“And he said to them, “Let us go on to the next towns, that I may preach there also, for that is why I came out.” And he went throughout all Galilee, preaching in their synagogues and casting out demons.” Mark 1:38-39 ESV
Reflection: why was “casting out demons” so central to Jesus’ ministry, but not even mentioned in today’s teaching?
This is a difficult topic. But there is clearly something here that is not being discussed much within the Christian circles. Or not even discussed at all. The topic of demonic influence and possession. When you read scripture, read the gospels, this seemed to be a very common situation, a common “condition” of what Jesus ran into as He went around to the various towns of Galilee preaching in the synagogues about the kingdom of heaven. Notice in the focus verses today that Jesus did two things as He went around from town to town “preaching in their synagogues and casting out demons.” One has to wonder, were these especially wicked people in these towns? Were they that different than any of our cities today? Probably not!
So how can we better get ahold of this topic? To build a simpler understanding of it? Let’s think for a moment about a physical house. A house is basically a large “container” that we can fill with “stuff”, furniture, artwork, memorabilia, food and essentials for living. To keep our houses livable, we need to clean and keep order on our things. Some people don’t, but keep adding stuff, never cleaning out the old, even trash so their house becomes completely cluttered, unhealthy and foul. There is a parallel between a physical house, and a “heart”, or soul, as a spiritual container, a spiritual house.
In that context, it makes sense that Jesus was doing both of “preaching in their synagogues and casting out demons.” It was necessary for Him to “clean house”, to set prisoners free, as He spoke in His hometown Nazareth, ““The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”” Luke 4:18-19 ESV. This was in line with the mission Jesus had given Paul “to open their eyes, so that they may turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me.’”Acts 26:18 ESV. And Paul explained that receiving Jesus as Lord also meant that “He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son,” Colossians 1:13 ESV
Fridom from the domain of darkness.
We don’t talk much about this, that all who have not turned their lives over to Jesus Christ is still a prisoner, still under the domain of darkness. And, even some who call themselves Christians, we can see are still prisoners. Just like in the days Jesus walked the earth, He confronted demonic spirits in some people in the synagogues. So wickedness, the domain of darkness, demonic influence and forces, are all around us. And as believers, we can sense it, through people, through media and music, and so on. But the demons know very well who our Lord Jesus is, and they fear Him. They tremble before Him, the King of kings. This also why Paul wrote “But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh.” Galatians 5:16 ESV. And, “The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you.” Romans 16:20 ESV.
Demonic influence and possession is a prison, the domain of darkness. But we who belong to the Lord Jesus have been set free. So “Keep your heart with all vigilance, for from it flow the springs of life.” Proverbs 4:23 ESV.
