Devotional:

“21 And they went into Capernaum, and immediately on the Sabbath he entered the synagogue and was teaching. 22 And they were astonished at his teaching, for he taught them as one who had authority, and not as the scribes. 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 1:21-28

The word was spreading fast about Jesus. People were gathering in huge numbers to listen and hear the good news. He was teaching and healing with an authority and passion they had never heard or seen before.

Jesus was teaching in a synagogue where many teachers and rabbis preached. There was nothing unusual about His preaching there because He was a Rabbi. What was unusual was the response from the people. People were used to teachers and scribes reciting Scripture and rules redundantly every Sabbath. But Jesus came to Capernaum and started teaching something new, something fresh and something they had never heard before. He spoke with an authority unlike any other. He was a presence that demanded attention.

People didn’t know what to do with Jesus. It was all so new to them. Unrecognizable. But there was one who recognized Him instantly. The demon heard Jesus’s voice and immediately felt His authority come crashing down on him. He knew Jesus was the One that was chosen to defeat him and save the world from all sin and darkness. And because this demon worked for Satan, he felt threatened.

Think of a time you’ve felt threatened by someone else. The typical response is fight or flight, you either face it, blowup and scream arguments and insults to make yourself appear right or to feel more in control or you run and hide, because you hate conflict. I imagine the demon was in fight mode, trying to intimidate Jesus, kind of a last-ditch effort to control his current situation inside this man.

So, the demon cries out, trying to question Jesus, hoping he will go away. But as this evil spirit spoke, it was as if he was speaking on behalf of multiple spirits or all forces of darkness. He said, “What have you to do with us…”

At least one evil spirit possessed this man, but it could have been multiple. Or it could be that all evil, sin and darkness woke up at that point and realized that Jesus had finally started His ministry and the fear and panic overcame them.

Did you notice in this passage that the only ones who recognized Jesus in that house of worship were the demons? A synagogue full of religious people, yet no one recognized or knew His authority like the evil spirit did. It is scary to think how easy it can be to overlook God’s presence. I would hope I’d recognize Jesus in worship long before an evil spirit. But I think the world sometimes drowns out our ability to recognize Him. It dilutes our passion and desire to seek Him because we turn our eyes to this world and look for satisfaction in things, only to be let down over and over. It is the merry-go-round we can’t seem to jump off. We let these things blind us from seeing Jesus and embracing a real relationship with Him.

Saying someone is possessed by a demon can sound controversial and weird nowadays. But this is a world of constant motion, fast pace, focus on money, success and whatever makes you happy. These are the things that the Enemy uses for evil, to tear us away from our relationship with God. It’s a job, a position, a status, a relationship, a choice, a drink, a medication. These aren’t bad things, but all of them can be used by Satan to destroy us. He can see our lives and quickly learn what our weaknesses are. But Jesus has authority over Satan and if we keep Jesus close, Satan will stay far away because he knows he has no power where Jesus reigns.

Another significant moment in this passage is when the unclean spirit obeyed Jesus immediately. There was no talking back or questioning. When Jesus demanded it to leave, the demon had no option. Jesus was and still is the authority over all the earth, both good and evil. He has the power to command Satan to do whatever He wants.

Do we recognize the authority and power of Jesus the way the evil spirit did that day? Because the more we ignore Jesus and His authority in our lives, the more distant He will seem and the harder it will be to hear His voice.

It may feel as if He has abandoned you, when the reality is that you have walked further away from Him, making it really hard to hear His voice.

It is human nature to question all the things that could be wrong before we say yes to something. As a six on the enneagram, I am an expert at this. But we are made in the image of God, created for His glory! The evil spirits were not made in God’s image, yet they recognized Jesus immediately and obeyed Him with fear and trembling without question every time.

God loves us. He longs for us to follow Him and to be obedient to Him, not because He is a harsh God who likes to control us. It is because He is a good Father and the only One who knows what we need and what is good for us. He wants us to live a life full of abundance and joy. I pray that you lean into Him and embrace the abundant life that He is calling you to. Seek Jesus today and walk with a posture of obedience and reverence for the One who has authority over all of heaven and earth and the spirits of darkness.