Mark 1:32-34 - And at evening, when the sun did set, they brought unto him all that were diseased, and them that were possessed with demons. And all the city was gathered together at the door. And he healed many that were sick of diverse diseases, and cast out many demons; and did not allow the demons to speak, because they knew him.
The word about Jesus had begun to spread throughout the region. He had recently commanded a demon to come out of a man in the Synagogue and then He had healed Peter’s mother-in-law of a terrible fever. Good news always travels fast and the only thing that travelled faster that day was those who heard the good news and they came in droves to Peter’s house. Obviously what Jesus had said and done inspired a living faith in the hearts of those who were suffering under the ravages of disease and the torments of dark spirits. People brought other people until the whole community was outside the door. The simple and uncomplicated truth of Jesus attracted hurting humanity then, and it still draws people to Him today.
Disease has never been the will of God for mankind. Just the simple breakdown of the word itself should illustrate that; dis-ease; anything that hinders the ease of operation that God created for the body. The original language goes further and reveals that this word and its relatives are rooted in the soil of evil. Miserable, wicked, harmful, and bad; these are the roots of the word translated disease; just ask a child if any of those words are good. Please friends, we must settle this issue forever; sickness and disease are not good gifts and they do not come from above; they do not come from our gracious Heavenly Father. Of course, there is much to say about this subject and still much that we do not know. We never make light of any beautiful child of God who has suffered and cried out for healing that did not come; we mourn along with all those who have prayed and yet lost a loved one; there are many unsolved mysteries which must be left with God. However, we have a responsibility to continue to preach and teach and seek God for what we do know is true. We eagerly preach salvation for all people even when we know that all people will not be saved. He is the Saviour, not because we are saved but because He said He is the Saviour, and He is the Healer, not because we are healed but because He said He is the Healer. One old preacher used to say it this way, ‘God said it, I believe it, and that settles it’. It is an established fact, as the Psalmist of old has said, ‘Forever, O Lord, your Word is settled in heaven’.
It is interesting to note that right on the heels of the word ‘disease’ is the phrase, ‘possessed with demons’, perhaps suggesting their dark history and connection. In our day of science and civility there are many that think it is foolish and infantile to believe in the existence of evil spirits, and even among those who do believe in their reality, there is much misunderstanding and imbalance. History shows us that we tend to be in the ditch on one side of the road or another; very few seem to go down the middle of the road. We either do not believe in Satan’s existence at all, or we do believe and then give him way too much attention and emphasis. In order to steer safely on the highway of life, we have to listen to what my Dad used to say as we were leaving our parents house to drive a couple hours back home, ‘Keep her between the ditches’. It may help to gain a more balanced view if we realize that a better word than possessed may be demonized. The use of the word possessed depicts one who is completely controlled and taken over but the term demonized carries a much broader range of demonic activity, including oppressed and obsessed. However, it really does not matter to what degree people have been influenced or harassed by evil spirits, because Jesus’ power takes care of it all.
Jesus is the Great Physician and He does what it takes to restore the patient to health; of course, He must have the patient’s cooperation. The original word for heal in this verse may imply the beginning of a process such as repeated visits to a therapist. Healing can be instantaneous but, more often than not, it is a process. This is a good thing because the time element and the experience gained, while submitting to the directions of the Physician and applying His prescription, brings about incremental but definite changes in the patient’s condition and outlook. Fred Bosworth wrote, ‘The process that brings the healing is a greater blessing than the healing itself’. We don’t just get our answer in the process; we, ourselves, change in the process and thus become stronger and more committed disciples.
Jesus healed many of those who were held under the destructive control of disease and, at the same time and under the same anointing, He cast out many demons. The language is instructive because we only use these kinds of words when we are serious and mean business. We could say that He expelled the demons, which may be reminiscent of our experience at high school. To be expelled means you are ordered to leave and not allowed to come back. Only someone with legitimate authority can expel another and Jesus definitely had that authority. Get out and stay out, is how He would put it.
The demon spirits knew who Jesus was; they recognized His authority. Ever since their future was foretold by God in the Garden of Eden, they knew that the Anointed One was coming who would break the power of their chief, Satan and overthrow his empire. They knew who He was because they saw in the realm of the spirit, but Jesus did not allow them to speak; He silenced the enemy at every turn. Sadly, even though the enemy knew who He was, the people of His own country did not see who he was because they saw only with the natural eyes and could not see that He was the Messiah; the long-promised Saviour and the long-awaited answer.
Friends, I pray that we would have our eyes wide open and recognize Jesus when He comes to us, for you can be certain that He will come. God's desire for us to be blessed is greater than we can imagine. He is so faithful; He will give you and I ample opportunity to recognize Him and enable us to receive all that He has for us. Thank you, Lord Jesus!
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