Mark 1:25-26 – January 31, 2021

Jesus rebuked him and said, “Quiet! Come out of him!” The unclean spirit convulsed him and with a loud cry came out of him. Mark 1:25-26 NABRE          
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Mark shares a story of Jesus teaching with a specific role in exposing and expelling evil. There is a man with an unclean spirit regularly disrupting the service, but with Jesus the presence of evil comes to light. The spirit challenges Jesus saying, what do you have to do with us? Demons previously uncontested are defeated with the arrival of Jesus. This demon claims some hidden knowledge of Jesus identity, calling Jesus “Holy One” a description reserved for God. It can be an accurate title for Jesus, but Jesus is not interested in having this publicized. Jesus reveals Himself on His own terms. So Jesus rebukes the demon who convulses in the man and departs, it is helpless before Jesus’ command. We have heard in prior teaching’s Jesus is mightier than even John the Baptist, people are beginning to get an example of Jesus’ true nature in this episode.

Today we may think there are no demons or evil spirits, but this is a false security. There is evil in the world, look at child sex abuse, cults demanding suicide, racial cleansing and you get an idea evil still has power. Though Jesus defeated evil becoming ruler of the world, God still allows the malicious acts of evil, though God is able to use these acts to work good (see Romans 8:28.) Through baptism we have protection against evil and the strength to resist evil temptations. We must stay close to God, and allow the Holy Spirit to live in us to deflect the seduction of the instant rush we might receive from performing some action an evil demon convinces us is fun. Jesus has conquered evil and we must trust Jesus to protect us, as we read in this message from Mark.

Do you accept evil exists? Do you have the strength to resist evil?

Through baptism we have protection against evil and the strength to resist evil temptations. Jesus has conquered evil and we must trust Jesus to protect us, as we read in Mark's telling of the demon. Click To Tweet

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