24  Jesus’ Authority  over Demons  (Luke 4:31–37)

And He came down to Capernaum, a city of Galilee, and He was teaching them on the Sabbath; and they were amazed at His teaching, for His message was with authority. In the synagogue there was a man possessed by the spirit of an unclean demon, and he cried out with a loud voice, “Let us alone! What business do we have with each other, Jesus of Nazareth? Have You come to destroy us? I know who You are—the Holy One of God!” But Jesus rebuked him, saying, “Be quiet and come out of him!” And when the demon had thrown him down in the midst of the people, he came out of him without doing him any harm. And amazement came upon them all, and they began talking with one another saying, “What is this message? For with authority and power He commands the unclean spirits and they come out.” And the report about Him was spreading into every locality in the surrounding district. (4:31–37)

“There are two equal and opposite errors into which our race can fall about the devils,” wrote C. S. Lewis. “One is to disbelieve in their existence. The other is to believe, and to feel an excessive and unhealthy interest in them. They themselves are equally pleased by both errors and hail a materialist or a magician with the same delight” (The Screwtape Letters [New York: MacMillian, 1977], 9). Our postmodern, post-Christian culture leans toward the latter error. A veritable flood of books and movies have introduced fantasy worlds of wizards, spirits, and alien beings. Ironically, research has documented that skeptics, irreligious people, and people in liberal churches are far more likely to believe in superstition, the paranormal, and pseudoscience than evangelical Christians. But even within Christianity reality and fantasy have merged to create a confusing and often unbiblical view of the demonic realm. Many believers, churches, and ministries are preoccupied with demons. They view virtually everything that goes wrong in a Christian’s life as the direct result of demonic activity, the cure for which is to exorcise the demon or demons responsible. But believers cannot be possessed by demons, and need not be terrified by them (see the discussion of those points later in this chapter).

There is no confusion in the Bible regarding Satan and his demon hosts; it reveals clearly their origin, present activity, and destiny. Originally, they were holy angels, and Satan was the highest-ranking of all of them. They lived in heaven, where they served and worshiped God. But through pride Satan rebelled against God (Isa. 14:12–14; Ezek. 28:12–16), and one third (Rev. 12:3–4) of the holy angels joined him in the attempted coup. As a result of their pride and rebellion, they were cast out of heaven along with their leader (Luke 10:18), though they still are granted access to it (Job 1:6; 2:1). During the tribulation, after a climactic battle with Michael and the holy angels, Satan and the demons will be permanently cast out of heaven (Rev. 12:7–9).

In the present age, demons operate in the world to achieve the purposes of Satan and thwart the purposes of God. They are behind the evil world system that dominates the lives of all those who do not belong to God through faith in Jesus Christ. In John 8:44, Jesus declared that all unbelievers are children of Satan, while Ephesians 2:1–2 and 1 John 5:19 say that the whole unbelieving world is in Satan’s power. Satan is the god or ruler of this world (John 12:31; 14:30; 16:11), who blinds unbelievers to spiritual truth (2 Cor. 4:4) and leads them to deception (2 Cor. 11:13–15).

Demons made their first and only appearance in the Old Testament in Genesis 6:1–4 (though they are alluded to in Lev. 17:7; Deut. 32:17; Ps. 106:37), where they possessed fallen men who cohabitated with women (cf. 2 Peter 2:4–5; Jude 6). In the New Testament, demonic activity is confined to the Synoptic Gospels and Acts (though Jesus was accused of being demon possessed in John 7:20; 8:48–52; 10:20–21; and demons are alluded to in 1 Cor. 10:20–21; 1 Tim. 4:1; James 2:19; 3:15; Rev. 9:20; 16:14; 18:2), as they made a supreme assault on Jesus and the apostles. They are real, personal, fallen spiritual beings who are wholly given to wickedness.

This passage introduces a new theme in Luke’s gospel. Up to this point, Luke has focused on the person of Christ, presenting His credentials as Messiah, Son of God, and Savior. Starting with verse 31 and running through chapter 5, Luke revealed Jesus’ power in the spiritual and physical realms, over everyone and everything, including demons, religion and religious teachers, disease, nature, and even death. He began by discussing Jesus’ power over demons for a very important reason. If Jesus is to free those held in bondage by Satan and his demon hosts, He has to be able to break their power over the souls of men to free them from the kingdom of Satan (cf. 2 Cor. 10:3–5; Col. 1:13; Heb. 2:14–15). It is precisely that power over the demonic realm that the Lord demonstrates in this passage.

The evil spirits knew why Jesus had come. They also are well aware of the fate that God pronounced against them—everlasting torment in the “eternal fire which has been prepared for the devil and his angels” (Matt. 25:41). The incarnation of the Son of God, who came to save sinners (Matt. 1:21; Luke 19:10), intensified the age-long battle for the souls of men. In desperation, during His earthly ministry the evil spirits launched their most widespread and visible assault ever. Even so, whenever confronted by the incarnate Son of God, the demons reacted with sheer terror and often screamed out loud (v. 33; cf. Mark 1:23–25; 3:11; 5:1–7). They are compelled to believe the truth, and tremble in fear because of it (James 2:19).

This passage reveals four things about Jesus that terrified the demons: His preaching, purpose, purity, and power.

HIS PREACHING

And He came down to Capernaum, a city of Galilee, and He was teaching them on the Sabbath; and they were amazed at His teaching, for His message was with authority. In the synagogue there was a man possessed by the spirit of an unclean demon, and he cried out with a loud voice, “Let us alone! What business do we have with each other, Jesus of Nazareth? (4:31–34a)

Jesus was above all a preacher. Matthew 4:17 records that at the outset of His Galilean ministry “Jesus began to preach and say, ‘Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.’” Matthew 11:1 notes that “when Jesus had finished giving instructions to His twelve disciples, He departed from there to teach and preach in their cities.” Shortly after the incident recorded in this passage Jesus declared, “I must preach the kingdom of God to the other cities also, for I was sent for this purpose” (Luke 4:43; cf. v. 18; Mark 1:38). Luke 8:1 finds Him “going around from one city and village to another, proclaiming and preaching the kingdom of God.” Nearing the end of His earthly ministry Jesus was still “teaching the people in the temple and preaching the gospel” (Luke 20:1). Even after His resurrection Jesus preached a final sermon to His disciples (Luke 24:27). The Lord’s example underscores the vital importance of expository preaching in the church.

Capernaum, Jesus’ adopted hometown (Matt. 4:13), was a city of Galilee, located on the northwest shore of the Sea of Galilee. Its name means, “city of Nahum,” but whether it was named for the Old Testament prophet Nahum is not known. Capernaum was a significant enough city to have had a Roman centurion and a detachment of soldiers stationed there (Matt. 8:5). That the centurion had been there long enough to have built a synagogue for the Jewish inhabitants (Luke 7:5) suggests that he was permanently assigned there. A royal official (most likely in the service of Herod Antipas) also lived in Capernaum (John 4:46). In Luke 10:15, Jesus rebuked its people for their exalted view of their city’s importance: “And you, Capernaum, will not be exalted to heaven, will you? You will be brought down to Hades!” In fulfillment of the Lord’s words, Capernaum was eventually destroyed so completely that its exact location is unknown. In addition to Jesus, several of the apostles were associated with Capernaum, including Peter and Andrew (Mark 1:21, 29), who moved there from Bethsaida (John 1:44), and Matthew, whose tax collector’s booth was in or near the city (Matt. 9:1, 9).

As was His custom (cf. the exposition of 4:15–16 in chapter 23 of this volume), Jesus was teaching them on the Sabbath in the synagogue. It may be that the Lord chose the same text in Isaiah 61:1–2 that He preached on earlier in Nazareth. Whatever His text was, the people who heard Him were amazed at His teaching, for His message was with authority. Amazed translates a form of the verb ekplēssō, which describes shock, amazement, or astonishment. The crowd in the synagogue was surprised by the power of Jesus’ teaching and His absolute authority. Unlike the teachers they were used to hearing, Jesus did not quote other rabbis, but declared the Word of God. His teaching was powerful, true, delivered with great clarity, and produced tremendous conviction. But on this occasion, the convicting force of the Lord’s preaching hit, strangely enough, a demon. In the synagogue that day there was a man possessed by the spirit of an unclean demon. That demon, as the Greek text indicates, literally indwelt him. That Luke describes the demon as unclean does not indicate he was an especially evil demon; all demons are unclean spirits (cf. 6:18; Matt. 10:1; 12:43; Mark 3:11, 30; 5:2, 8, 13; 7:25; 9:25).

In the New Testament, the unique and bizarre behavior associated with demon possession was never confused with insanity. The demons were always rational when they spoke; they understood who Jesus was and that He was going to destroy them. Even when a demon addressed unbelievers he spoke rationally, saying to some would-be exorcists, “I recognize Jesus, and I know about Paul, but who are you?” (Acts 19:15).

Demon possession was a widespread phenomenon during the earthly ministry of the Lord Jesus Christ and, to a lesser extent, during the ministries of the apostles (cf. Acts 16:16–18). During the future time of tribulation, demonic activity will again increase dramatically. Some of the demons now bound in the bottomless pit will be released to join those already operating on earth and they will wreak havoc (Rev. 9:1ff.).

Four New Testament phrases describe demon possession. First, sixteen times such people are said to have a demon or evil spirit (v. 33; 7:33; 8:27; 13:11; Matt. 11:18; Mark 3:22; 30; 9:17; John 7:20; 8:48, 49, 52; 10:20; Acts 8:7; 16:16), indicating that a demon-possessed individual was indwelt, controlled, and tormented by the demon. The repeated phrases “entered him” (Luke 8:30), “cast out” (Matt. 8:16; 9:33; 12:24, 28; Mark 1:34), “came out” (Matt. 8:32), “come out” (Mark 5:8), and “coming out” (Mark 5:13) also indicate that demons indwell their victims. Demon possession is a supernatural phenomenon, not explicable in psychological or physical terms (though there can be physical symptoms associated with it; cf. Matt. 9:32; 12:22; 17:14–15; Mark 1:26; 5:5; Luke 8:27; 9:42). It should be noted too that on no occasion when Jesus delivered an individual from demon possession was there a reference to forgiveness of sins. Nor did all those delivered repent and believe. The demon-possessed individuals whom Jesus delivered were not necessarily any more wicked than other sinners. The emphasis is on Jesus’ power over the demons, not on the individuals being delivered. But after Jesus and the apostles passed from the scene, the only way to be delivered from demons is through saving faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.

The second phrase translates the verb daimonizomai, which appears thirteen times in the New Testament (8:36; Matt. 4:24; 8:16, 28, 33; 9:32; 12:22; 15:22; Mark 1:32; 5:15, 16, 18; John 10:21), and is translated, “demon-possessed,” or “demoniaics.” Like the first phrase, it refers to someone indwelt and controlled by a demon or demons to the point that he cannot successfully resist, not to the general influence demons have in promoting false doctrine (1 Tim. 4:1), false worship (1 Cor. 10:20–21), immorality (1 Tim. 4:1–3), and attitudes of jealousy, divisive-ness, and pride (James 3:13–16).

Third, the Bible speaks of those with an “unclean” spirit (Mark 1:23; 5:2) or having one (Mark 7:25). Those phrases also indicate that demons indwell their victims.

Finally, Acts 5:16 speaks of those “afflicted with unclean spirits,” emphasizing the torment demon-possessed people suffer.

In Matthew 12:43–45, Jesus gave an illustration of demon possession. The demon-possessed person is likened to a house (v. 44), once again showing that demons indwell their victims. For some unspecified reason, this demon left his victim. It may be that he sought another more suitable person to indwell, or that he was annoyed by the attempts of exorcists (like the sons of Sceva in Acts 19:13–14) and decided to leave. It may even be that he was cast out by Jesus from an individual who never came to saving faith in Him. In any case, the demon left his victim, and “passe[d] through waterless places seeking rest, and [did] not find it” (v. 43). But unable to find a better situation, the demon decided to return to the “house from which [he] came” (v. 44). When he returned, the demon found the house “unoccupied, swept, and put in order” (v. 44)—a reference to moral and religious reform apart from true salvation. That made him an even more attractive host for the demon and his friends; demons can more successfully disguise themselves as angels of light (2 Cor. 11:14–15) in outwardly religious people. The net effect was that “the last state of that man becomes worse than the first” (v. 45). Ritual exorcisms and efforts at self-reform apart from true salvation will not free anyone from Satan’s kingdom. Only those who have “faith in Christ Jesus … [are] rescued … from the domain of darkness, and transferred … to the kingdom of His beloved Son” (Col. 1:4, 13).

There are some who argue that true Christians can be demon possessed; that is, actually indwelt by a demon as opposed to merely being influenced. One proponent of that view writes, “A genuine Christian may become possessed at least to some degree, even to the point where they speak with strange voices or in foreign languages” (C. Fred Dickason, Angels, Elect and Evil [Chicago: Moody 1975], 191). Yet Dickason cites no biblical evidence to support that claim, but rather alleged “evidence from mission fields and clinical counseling” (p. 190).

In my book How to Meet the Enemy, I summarized the biblical evidence that Christians cannot be demon possessed:

The Lord Jesus Christ’s powerful preaching unnerved this particular demon and he cried out (an exclamation meaning to scream in dismay, fear, or terror) with a loud voice in the middle of Christ’s message. The demon felt the power of the presence of his sovereign, the Son of God, who had come to invade the kingdom of darkness and free many held captive by the devil by bringing them to salvation. As Jesus preached the good news that He had come to deliver the poor, prisoners, blind, and oppressed (cf. the exposition of 4:14–30 in chapter 23 of this volume), the dreaded reality of his ultimate doom hit the demon, and he panicked. “Let us alone!” he screamed. “What business do we have with each other, Jesus of Nazareth?” The phrase what business do we have with each other (literally, “what is it to us and to You;” cf. the same phrase used by another demon in 8:28) is an idiomatic expression. What the demon was saying is, “Why are you attacking us?” He knew all too well that Jesus of Nazareth was God the Son, the second person of the Trinity, who had absolute power and authority over him. It should be noted that in a religious environment like Israel’s, demons would rather stay hidden as they sit in religious services. That is their disguise as “angels of light,” and they prefer not to blow their cover. Every false religion, no matter how moral, is demon controlled and there are surely demons present in the leaders and the deceived people. But they stay silent by design. They could not hold their terror in when the Son of God was present.

HIS PURPOSE

Have You come to destroy us? (4:34b)

The demon was terrified not only because he knew who Jesus was, but also because he knew what His purpose for him and his fellow demons was. First John 3:8 states that purpose succinctly: “The Son of God appeared for this purpose, to destroy the works of the devil.” Destroy translates a form of the verb appollumi, which means, “ruin,” “bring to nothing,” “abolish,” or “bring to an end.” The demons have been sentenced to eternal torment in hell for their rebellion against God. This one was terrified that Jesus was going to carry out that sentence right then and there and send him to the bottomless pit (cf. 8:31; Matt. 8:29).

The book of Revelation unfolds God’s ultimate plan for Satan and the demons. In chapter 20 verses 1 to 3 the apostle John wrote,

After the tribulation, as Jesus prepares for His thousand-year earthly reign, He will imprison Satan (and by implication the demons) in the abyss. The abyss is currently the temporary place of imprisonment for some of the demons (those who sinned in Gen. 6; cf. 1 Peter 3:18–20; Jude 6). It is not their final place of punishment, which is the lake of fire (Matt. 25:41). The abyss will be the holding cell, so to speak, for Satan and all the demons during the millennium. After one last, desperate assault on God and His people (Rev. 20:7–9), Satan and the demons will be thrown into the lake of fire, where they will undergo eternal punishment (Rev. 20:10).

HIS PURITY

I know who You are—the Holy One of God! (4:34c)

Unlike atheists, liberal theologians, and cultists, the demons know exactly who Jesus is. In fact, in the first half of Mark’s gospel they are the only ones who are sure He is the Son of God. Expressing the sheer terror of one who is absolutely wicked in the presence of the One who is absolutely holy, the demon screamed, I know who You are—the Holy One of God! Like the rest of his fellow demons, this one was forced to acknowledge that Jesus is the absolutely holy Son of God (cf. v. 41; 8:28; Mark 1:34; 3:11). If God’s people are afraid in His holy presence (cf. Isa. 6:5; Ezek. 1:28; Matt. 17:6; Rev. 1:17), how much more so a vile, wicked demon? Jesus, however, did not want or need the testimony of hell. Therefore, He silenced the demons whenever they affirmed His true identity (vv. 35, 41; cf. Mark 1:25, 34; 3:12; Acts 16:16–18). Since Christ lives in believers (Gal. 2:20), demons fear them, because the One they supremely dread indwells them.

HIS POWER

But Jesus rebuked him, saying, “Be quiet and come out of him!” And when the demon had thrown him down in the midst of the people, he came out of him without doing him any harm. And amazement came upon them all, and they began talking with one another saying, “What is this message? For with authority and power He commands the unclean spirits and they come out.” And the report about Him was spreading into every locality in the surrounding district. (4:35–37)

As noted above, Jesus wanted no publicity from a demon. He, therefore, rebuked him, saying, “Be quiet and come out of him!” Jesus did not recite any incantations or perform any rituals; there was no discussion, debate, or struggle. He spoke, and the demon had no choice but to instantly obey. So when the demon had thrown the man down in the midst of the people in a final, futile act of defiance, he reluctantly came out of him without doing him any harm. Jesus in His compassion prevented the demon from hurting the man.

The crowd gathered in the synagogue had been amazed at Jesus’ authoritative teaching. They were even more amazed by this demonstration of His absolute authority over the supernatural demonic realm, and they began talking with one another saying, “What is this message? For with authority and power He commands the unclean spirits and they come out.” What they had witnessed was unprecedented. On another occasion a crowd that saw Jesus cast out a demon exclaimed, “Nothing like this has ever been seen in Israel” (Matt. 9:33). The report of this remarkable, astonishing act on Jesus’ part spread like wildfire beyond Capernaum into every locality in the surrounding district.

This demonstration of Jesus’ power over Satan and the demons reveals His ability to deliver sinners from their grasp. Though the forces of hell made an all-out assault on Him during His earthly ministry, Christ effortlessly defeated them. And by His sacrificial death on the cross, He accomplished the redemption of His people, delivering them forever from the kingdom of darkness (Col. 1:13). Believers share in Christ’s victory over Satan and the demons through their salvation and union with Him (cf. Gen. 3:15; Rom. 16:20). Martin Luther expressed that truth in his hymn, “A Mighty Fortress Is Our God”: