Mark 1:25-28

Jesus heals us! Spiritually…Mentally…Physically.

There are many things that we will not fully understand until we are reunited with Christ. We fight against the powers and principalities of darkness… not with man.

God alone can do what we cannot!

Scripture tells us Jesus is the way, truth and life (John 14:6), and He invites us to ask for and seek "good things" from God (Matthew 7:7-11). When believers in Jesus ask the Father for help and wisdom according to His will, Jesus Himself advocates and intercedes for us (Romans 8:34). We are not left to navigate life's confusions and sufferings alone. We also have a great and powerful Helper in the Holy Spirit, whose job it is to teach and remind us of God's wisdom (John 14:26). First5 

Here’s the deal: We are all wounded healers (where our wounds cease to be a source of shame and become a source of healing). No, this is not a strategy. This is a fact. It spills from those parts of our life that have been broken open, from those parts of us flawed and imperfect. So. What if this is not about accepting imperfection as some kind of divine teaching moment? What if the gift is in the inimitability of our humanity? When we embrace the light that is already inside, we live from the power of sufficiency, and let it spill.
I am (quite literally) here today because of people who let light—kindness, compassion, gentleness, tenderness, empathy, healing—spill into my life, at times when bleakness was too much to carry.
Let us remember... these “little things” along the way are the gifts of light and grace. SabbathMoments 

“I am God and not a human; I am the Holy One, and I am among you” (Hosea 11:9 NCV). Reflect on those last four words: “I am among you.” Do you believe God is near? He wants you to. He wants you to know he is in the midst of your world. Wherever you are now right now, he is present.

And he’s more than near – he’s active. God is in the thick of things in your world. He has not removed himself from history. He has not chosen to seclude himself on a throne in an incandescent castle. He has drawn near. He has involved himself in the carpools, heartbreaks, and funeral homes of our day. The Lord is near. You may feel alone, but there is never a moment in which you face life without help. God is near. Max Lucado

Mark 1:25-28

25 But Jesus rebuked him, saying,  “Be quiet, and come out of him!” 26 And when the unclean spirit had convulsed him and cried out with a loud voice, he came out of him. 27 Then they were all amazed, so that they questioned among themselves, saying, “What is this? What new doctrine is this? For with authority He commands even the unclean spirits, and they obey Him.” 28 And immediately His fame spread throughout all the region around Galilee. The New King James Version

With this command, Jesus simultaneously neutralizes the spirit’s attempt to oppose Him and prevents His identity as the Messiah from becoming public knowledge. 

Exorcists were common in the ancient Near East. For example, among the Dead Sea Scrolls (circa 250 bc–ad 50), a text containing an incantation formula designed to exorcise demons was discovered. Jesus distinguishes Himself from other exorcists in that He did not rely on complex incantations. He could simply command the demons and they would leave their hosts. Jesus’ inaugural exorcism sets off a chain reaction, as those who hear the good news respond to it. Faithlife Study Bible

The demon cried out let us alone, not because it was speaking for other demons in the man, but because Jesus was a threat to all demons. Jesus constantly confronted demons and about 20 percent of the approximately 35 miracles recorded about Jesus involved helping those troubled by demons. The demon acknowledged Jesus as the Holy One of God, but Jesus refused the testimony from such a disreputable source.  

Unclean spirit is another term for demon. Mark notes the extent of recognition this great miracle brought Jesus by saying His fame spread throughout all the region. Mark creates suspense by contrasting the people who received Christ with the Pharisees and rulers who worked to bring about His death. 

The sad truth remains that often the religious of the world do more to keep people from Jesus Christ than most worldly atheists. But the gospel is not religion. It is Good News that can free even the most horrible sinner. The NKJV Study Bible

The devil is an unclean spirit, because he has lost all the purity of his nature, because he acts in direct opposition to the Holy Spirit of God, and by his suggestions defiles the spirits of men. Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary

Mark 9:20 Then they brought him to Him. And when he saw Him, immediately the spirit convulsed him, and he fell on the ground and wallowed, foaming at the mouth.

Mark 9:26 Then the spirit cried out, convulsed him greatly, and came out of him. And he became as one dead, so that many said, “He is dead.