Luke 4:35
And Jesus rebuked him, saying, Hold thy peace, and come out of him. And when the devil had thrown him in the midst, he came out of him, and hurt him not. And Jesus rebuked him, saying, Hold thy peace, and come out of him. And when the devil had thrown him in the midst, he came out of him, and hurt him not.
Jesus spoke to the demon as a real, intelligent being, ordering it to be silent and to come out of the man and torment him no more. The unclean spirit could not resist His authoritative word but obeyed, throwing the man down in the midst in a last violent effort yet leaving him without injury and restored to self-possession. This deliverance took place openly in the Capernaum synagogue on the Sabbath, amazing the congregation and publicly displaying His divine power over evil. In it He broke Satan's cruel control and carried out His mission to set Satan's captives free and gain victory over the enemy. It shows that none held by evil is so fallen as to be beyond His power to free, for even an unspoken cry of the heart is heard, though the bondage itself grew from a life of sin and dissipation that left the man defenseless under Satan's control.
Miracle Setting and Deliverance
Jesus spoke directly to the demon as an intelligent being, rebuking him and commanding him to hold his peace, be silent, and come out of the man and torment him no more. The word of command was authoritative and backed by divine power, displaying His authority and power to command unclean spirits and cause them to come out. The demon could not resist but obeyed Christ's word, yielding to that authority even while struggling against it.
As it departed, the devil threw the man down in the midst of the people in a final violent attempt to destroy him. Yet it came out without harming or injuring him, leaving him with no lasting harm. The freed man stood free and restored to self-possession, released from the demon's cruel control.
The deliverance took place publicly in the Capernaum synagogue on the Sabbath before the congregation. The maniac tormented by an unclean devil had disturbed the Sabbath quiet, and the demon's outburst served to distract the people from Jesus' teaching. It amazed the worshipers and publicly displayed His divine power over evil.
The act belongs to Jesus' extensive Sabbath ministry of speaking comfort to the sick and healing disease. The Sabbath was His busiest day for healing because He could best reach those laboring during the week. Wherever He went He was as a medical missionary and unerring physician, speaking words of comfort and love with a stream of healing power by which the sick were made whole. He freed the suffering man with unhesitating willingness and hearty joyfulness, glad to restore him to health.
The account of authority over the evil spirit in the Capernaum synagogue moves at once to another miracle. Jesus rebuked Peter's wife's mother's fever, which immediately left her. She rose and served Him and His disciples.
Bondage, Victory and Hope
The verse shows Jesus breaking Satan's cruel power and freeing the man from Satan's control, carrying out His mission to set Satan's captives free and gaining victory over the enemy. At His authoritative command the unclean spirit obeyed His word and authority and could not resist His divine power, and though as it departed it violently threw the man down in the midst of the people in a final attempt to destroy him, it came out without harming or injuring him. The man stood free and restored to self-possession, and the deliverance, done publicly before the congregation, displayed Christ's divine power over evil spirits and His work of freeing those held under Satan's power. The demon's outburst had served to distract the people from Jesus' teaching.
The deliverance of the Capernaum demoniac shows that no one held captive by evil is so captive or fallen as to be beyond Christ's power to set free, and that even an appeal of the heart left unspoken is heard. Although the spirit resisted and threw the man down, the man was not harmed. The man's affliction is linked to his own sinful choices, a life of sin, dissipation, intemperance, and frivolity that weakened and perverted his faculties and broke down his senses, leaving him under Satan's control.
The demon that resisted Jesus in the man was the same evil spirit that had tempted Him in the wilderness, and Jesus conquered that enemy again to rescue the man. The same evil power that possessed the man also sought to control people who rejected Christ while appearing pious, hiding behind an appearance of piety and learning to conceal their motives, and holding them fast because they felt no need of Him. The demoniac's helplessness under that power illustrates a person held captive by sin or a master passion, showing how rejecting God's word and Spirit can leave a person without defense against evil, yet the condition is not hopeless because Christ can deliver those held under Satan's control. The healing was done compassionately for the tormented victim.