Mark 1:23-28, Luke 4:33-37 (The healing of the demoniac in the synagogue)

Rachel Workman: Reading for Mark 1:23-28, Luke 4:33-37 (The healing of the demoniac in the synagogue)

Matthew	Mark	Luke	John
	23 Suddenly, a man in the synagogue who was possessed by an evil[h] spirit began shouting, 24 “Why are you interfering with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are—the Holy One of God!” Even the demons knew who Jesus was. But knowing who Jesus is doesn't save one. Believing and repenting does. 25 Jesus cut him short. “Be quiet! Come out of the man,” he ordered. 26 At that, the evil spirit screamed, threw the man into a convulsion, and then came out of him. 27 Amazement gripped the audience, and they began to discuss what had happened. “What sort of new teaching is this?” they asked excitedly. “It has such authority! Even evil spirits obey his orders!” 28 The news about Jesus spread quickly throughout the entire region of Galilee. Several times in these readings it's stated that Jesus taught with such authority.There was something about Jesus that stood out and was different. I think that's probably an understatement. I can imagine that Jesus' quick decisions and readily available answers to any question made him stand out like no other. And it reminds me that I should be ready to answer any question given to me about my faith and salvation.	33 Once when he was in the synagogue, a man possessed by a demon—an evil[g] spirit—began shouting at Jesus, 34 “Go away! Why are you interfering with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are—the Holy One of God!” 35 Jesus cut him short. “Be quiet! Come out of the man,” he ordered. At that, the demon threw the man to the floor as the crowd watched; then it came out of him without hurting him further. It's interesting that Jesus told the evil spirit to be quiet. I feel part of His reasoning was that it was not time to reveal His Messiahship yet. More importantly for us to consider though, is that demonic spirits were not the proper authority to proclaim who he was. McGarvey, in his commentary on Matthew and Mark says, “The faith of those who believe in Him should not rest even in part on the testimony of evil spirits.” 36 Amazed, the people exclaimed, “What authority and power this man’s words possess! Even evil spirits obey him, and they flee at his command!” 37 The news about Jesus spread through every village in the entire region.

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Mike Grimm:  Mark 1:23-28

²³ Suddenly, a man in the synagogue who was possessed by an evil spirit began shouting, ²⁴ “Why are you interfering with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are—the Holy One of God!”

²⁵ Jesus cut him short. “Be quiet! Come out of the man,” he ordered. ²⁶ At that, the evil spirit screamed, threw the man into a convulsion, and then came out of him.

²⁷ Amazement gripped the audience, and they began to discuss what had happened. “What sort of new teaching is this?” they asked excitedly. “It has such authority! Even evil spirits obey his orders!” ²⁸ The news about Jesus spread quickly throughout the entire region of Galilee.

In Mark 1:23-28, the focus on Jesus' authority continues. We have here a typical exorcism story. Notice the description of the possessed man as having an unclean spirit, his asking Jesus, "what have you to do with us," Jesus' rebuke to the spirit and command to come out, and the account of the spirit's convulsions, loud cries, and exit from the man. Each of these characteristics can be found in other exorcism accounts (Mark 5:2, 7, 8, 13; 9:25-26).

Jesus' acting in authority brought blessings to people--health and healing. His authority possessed an irresistible power that drew people not through manipulation, but simply by the person that He was and the truth of His own existence and the gifts that He gave. This was not a claim to authority that was necessarily open to empirical verification in His own time. To many people of His time, it was anything but obvious that Jesus acted on God's authority. To His opponents, Jesus was a blasphemer. Jesus had to trust that God would vindicate His authority--and, as Christians, we believe that God did vindicate His authority by raising Him from the dead.

Luke 4:33-37

³³ Once when he was in the synagogue, a man possessed by a demon—an evil spirit—began shouting at Jesus, ³⁴ “Go away! Why are you interfering with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are—the Holy One of God!” The demon in the man has more spiritual discernment than many. As a spirit himself, the demon recognizes the powerful presence of another Spirit. But this Spirit is Holy, not passively Holy, but actively Holy, speaking truth through the Anointed Son of God that is starting to set free a whole synagogue assembly room of people. The power is overwhelming to the demon, and so he yells out.

³⁵ Jesus cut him short. “Be quiet! Come out of the man,” he ordered. At that, the demon threw the man to the floor as the crowd watched; then it came out of him without hurting him further.

³⁶ Amazed, the people exclaimed, “What authority and power this man’s words possess! Even evil spirits obey him, and they flee at his command!” ³⁷ The news about Jesus spread through every village in the entire region.