Sermon Tone Analysis

Driving out an Unclean Spirit

1:21-22

Capernaum, is located on the northwestern shore of the Sea of Galilee.

This became Jesus home (2:1) and headquarters (Mt.

4:13)

Mark did not record what Jesus taught in the synagogue, but he did tell us that people were astonished.

In any locality (in Palestine or abroad) where there were at least 10 male heads of families Jews could establish a synagogue, one that might be very simple or elaborate.

Loosely related to a synagogue might be a “rabbi,” a nonprofessional “lay” teacher of the law who had to earn a living by his own trade.

The synagogue was at the center of social, educational, and religious life in a Jewish community, organized with a plural group of “elders” who gave oversight to all its functions.

Sabbath services included liturgical recitations, prayers, readings from the Law and the Prophets (compare Lk. 4:16–30), and instruction—typically by the rabbi.

But any capable layman might give instruction if called on.

A typical and regular reaction to Jesus’ teachings (6:2; 7:37; 10:26; 11:18).

It was Jesus authority in which he taught that impressed listeners.

This authority contrasted with that of the scribes who masters the Torah and treasured traditional interpretations (oral traditions)

The response to His teaching (both on this occasion and typically) was astonishment, and the reason is stated.

“Doctrine” is teaching—probably referring here (and v. 27) to the act or manner of teaching rather than the content (Gundry 73).

And the point is that Jesus’ teaching was in obvious and stark contrast to that of the Jewish scribes: where they customarily taught by citing their predecessors as authorities, Jesus taught as possessing authority of His own.

All Jewish men held the right to expound the Hebrew Scriptures in synagogue services, but from the start the authoritative nature of Jesus’ teachings distinguishes it from that of the “professional” interpreters of the law.

The scribes were Jesus’ opponents in Mark.

(2:6,16, 11:27)

And were among the main instigators leading to his death

(8:31; 10:33; 11:18; 14:1, 43, 53; 15:1,31)

1:23-24

Mark’s uses of Just then links the events to verse 21-22.

Mark used unclean spirit to denote a demonic spirit.

We may satisfactorily describe demon possession as being under the dominating control of an evil spirit and thus more or less helpless under that overpowering influence.

We need not, in our twenty-first century sophistication, avoid the idea that there are such personal, evil beings in the spiritual realm who can thus influence human beings in certain kinds of circumstances.

“Unclean spirit” contrasts with the demons’ identification of Jesus as the Holy One of God.

Have you come to destroy us?

Clearly the demons recognized and acknowledged the person and work of Jesus before humans did.

Looking at the demoniac’s speech

The First, the A.V. freely translates “Let us alone,” is simply a one-word interjection, an exclamation that might as aptly be translated “Ha!” or “Ah!”

It was probably an unwilling exclamation, an indication of distress.

The Second, is the rhetorical question (literally) “What to us and to you, Jesus of Nazareth?”

This form of words appears often in the NT, and the A.V. free translation catches the meaning satisfactorily.

Another rendering might be, “what do we have to do with one another?

Or, “What is there about this that has anything to do with you and us?”

The implication is that there was no common ground, nothing about the situation that bore on their relationship, no reason for Jesus to disturb him (or them).

In the fourth part of the demoniac’s speech is an affirmation that he - that is, the spirit dominating him- knew who Jesus was: namely, “the holy one of God” - “Evoked by the consciousness of his own unholy nature” In the culture of that day, to know a spirit-being’s true identity and name and call it out was regarded as gaining a measure of control over that person.

If the demonic spirit had that in mind, the effort to gain control over Jesus was short lived.

Lane (74) draws an interesting contrast between the ways demoniacs and ordinary sick people addressed Jesus, as recorded in Mar.

The sick called him “Lord” (7:8), “teacher” (9:17), “Son of David” (10:47), or “Master” (10:51).

Demoniacs, however, called Him “Holy One of God” (seen here), “Son of God” (3:11), or “Son of the Most High God” (5:7).

“Holy One of God” may also be a Messianic title,.

It occurs nowhere else in the NT (except in some manuscripts in Jn. 6:69

Nor in the OT (except in the Septuagint translation of “Nazirite” in the Samson story in judges).

IT points to Jesus as one especially set apart (the meaning of “holy”) by and for God, endowed with the Holy Spirit.

The words of Jn 10:36

define the title.

Jesus exorcises a demon, which identifies him by name probably to try to repel Jesus’ power, since ancient Near Easterners believed in the potency of names.

The Saturday sunset marks the end of Sabbath, and most people wait till then to approach Jesus for a miracle (v 32); but by curing the demoniac in the synagogue and Simon’s mother -in-law (Mark calls Peter by his Hebrew name vv 29), Jesus has already exercised his lordship over this holy day.

(Matt.

12:1-14).

Mark’s account again shows that the people were not ready to acknowledge this, but the demonic spirit recognized Jesus accurately.

1:25-26

On the authority of His word, Jesus rebuked and expelled the spirit, commanding it to be silent (lit “be muzzled”) and come out of him.

The spirit threw him into convulsions, and shouted its desperate but futile resistance to Jesus.

1:27-28

The people were amazed to see an exorcism, especially given the authoritative manner in which Jesus accomplished it.

Their statement that the unclean spirits… obey him indicates their belief that what he did to one spirit, he could do to all.

At once indicates how quickly the story of these events traveled throughout … Galilee.