May 7: RECOGNIZING AUTHORITY (part 1)

But Jesus rebuked [the unclean spirit], saying, “Be quiet and come out of him!” And when the unclean spirit had convulsed him and cried out with a loud voice, he came out of him. Mark 1:25-26

The devil and his minions are behind the diseases and erroneous ways of thinking in this world. Jesus had been in the synagogue in Capernaum on the Sabbath. His authoritative teaching (v.22) was an irritant to the demon(s) present, hence the angry question: Did you come to destroy us? (v.24) It is noteworthy that the demon did not make an exit before he convulsed [the man] and cried out with a loud voice. Clearly, the demon (and any of his coworkers) objected to the authority of Jesus. Nevertheless, he made his exit after his demonstration of ire and disrespect.

The authority of the written Word is the authority of Jesus Himself. Sometimes, due to our stubborn human nature—which is readily reinforced by a plethora of worldly voices—we must hear Him say something repeatedly or in several different ways to realize that we are holding human traditions above the truths of God. As the error is being cast out, we are convulsed. This “tail-end shake-up” is illustrated on the heels of God’s miraculous rescue of His children from the land of Egypt. Remember how Pharaoh and his armies came after them with a vengeance after they had left Egypt! (see Exodus 14:9-10)

Jesus said, “The words that I speak to you are spirit and they are life” (John 6:63). In the process of being born again, there may be times when clouds and darkness surround the LORD (Psalm 97:2) as He works to free us from the misrepresentations of Him that we tend to cling to. Satan does not let go of his hold upon our minds without a fight. The world will see that the words of the LORD have reached your heart if you exercise your will to believe Him over the endless contradictions paraded before you.

Then one of the crowd… said, “Teacher, I brought You my son, who has a mute spirit. And whenever it seizes him, it throws him down; he foams at the mouth, gnashes his teeth, and becomes rigid. So I spoke to Your disciples, that they should cast it out, but they could not.” Mark 9:17-18

The boy’s ailment may have been something like epilepsy. However, a closer look through a spiritual lens can reveal a type of spiritual epilepsy that sets in during childhood because of early influences that are a ‘mixed bag’ of spiritual ideas. When such a one comes near to Jesus:

And when [the spirit] saw Him, immediately the spirit convulsed [the boy], and he fell on the ground and wallowed, foaming at the mouth. So [Jesus] asked [the boy’s] father, “How long has this been happening to him?” And he said, “From childhood. And often he has thrown him both into the fire and into the water to destroy him. But if you can do anything, have compassion on us and help us.” Mark 9:20b-22

To be continued…