Jesus’s Authority over the Spiritual Realm | Mark 1:23–27
“23 And
immediately there was in their synagogue a man with an unclean spirit. And he
cried out, 24 ‘What
have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know
who you are—the Holy One of God.’ 25 But
Jesus rebuked him, saying, ‘Be silent, and come out of him!’ 26 And the unclean
spirit, convulsing him and crying out with a loud voice, came out of him. 27 And they were all
amazed, so that they questioned among themselves, saying, ‘What is this? A new
teaching with authority! He commands even the unclean spirits, and they obey
him.’ 28 And at once
his fame spread everywhere throughout all the surrounding region of Galilee.”
Mark’s Gospel is shorter, but it doesn’t lack in supernatural
accounts. This section demonstrates the truth
we highlighted yesterday—Jesus is authoritative, and Mark records Jesus's first
miracle as authority over demonic forces.
The Romans knew of demonism, and Jesus wields command over the spiritual
realm.
Before going any further, it’s worth noting that this
exorcism occurs on the Sabbath day (v. 21).
He works on the Sabbath, and He says in John 5:17, “My Father is working
until now, and I am working.” We see Him
hard at work on the days of rest, demonstrating that He is the Lord of the
Sabbath.
The demon first meets the Lord with some sass—“What have you
to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth?” (v. 24). Any doubts as to who Jesus was were laid to
rest when “a voice came from heaven, ‘You are my beloved Son; with you I am
well pleased.’ ” But this “unclean
spirit” shrinks back from “the Holy One of God.”
What can we learn
from this encounter? First, while the demon was correct, Jesus
seeks no press from a Satanic source and commands silence from it. The evil forces might be willing to share some truth with those who would seek it,
but they’d twist it to their own purposes.
Sadly, Christians foolishly engage in spiritual warfare ministries and
ask demons questions. We should trust the
Lord to reveal truth in His own time.
Second, Jesus commands spirits with but a word. There were exorcists among the Jews. The Qumran community, for instance, had written
enchantments for casting out demons. The
sons of Sceva in Acts 19:11–20 fail to use Jesus’s name as an incantation. However, Jesus didn’t need to say anything
more than “come out of him.” Our faith isn’t
in formulas, but in Christ.
Third, and most importantly, Jesus Christ is Lord. He
teaches with ultimate authority. He
works these miracles on the Sabbath. He “disarmed
the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame, by triumphing over them
in him” (Col 2:15). Worship and serve
Him as Lord today.
