“I can tell which way the wind blows,’ said Tom vainly, “and I am sure that, since Part 1 started off with Tom Swiftie puns, Part 2 will do the same!” Well, Tom was right. Here are eight more puns that you can soon mark as read.  

  • “I am a lot taller than I was yesterday,” Tom said gruesomely.
  • “Boy, that is an ugly hippopotamus!” Tom said hypocritically.
  • “The doctor had to remove my left ventricle,” said Tom half-heartedly.
  • “The exit is right there,” Tom pointed out. 
  • “Let’s watch Star Wars!” Tom said forcefully.
  • “I have a BA in social work,” Tom said with a degree of concern.
  • “3.14159265,” Tom said piously.
  • “I dropped my toothpaste!” Tom said crestfallen. 

Mark this down, after weeks of looking at a theology of demons from books of the Second Temple period and trying to ascertain where demons originated, what maladies they could inflict, how much of a threat they propose and how to thwart their attacks (and ultimately, how they will be destroyed), we finally turned a corner and began looking at the Gospel of Mark. A big question mark drove us in this: Do the Gospels differ radically from the understanding of demons that was prevalent in the Jewish world of the Second Temple period. Maybe not so remarkably, we noticed numerous similarities.   Both believe in the existence of demons. Both believed that demons were a serious threat that caused a wide variety of physical and mental diseases. Both believed that demons could possibly be warded off, but they could not be destroyed (that would only happen at the end of time). But at that point, the Gospels begin to diverge from popular opinion. We saw this last week in our discussion of the Gospel of Mark. In short, Jesus’ encounters with demons shocked everyone (except for Jesus). Here are the three points we made last week. 

First, we said that prior to Jesus’ arrival, everyone believed that demons held the upper hand. They were the attacking force. They were the scary ones.  They were the threat. But when Jesus encounters an unclean spirit, it is the demon that trembles.  And while people pictured demons as an almost unstoppable force, Jesus dismisses them with a simple phrase. Mark’s point is clear: Jesus is Lord of heaven and earth and even of demons. 

Second, we said that prior to Jesus’ coming, most people believed that demons could only be dispatched and destroyed at the end of time. But when Jesus comes, he casts these spirits out as if that time was now. Of course, it wasn’t; but people were confused. It seemed as if Jesus was speaking with end-of-time authority in their day. The evangelists proclaimed the answer. Jesus’ kingdom was already here, but not yet fully here. As such, these exorcisms acted as down payments of God’s final kingdom come to earth. In a world full of brokenness and strife, we can lose sight of the promise of God’s kingdom. These exorcisms remind us that God’s promise to put all things to rights is sure.  

Third, most people saw unclean spirits as a vile enemy, fit only for the slaughter. But surprisingly, Jesus was never cruel, ruthless or vicious when he was interacting with a demon. Instead, he was surprisingly gracious. He engaged them in conversations. He listened to their plight. He even granted some their request (see Mark 5). Now, of course, demons are the enemy, but I found Jesus’ response fascinating (although I am not quite sure what to do with it). Perhaps, Jesus’ casual approach to these spirits is simply telling us that we do not need to fear demons (or over-emphasize their activity). Indeed, the Gospel accounts seem to move us to one overarching conclusion: Jesus is Lord of all lords and that while unclean spirits may appear threatening, all demons are subservient to King Jesus.  

That was what we talked about last week. We have three more points today (starting at point four). 

Fourth, prior to Jesus’ baptism, no one knew (for sure) Jesus was the Messiah. One would have thought the voice from heaven at the baptism should have been proof enough, but apparently it was not.  All throughout the Gospels, the disciples struggle to figure out who Jesus truly was and, even when they did understand, we see that they still didn’t fully comprehend. And yet, shockingly, the demons knew who Jesus was immediately. Let’s put this in context. In Mark’s Gospel, it takes Peter eight chapters (!) to profess that Jesus was the Messiah. The demons know it in chapter 1! Even though the disciples in Mark’s Gospel witness Jesus heal “unhealable” diseases (chapter 1), forgive people their sins (chapter 2), drive out demons (chapter 3), calm a storm (chapter 4) raise the dead (chapter 5), feed five-thousand people, walk on water (chapter 6), and heal those who are blind and mute (chapters 7 and 8), they still do not understand who Jesus is. And yet, not only do the demons know, but they proclaim the truth with clarity and force. Consider these accounts where the demons speak of Jesus’ full identity.  

  • Mark 1: 24 — “What do you want with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are—the Holy One of God!”
  • Mark 3:11 – “Whenever the impure spirits saw him, they fell down before him and cried out, ‘You are the Son of God.’” 
  • Mark 5:6-7 – “When the unclean spirit saw Jesus from a distance, he ran and fell on his knees in front of him. He shouted at the top of his voice, ‘What do you want with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God?’” 

Matthias Henze (Mind the Gap: How the Jewish Writings between the Old and New Testament Help Us Understand Jesus; Fortress Press, 2017) makes an interesting observation. After highlighting that the very first public confession of Jesus’ divine nature comes on the lips of a demon (see above, Mark 1:24), he reminds us who the last person is who confesses Jesus as Lord. He writes: 

“The last person in the Gospel of Mark to make a public confession is a Roman centurion, a Gentile who, having witnessed Jesus’ death on the cross, exclaims in amazement, ‘Truly this man was God’s Son!’ (15:39). These two Christological statements about Jesus, one by the demon at the very beginning of the Gospel and the other by the centurion at the end, form a frame around the Gospel. Neither the demon nor the Roman centurion is a follower of Jesus, yet they are the first and last to confess Jesus in public.” 

Now, some debate what the demons are doing here. Some argue that by proclaiming Jesus’ full identity out loud and in public, that the spirits are trying to gain control over Jesus. Apparently, to state a spiritual being’s true nature brought that being under your power (perhaps because they didn’t want their true nature exposed?). If this is true, far from simply confessing who Jesus is, the demons are engaging him in spiritual warfare and are trying to get the upper hand. While this is possible, I am more comfortable seeing the demons’ responses as a simple a declaration that they knew who Jesus truly was, and that fact causes them a great deal of fear.  

Fifth, most people understood that demons and unclean spirits were in a cosmic battle with God; and while the outcome was set, most people believed it would be a fight to the finish. Demons were a powerful force to be reckoned with and could not be quickly dismissed. But when Jesus confronts the demons, he casts them out without breaking a sweat. Grant Osborne in his commentary on Mark, writes: 

“In the ancient world, exorcisms were long, drawn-out affairs, as the exorcist would chant formula after formula to expel the demon. Here, it is the opposite; the impure spirit prattles on, but Jesus just utters only a few words: ‘Shut up and leave him!’ (five words in Greek). The battle is over before it even begins.” 

God’s power to overcome the spirits of darkness was celebrated beautifully by Martin Luther in his great hymn, A Mighty Fortress.  We sing: 

“And though this world, with devils filled
Should threaten to undo us
We will not fear, for God hath willed
His truth to triumph through us:
The Prince of Darkness grim.
We tremble not for him;
His rage we can endure,
For lo! his doom is sure.
One little word shall fell him.” 

Again, this was dramatically different from all the other books of this time. Instead of this being a war to the finish, Jesus declares that the war is over, that he has already won and that, one day, he will come and sweep away the remnants of the opposing army. The war is over. Only a few strongholds need to be dispatched, and they will be in due time.  

Sixth and last, while the exorcisms picture Jesus’ defeat of Satan, they also speak of how we can have victory over temptation. In Mark 9, a father brings his son to Jesus to be healed, but Jesus is away with Peter, James and John on the Mount of Transfiguration. Since Jesus is not available, the father asks Jesus’ disciples to heal the boy, but they fail miserably. When Jesus returns, the father goes to Jesus and says (Mk. 9:17-18): 

“Teacher, I brought you my son, who is possessed by a spirit that has robbed him of speech. Whenever it seizes him, it throws him to the ground. He foams at the mouth, gnashes his teeth and becomes rigid. I asked your disciples to drive out the spirit, but they could not.” 

Jesus asks that the boy be brought to him, and he rebukes the evil spirit and the boy is healed. Afterwards, the disciples come to Jesus ask why they couldn’t drive out the demon.  And Jesus says (Mk. 9:29): “This kind can come out only by prayer.” In Matthew’s Gospel, Jesus’ answer is (Mt. 17:20): 

“He replied, ‘Because you have so little faith. Truly I tell you, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, “Move from here to there,” and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.’” 

The overarching answer is the same in both accounts. When we rely on our own resources, when we trust in our own strength, when we think we are above temptation, we put ourselves in spiritual jeopardy. Our only hope in any spiritual warfare is prayer; our only hope is relying on God’s grace. Grant Osborne writes: 

“The message is clear: Satan has been defeated by Jesus and no longer has power over God’s people. However, he still tempts and deceives, and any disciple who loses focus on Jesus and becomes self-reliant may be defeated.”  

Mark this down: Mark stipulates six rather remarkable correctives to the common beliefs of the day, all of which center on Jesus’ superiority over all his enemies. If all we had was the Book of Watchers, Jubilees and the Dead Sea Scrolls, we might think that there is little we can do to protect ourselves from demonic activity. After all, we live in a broken world that is under the domination of wickedness (as the sage in Qumran said it), and there is little we can do. But when we read the Gospels, we find hope. Jesus vanquishes all demons with a simple command, and he binds Satan and defeats him.  God’s kingdom is here, but not yet in its fullest form, but we don’t need to fear. Jesus is Lord of lords and King of kings. While the demons murmur, Jesus roars and the demons fade into the darkness.  

But Mark does not answer many of our questions: Where do demons come from? Why aren’t demons mentioned in the Old Testament? Are demons active today and if so, where? And, perhaps most importantly, since Jesus believed in demons back then, do we need to believe in demons today? In other words, after reading Mark, it is remarkable, but we still have numerous question marks. And while I hoped, we could wrap up this series today, we need to go one more week. I see myself in this Swiftie: “’Okay, you can borrow it again,’ Tom relented.” Me, too.