Are Demons Powerful?

Do You Have a Demon In Your Life?

Summer, AD 27

The Gospels are highly populated with demons, or so it seems. After Jesus walked down that fateful beach and called four fishermen (Peter, Andrew, James, John) to leave their boats and "follow me," their lives would never be the same. Formerly they were part-time fishermen and part-time students of Jesus. Now they were full time "fishers of men."

Jesus, followed by the four, went "immediately" (according to Mark) from the beach to the synagogue in Capernaum to teach (Mark 1:21, Luke 4:31). What lesson would he teach for the benefit of his now full-time disciples? What key precept would Mark or Luke choose from Jesus' sermon that day for their Gospel message? Surprise! Neither Mark nor Luke tells us what Jesus preached that day, except to note that he preached with authority.

Instead, the important lesson of that day was What To Do About Demons. Jesus is confronted by a man who "had the spirit of an unclean demon," according to Luke. Luke is carefully translating Jewish concepts for his Greek-speaking reader Theophilus here, because in the Greek world a daimon can be either divine or evil, or even neutral. But in the Jewish world of Jesus a daimon is always opposed to the divine, always "unclean" (unacceptable to God), and always a body-less spirit. In the New Testament, a daimon never refers to the spirit of a deceased person, and is always part of the kingdom of Satan.

Jesus encounters this demon IN THE SYNAGOGUE, the place where the Word of God was taught every Sabbath day. The demon uses the man's voice to shout "Leave us alone!" Aha. "Us." There is more than one demon involved here. The pronouns used in this story show us that there are multiple demons in league here (us), while a singular demon does the speaking (I).

Jesus uses two commands: "Be quiet and come out of him!" He uses the second person singular for these commands, indicating that just one demon is "in" the man while the associate demons in league with the first one are out and about in an undefined presence. Although the man suffered a convulsion which threw him to the ground, he was not done any harm.

The Jews in the synagogue were amazed by the power and authority of Jesus. They were not, apparently, amazed that there was a demon present at their worship service. Did they already know that the man in their midst "had" a demon? If they did, they clearly felt they had no power to do anything about that. If so, they were wrong.

Now, about "possession" by demons: The NASB translation here in Luke throws this in gratuitously, saying that there was "a man possessed." Nothing in the Greek here supports that concept. The usual place you will find demon possession alleged is in Matthew's Gospel, most often when translating the Greek daimonizoma. I object to this translation, which is tied too strongly to popular semi-pagan concepts of the middle ages. A better translation of this word is "demonized," meaning that a person is controlled by the evil spirit, rather than owned by it. You will not find an instance in the New Testament where a demon will have any concern for the person who is demonized, as if the person was a possession of the demon.

What is Jesus' lesson for his disciples? Authority. Authority of the Father, and authority of Jesus. This authority can be invoked by his disciples when they issue a command against demonic powers "in the name of Jesus." Note also that there were exorcists among the Jews, and even among the Pharisees. These would be persons who had been taught to combat the demonic forces of evil by invoking the authority of the Most High God--the only God.

A Demon cannot overpower You -- Unless you let it.

How does one Acquire a Demon?

It could be as simple as falling in love with your own reflection in a mirror. Or as addictive as devoting yourself to pornographic fantasy. Excessive use of alcohol or recreational drugs are another way to invite demons into your life. Demons do not know your mind, but they can see your actions. They are more than willing to encourage you to go ever further down pathways that will separate you from the Father. In the extreme, if you participate with them, you may find yourself out of control. If you find yourself doing the very thing that you said you would never do, there may be demonic forces at work to try to persuade you.

In Episodes of my Book Series JOHN!

The event described by Mark and Luke occurred early in the ministry of Jesus, during the summer of AD 27. (Jesus was crucified in April of AD 30.) The Bible text following the event suggests that there were several people oppressed by demons in the area of Capernaum, and that their families brought them to Jesus to be healed. In my book I dealt with the aftermath for the man who was freed from the demon in the synagogue, and how he reacted to the new freedom in his life.

In Episode Two I deal with the conflict between Jesus and a whole legion of demons that took place in the fall of AD 28. I will deal with those issues here at a later date.

A Demon Has No Power Except  What You Give It.

If you suspect that you have a demon affecting your own life, be assured: it does not have any power at all except the power that you give it yourself. The image at the top of this post suggests the minions of Satan that prowl like roaring lions, seeking someone to devour (1 Peter 5:8). If you resist them, firm in your faith, you will be victorious.