Jesus silenced the demons in our story this week. Mark 1: 24 “What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are—the Holy One of God.” 25 But Jesus rebuked him (the evil spirit), saying, “Be silent, and come out of him!”[1] Why would Jesus muzzle this spirit as it was telling the truth? Jesus was from Nazareth and was the Holy One of God.
A few verses later, Jesus was healing and banishing demons, but again, He did not allow them to speak. Mark 1: 34 And he healed many who were sick with various diseases, and cast out many demons. And he would not permit the demons to speak, because they knew him. [2] It is ironic that the evil spirit recognized Jesus for who He was before the people did. So why did Jesus silence the demons?
Reasons for the Silencing
Jesus demonstrated His authority over the evil realm. The demons had to obey when told to be quiet. They were not a trusted source, and Jesus did not want the people to get their information from the dark side. Jesus always operated under the Father’s timetable. He came to be a suffering servant, which couldn’t be fully understood until after His crucifixion. The people couldn’t have a complete picture of what the Son of God came to do until after His resurrection.
The Jewish people expected a military, political Messiah who would free them from the rule of Rome. While we know He was king, He wasn’t the king that the people expected. Jesus wanted to be able to teach the people what He came to do for them spiritually. Satan wanted the people to look for what Jesus could do for them physically. If that was their focus, they may have missed the fact that Jesus came to set them free from the power of sin.
Jesus’ Way and Timing
If Jesus revealed Himself as Messiah and King too soon, it would give the crowd the wrong expectations. He wanted people to believe He was the Christ because of what He said and did. His followers needed to understand the meaning of His death on the cross. Thus, Jesus’ identity as Savior wasn’t complete until after the resurrection. This explains why even the disciples did not wholly understand who He was until after He rose from the dead.
Jesus still continues to reveal His identity to us today. We can see that the demons knew that Jesus was the Son of God, but they weren’t saved. Knowing about Jesus is not the same as salvation. The facts are important, but we must get beyond this to turn to the person Christ. Trust in what Jesus has done for you and receive the gift of salvation. Be willing to follow Him and develop a relationship with Him.
To learn how Jesus silenced the demons, listen here:
https://podpoint.com/light-of-christ-church-podcast/power-over-the-demonic
[1-2] The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (2016). Crossway Bibles.