1:23,24
Teaching did not just involve words, but, as Paul says in 1 Cor 2:4, also a demonstration of the Spirit’s power. Note also that it was the teaching of the word of God that provoked the impure spirit that was in the man. The word of God has power and will provoke a reaction. The unclean spirit knew that Jesus was the “Holy One of God”. Evil spirits exist, and they may well be better at recognising the reality of who Jesus is than we are.
1:25,26
Jesus spoke firmly to the impure spirit. Exorcism or casting out of demons can be a controversial matter, and can be associated with abuse of various kinds. However, Jesus cast out demons, and this continued in Acts. So there is a time and a place for dealing with demons and we need to recognise the reality of the demonic. We also need to use Biblical common sense. Jesus did not go looking for the demon, rather He spoke the truth and this provoked the demon into showing itself. Once it had shown itself Jesus firmly and calmly rebuked it. The demon left the man with a shriek.
1:27,28
The people were amazed at Jesus, at what He taught and what He did. People look for leaders who have authority. Sadly so often in normal life people who have this charisma so often use it for illicit ends. The most extreme examples are people like Hitler and Stalin. Jesus used His authority under the authority of His Father, for the good of all, and to further the well being of all people. It was not just that he cast out demons, but He also had a “new” teaching. So we see again the importance that Mark puts on the teaching. But the fact that impure spirits obeyed Him affirmed the authority that Jesus had. Not surprisingly, news about Jesus spread throughout the region.
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