Mark 1:24
"What do You want with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have You come to destroy us? I know who You are--the Holy One of God!"
What do You want with us, Jesus of Nazareth?
This phrase is spoken by a man possessed by an unclean spirit, and it reveals the spiritual recognition of Jesus' authority. The Greek phrase "Τί ἡμῖν καὶ σοί" (Ti hēmin kai soi) is an idiomatic expression that can be translated as "What have we to do with you?" It suggests a confrontation or a challenge, indicating that the presence of Jesus is a threat to the demonic realm. The use of "Jesus of Nazareth" identifies Jesus in His humanity and His earthly origin, emphasizing His incarnation and the fulfillment of Old Testament prophecies regarding the Messiah's humble beginnings.

Have You come to destroy us?
The unclean spirit acknowledges the power and authority of Jesus, recognizing that He has the ability to destroy demonic forces. The Greek word "ἀπολέσαι" (apolesai) means "to destroy" or "to ruin," indicating the ultimate defeat and judgment that Jesus will bring upon evil. This question reflects the fear and desperation of the demonic realm in the presence of the Holy One, who has come to establish God's kingdom and overthrow the powers of darkness.

I know who You are—the Holy One of God!
The declaration "I know who You are" signifies the spiritual insight that demons possess regarding Jesus' true identity. The Greek word "οἶδα" (oida) implies a deep, intrinsic knowledge, not just intellectual awareness. The title "the Holy One of God" is significant, as it denotes Jesus' divine nature and His unique consecration for God's purposes. In the Old Testament, "Holy One" is often used to describe God Himself, highlighting Jesus' divinity and His role as the anointed Savior. This acknowledgment by the unclean spirit underscores the spiritual authority and purity of Jesus, who stands in stark contrast to the impurity of the demonic forces.

Persons / Places / Events
1. Jesus of Nazareth
The central figure of the New Testament, recognized here by the demon as the "Holy One of God." His earthly origin is noted as Nazareth, a town in Galilee.

2. Demon-Possessed Man
The individual through whom the demon speaks. This encounter takes place in a synagogue, a place of Jewish worship and teaching.

3. Synagogue in Capernaum
The setting of this event, a place where Jesus often taught and performed miracles, located in the town of Capernaum by the Sea of Galilee.

4. Demon
A spiritual being opposed to God, acknowledging Jesus' divine authority and expressing fear of destruction.

5. Holy One of God
A title recognizing Jesus' divine nature and authority, used by the demon to identify Jesus.
Teaching Points
Recognition of Jesus' Authority
Even the spiritual realm acknowledges Jesus' divine authority. Believers are called to recognize and submit to His lordship in every area of life.

Spiritual Warfare Awareness
The encounter highlights the reality of spiritual warfare. Christians should be vigilant and equipped with the armor of God to stand firm against spiritual opposition.

Jesus' Power Over Evil
Jesus' authority over demons demonstrates His power to deliver and protect. Believers can trust in His power to overcome evil in their lives.

Confession of Faith
The demon's confession, though involuntary, points to the importance of acknowledging Jesus as the Holy One of God. Believers are encouraged to boldly confess their faith in Christ.

Fear of Judgment
The demon's fear of destruction underscores the reality of divine judgment. This serves as a reminder of the importance of repentance and faith in Jesus for salvation.
Bible Study Questions
1. How does the demon's recognition of Jesus as the "Holy One of God" challenge or affirm your understanding of Jesus' identity and authority?

2. In what ways can believers prepare themselves for spiritual warfare, as demonstrated in this passage?

3. How does Jesus' power over demons in this account encourage you in facing personal struggles or fears?

4. What does the demon's fear of destruction reveal about the nature of spiritual beings and their understanding of Jesus' mission?

5. How can you apply the principle of confessing Jesus as Lord in your daily life, and what impact might this have on those around you?
Connections to Other Scriptures
Luke 4:34
This parallel account in Luke provides a similar account, reinforcing the recognition of Jesus' authority by spiritual beings.

James 2:19
This verse highlights that even demons believe in God and shudder, emphasizing the recognition of Jesus' divine authority by the spiritual realm.

Philippians 2:10-11
These verses speak of every knee bowing and every tongue confessing Jesus as Lord, illustrating the ultimate authority of Jesus acknowledged by all creation.
Christ and the DemonsA.F. Muir Mark 1:24
Jesus not WantedH. J. Wilmot Buxton, M. A.Mark 1:24
Jesus Rebuking the Unclean SpiritAnonymous.Mark 1:24
The Happiness of Heaven Can Only be Appreciated by the HolyJ. H. Newman, D. D.Mark 1:24
The Holy One of GodTrapp.Mark 1:24
Soul-EmancipationE. Johnson Mark 1:21-28
The Authority of JesusA.F. Muir Mark 1:21-28
The Healing of a Demoniac the Synagogue of CapernaumJ.J. Given Mark 1:21-28
The Illustrative Example of Christ's WorkR. Green Mark 1:21-39
People
Andrew, Ephah, Isaiah, James, Jesus, John, Simon, Zabdi, Zebedee
Places
Capernaum, Galilee, Jerusalem, Jordan River, Judea, Nazareth, Sea of Galilee, Wilderness of Judea
Topics
Alone, Are-the, Business, Cried, Destroy, Eh, God's, Ha, Holy, Nazarene, Nazareth, Saying
Dictionary of Bible Themes
Mark 1:24

     1170   God, unity of
     2030   Christ, holiness
     4133   demons, possession by
     8203   character

Mark 1:21-25

     7430   Sabbath, in NT

Mark 1:21-28

     5381   law, letter and spirit

Mark 1:22-27

     2012   Christ, authority

Mark 1:23-24

     8228   discernment, examples

Mark 1:23-25

     6704   peace, divine NT

Mark 1:23-26

     4131   demons, kinds of
     5345   influence

Mark 1:23-27

     2372   Christ, victory
     4195   spirits

Mark 1:24-27

     4165   exorcism

Library
What 'the Gospel' Is
The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ.--Mark i. 1 My purpose now is to point out some of the various connections in which the New Testament uses that familiar phrase, 'the gospel,' and briefly to gather some of the important thoughts which these suggest. Possibly the process may help to restore freshness to a word so well worn that it slips over our tongues almost unnoticed and excites little thought. The history of the word in the New Testament books is worth notice. It seldom occurs in those
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture

Christ's Touch
'Jesus put forth His hand, and touched him.'--Mark i. 41. Behold the servant of the Lord' might be the motto of this Gospel, and 'He went about doing good and healing' the summing up of its facts. We have in it comparatively few of our Lord's discourses, none of His longer, and not very many of His briefer ones. It contains but four parables. This Evangelist gives no miraculous birth as in Matthew, no angels adoring there as in Luke, no gazing into the secrets of Eternity, where the Word who afterwards
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture

The Strong Forerunner and the Stronger Son
'The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God; 2. As it is written in the prophets, Behold, I send My messenger before Thy face, which shall prepare Thy way before Thee. 3. The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make His paths straight. 4. John did baptize in the wilderness, and preach the baptism of repentance for the remission of sins. 5. And there went out unto him all the land of Judaea, and they of Jerusalem, and were all baptized of him in
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture

Mighty in Word and Deed
'And they went into Capernaum; and straightway on the Sabbath day He entered into the synagogue, and taught. 22. And they were astonished at His doctrine: for He taught them as one that had authority, and not as the scribes. 23. And there was in their synagogue a man with an unclean spirit; and he cried out, 24. Saying, Let us alone; what have we to do with Thee, Thou Jesus of Nazareth? art Thou come to destroy us? I know Thee who Thou art, the Holy One of God. 25. And Jesus rebuked him, saying,
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture

Healing and Service
'Simon's wife's mother lay sick of a fever; and straightway they tell Him of her: 31. And He came and took her by the hand, and raised her up; and the fever left her, and she ministered unto them.'--Mark i. 30, 31, R. V. This miracle is told us by three of the four Evangelists, and the comparison of their brief narratives is very interesting and instructive. We all know, I suppose, that the common tradition is that Mark was, in some sense, Peter's mouthpiece in this Gospel. The truthfulness of that
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture

A Parable in a Miracle
'And there came a leper to Him, beseeching Him, and kneeling down to Him, and saying unto Him, If Thou wilt, Thou canst make me clean. 41. And Jesus, moved with compassion, put forth His hand, and touched him, and saith unto him, I will; he thou clean. 42. And as soon as He had spoken, immediately the leprosy departed from him, and he was cleansed.'--Mark i. 40-42. Christ's miracles are called wonders--that is, deeds which, by their exceptional character, arrest attention and excite surprise. Further,
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture

A Composite Picture.
It may be helpful to make the following summary of these allusions. 1. His times of prayer: His regular habit seems plainly to have been to devote the early morning hour to communion with His Father, and to depend upon that for constant guidance and instruction. This is suggested especially by Mark 1:35; and also by Isaiah 50:4-6 coupled with John 7:16 l.c., 8:28, and 12:49. In addition to this regular appointment, He sought other opportunities for secret prayer as special need arose; late at night
S. D. (Samuel Dickey) Gordon—Quiet Talks on Prayer

The Way to the Kingdom
"The kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel." Mark 1:15 These words naturally lead us to consider, First, the nature of true religion, here termed by our Lord, "the kingdom of God," which, saith he, "is at hand;" and, Secondly, the way thereto, which he points out in those words, "Repent ye, and believe the gospel." I. 1. We are, First, to consider the nature of true religion, here termed by our Lord, "the kingdom of God." The same expression the great Apostle uses in his Epistle
John Wesley—Sermons on Several Occasions

The Repentance of Believers
"Repent ye, and believe the gospel." Mark 1:15. 1. It is generally supposed, that repentance and faith are only the gate of religion; that they are necessary only at the beginning of our Christian course, when we are setting out in the way to the kingdom. And this may seem to be confirmed by the great Apostle, where, exhorting the Hebrew Christians to "go on to perfection," he teaches them to leave these first "principles of the doctrine of Christ;" "not laying again the foundation of repentance
John Wesley—Sermons on Several Occasions

The Lord and the Leper
The Lord Jesus Christ at this day has all power in heaven and in earth. He is charged with a divine energy to bless all who come to him for healing. Oh, that we may see today some great wonder of his power and grace! Oh, for one of the days of the Son of Man here and now! To that end it is absolutely needful that we should find a case for his spiritual power to work upon. Is there not one here in whom his grace may prove its omnipotence? Not you, ye good, ye self-righteous! You yield him no space
Charles Haddon Spurgeon—Spurgeon's Sermons Volume 34: 1888

Faith and Repentance Inseparable
I. I shall commence my remarking that the gospel which Christ preached was, very plainly, a command. "Repent ye, and believe the gospel." Our Lord does condescend to reason. Often his ministry graciously acted out the old text, "Come, now, and let us reason together; though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as wool." He does persuade men by telling and forcible arguments, which should lead them to seek the salvation of their souls. He does invite men, and oh, how lovingly he woos them to be
Charles Haddon Spurgeon—Spurgeon's Sermons Volume 8: 1863

Answer to Mr. W's First Objection.
I WILL first consider all Mr. W's objections to these literal stories. Mr. W. says in his preamble, before he comes to propose his objections in form: That these three miracles are not equally great, but differ in degree, is visible enough to every one that but cursorily reads, and compares their stories one with another.--The greatest of the three, and indeed the greatest miracle, that Jesus is supposed to have wrought, is that of Lazarus's resurrection; which, in truth, was a most prodigious miracle,
Nathaniel Lardner—A Vindication of Three of Our Blessed Saviour's Miracles

The Fellowship of Prayer
THE FELLOWSHIP OF PRAYER "Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God." -- Phil. 4:6 This timely exhortation stresses the fact that God's people should consult with Him in every matter pertaining to life. Unless they see the imperative necessity of prayer, and give it an important place in daily life, they cannot expect to be maintained by the ample resources of a generous Saviour. It is apparent that we cannot obtain
T. M. Anderson—Prayer Availeth Much

Healing a Demoniac in a Synagogue.
(at Capernaum.) ^B Mark I. 21-28; ^C Luke . IV. 31-37. ^b 21 And they [Jesus and the four fishermen whom he called] go into { ^c he came down to} Capernaum, a city of Galilee. [Luke has just spoken of Nazareth, and he uses the expression "down to Capernaum" because the latter was on the lake shore while Nazareth was up in the mountains.] And ^b straightway on the sabbath day he entered into the synagogue and taught. { ^c was teaching them} ^b 22 And they were astonished at his teaching: for he taught
J. W. McGarvey—The Four-Fold Gospel

Jesus Heals a Leper and Creates Much Excitement.
^A Matt.VIII. 2-4; ^B Mark I. 40-45; ^C Luke V. 12-16. ^c 12 And it came to pass, while he was in one of the cities [it was a city of Galilee, but as it was not named, it is idle to conjecture which city it was], behold, ^b there cometh { ^a came} ^b to him a leper [There is much discussion as to what is here meant by leprosy. Two diseases now go by that name; viz., psoriasis and elephantiasis. There are also three varieties of psoriasis, namely, white, black and red. There are also three varieties
J. W. McGarvey—The Four-Fold Gospel

The Way from Sin to Perfect Salvation.
We have learned that sin entered this world and that all mankind have sinned. We have also learned that Jesus came to save man from his sins. Now the question may arise in the mind of some, what must I do to be saved? We hope in this chapter to quote such scriptures as will plainly teach you the way of salvation, or how to be fully saved, and also the scriptures describing each experience. Repentance. The first step for the sinner is to repent. When on Pentecost men were pricked in their hearts
Charles Ebert Orr—The Gospel Day

Jesus' Conception of Himself
252. When Jesus called forth the confession of Peter at Caesarea Philippi he brought into prominence the question which during the earlier stages of the Galilean ministry he had studiously kept in the background. This is no indication, however, that he was late in reaching a conclusion for himself concerning his relation to the kingdom which he was preaching. From the time of his baptism and temptation every manifestation of the inner facts of his life shows unhesitating confidence in the reality
Rush Rhees—The Life of Jesus of Nazareth

John the Baptist
Matt. iii. 1-17; iv. 12; xiv. 1-12; Mark i. 1-14; vi. 14-29; Luke i. 5-25, 57-80; iii. 1-22; ix. 7-9; John i. 19-37; iii. 22-30. 72. The first reappearance of Jesus in the gospel story, after the temple scene in his twelfth year, is on the banks of the Jordan seeking baptism from the new prophet. One of the silent evidences of the greatness of Jesus is the fact that so great a character as John the Baptist stands in our thought simply as accessory to his life. For that the prophet of the wilderness
Rush Rhees—The Life of Jesus of Nazareth

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