Jesus Takes Aim at the Devil
Satan Shouldn’t Have any Pronouns — Part 3
Go behind the scenes of the first 24-hour day in the public ministry of Jesus of Nazareth. The day began with his entrance into the fishing village of Capernaum on the shore of the Sea of Galilee; it ended when he left the region 24 hours later. After that, nothing was ever the same.
This online multi-part series, like the TV series “24”, is the story behind the story of the day when everything changed.
But Jesus rebuked the Devil saying “Be silent, and come out of him.” — Mark 1:25
The Devil and Pronouns
Before we discuss the unclean spirit, it’s important to understand some terminology regarding Satan. For the remainder of our time together, I am going to use the word “it” when speaking of the Devil and any other force of evil. The Devil doesn’t deserve to be dignified with beautiful, gender-specific pronouns such as “he” or “she.”
Unlike us, the Devil is NOT made in the image of God. It is also not a competing deity to our Lord. God is without equal. This is not to say that Satan is a myth: it is very real. It is locked in a fruitless war against God. Christ has already attained victory over it.
Now, let us return to the story at the synagogue.
We spoke about the power and authority with which Jesus spoke. The words of the Lord carry a weight and a command that quiets everyone in attendance. Silence must have fallen upon everyone.
It’s safe to assume that scribes and Pharisees were present as well. Their silence is the silence of the dumbfounded. They strongly object to Jesus’ teaching but have no power to stop it. To them, his words were blasphemy, but their hands are tied. They are not sure what to do. The pressure increases within them as Jesus continues to teach. Something must give.
A Man Enters the Building
But then, things escalate even further. When the tempers and tensions are already soaring, another man enters the synagogue.
It seems that he enters quickly. Or was he already there? We are not told. What we do know was that he had an unclean spirit. Because of this aggressive man, the tension between Jesus and the Pharisees lessens for a bit. A public confrontation is about to take place between the unclean spirit and the Lord.
The phrase “unclean spirit” and other terms that refer to the supernatural, active presence of the Devil are used nearly 70 times in the New Testament. This shows us that the Devil, demons, and unclean spirits are one of the leading opponents of the ministry of Jesus and of the church in the Book of Acts. It doesn’t have a small part in the biblical drama. It is a major player.
Jesus stands unfazed by the presence of this possessed man. He had just returned from spending 40 days in the wilderness combating the temptation of Satan. In comparison, the threat before him is mild.
In Jesus’ mind, the Devil is not a metaphor. The Devil is a real, singular force. It is the leading cause of disease, disability, physical and spiritual suffering, blindness, deafness epilepsy, fever, and death. Jesus believes that all suffering — mental or physical — is the Devil’s work.
This does not mean that those who suffer from an affliction of any kind of possessed by an evil spirit. It is much simpler than that! The influence of the Devil since the early beginnings of our race has caused every human suffering, catastrophe, and each death.
We are living in a fallen and broken world and the Devil is the catalyst of that brokenness.
In our day, we have come to believe that illness, suffering, disease, defects, and death are permanent features of human life. They will be with us forever. We think this is nature’s way–all things age, wither, rust, rot, and die. We are so used to this; that we believe it is the universal reality of the cosmos. And Jesus agrees. It is objectively true. It is universal. All things die and turn to dust.
For now.
Jesus works to usher in a new reality. He knows that there’s a flaw in creation that must be healed. He is here to set things right. To do so, the Devil must be defeated by and through the cross.
The Battle Begins Now
Today, in Capernaum, an important battle begins. It is only a small confrontation between the Lord Jesus and the unclean spirit. But, like many first battles and skirmishes, it will lead to all-out war.
Every time Jesus encounters the devil in the Scriptures, he meets it without hesitation. In the desert, perhaps only weeks before, Jesus was assailed by it. He engaged Satan personally and dismissed the temptations. They were shortcuts to what Jesus would receive anyway. However, in the account of this ordeal in the desert, Luke’s Gospel says something ominous. He writes that the Devil withdrew from tempting Jesus for a more suitable time.
This is a very revealing comment. It means that the Devil has a plan to take out Jesus — it wants to kill him — and it is hell-bent to make it happen. In the desert, Jesus was on the defensive; the Devil tempted him. But that would never happen again; Jesus gained the offensive there and he keeps gaining ground.
With this in mind, we can understand Jesus’ encounter with the unclean spirit in the synagogue in a different light. It might be that Jesus knew the unclean spirit would be there. He knew that unclean spirits need a host or a home base, as it were.
That would mean that Jesus went to the synagogue on the offensive, to confront the Devil and overcome it.
Given the numerous encounters Jesus had with Satan and demons, it makes sense that the synagogue encounter was not a coincidence. Jesus goes to the synagogue, knowing it will be there.
Next: What Jesus Thought About the Devil
This post is adapted from the author’s new book, The First 24, a 24-chapter investigation into the first 24 hours of Jesus’ public ministry told in 24 verses in the Gospel of Mark (1:21–45) The book is available on Amazon. Visit the Author’s Amazon Page for more information here.
