25 Jesus commanded the evil spirit, “Be quiet! Come out of the man!” 26 The evil spirit shook the man violently, gave a loud cry, and then came out of him. 27 The people were so amazed they asked each other, “What is happening here? This man is teaching something new, and with authority. He even gives commands to evil spirits, and they obey him.” 28 And the news about Jesus spread quickly everywhere in the area of Galilee. ~ Mark 1:25-28
Today, we return to our study of Mark 1. The events of this particular Saturday began as the Lord Jesus and His disciples went into the synagogue in Capernaum. While teaching there, a demon possessed man interrupting the Lord Jesus. This was the first recorded miracle by the Lord Jesus in this gospel account, and, it set the stage for the purpose for which He came: to free us all from the bondage of Satan. Four of Christ's thirty-three miracles involved the casting out of demons.
In v.25-26 of today's passage we read, "25 Jesus commanded the evil spirit, “Be quiet! Come out of the man!” 26 The evil spirit shook the man violently, gave a loud cry, and then came out of him."
The teaching of the Lord Jesus was so piercing that the demon was tortured by the truth which turned the demon-possessed man to the Lord Jesus. This is the purpose of truth, to turn us away from evil and error and to turn us to the Lord. As C.S.Lewis reminded us, "We never know how much we really believe anything until its truth or falsehood becomes a matter of life and death to us."
When this demon was confronted by the Lord Jesus, he was forced to leave this man. Even though the evil spirit was reluctant to go, he left immediately. The only name demons have ever feared is the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. It is Jesus Christ who sets us free from the influence of the evil spirit world. As a result, within hours, the news about Jesus spread like a flame all through the area.
The teaching of the Lord Jesus was so piercing that the demon was tortured by the truth which turned the demon-possessed man to the Lord Jesus. This is the purpose of truth, to turn us away from evil and error and to turn us to the Lord. As C.S.Lewis reminded us, "We never know how much we really believe anything until its truth or falsehood becomes a matter of life and death to us."
When this demon was confronted by the Lord Jesus, he was forced to leave this man. Even though the evil spirit was reluctant to go, he left immediately. The only name demons have ever feared is the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. It is Jesus Christ who sets us free from the influence of the evil spirit world. As a result, within hours, the news about Jesus spread like a flame all through the area.
In v.27 of today's passage we read, "The people were so amazed they asked each other, 'What is happening here? This man is teaching something new, and with authority. He even gives commands to evil spirits, and they obey him.'"
From the very beginning of His ministry, the Lord Jesus was on a collision course with evil. In that day, the people believed that evil was closer to them than we do now. With his "highly educated mind," the modern man thinks it is folly to believe in the devil. In fact, many Americans are rejecting a belief in God and they definitely are not convinced of the unseen world of evil. But out of sight and out of mind does not render the devil as non-existent.
Amazingly the people in the synagogue in Capernaum that day referred to the Lord Jesus as "this man." But, the demon referred to the Lord Jesus as "the Holy One." These people were religious, yet their religion closed their eyes to the identity of the Lord Jesus. We have all known lots of religious people who do not know the Lord Jesus for themselves. This just underscores the utter necessity of being "born again" in order to know God.
In John 3, the Lord Jesus told a religious man, "I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again." The phrase "born again" literally means "born from above." You see, when we were conceived in our mother's womb, we were by nature separated from God by our sinfulness. Therefore, being "born from above" is a necessity in order for us to know God. In our sinful condition, God required spiritual transformation. This is why He sent His Son. New birth or being born again, is an act of God whereby eternal life is imparted to us when we believe that the Lord Jesus is God come to earth to save us from our sin.
If you have never trusted in the Lord Jesus Christ as your Savior, will you consider the prompting of the Holy Spirit as He speaks to your heart? You need to be born again. Will you pray the prayer of repentance and become a new creation in Christ today?
In John 1:12-13 we read, "12 But to all who did accept him and believe in him he gave the right to become children of God. 13 They did not become his children in any human way—by any human parents or human desire. They were born of God."
Let me encourage you, my friend, to talk to God about this, your sin and your need for Him to be your Savior, today. And, make sure that you invite Him to come into your life and to make you His child.
In v.28 of today's passage we read, "And the news about Jesus spread quickly everywhere in the area of Galilee."
Good news travels fast. Once we have invited the Lord Jesus to come into our lives, we can not help but to tell others about this new life that we now have. The gospel is not an idea or a belief. The gospel is not a "what" or a "how." The gospel is a "Who." The gospel is literally the good news about the One who came to rescue us from that which keeps us from real life. The Lord Jesus is the Gospel. This is why "the news about Jesus spread quickly everywhere in the area of Galilee," and this is why it is still spreading today, more than 2000 years later.
