We don’t know what Jesus was preaching in the synagogue in Capernaum.
History didn’t record what he said, but people were astounded by it. This makes me think of the people – the men – who witnessed this. I can imagine them saying “Did you hear what happened?”
“What happened?”
“This new guy, Jesus, was talking—”
“What did he say?”
“He was just talking, it was different than what we usually hear. But then this guy started yelling at him. He called Jesus the Holy One of God.”
“what did Jesus do?”
“He just said, ‘Be silent, and come out of him!’ And then the guy yelled, and an evil spirit came out of him. Next time Jesus is in town, you should Come and see him. Come and see.”
The man had an “unclean spirit.” Tradition describes it as an evil spirit. Nearly two dozen times in the Gospels, people are said to have unclean or evil spirits in them. The unclean spirit identified Jesus by name, and then called him the Holy One of God. Jesus says, “be silent.” Throughout the first chapters of Mark, Jesus tells people to be quiet, not just those possessed by an unclean spirit. He heals people, and then tells them to keep it a secret, but they can’t. Jesus can control the unclean spirit, but he can’t control people talking about him. Jesus heals, and people want to tell others about it. Jesus heals the broken hearted and unclean, and people want to talk about it. Jesus changes lives, and people want to proclaim it. If every voice was still, the rocks and stones themselves would sing God’s praises.
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Some modern readers may see this story, and assume the man had some sort of mental illness. It’s important that modern readers not see an unclean spirit or an evil demon and translate it to modern mental illness. There are examples in scripture where people have medical problems, blindness, for example, and Jesus cures them, and helps them to see. God can help us with our mental issues, through medication, just as medication can help with our high blood pressure, or diabetes, or other medical issues. Jesus knew the man in the synagogue needed more than a pill. Jesus knew the man in the synagogue was possessed by evil.
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What is evil? I believe evil is the absence of the Spirit of the Lord. Just as darkness is the absence of light. God is in all, of all, and all in all. But sometimes God shines more brightly than at other times. Other times the shadows of evil grow longer. Darkness enters all our lives, at some point, in some way. But the light of Christ helps us keep the darkness at bay. “Darkness cannot drive out darkness,” said Martin Luther King, Jr. “only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate, only love can do that.”
The Love of God protects, defends and preserves us. The love of God drives out the evil of hate.
About The Author
Harrison Okafor
editor
Judith is a believer, a lover of Christ and a Gospel freak person. A passionate gospel blogger and press writer. I work with GospelHitsNaija.net Media, no 1 Gospel music platform.
