This miracle is found in the gospel of Mark chapter 1, verses 21-28, and in the gospel of Luke chapter 4, verses 31-37. Jesus went into the synagogue at Capernaum one Sabbath. A man who was possessed with a demon cried out loudly asking Jesus what he was doing there. Jesus commanded the demon to come out of the man and the demon had to obey. Everyone there were amazed, and Jesus’ notoriety increased greatly.
In the first century, synagogues were run by a chief ruler. This person would often open the service with various recitations, he would have a priest or Levite read a portion of the Torah, a portion from the prophets would be read in Hebrew and interpreted for the common people in attendance, and a sermon was then provided by someone. This was typically by the chief ruler but could also be a visiting rabbi or teacher. It seems Jesus often spoke at a synagogue as the chief rulers would allow him to do so since his fame was spreading throughout the land of Israel.
The word “synagogue” was formed from a combination of two Greek words (“ago” meaning to lead or bring along, and the preposition “sun” meaning together) and came to mean “to gather in, collect, or assemble.” The word synagogue in its earliest usages did not refer to a physical location or a physical building. First, Jewish individuals assembled and then once they began to build structures for their meetings, the word synagogue came to be applied to the building itself.
There were several activities these synagogues provided for their congregation. Activities included the reading and instruction of the law, the Torah, as well as providing hostel services such as lodging, food, and water for strangers.
Scripture indicates Jesus often healed people while he visited synagogues. The controversy of his work there wasn’t about his healing but about him doing so on the Sabbath. Healing on the Sabbath was a sacrilege according to some (Jn 15:1-18). There is one instance when the ruler of the synagogue angrily told the people to return to the synagogue on a day other than the Sabbath to be healed (Lk 13:14).
The same help the synagogue gave to its congregation and to those who were sick or needed help was also provided by the temple in Jerusalem. The temple of Jerusalem and the synagogues scattered throughout the land of Israel both seem to have attracted the needy in their respective communities. This may suggest why the Gospel writers often locate Jesus healing at a synagogue when he was not in Jerusalem, but when he was in Jerusalem, he healed at or near the temple instead of the synagogue. It seems appropriate contextually that Jesus first proclaims his mission to the needy at the synagogue and performs many of his acts of compassions on behalf of the needy at the synagogue — the ancient Jewish community center. He proclaimed at the synagogue in Nazareth, his hometown, the following: “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he has sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.” Then he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant and sat down. The eyes of everyone in the synagogue were fastened on him. He began by saying to them, “Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing” (Lk 4:18-21).
So, the synagogues were built as a geographical and symbolic extension of the Jerusalem temple. It allowed Jewish leaders to meet the Jewish people in their own communities more often than when the people visited the Jerusalem temple.
Many people, when they heard Jesus speak, would say he spoke with authority. Why was that? The scribes and Pharisees would quote from various authoritative Jewish scholars when they taught to drive home a point or an interpretation of scripture, like a textbook where references are provided to show that there are other authoritative sources saying the same thing as you or that supports your premise or conclusion. In the Old Testament, prophets had authority because they spoke, “Thus says the Lord.” Jesus spoke from his own authority and would say, “Verily I say unto you.”
Why did Jesus shut the demoniac down so quickly? Jesus did not give dignity to the demon by carrying on a conversation with it or allow it to manifest its nature further. Jesus rebuked the demon almost immediately, commanding it to be silent and to come out of the man. The demon obeyed, but only after one final rebellious act. The demon cast the man to the ground in a way that was so violent, it seemed certain the man would have been seriously injured. Yet in Luke’s account of this, he lets us know that no injury came to the man from this display. Jesus, not the demon, was in total control.
During this time in first century Judaism, exorcisms were not uncommon, but were typically a long, drawn-out process with formulas and protocols to follow, like first getting to know the name of the demon they were dealing with. It was believed that if they knew the name of the demon, the one performing the exorcism could use that name against the demon making it reveal something they could then use to force the demon out of the person. This was one reason the process was so lengthy as often the demon knew their tactics and did not want to relinquish their name to the one trying to exorcise them from the person they inhabited. The one doing the exorcism knew when they were successful when they noticed a quick, definite, and dramatic change in the person’s persona or speech.
Jesus did not do his exorcism in this manner. He cast out the demon in just one short sentence: “Come out of him!”
The brevity of the incident had a profound impact on those who watched. At the word of Jesus, demons obeyed. This demonstrated to the people there that Jesus had great power and authority.
There is another incident of this type where a demon-possessed man who was blind and mute was brought to Jesus for healing (Mt 12:22-23; Jn 11:14-20). This time, the people asked if Jesus was the Messiah after this miracle of healing but not after the miracle he performed in Capernaum. Why? Normally, a person who was mute all their lives would have to learn how to talk. That was not the case here. The man could talk coherently immediately.
This passage in John lets us know that it was the demon who was preventing the man from speaking. It was this kind of demon against which Judaism's methodology was powerless because he could not speak, so there was no way of establishing communication with this kind of a demon; no way of finding out this demon's name. Likely, this demon was using this thought of a mute demon being beyond help to stay in this man. So, within the framework of Judaism, it was impossible to cast out a dumb demon.
The rabbis taught, however, that when the Messiah came, he would be able to cast out this type of demon. As this was one of the messianic miracles that would prove who the Messiah really was, the audience turned to the leaders and asked them, “Is this him?” In other words, they were asking if Jesus was the long-awaited Jewish Messiah. After all, Jesus was doing the very things they had been taught from childhood that only the Messiah would be able to do. They never asked this question when Jesus casts out other types of demons. However, when he casts out a dumb demon, they raised the question because they recognized from the teachings of the rabbis that this was a messianic miracle.
There were two other messianic miracles that the Jewish leaders taught that the coming Messiah would be able to perform. One was the healing from leprosy. They taught that only the Messiah would be able to heal a Jewish leper. The other miracle was healing someone born blind. Healing someone who had gone blind was one thing since it was a matter of restoring what was lost. Yet, one born blind had no history to go back to when that person could see. In the posts to come, we’ll address how Jesus also fulfilled these types of miracles as well.
As you can see, Jesus Christ was more than a miracle worker. He went beyond expectation to remove any doubt of his authority and his purpose. Yet, as you can see, the Jewish leaders still did not believe. What about you? Do you still doubt even though you have read all he has done for you? More evidence is not what will make you believe. Yielding your will to him and believing him by faith will. Take the step. You’ll be so glad you did.
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Visit Books & Words to Inspire by Randy C. Dockens