Week 3 of My Reflections in the Gospel of Mark.

“I mean, it’s not like it was my first exorcism.” 

If you’re wondering, that declaration came from my wife, Elisa. As she stood in the kitchen and sipped coffee with friends, she made performing exorcisms at work sound like sending a routine email.

Although she can achieve the inexplicable, Elisa is not a psychic. And even though I’d happily support her if she were to pursue a career in the pastorate, she is not a Pentecostal preacher. And in case you thought I neglected the obvious, no, she does not have a doctorate in demonology. 

She’s just your normal (amazing) everyday (once in a generation) studio teacher (not a tutor) who works in the movies. And it turns out, she’s worked on a few movie sets with characters who exorcise malignant influences. Imaginary ones, of course. 

For her, it’s just a typical day at work.

Over the last couple of weeks, I’ve made some observations from the gospel of Mark. At the outset, I pointed out how both John and Jesus show us how to prepare the way for the arrival of a new kingdom. Last week, I shared how Jesus was the repentant one. The one leading his followers — by his baptism — to turn from the kingdoms of this world, to the kingdom of God.

As Mark pulls us along in chapter 1, the kingdom formation continues. We move from the wilderness temptation to the Galilean Sea and watch Jesus call his first disciples. As they follow their new leader, they leave their nets, a symbolic gesture of newfound freedom. No longer will they experience the burden of fishing for Caesar — now they will fish for men.

Leaving Galilee, Jesus and his disciples travel to Capernaum. As he teaches in the synagogue on the Sabbath, the kingdom building continues. 

“They went to Capernaum, and when the Sabbath came, Jesus went into the synagogue and began to teach. The people were amazed at his teaching, because he taught them as one who had authority, not as the teachers of the law.” — Mark 1:21-22

When Jesus arrives, an astonished consensus is building. He teaches, the people say, as one having authority. We don’t know what words he used or in what style he communicated, but what was clear in the testimony of his audience becomes our evidence: His authority was unlike any other teacher.

Jesus teaching with authority is a theme that will continue throughout the book — in addition to bookending this specific story here in Mark 1. In verses 22 and 27, we see how the crowd’s affirmations of his authority frame the interaction he has with a man possessed by an unclean spirit.

Was the possessed man sitting there the whole time? Was he listening to Jesus read the scriptures and tell his stories? We don’t know how long he had been in the synagogue but at some point, he made his move on Jesus. 

“Just then,” Mark writes, “a man in their synagogue who was possessed by an impure spirit cried out, “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 1:23-24

And the powerful teacher responds with but a few words: “Be quiet!” And, “Come out of him!“

In Mark’s gospel, this is Jesus’ first exorcism. But for Jesus, it’s just a typical day of work. Delivering people from their darkness is what God does.

And the way Jesus does it, in this specific story, is without panic or trepidation. His concise rebuke is a demonstration of his authority and fearlessness. 

Being unafraid to confront the man possessed might be assumed. He is Jesus, after all. But what we should also notice is that Jesus does not use the situation to foster fear in those around him. He does not point out the spirit as something to fear. He does not draw attention to the man as an example of how horrible things have gotten. 

His authoritative words let his audience (and us) know there is nothing to fear.

There is, however, someone fostering fear in the story. It’s the unclean spirit. 

Who is the “us” in verse 24? Is it the unclean spirit and other unclean spirits? Is it the unclean spirit and the man he possesses? Does the “us” include the people in the synagogue as well? Maybe the unclean spirit has the scribes in mind?

Whoever the “us” is, the unclean spirit includes them in his threatened confrontation. Even though the unclean spirit knows where Jesus is from and recognizes him as the holy one from God, his understanding of Jesus is off. He does not see him as the one who came to destroy fear and darkness. Instead, he sees Jesus as the one who came to destroy “us” — whoever “us” is.

This might be instructive for us. For whenever we look at the world around us and see things that may appear to be demonic or possessed by an unclean spirit, we can, like Jesus, approach it without panic or fear. After all, we serve a God who can, with a word, silence what might seem threatening, whether it is people dancing around on a stage in costumes or legitimate powers of darkness. 

This kind of danger is much more deceptive. 

We encounter people all the time who know who Jesus is, would say that he is the holy one of God and still find every opportunity to foster fear. The threats that come from a posture of fostered fear are not from Jesus. They are from somewhere unclean. And our most appropriate response to those voices are the words of Jesus:

“Be quiet.”

The fear we feel or foster might say more about our fears of what God is unwilling or unable to do rather than what the perceived threat might actually do to us. 

Find strength in the one who has all authority to deliver us from danger. His perfect words dismiss the threats of darkness, and his perfect love casts away all fear.