true identity (2 Corinthians 4:4). The demons are perfectly clear about who Jesus is, though the knowledge itself does them no good. However, soon comes the moment of truth. Literally, Jesus says, “Be silent.” In essence Jesus emphatically and authoritatively states, “Be muzzled,” as if He was dealing with a little, yapping dog. “Come out of him!” Dramatically, with a convulsion and a yell, the spirit is gone. For Jesus, there will be no more anonymity after this!

In Capernaum the people are astounded to see evil spirits banished with a word. This shows more clearly and dramatically than anything that Jesus is creating a space on earth where only God’s authority is recognized, only His decree runs. That is the Kingdom of God in action. The driving out of demons is a foretaste of the cross, where Jesus will achieve His decisive victory over Satan as His death sets people free from the power of sin and hell, breaks Satan’s power and establishes the Kingdom of God. Still today, the Kingdom is spreading and growing. The life and activity of each local church that follows the teaching of the Gospel is a small sign of God’s Kingdom on earth, a place where we acknowledge God’s right to rule, where we say, “Jesus is King. Jesus is Lord.”

The “call you can’t resist” forms a strange link between the disciples and the demons. For the disciples, it is a call to follow; for the demons, a call to be gone. In both cases, they recognize the authority of Jesus and they cannot resist the call.

To Be Continued

Unless otherwise noted, Scripture taken from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®, ESV © 2016 by Crossway Bibles.
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