Authority over Demons
Jesus demonstrated his authority over Satan by driving his forces out of the children of Israel – Mark 1:21-28.
During his temptation, Jesus defeated
Satan, and the effects of that victory are now demonstrated as he exercises authority
over demonic forces in the village of Capernaum, which was located on the
northwest shore of the Sea of Galilee. It straddled the major trade route
between Capernaum and the city of Damascus - [Photo by Scott Umstattd on Unsplash].
This incident took place in the local synagogue.
The term “synagogue’ means “gathering place,” typically, an
assembly hall where Jews studied the Torah and prayed. The
institution of the synagogue is not mentioned in the Torah, and it probably
originated during the Babylonian
Captivity. It became central to
the practice of rabbinical Judaism after the destruction of the Temple by the Romans in A.D. 70.
- (Mark 1:21-28) - “And they journey into Capernaum. And straightway, on the Sabbath, entering the synagogue, he began teaching. And they were being struck with astonishment at his teaching, for he was teaching them as one having authority and not as the Scribes. And straightway, there was in their synagogue a man in an unclean spirit, and he cried out aloud, saying: What have we in common with you, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know you, who you are, the Holy One of God. And Jesus rebuked him, saying, Silence, and depart from him! And the unclean spirit, tearing him and calling out with a loud voice, departed. And they were amazed, one and all, so that they began to discuss among themselves, saying: What is this new teaching! With authority to the unclean spirits also he gives orders, and they obey him! And forth went the report of him, straightway, on every hand into the surrounding country of Galilee.”
At the synagogue, the Jews were amazed by the
authoritative manner by which Jesus taught, but NOT by the
contents of his teaching. The scribes expounded the Law by citing oral
traditions and legal precedents, the “tradition of the elders.” They did not make authoritative
pronouncements on scriptural interpretations. In contrast, Jesus taught
decisively based on his messianic authority.
Of the thirteen miracles recorded in Mark,
four were exorcisms, the most frequent type of healing in this gospel account.
Eleven times Mark refers to demons as “unclean spirits,” and otherwise
as “demons.” Four times the verbal form of the Greek term for “demons”
is used for someone who was “demonized,” in other words, oppressed
by demons.
In this account, “unclean” refers
to the state of ritual
defilement. A person with an “unclean
spirit” was excluded from the synagogue and the Temple in Jerusalem unless
he or she underwent the required rituals to reestablish ritual purity. But why was
this man allowed in the synagogue despite his “unclean” status? His very
presence indicates the members of this synagogue did not rigorously follow the
purity codes from Leviticus, or at least, not the men present that day.
In Mark, the synagogue is the place
where demons are present, religious authorities are antagonistic to Jesus, and
hardness of heart is the rule rather than the exception. Like the Temple, the
synagogue was an arena of conflict whenever Jesus began to teach - (Mark
1:39, 3:1, 6:2, 12:39, 13:9).
The demon spoke through the man: “What have
we in common with you, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us?”
He spoke using the plural pronoun to represent all demonic forces. The confrontation
was a harbinger of the larger conflict between Jesus and the forces of Satan
that culminated in his death.
The demon recognized Jesus as the “Holy
One of God.” Though hidden from men, it knew who he was. His command to
remain silent was not to hide his messianic status. By identifying him in
public, the demon could discredit his teachings and mission.
As told by Mark, even more than the content of his teachings, what matters is the way in which he taught - “with authority” - and its effect on the people in the synagogue (“They were all amazed”).
The words of Jesus demonstrated his superior authority
over the words of the scribes, and his exorcisms highlighted his authority over
the Devil. The authority by which he taught was the same authority by which he expelled
demons. Each exorcism demonstrated that the “coming one” was reconquering
territory from Satan and adding it to the Kingdom of God.
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