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When it was evening, after sunset, they brought to him all who were
ill or possessed by demons. The whole town was gathered at the
door. He cured many who were sick with various diseases, and he
drove out many demons, not permitting them to speak because they
knew him. Mark 1:32–34
Today we read that Jesus once again “drove out many demons...” The
passage then adds, “...not permitting them to speak because they
knew him.”
Why would Jesus not permit these demons to speak? Many of the early
Church fathers explain that even though the demons had an
understanding that Jesus was the promised Messiah, they did not
understand fully what that meant and how He would accomplish His
ultimate victory. Therefore, Jesus did not want them to speak only
half-truths about Him, as the evil one often does, thus misleading
the people. So Jesus always forbade these demons from speaking
about Him publicly.
It’s important to understand that all of the demonic spirits failed
to understand the full truth that it would be Jesus’ death that
ultimately destroys death itself and sets all people free. For that
reason, we see that these diabolical forces continually conspired
against Jesus and tried to attack Him throughout His life. They
stirred up Herod when Jesus was a baby, which forced Him into exile
in Egypt. Satan himself tempted Jesus just prior to the beginning
of His public ministry so as to try to dissuade Jesus from His
mission. There were many diabolical forces who continually attacked
Jesus throughout His public ministry, especially through the
ongoing hostility of the religious leaders at the time. And it can
be presumed that these demons may have initially thought they won
the battle when they accomplished their goal of having Jesus
crucified.
The truth, however, is that Jesus’ wisdom continually confounded
these demons and ultimately transformed their evil act of having
Him crucified into an ultimate victory over sin and death itself by
rising from the dead. Satan and his demons are real, but compared
to the truth and wisdom of God, these diabolical forces reveal
their complete foolishness and weakness. Just like Jesus, we need
to rebuke these tempters in our lives and command that they be
silent. Too often we allow their half truths to mislead us and
confuse us.
Reflect, today, upon the importance of confidently rebuking the
evil one and the many lies he tempts us to believe. Rebuke him with
the truth and authority of Christ and pay no attention to what he
says.
My precious and all-powerful Lord, I turn to You and You alone
as the source of all Truth and the fullness of Truth. May I listen
to Your voice alone and reject the many deceptions of the evil one
and his demons. In Your precious name, Jesus, I rebuke satan and
all evil spirits, their lies and their temptations. I send these
spirits to the foot of Your Cross, dear Lord, and open my mind and
heart only to You. Jesus, I trust in You.
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Featured image above: The Blind and Mute Man Possessed by Devils
By James Tissot, via Wikimedia Commons
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