“What is this word? For with authority and power, He commands the unclean spirits, and they come out!” Luke 4:36 ESV1
Read Mark 1:21-28 & Luke 4:31-37
Something really good can come out of a not so good place. Jesus was brought up in the town of Nazareth. Though Nazareth was the home of the One Who Embodied all the Goodness of God, Nazareth lacked faith (see Matthew 13:58 & Mark 6:5-6) and was filled with wrath and hatred (see Luke 4:28-29). They rejected the Good that was in their midst. Capernaum, on the other, hand was full of faith. They openly accepted Jesus and received many blessings from Him. Yet, there was something evil lurking in the what should have been the most-godly place in Capernaum, their synagogue.
“[Jesus] went down to Capernaum, a city of Galilee. And He was teaching them on the Sabbath, and they were astonished at His teaching, for His word possessed authority. And in the synagogue, there was a man who had the spirit of an unclean demon, and he cried out with a loud voice, ‘Ha! 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.’ But Jesus rebuked him, saying, ‘Be silent and come out of him!’ And when the demon had thrown him down in their midst, he came out of him, having done him no harm. And they were all amazed and said to one another, ‘What is this word? For with authority and power, He commands the unclean spirits, and they come out!’ And reports about Him went out into every place in the surrounding region” (Luke 4:31-37).
The members of the Capernaum synagogue were astounded, not that there was a man possessed by a demon in their assembly, but that Jesus had such authority over the demon. What Mark and Luke treat with familiarity–a person being possessed by a demon–is beyond the experience of most of us. This account leaves 21st century American Christians with some questions.
What is an unclean demon? The word unclean is akathartos in Greek and is exactly the same word as evil. Mark says, the man had “an unclean spirit” (Mark 1:23). An unclean spirit, an evil spirit, and a demon are all the same thing. Demons are fallen angels and servants of Satan (see Revelation 12:9 & Luke 10:18). There is only one devil. He is not all-powerful, all-knowing, or everywhere-present like God, so he has lots of demons doing his dirty work throughout the world.
By opening him/herself up to the workings of Satan, a person can become a demoniac, which means his/her personality can be invaded by one or more demons. A demoniac can lose control of him/herself to the demon(s) so that the demon(s) can, at will, speak and act through him/her. Demons are not kind, and they are not impotent. As we will see as we study other healings of Jesus, demons can cause much sickness and harm to the minds and bodies of their human victims.
“An unclean spirit or demon is ‘unclean’ in that it is wicked. Evil spirits are not only wicked themselves, but they delight in wickedness and promote wickedness in humans. They are spiritually polluted and impure, and they seek to contaminate all of God’s creation with their filth. Their foul, putrid nature is in direct contrast to the purity and incorruption of the Holy Spirit’s nature. When a person is defiled by an unclean spirit, he takes pleasure in corrupt thoughts and actions; when a person is filled with the Holy Spirit, his thoughts and actions are heavenly.”2
Unless they are already possessing someone, demons search for someone to possess (see Matthew 12:43-44 & Luke 11:24). They exist in varying levels of evilness (see Matthew 12:45 & Luke 11:26). Unclean spirits can interact with one another (see Mark 5:1-20, Matthew 8:28-32 & Luke 8:26-33). Demonic activity has been part of our world since the Fall. It is displayed in spiritism, idolatry, divination, sorcery, cults, sexual perversion, and magic–in all of which God forbade His people to partake (see Deuteronomy 18:9-12 & 17:2-5, & Exodus 22:18). But, as we see in this passage and elsewhere, demons have limitations. They know who Jesus is; they are under His control, and they must submit to Him! They know He has the right to and will one day destroy them (see Matthew 8:29).
If demons are so evil, what on earth was this one doing possessing a member of the synagogue? Satan hates God. He wants to tarnish God’s reputation. He wants to hurt all God holds dear. He knows he is eventually headed for destruction, but he doesn’t want just him and his minions to end up in eternal punishment; he wants as many humans as possible to join him. He has come “to steal and kill and destroy” (John 10:10a). He invades every person, place, or thing which he is able for the purpose of preventing people from coming to God, to bring harm to the people of God, and to spoil the work of God. So, a better question might be: why wouldn’t Satan be at church?
If we are walking with Jesus and doing His will, we shouldn’t be surprised when we face opposition to our ministry and to the Gospel, even among those who attend religious services. But we also shouldn’t let this antagonism handicap us. If we are in Christ, then Christ is in us, and “He who is in [us] is greater than he who is in the world” (1 John 4:4). Jesus has complete authority over all evil and those who, through the power of the evil one, oppose His work. We need not fear; as long as we are in Christ, we have that authority too. When we come face to face with evil, we have the power, through the Name of Jesus, to send the evil packing. The Holy Spirit, Who is in all who are Christ’s, is all about bringing glory to Jesus. If you, through Jesus, ever encounter evil in any of its forms and render that evil powerless, you too will bring glory to God. Such an account would undoubtedly cause many around you to be astonished at the authority of Jesus. They may even exclaim, “‘What is this word? For with authority and power, [he/she] commands the unclean spirits, and they come out!’” (Luke 4:36).
Be encouraged. “‘A disciple is not above his teacher, nor a servant above his master. It is enough for the disciple to be like his teacher and the servant like his master. If they have called the Master of the house Beelzebul [(another name for Satan)], how much more will they malign those of His household? So, have no fear of them … And do not fear [even] those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather fear Him who can destroy both soul and body in hell’” (Matthew 10:24-28). You are probably going to face resistance, but Jesus has got you covered.
1 Scripture quotations marked with ESV are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version (ESV), copyright 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. All Scriptures are taken from the ESV unless otherwise noted. To aid in understanding, I have capitalized references to God.