Jesus Speaks Over a Fallen Man in the Synagogueby CBPepper
1:26Mark 1:26
And when the unclean spirit had torn him, and cried with a loud voice, he came out of him.
On the Sabbath Jesus commanded the unclean spirit to leave, and it fiercely resisted, convulsing and tearing the man and crying out with a loud voice in a terrible struggle that seemed likely to take his life, then making a final violent effort to destroy him before it was forced out and left him freed and unharmed and restored to self-possession. In this he rebuked the spirit and by divine authority and power broke Satan's control, wrested the captive from his grasp, and set him free. The secret source of the calamity was in the man's own life, for fascinated by sinful pleasure and expecting life as innocent folly, he descended the downward path until intemperance and frivolity chained his senses and perverted his mind and Satan took absolute control, leaving him wholly delivered into Satan's hands as a fearful spectacle contrary to God's will. Though evil held him captive as by a power stronger than his own so that he could utter only Satan's words, his heart's unspoken appeal for freedom was heard, showing that need can reach God even when it cannot be expressed and that no such helpless condition is hopeless or beyond Christ's power to free. This was his regular Sabbath practice of speaking comfort to the sick and healing disease without weariness, the pattern example to follow, done publicly at the time of greatest activity of darkness to reveal God's character and authority and astonish the crowd.
The Sabbath Deliverance
On the Sabbath it was His regular practice to speak words to comfort the sick and to heal disease, a work in which He never grew weary, whose extent was widespread beyond computation, and whose life is the pattern example to follow. The man had been violently torn and left as a fearful spectacle and a burden to himself, wholly delivered into Satan's hands, a condition that was not according to God's will. The secret source of his calamity was in his own life, for the pleasures of sin fascinated him and the path of dissipation looked bright and tempting. He expected life to be a grand carnival of innocent folly, not foreseeing that he would become a disgust and terror to the world and a reproach to his family. Once on the downward path he rapidly descended until he broke the laws of health and morality, and intemperance and frivolity chained his senses and perverted his mind, after which Satan stepped in and took absolute control.
As Jesus commanded, the unclean spirit fiercely resisted, convulsed and tore the man, and cried out with a loud voice. It was a terrible and desperate struggle between the demon and the man's desire for freedom, so violent that the man seemed likely to lose his life. Though the man could utter only Satan's words, his unspoken desire for freedom was present in the conflict.
When forced to leave, the spirit made a final violent effort to rend its victim and destroy him and take his life. By Jesus' authoritative command the man was then freed from Satan's control. He was restored to self-possession and left unharmed.
Christ Confronts Satan's Kingdom
Jesus rebuked the unclean spirit and by divine authority and power forced it out, breaking Satan's control, wresting the captive from Satan's grasp, and setting him free. His authoritative command drove the spirit out of the man and restored the man to self-possession. While Satan was opposing, the Spirit of Christ was at work in the encounter. The cry of the unclean spirit acknowledged Jesus as the Son of God.
The demons spoke through those they controlled, acknowledging Him as the Holy One of God and the all-powerful Son of God, and were silenced by His command. They understood that He would ultimately destroy the one who held power over them, and they could not resist Him. The afflicted people themselves spoke the spirits' words but did not themselves understand Jesus or His mission to free those held by Satan's power.
The unclean spirit that tore the man of Capernaum and came out with a loud cry is the same evil spirit that tempted Christ in the wilderness, though it appeared in another form. It is also the same evil spirit that controlled the unbelieving Jews who rejected the Saviour and scorned His teachings, though with them he assumed an air of piety and learning to hide their motives and to deceive them about their motives. The deliverance happened during Christ's personal ministry, the time of greatest activity for the forces of the kingdom of darkness. Then Satan with his evil angels had for ages sought to control the bodies and souls of men, to bring upon them sin and suffering, and then to charge that misery upon God, while Jesus was revealing the character of God and bringing new life and love and power from heaven upon human hearts. The prince of evil was aroused to contend for the supremacy of his kingdom and summoned all his forces to contest the work of Christ at every step.
The deliverance took place publicly, and the demons' surrender and the freeing of the sufferers astonished the crowd and revealed Christ's authority.
Hope for Helpless Captives
The tearing and loud cry as the unclean spirit resisted leaving shows evil holding a person captive as by a power stronger than his own, leaving him helpless under its control. Though the man could utter only Satan's words, his heart sent up an unspoken appeal for freedom, and that appeal was heard. A soul's need can thus reach God even when it cannot be expressed in words.
His deliverance proves that even such a helpless condition is not hopeless. No one is beyond hope or beyond Christ's power to free from evil.
The demoniac's condition was less hopeless than that of the unbelieving Jews who rejected Christ. They felt no need of Him and were therefore held fast under Satan's power.
On the Sabbath Jesus commanded the unclean spirit to leave, and it fiercely resisted, convulsing and tearing the man and crying out with a loud voice in a terrible struggle that seemed likely to take his life, then making a final violent effort to destroy him before it was forced out and left him freed and unharmed and restored to self-possession. In this he rebuked the spirit and by divine authority and power broke Satan's control, wrested the captive from his grasp, and set him free. The secret source of the calamity was in the man's own life, for fascinated by sinful pleasure and expecting life as innocent folly, he descended the downward path until intemperance and frivolity chained his senses and perverted his mind and Satan took absolute control, leaving him wholly delivered into Satan's hands as a fearful spectacle contrary to God's will. Though evil held him captive as by a power stronger than his own so that he could utter only Satan's words, his heart's unspoken appeal for freedom was heard, showing that need can reach God even when it cannot be expressed and that no such helpless condition is hopeless or beyond Christ's power to free. This was his regular Sabbath practice of speaking comfort to the sick and healing disease without weariness, the pattern example to follow, done publicly at the time of greatest activity of darkness to reveal God's character and authority and astonish the crowd.
The Sabbath Deliverance
On the Sabbath it was His regular practice to speak words to comfort the sick and to heal disease, a work in which He never grew weary, whose extent was widespread beyond computation, and whose life is the pattern example to follow. The man had been violently torn and left as a fearful spectacle and a burden to himself, wholly delivered into Satan's hands, a condition that was not according to God's will. The secret source of his calamity was in his own life, for the pleasures of sin fascinated him and the path of dissipation looked bright and tempting. He expected life to be a grand carnival of innocent folly, not foreseeing that he would become a disgust and terror to the world and a reproach to his family. Once on the downward path he rapidly descended until he broke the laws of health and morality, and intemperance and frivolity chained his senses and perverted his mind, after which Satan stepped in and took absolute control.
As Jesus commanded, the unclean spirit fiercely resisted, convulsed and tore the man, and cried out with a loud voice. It was a terrible and desperate struggle between the demon and the man's desire for freedom, so violent that the man seemed likely to lose his life. Though the man could utter only Satan's words, his unspoken desire for freedom was present in the conflict.
When forced to leave, the spirit made a final violent effort to rend its victim and destroy him and take his life. By Jesus' authoritative command the man was then freed from Satan's control. He was restored to self-possession and left unharmed.
Christ Confronts Satan's Kingdom
Jesus rebuked the unclean spirit and by divine authority and power forced it out, breaking Satan's control, wresting the captive from Satan's grasp, and setting him free. His authoritative command drove the spirit out of the man and restored the man to self-possession. While Satan was opposing, the Spirit of Christ was at work in the encounter. The cry of the unclean spirit acknowledged Jesus as the Son of God.
The demons spoke through those they controlled, acknowledging Him as the Holy One of God and the all-powerful Son of God, and were silenced by His command. They understood that He would ultimately destroy the one who held power over them, and they could not resist Him. The afflicted people themselves spoke the spirits' words but did not themselves understand Jesus or His mission to free those held by Satan's power.
The unclean spirit that tore the man of Capernaum and came out with a loud cry is the same evil spirit that tempted Christ in the wilderness, though it appeared in another form. It is also the same evil spirit that controlled the unbelieving Jews who rejected the Saviour and scorned His teachings, though with them he assumed an air of piety and learning to hide their motives and to deceive them about their motives. The deliverance happened during Christ's personal ministry, the time of greatest activity for the forces of the kingdom of darkness. Then Satan with his evil angels had for ages sought to control the bodies and souls of men, to bring upon them sin and suffering, and then to charge that misery upon God, while Jesus was revealing the character of God and bringing new life and love and power from heaven upon human hearts. The prince of evil was aroused to contend for the supremacy of his kingdom and summoned all his forces to contest the work of Christ at every step.
The deliverance took place publicly, and the demons' surrender and the freeing of the sufferers astonished the crowd and revealed Christ's authority.
Hope for Helpless Captives
The tearing and loud cry as the unclean spirit resisted leaving shows evil holding a person captive as by a power stronger than his own, leaving him helpless under its control. Though the man could utter only Satan's words, his heart sent up an unspoken appeal for freedom, and that appeal was heard. A soul's need can thus reach God even when it cannot be expressed in words.
His deliverance proves that even such a helpless condition is not hopeless. No one is beyond hope or beyond Christ's power to free from evil.
The demoniac's condition was less hopeless than that of the unbelieving Jews who rejected Christ. They felt no need of Him and were therefore held fast under Satan's power.